Roasting fruit enhances its flavor

This is not your typical recipe but rather an easy, flavorful guideline to enhancing fruit. 

Lightly roasting concentrates its flavor, while adding an oil, a touch of natural sweetener and fresh herbs enriches it further. Enjoy roasted fruits as a snack, in salads, with cheese and charcuterie or alongside roasted meat. Every season provides new fruit to explore, so start roasting and savoring local fruit all year long. 

Here are a few of my favorite combinations: kumquats with orange blossom honey and basil, strawberries with lemon, thyme and a touch of brown sugar, plums or grapes with maple and rosemary, blackberries with honey and tarragon, peaches with minced candied ginger and fresh mint. Also, consider various oils that may accent the fruit. For example, almond oil with cherries and mint or coconut oil with pineapple and cilantro. The list goes on! 

ROASTED FRUIT

YIELD: one pint 

INGREDIENTS 

1 pint fruit, washed and dried off, cut into large pieces if necessary. 

1 t sweetener 

1 t oil, olive (or other lightweight and light flavored oil) 

1-3 herb sprigs, fresh 

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 

2. Lightly toss the fruit with oil, sweetener and fresh herb sprigs. 

3. Place in a slightly rimmed baking dish. 

4. Roast in oven for 7-12 minutes until fruit begins to lightly dimple. 

5. Remove and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Manda Hudak is the program director/chef instructor at Flathead Valley Community College’s Culinary Institute of Montana. For information visit fvcc.edu/culinary.