Summer Desserts from Fruit!

May 18, 2021

Last weekend was the first Farmer’s Market at Southlands, just five minutes from the homes in Southshore. With two locations now – one at East State Avenue and the other in the Town Square near the theaters, the Southlands Farmer’s Market is held every Saturday through September from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. And one of the delicacies we’ve all been waiting for is fresh fruit from local growers.

Grilled Fruit

If you haven’t had grilled fruit since last summer, or ever, start with something super scrumptious like Chef John’s Prosciutto Peaches. The saltiness of the prosciutto and the sweetness of the peaches pairs beautifully, and the creamy burrata cheese and fresh basil make the perfect complement. Food Network favorite Bobby Flay adds the prosciutto after the peaches are grilled, with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 

Ideal grilling fruits are firm and barely ripe. Lots of these are available now at the Farmer’s Market: pineapples, apples, peaches and pears, and they can all take the heat. Soak them in liquor or drizzle with honey before grilling for an added burst of flavor. And if you can’t decide on which fruit you might like grilled, try this Marinated Fruit Kabob recipe from Food.com and sample them all!

This grilled pineapple recipe from Spruce Eats is a juicy super-sweet confection après dinner. Just mix tequila, brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon together and baste the sliced pineapples with the marinade. After 10 minutes on the grill, top the hot slices with a scoop of ice cream and serve warm! 

Sometimes it’s the simplest recipe that delivers the most intense flavors, like grilled figs with goat cheese from Serious Eats. You could snack on these while you grill a pizza, but they make a great dessert, too, finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and sprig of rosemary. 

Quick and Easy Fruit Desserts

Credit: Bryan Gardner

One of the hands-down easiest desserts to make for yourself, your family or guests is a kind of strawberry shortcake, using strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Martha Stewart’s recipe, Quick Red-Wine Dessert Sauce, makes her variation that much yummier, with a red wine sauce simmered with cinnamon and sugar until the liquid reduces to a fragrant, syrup that’s served with pound cake and real whipped cream. (The sauce is equally tasty over baked apples or vanilla ice cream.)

Delish has a collection of 44 quick and easy fruity desserts for summer, and it might be the tastiest way to get multiple servings of fruit into your diet! From the watermelon ice cream –the most refreshing ice cream ever – to this triple berry cobbler full of antioxidants, you’ll give your body a healthy boost and your taste buds will thank you, too!

We mentioned marinating your fruit in liqueur before grilling and these Drunken Strawberries, that are made tipsy with a combination of vodka and rosé, are then rolled in sugar, for a sweet buzz. 

And chocolate-covered cherries and strawberries are nothing new, but have you ever tasted chocolate dipped clementines? The seedless orange slices are dipped in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and garnished with flaky sea salt. The idea of it sets off your salivary glands, doesn’t it?

Rhubarb Rocks 

Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but it prefers to be treated as a fruit and is in season now. The bright red, deliciously tart veggie-fruit makes an easy and great-tasting pie using this straight-up New York Times recipe. And Food and Wine has seven irresistible dessert ideas for rhubarb including compote over cheesecake, risotto fritters or simply with crème fraiche.

And if you’re more of a cake aficionado, try this Delish recipe for a rhubarb upside-down cake. You may never go back to pineapple! 

So Many Options, At Southshore!

We just gave you a few dozen options for enjoying the fruits of the season, and there are equally as many options in floor plans and designs at the master-planned community of Southshore! Check out the brand new homes from Taylor Morrison, Century Communities, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers. Because Life at the Lake is a little slice of heaven, right here on earth, priced between the $400s and the $700s.