Baked Stuffed Nectarines

Last month, we pitted (wordplay!) Scarlet Nectarines against Oregon Peaches in a knock-down, drag-out battle for stone fruit supremacy. In what surely will be remembered as the most subjective decision of all time (see: salad for breakfast), the humble nectarine won out, besting the peach, fuzz and all. This month, we celebrate the nectarine’s victory with Baked Stuffed Nectarines—nectarines stuffed with minced walnuts and topped with vanilla ice-cream. Follow along at home, and enjoy some for yourself.

I’m no baker, dear reader. The idea of measuring and calculating how much to include of such-and-such ingredient doesn’t sit well with me. I like fixing dishes. It’s one of the few skills I possess as a cook—that and making dishes that need fixing—and one that can’t be applied to baking. With baking, there’s only the pain of watching your dish become less and less like you know it should and more like gum found underneath park benches.

So when it came time to do a dessert recipe for Nectarines, I chose the easiest thing I could: Baked Stuffed Nectarines. The ingredient list is small, the flavor gigantic, and the preparation time minimal. To begin I grabbed some Walnuts—I chose walnuts over pecans—and put them in a food processor and pulsed. After that, I added ¼ cup of sugar to the mix along with an egg yolk. This was the first time I’ve ever separated an egg from its yolk. I lost the first two yolks to clumsy hands and the sink drain, but the third one made it into the mix. Next, I pulsed again.

With the ingredients combined, I halved my ripe nectarines and removed the pits. Preheating the oven to 350’, I filled the space left from the de-pitting with the pecan mixture, and aligned the nectarines on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Then, I put some whole walnuts on top of the peaches and put them in the oven for 10 minutes. 10 minutes wasn’t enough, so I cooked them for another three minutes. I cut some chiffonade of mint and sprinkled it on top of the nectarines.

I topped the Nectarine with some vanilla ice-cream because I could, and then I ate like four nectarines. The mixture was like a sweet, dense crumble and the nectarines had concentrated in flavor and were tangy and delicious.

Let us know what you think of the recipe or nectarines in general in the comments below. What’s your favorite nectarine recipe, or do you just stick with peaches when it comes to baking/cooking? Are there any recipe’s you’d like to see us try, perhaps one that requires me to actually bake? Let us know what you think of the recipe or nectarines in general in the comments below.

For information about ordering Nectarines from The Fruit Company, check out www.thefruitcompany.com.