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Ripe
A cook in the orchard

NIGEL SLATER
Photographs by Jonathan Lovekin

TEN SPEED PRESS

Berkeley

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Some of the recipes in this book include raw eggs. When eggs are consumed raw,
there is always the risk that baeria, which is killed by proper cooking, may be
present. For this reason, always buy certified salmonella-free eggs from a reliable
grocer, storing them in the refrigerator until they are served. Because of the health
risks associated with the consumption of baeria that can be present in raw
eggs, they should not be consumed by infants, small children, pregnant women,
the elderly, or any persons who may be immunocompromised. The author and
publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effes that may result
from the use or application of the recipes and information contained in this book.
Copyright 2010 by Nigel Slater
Photographs copyright 2010 by Jonathan Lovekin
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the
Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Originally published in hardcover in Great Britain as Tender, Volume II:
A Cooks Guide to the Fruit Garden by Fourth Estate, a division of HarperCollins
Publishers, London, in 2010
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks
of Random House, Inc.
First Ten Speed Press edition, 2012
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Slater, Nigel.
Ripe : a cook in the orchard / Nigel Slater ; photography by Jonathan Lovekin.
p. cm.
Includes index.
Summary: A comprehensive guide to growing and cooking with fruit,
featuring more than 300 recipes for sweet and savory dishesProvided by
publisher.
1. Cooking (Fruit) 2. Cookbooks. I. Title.
TX811.S58 2012
641.64dc23
2011043551
ISBN 978-1-60774-332-3
eISBN 978-1-60774-333-0
Printed in China
Cover design by Colleen Cain
Interior design by BLOK
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First United States Edition

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Introduion
Apples
Apricots
Blackberries
Black currants
Blueberries
Cherries
Chestnuts
Damsons
Elderflowers and elderberries
Figs
Gooseberries
Grapes

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Hazelnuts
Peaches and nearines
Pears
Plums
Quinces
Raspberries
Red currants
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Walnuts
White currants
A few other good things: medlars and sloes
Index

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Blackberry focaccia

enough for
bread flour cups (g)
quick-rise yeast package (g), about teaspoons
sea salt teaspoon
superfine sugar tablespoon
warm water cups (ml)
for the topping
blackberries ounces (g), about cups
olive oil tablespoons
superfine or demerara sugar tablespoons
confeioners sugar, for dusting

Blackberries

A dough speckled with fruit. It is difficult to know exaly when to eat such
a treatits too substantial for dessert, so maybe we should file it under tea.

Put the flour in a large bowl, add the yeast, the sea salt (if you are using
coarse salt, crush it finely first), then the sugar and warm water. Mix with
a wooden spoon, then turn the dough out onto a generously floured board
and knead lightly for five minutes or so. You need not be too enthusiastic.
A gentle pummeling will suffice.
Once the dough feels elastic and alive, put it into a floured bowl, cover
with a clean cloth or plastic wrap, and leave it somewhere warm to rise. It
will take approximately an hour to double in size. Once it has, punch it
down again, knocking some of the air out. Tip it into a shallow baking pan
about inches (cm) in diameter. Gently knead half the blackberries into
the dough, scattering the remaining ones on top. Cover the dough once
more and return it to a warm place to rise.
Preheat the oven to F (C). Once the dough has expanded to
almost twice its size, drizzle over the olive oil, scatter with the sugar, and
bake for thirty-five to forty minutes, until well risen, golden brown, and
crisp on top. It should feel springy when pressed. Leave to cool slightly
before dusting with confeioners sugar. Cut into thick wedges and eat
while it is still warm. It will not keep for more than a few hours.

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A salad of summer leaves, cured pork, and cherries

enough for as a light lunch

salad leaves generous handfuls
thinly sliced cured ham, such as lomo, speck, or coppa to
ounces ( to g)
cherries handfuls

Cherries

The sweet-sharp notes of the cherries lift the smoky, herbal notes of cured
ham in the same way small tomatoes will. Air-dried hams such as Parma,
mildly cured ones like speck and coppa, or the paprika-spiced lomo or
something exceptionally dark and woodsy will benefit from the uplifting
quality of a handful of cherries. And yes, I think you must pit them for this.

for the dressing

Dijon mustard a teaspoon
red wine vinegar teaspoons
olive oil tablespoons
heavy cream tablespoons
parsley a little
Make the dressing: put the mustard in a small bowl with a pinch of salt, the
red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a grinding of black pepper. Mix with a fork
or small whisk, then introduce the cream. Finely chop the parsley leaves and
add to the dressing.
Toss the salad leaves with the cured ham. Halve and pit the cherries and
add them to the leaves. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.

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A strawberry ice for a summers day

Strawberries

The simplest and best. No other flavoring is needed for this straightforward
ice cream, and it is one of the few that is worth making without an ice cream
machine. The ripeness of the berries is essential. I always marinate them in
sugar for an hour or so before I make the ice, even though I have never heard
of anyone else doing it. I believe it makes the flavor all the more intense.

enough for
strawberries pound (g)
superfine sugar cup (g)
heavy cream cups (ml)
Rinse the berries quickly under cold running water and remove their leaves.
Cut each berry into three or four slices, then put them in a bowl, sprinkle
with the sugar, and set aside for an hour.
Lightly whip the cream. You want it to be thick enough to lie in folds
rather than stiff enough to stand in peaks. Put the strawberries, sugar, and
any juice from the bottom of the dish into a food processor and whiz until
smooth, then stir gently into the cream. How thoroughly you blend the
two together is up to you. I like to leave a few swirls of unmixed cream in
the mixture.
Transfer to a freezer-safe box, level the top, cover with a lid or a piece
of plastic wrap or wax paper, and freeze for three or four hours. It is worth
checking, and occasionally stirring the ice as it freezes, bringing the outside
edges into the middle.
Remove the ice from the freezer about fifteen to twenty minutes before
serving to bring it up to temperature.

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Plum crumble tart

Plums

Is this a tart or a cake? Im not sure it really matters what you call something
as moist and tender as this.

enough for to
all-purpose flour cups plus tablespoon (g)
soft brown sugar cup, packed (g)
ground almonds a scant cup (g)
fridge-cold butter cup (g)
plums, greengages, or damsons pounds (g)
pine nuts ounces (g), a generous cup
Preheat the oven to F (C). Line the bottom of a - to -inch ( to
cm) square baking pan with a single piece of parchment paper, bringing it
up two opposite sides of the pan so you can use it to lift the tart out easily.
Put the flour, sugar, and almonds into a mixing bowl, cut the butter into
small chunks, and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips. Stop
when what you have resembles coarse fresh breadcrumbs. Tip two-thirds
of the crumb mixture into the baking pan and gently flatten it to form a thin
base, pushing it well into the corners. Firm it gently, but dont compa it.
Cut the plums in half, unless they are huge, in which case quarter them.
Remove the pits and lay the pieces of fruit on the crumb base. Mix the pine
nuts into the remaining crumbs and scatter them loosely over the plums.
Let some of the fruit show through.
Bake for forty-five to fifty minutes, when the fruit should be gently
bubbling, the crust golden. Leave to settle before lifting out of the baking
pan and onto a cooling rack.

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