Skip to main content

Macerated Fruit

This recipe, adapted from a classic by cookbook author Claudia Roden, is a longtime personal favorite. It becomes heavenly if you add a little rose and/or orange flower water.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes at least 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound assorted dried fruit: apricots, pears, peaches, prunes, raisins, etc.
1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered blanched almonds
1 1/2 teaspoons rose water (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons orange flower water (optional)
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
Sour cream or crème fraîche

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine everything but the sour cream in a bowl and add water to cover. Stir and let sit, at room temperature, for at least 6 hours. The fruit is ready when it is soft and the liquid is syrupy.

    Step 2

    To serve, put some fruit in a bowl and garnish with sour cream.

From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books. Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
Read More
Khao niaow ma muang, or steamed coconut sticky rice with ripe mango, is a classic in Thai cuisine—and you can make it at home.
With just a handful of ingredients, this old-fashioned egg custard is the little black dress of dinner party desserts—simple and effortlessly chic.
This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.
With rich chocolate flavor and easy customization, this hot cocoa recipe is just the one you want to get you through winter.
Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.
Crunchy and crowd-pleasing, this salad can be prepared in advance and customized to your heart’s content.
High on zucchini, corn, eggplant, and tomatoes. Low on dirty dishes.
Juicy peak-season tomatoes make the perfect plant-based swap for aguachile.