GOODNESS

EMMA BOYD CELEBRATES SUMMER STONEFRUIT.

Emma Boyd heralds the arrival of luscious summer stonefruit

IN THE DEPTHS OF WINTER, when the frosty grass crackles under my gumboots and the icy-cold southerly cuts through my woolly layers, it’s stonefruit I’m dreaming of. A Golden Queen peach, plucked straight from the tree, still warm from the summer sun. Nectarines, smooth and red, and sweet and sour on the tongue. Cherries, eaten by the bowlful with our kids out under the kōwhai tree, counting the tiny stones as we go. And when we’ve eaten our fill of these fruits straight from the tree, then off to the kitchen we go to whip up the recipes that follow. The polenta cake is full of good stuff – nuts, fruit and eggs – with a dense yet beautifully moist crumb. Spiked with orange blossom, it makes a delicious dessert or afternoon tea. The multigrain rice pudding is totally addictive, a wonderful combination of textures and flavours and so pretty served in wee glass dishes, while the nectarine salad is delicious served alongside chicken or fish – it can be prepped ahead of time and thrown together just before serving.