Fresh Fruit : Take a Light Bite of Summer

Every year at just about this time, summer fruits start rolling into the stores. And every year at just about this time, we take a bite of the first peach or berry of the season. Winter was long, last year’s peaches are just a memory, and that first bite is always so refreshing that we invariably assure one another that the fruit is especially good this year. We go through this ritual every year, but this year there’s a difference. This year, it’s true.

Thanks to the torrential rains of winter, the fruit this summer is particularly plump. Walk through the produce aisle of any market, inhale the aroma of the ripe fruit, and you will get an idea of what’s in store. The fruits this summer are so big and juicy that you’ll want to simply eat them out of hand--at first. But then, when it’s time for a little extra excitement, you’ll want to take advantage of these extraordinary fruits by making them into spectacular desserts.

The idea behind these recipes is to preserve the integrity of each fruit by keeping the flavors simple. You won’t find anything tricky or fancy here. What you will find are six great desserts, all very low in fat and very high in flavor.

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This pie is absolutely irresistible and extraordinarily fresh-tasting. The recipe comes from Kathie Jenkins’ mother, Ardell Kochevar of Aurora, Minn. If you like to experiment, try other fresh fruits, such as raspberries or peaches, in place of blueberries.

JUNE BLUEBERRY PIE 3 cups blueberries Water Juice of 1 lemon 3/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 (9-inch) Low-Fat Pastry Crust, baked Non-fat non-dairy whipped topping

Mint leaves

Wash blueberries, drain. Set aside few blueberries for garnish.

Measure 1 cup berries, 2 tablespoons water, lemon juice and sugar into medium saucepan. Heat to boiling. Heat and stir 3 minutes. Blend together cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. Stir into blueberries.

Bring to boil. Heat and stir until thickened and clear. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining blueberries. Turn into cooled baked pie shell. Chill until set. Pipe with non-fat, non-dairy whipped topping. Garnish with blueberries and mint leaves. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 216 calories; 181 mg sodium; 12 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.74 gram fiber.

Low-Fat Pastry Crust 1 cup cake flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon baking powder 3 tablespoons butter, cut up 2 tablespoon thawed nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 1/2 egg) 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons water 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut in butter until size of small peas. Combine egg substitute, water and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture with fork. Gather dough into small flattened round.

Chill for ease in handling. Roll on lightly floured board to fit 9-inch pie plate. Gently pierce bottom and sides with fork. Bake at 375 degrees 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to wire rack to cool. Makes 1 (9-inch) pie shell.

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Be sure to select peaches that are ripe but still firm. Don’t sugar the peaches until just before you spoon them over the biscuit dough; otherwise the fruit will be so juicy it will make the dough hard to handle.

ROLLED PEACH BISCUITS WITH CINNAMON SYRUP 7 peaches, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups) 1 tablespoon lemon juice Sugar 2 cups water Cinnamon 2 cups flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup non-fat milk 1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine peaches, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside.

Combine 1 cup sugar, water and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Heat to boiling and remove from heat. Set aside.

Combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk and butter. Mix just until blended. Gather dough into ball and roll on lightly floured surface to 12x9-inch rectangle.

Spoon peaches evenly over rolled-out dough and roll up from long side. Cut into 12 slices.

Carefully arrange slices cut side up in 13x9-inch baking pan or 10-inch round deep baking dish. Pour hot syrup around biscuits.

Sprinkle top of biscuits with mixture of 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon.

Bake at 450 degrees 20 to 25 minutes until biscuits are baked through and top is browned. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving contains about: 202 calories; 253 mg sodium; 11 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.33 gram fiber.

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Made the usual way, this moist Italian-style cheesecake would have 345 calories and 16 grams of fat per serving. By using fat-free ricotta cheese and sour cream, we’ve eliminated half the fat. The crust is made by simply sprinkling crushed vanilla wafers over the bottom of the pan; it bakes into a perfect crust. The blackberry glaze is not only beautiful but also adds intense flavor to the orange-flavored cheesecake.

BLACKBERRY-GLAZED CHEESECAKE Butter or non-stick cooking spray 1/2 cup vanilla wafer crumbs (about 12 wafers) 2 (15-ounce) cartons fat-free ricotta cheese 1 1/2 cups fat-free sour cream 1/2 cup cake flour 1/3 cup lemon juice Zest 1 orange, cut into fine julienne strips 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 (8-ounce) carton reduced-cholesterol liquid whole eggs (such as Simply Eggs egg substitute) equivalent to 4 eggs 1 cup sugar Blackberry Glaze

Lightly butter 9-inch springform pan or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle wafer crumbs evenly over bottom of pan. Set aside.

Combine ricotta cheese, sour cream, cake flour, lemon juice, orange zest and vanilla.

Beat together eggs and sugar in mixing bowl on high speed until thick and pale-yellow, about 5 minutes. Fold into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared springform pan. Bake at 300 degrees 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven and let stand in oven 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Spread desired amount of Blackberry Glaze over top of cheesecake. Pass any remaining glaze to spoon over as desired. Chill until serving time. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving contains about: 309 calories; 187 mg sodium; 41 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams protein; 1 gram fiber.

Blackberry Glaze 1/2 cup sugar Water 1 pint blackberries 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in medium saucepan. Heat to boiling. Stir in blackberries. Reduce heat, simmer and stir about 5 minutes. Crush berries. Blend together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Stir into blackberries.

Heat and stir until thickened and clear. Stir in lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature. Makes about 2 cups glaze.

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Made in a blender, this light, tangy dessert is ready for the oven in minutes. Raw sugar is sprinkled over the top of the chilled dessert, which is then broiled to make the crackling topping. It’s worth taking the trouble to search out raw sugar crystals, which melt more quickly than regular sugar. They can be found at supermarkets and health food stores.

LEMON BRULEE 1 cup nonfat milk 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup lemon juice 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest 1/4 cup flour 1 (8-ounce) carton reduced-cholesterol liquid whole eggs (such as Simply Eggs egg substitute, equivalent to 4 eggs 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 tablespoon raw sugar crystals

Combine milk, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, flour, eggs and butter in blender. Blend 2 to 3 minutes. Pour into lightly buttered 9-inch round baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees 40 to 45 minutes or until center is set. Remove to wire rack to cool. Chill.

Just before serving, sprinkle raw sugar over top. Place under broiler until sugar is melted and top is brown. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 199 calories; 119 mg sodium; 34 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.01 gram fiber.

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This not-too-sweet tart will be a favorite among rhubarb lovers. The special pastry crust helps to keep the fat count low.

RHUBARB TART 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 6 tablespoons thawed nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 1 1/2 eggs) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 4 1/2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch cubes Low-Fat Pastry Crust

Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and cornstarch. Stir in 6 tablespoons egg substitute and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until blended. Pour over rhubarb, stirring until blended. Pour into prepared 10-inch flan baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees 45 to 55 minutes or until center is set. Makes 10 servings.

Each serving contains about: 222 calories; 177 mg sodium; 9 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.41 gram fiber.

Low-Fat Pastry Crust 1 cup cake flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoons baking powder 3 tablespoons butter, cut up 2 tablespoons thawed nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 1/2 egg) 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons water 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut in butter until size of small peas. Combine egg substitute, water and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture with fork. Gather dough into small flattened round.

Chill for ease in handling. Roll on lightly floured board to fit 10-inch flan baking dish. Gently pierce bottom and sides with fork. Bake at 375 degrees 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to wire rack to cool. Makes 1 (10-inch) pie shell.

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This startlingly delicious dessert has a rich, creamy texture and the pure taste of pear. It has been adapted from “The Gold and Fizdale Cookbook” by pianists Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale (Quill: 1991). Pears, once a sign of autumn, have become available almost the year - round. We found ripe, very sweet Comice pears at our market. Do not attempt this dessert with unripe fruit.

PEAR FREEZE WITH PEAR BRANDY 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups water Juice of 1 lemon 1 (1-inch) piece vanilla bean 5 to 6 ripe pears 1/3 cup pear brandy Grated bittersweet chocolate

Boil sugar with water 5 minutes, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in lemon juice and add vanilla bean.

Peel, core and quarter pears. Poach in sugar syrup until tender, about 10 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove pears, except for 3 pieces to be used as garnish, to blender or food processor and puree. Boil down sugar syrup to 1 1/2 cups and discard vanilla bean. Combine syrup with pureed pears and cool. Freeze according to directions on ice cream maker. Cut reserved pear quarters into l2 thin slices.

Serve in parfait glasses, ice cream dishes or large wine glasses. Top each portion with thin slices of reserved poached pear and pear brandy and sprinkle of chocolate. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 176 calories; 0 sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 1.94 grams fiber.