Baked Fruit Recipes

Steps:

• In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan, starting at the 9-in. end, arrange rows of fruit in the following order: half of the apricots, pears and plums, all of the peaches, then remaining apricots, pears and plums. , Drain pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup of juice. Lay pineapple over fruit in pan. In a saucepan, combine the pineapple juice, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and cloves. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Pour over fruit. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Arrange the peaches, pears, rhubarb, raisins, and papaya or mango in the prepared pan. In a medium bowl, combine the baking mix, brown sugar and margarine. Stir until mixture has a crumbly texture. Sprinkle evenly over fruit.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes.

Steps:

• I like to begin the platter with a base of ripe, colorful, sliced melons and pineapple--for example, cantaloupe, honeydew, Galia, or Cavaillon melons, plus the new "golden" pineapples. Peel the outside of a whole melon, cut it in half through the stem end, and scoop out the seeds. Place the melon halves cut side down on a board, and slice them straight across into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Fan each half-melon out slightly and arrange it on the platter. Next, cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple, peel the outside, and use a sharp knife to remove the "eyes." Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and remove the core by cutting a "V" down the center of each half. Again, place the pineapple halves, cut side down, on a board and slice them straight across into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Fan the slices out and arrange them next to the melon on the platter.
• Once the base is set, you can add any kind of fruit that's available. I like to have one thing that is taller than the rest, such as a large bunch of grapes or a decoratively cut papaya, to give the platter height. Then I add raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and fresh figs in casual but organized groups. The platter can look like a bowl of M&M's if there are too many colors scattered with no order. Visually, your eye needs to have a focal point and to be able to see each type of fruit. After all the fruit is arranged, I add flat green leaves around the outside of the fruit, to set off the colors. Use lemon and galax leaves from your florist, or fig leaves and grape leaves from your garden. Make sure they are pesticide-free and well washed.
• Any kind of fruit will work well on this platter. For special occasions, add persimmons, kiwi, passion fruit, Queen Anne cherries, fresh apricots, and mangos. Choose whatever is colorful and seasonal.

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and add to above mixture.
• Carefully fold in fruit.
• Pour into two prepared bread pans and bake at 350° for one hour.
• This recipe may be doubled.
• Variation: Prune Bread: Use 3/4 pound chopped pitted prunes and add 3/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 Tablespoon grated orange peel.
• Cranberry Bread: Use 2 cups whole cranberries, eliminate cinnamon, add 1 Tablespoon grated orange peel, 1 teaspoon orange extract.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Set butter in the middle of an 8-inch baking pan.
• Heat butter in the pan in the preheated oven until butter melts, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk flour, sugar, walnuts, oats, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Add milk and vanilla; stir well to create a batter.
• Pour batter into baking pan over melted butter. Place sliced plums over batter into baking pan. Sprinkle top with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
• Bake in the preheated oven until batter browns, fruit bubbles, and a knife inserted into the batter comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Toss apple slices with lemon juice. Arrange in a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Combine pineapple, peaches and pears; spoon over apples. Top with cherries and pecans; set aside. , In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and reserved pineapple juice. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Pour over fruit. Bake, uncovered, until apples are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425*F Using a food processor, combine vanilla pod and sugar.
• Wash fruit.
• Halve and remove pits from plums, nectarines, peaches and apricots, if using, and peel bananas and cut into chunks.
• Place fruit in a single layer on baking sheet (s).
• Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of vanilla sugar.
• (Store leftover vanilla sugar in an airtight container.) Bake fruit 10-15 minutes, or until fruit is soft but still holds its shape.
• Serves 8-10.