Plum crazy for stone fruit

These fruits are the pits – and that's a good thing! Bite into a fresh peach and you'll understand why stone fruit season is the sweetest stretch of summer. Right now, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, cherries and their cousins are at peak flavor; ripe, juicy and ready for everything from snacking to baking. For the uninitiated, "stone fruit" refers to fruits with a single hard pit inside. Simple, right? Not exactly. Stone fruits are members of the rose family, which explains their fragrant, showy blossoms. Their ranks also include some unexpected foods: dates, mangoes, coconuts, olives and even almonds. Botanically, they're known as "drupes" – fruits with a thin skin, soft flesh and a hard inner shell protecting the seed. There are two main types of stone fruit: clingstone, where the flesh clings stubbornly to the pit, and freestone, where it slips away with ease. Peaches and nectarines can be either, so the distinction matters if you're slicing for a pie versus eating out of hand. Fun fact: Nectarines are genetically identical to peaches except for a single recessive gene that makes the skin smooth instead of fuzzy. Who knew?! (Now you do!) Choosing stone fruits When shopping for stone fruit, let your senses guide you. Look for vibrant, even coloring with no green near the stem (a sign the fruit was picked too soon). Gently press near the stem end; it should yield slightly without feeling mushy. A fragrant, sweet aroma is one of the best indicators of ripeness, especially for peaches and nectarines. Skip fruit with wrinkled skin, large blemishes or flat, dull color. If buying ahead, choose firmer fruit and let it ripen at room temperature, then refrigerate once it reaches peak softness to preserve flavor. Transform those juicy gems into a taste sensation with this Patch-approved recipe. Stone fruit crostini with whipped ricotta and feta 24 servings Here's a nice, light combo with a tantalizing twist of sweet and savory that makes the most of summer's bounty of stone fruits. Choose fruit that's not too mushy or overripe. Ciabatta with herbs or olives baked right in adds another dimension to the flavor mix. Ingredients 1 loaf rosemary or kalamata ciabatta 3-4 Tbsp olive oil Salt 8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled small 4 oz. ricotta cheese 2 pluots 1 large nectarine 12-14 cherries Juice from ½ lemon 2 Tbsp mint leaves, hand-torn into small pieces Salt and pepper to taste Directions Preheat oven to 400°. Slice bread into ½ inch thick slices. If using bread larger than a baguette, cut slices in half so the size is good for 1-2 bites. Brush both sides of bread with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake 6-8 minutes until lightly toasted and crisp, flipping once at the 3- to 4-minute mark. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Add feta to a food processor and pulse to crumble into very small pieces. Scrape down the bowl and add ricotta. Blend until combined and fluffy. Taste salt level and adjust/re-blend as needed. Finely dice fruit and place together in a medium bowl. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and gently fold ingredients together. Wait a few minutes for flavors to meld, then taste and adjust lemon juice. Place fruit in a strainer to drain excess liquid before assembling crostini. Place crostini on serving plate and one by one spread on a layer of whipped cheese. Top with stone fruit mixture and pieces of mint.