Frosé All Day: 5 Summer Stone Fruit Recipes

Biting into a fresh peach is a delight on its own, but we’re livening up stone fruit with plant-based recipes to elevate summer’s bounty. Stone fruits contain a pit (or “drupe”) at the center, and include plums, nectarines, apricots, pluots, peaches, cherries and mangoes. These fruits can be used in myriad ways, from salads to cupcakes, and the results are heavenly. Sink your teeth into a pluot — which you’ll soon know how to turn into a “plu-jito pop” — and read on!

Once relegated to a lonely ear of grilled corn during barbeque season while everyone else noshed on hamburgers and hot dogs, there are now countless plant-based options. Round out your next grilling sesh with this apricot-based sauce, which works as both a marinade and a finishing glaze, and can be slathered on everything from mixed-vegetable shish kabobs, to slabs of tofu, to hearty eggplant, meaty portabella or charred cauliflower steaks. It will keep well in the fridge for at least one week, so no need to worry if you don’t use it all for one meal.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 cups apricots, quartered
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1-2 tbsp brown or coconut sugar, to taste
• ½ tsp ginger powder
• 1 small pinch chipotle powder

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a sauce pan over med-high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to a simmer, smash apricots with a spatula to help them break down, and stir occasionally until apricots are fully cooked and broken down, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
3. Blend with an immersion blender or in a or stand blender until fairly smooth.

This simple salad marries crunchy vegetables, sweet fruit and a creamy dressing for a side dish that’s light but satiating. Plums offer just enough acidity to brighten the salad and cut through the rich dressing, while also serving up more than 15 vitamins and minerals to the table. Proof that avocados transcend beyond being a toast topping, the dressing works well over nearly any salad, so don’t be afraid to get creative. It’s a simple, whole food, creamy dressing that would normally be packed with processed ingredients if store-bought.

Prep Time:
Servings: 4

Salad Ingredients:

• 2 cups sliced plums
• 2 cups thinly sliced fennel
• 1 cup endive or radicchio, torn or sliced
• 2-3 tbsp fennel fronds (the green part on top)

Avocado Dressing Ingredients:

• ¾ cup avocado (about 1 large fruit)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp fennel fronds
• Small pinch each of salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Make salad dressing by blending all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add more water if needed for blending ease.
2. Combine salad ingredients in a bowl and toss with dressing, or arrange on a platter with dressing drizzled over the top.

When this drink rosé (see what we did there?) to fame a few years ago, it seemed almost too easy to be true: just blend a couple cups of fruit with frozen rosé wine for an addictively delicious slushie? Yes, please! By blending fruit with wine, you not only add flavor, you also add fiber, which slows down the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream while also making you feel more full. That makes frosé a wonderful choice for summer barbecues and brunches, when you’re in the market for a cocktail but not a strong buzz.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle rosé wine, frozen overnight in a loaf pan or ice cube tray if possible
• 3 cups peaches, frozen in slices or chunks
• 10-12 ice cubes
• A pinch of sugar or squeeze of lemon (optional)

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients together until they reach a slushie texture, and serve immediately

No dessert screams “Summer!” louder than a popsicle, so we have a version that will satiate your frozen treat cravings no matter your age. Mojito flavors of lime and mint are bright and refreshing, with the added bonus of mint supporting digestion and fresh lime juice being full of Vitamin C and antioxidants. The rum makes these just a little bit boozy, and is easily omitted if you want to make this dessert for kids or those who don’t imbibe. Beautiful, magenta pluots — a hybrid fruit made by breeding apricots with plums— add vibrant color, along with fiber and potassium.

Prep Time: 15 minutes active, 4-6 hours inactive
Servings: 5

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup fresh mint sprigs
• ⅓ cup lime juice
• ¼ cup white rum (optional)
• 10 slices pluots
• 10 slices lime, with rind
• 10 small or 5 large mint leaves

Instructions:

1. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add mint stalks and remove from heat; let steep until cooled, about 20 minutes.
3. Add lime juice and rum (if using) and stir well. Remove mint sprigs.
4. Pour into popsicle molds, filling them about ⅔ full.
5. Add pluot pieces, lime slices, and mint leaves as desired into each mold.
6. Top off with popsicle mixture until nearly full (leave room for stick and expansion). Freeze.
7. If using molds that need wooden popsicle sticks, wait 30-60 minutes to insert the sticks; this will make them more likely to stay up straight. Return to freezer and continue to freeze until firm, 4-6 hours.

Yellow peaches and nectarines have a tangy bite because of the acid in them, but their white colored counterparts don’t. Their low acid content makes them a perfect cupcake fruit, as no work is needed for them to be as lusciously mild as you’d want a cupcake filling to be! Here we take a basic vanilla cupcake recipe, veganize it, and add a heaping spoonful of chopped, fresh white nectarines into each one.

Frosting is up to you; we promise they’re yummy enough that they don’t need any, but some people feel a cupcake isn’t complete without something decadent on top. However you choose, they’re sure to disappear quickly!

Prep Time: 15 minutes active, 25 minutes inactive without frosting; add 10 minutes active prep for frosting
Servings: 12

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 2 cups + 2 tbsp flour (all-purpose, cake flour, or all-purpose gluten free)
• 1 ½ cups chopped white nectarines
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (vanilla or plain)
• ⅓ cup neutral oil such as grape seed or avocado
• 2 tbsp apple cider or white vinegar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ⅛ tsp peach extract, optional
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tray with paper liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, until free of any lumps.
3. Add oil, milk and extract(s); mix until smooth.
4. Fold in apple cider vinegar with a spatula.
5. Fill each cupcake tin ½ way with batter, then top batter with 2 tbsp chopped nectarines.
6. Fill cupcakes with remaining batter, covering nectarines. If you have extra chopped nectarines, sprinkle over the top of cupcakes.
7. Baked until fully set, about 25 minutes. Cool before frosting.

Peachy Frosting Ingredients: 

• 3 cups vegan powdered sugar
• ½ cup room-temperature vegan butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-3 tbsp nondairy milk
• 12 drops natural yellow food coloring
• 10 drops natural red food coloring
• ⅛ tsp peach extract, optional

Instructions:

1. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to cream butter until fluffy.
2. Add extract(s), color and sugar; whip until combined.
3. Add milk 1 tbsp at a time until desired frosting texture is reached.

Food styling by Ariane Resnick, C.N.C.