Cardamom poached loquats

Finally, the season of stone fruit is upon us which, if you’re a fruit lover, is arguably the best time of the year. This is when you’ll find peaches, nectarines and apricots at their finest, continuing well into July. Look out for the exquisite peaches from the Matarraña—I have been known to drive down there just to pick up a box or two of these perfect golden orbs. It’s also worth buying them in jars for the rest of the year as an impromptu dessert, just add a swirl of fresh cream.

This recipe is a more complex version of that, and involves poaching the much underappreciated loquat (nispero in Spanish). This small yellow fruit lends itself to poaching with spices, as it isn’t particularly flavoursome on its own and holds its shape with cooking.It makes a very refreshing summertime dessert, and a wonderful breakfast too, especially if you have everything to hand and ready to go in the fridge. 

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

• 9 loquats: peeled, seeds removed and halved
• 8 cardamom pods
• 1 glass of white wine 
• 1 shot glass of rum or brandy
• 1⁄2 cup white sugar
• 100 ml plain yogurt
• 50 ml amlou (see below) 

METHOD 

1. To make the labne, line a sieve with kitchen paper and set over a bowl, pour the yogurt into it and cover with the excess paper. Leave to drain in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, ideally overnight (the longer you leave it the thicker your labne will be).
2. Add the sugar to the wine in a pan and slowly dissolve over a medium heat.
3. Crush the cardamom pods to release the seeds and add to the pan of sugar syrup along with a shot of rum and the loquats.
4. Cover and cook over a low heat until the fruit is tender, then leave to cool in the syrup so it absorbs the flavours.
5. When ready to serve, arrange a dollop of labne on each plate, three loquat halves per person on top, and drizzle over with amlou. 

To make amlou: This is a luxurious, Moroccan version of peanut butter. Simply blend together lightly toasted almonds with plenty of Argan oil (or a mild, oil-like sunflower) and a little honey to taste. If you’re making it to a spreadable consistency, you’ll need to thin it with a little extra oil for this recipe. I also recommend experimenting with adding different spices, such as ground cinnamon, ginger or anis. 

IN SEASON

June: Apricots, peaches, loquats, nectarines, watermelon, lettuce, green beans, courgettes 

Tara Stevens is a food writer and cook who splits her time between Barcelona and her cooking school, the Courtyard Kitchen, in the Fez Medina. Passionate about Spanish and Moroccan cuisine, she takes traditional recipes and gives them a modern makeover using local and seasonal ingredients. Follow Tara on Instagram @courtyardkitchenfez and Twitter @taralstevens.