Late-summer nectarines add zest, sweetness

Nectarines – bright in color, fragrance and flavor – are emblems of mid to late summer.

The smooth-skinned stone fruit – lemony, light and a little acidic – adds both sweetness and zing to galettes, cobblers, upside-down cakes, compotes, pies – even salads.

Not as musky as their peachy siblings but still lush and juicy, ripe nectarines are lovely on their own. In this super-easy recipe that helps make the most of end-of-season nectarines – or peaches, or both – vanilla bean adds warmth and richness to the floral notes provided by rosewater and lavender.

Roasted Vanilla Nectarines with Lavender and Rose

Adapted from “Deliciously Dairy Free” by Lesley Waters

2/3 cup lavender sugar (see below)

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out

6 ripe white or yellow nectarines or peaches, halved and pitted

Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange

7 tablespoons bourbon

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon rosewater

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the lavender sugar and vanilla seeds and pod in a bowl.

Place the nectarines in a roasting pan and sprinkle with the lavender-vanilla sugar mixture. Pour over the orange zest and juice and 5 tablespoons bourbon. Roast nectarines for 30 minutes until just soft.

Using a slotted spoon, remove nectarines from roasting pan and place in a serving dish.

Add juices from the nectarines and remaining bourbon to a shallow pan, bring to a boil and reduce. Remove bean pod before serving. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or mascarpone, meringue nougat or Greek yogurt. Can be served warm or cold.

Serves: 4 to 6

Notes: The original recipe called for 1 cup each blackberries and raspberries, sweet dessert wine instead of bourbon, and regular sugar instead of lavender-infused. It also called for only half of a vanilla bean. I like vanilla, and the first time I did the adaptation, the dish was overwhelmed by floral notes. So I scaled back on rosewater and used a whole vanilla bean.

I adapted the recipe simply to fit ingredients I had on hand. The original recipe added berries to the saucepan at the end, cooking them a quick 30 seconds. When I tried seedless grapes instead of berries, I roasted them in the oven right along with the necarines, and Tony Brown, chef-owner at Ruins in Spokane, suggested adding a little olive oil and verjus, made from pressing unripe grapes.

Peaches could also be used alongside the nectarines. It might be fun to try to blueberries, too.

Lavender Sugar

This recipe ran in the Just Picked column on July 15. Here it is again for use with the Roasted Vanilla Nectarines.

1 to 2 tablespoons lavender buds

2 cups granulated sugar

Place lavender in a clean and dry 1-pint glass jar with an air-tight lid, then pour in sugar. Shake a few times, then let rest overnight. Shake every now and again to distribute lavender oils throughout sugar. Store in a cool dry place. Should keep up to six months.