Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's summer fruit recipes

Mango lassi

Serves 2

1 large, ripe mango or 2 smaller ones (such as Alphonso), ideally chilled for an hour or so

150ml plain wholemilk yoghurt

A couple of pinches of sea salt

A pinch of ground cardamom (optional)

A lassi is a traditional Indian yoghurt drink. The basic version is just yoghurt, thinned with water and seasoned with a little sea salt – surprisingly refreshing and nourishing in the heat, and of course the salt replaces that lost through sweating. There are all kinds of fruity lassi recipes too, some sweet, some spiced, some salty. My mango version is a mingling of these different approaches. You can sweeten it up and leave out the salt if you like (see the variation below). But unless you are avoiding salt, I'd encourage you to try this version first. The salt-with-fruit thing is under-explored in our culture, and is a pleasing revelation for the uninitiated.

Slice off the 'cheeks' from the mango, by cutting either side of the flat stone. Score the flesh into a criss-cross pattern, going right down to the skin, then turn the skin inwards, so the flesh side opens up like a hedgehog. Slice the cubes of flesh off the skin. Cut the remaining peel away from the rest of the mango and slice the flesh off the stone.

(Alternatively, you can simply peel the mango with a potato peeler and slice away the flesh back to the stone – but you might have to go over the skin with the peeler a couple of times to get through the stringy strands just beneath the skin. 'Hedgehogging' is a good way to avoid that – and very satisfying.)

Put all the mango flesh in a blender. Add the yoghurt, 100ml ice-cold water, the salt, and cardamom, if using. Whiz up to a frothy purée, pour into tall glasses and serve.

Variation

For a sweet mango lassi, omit the salt and, depending on the ripeness of your mango, add up to 1 tablespoon caster sugar to the blender before puréeing.

Barbecued pineapple

Serves 4

1 pineapple, about 1.5kg

For the dry marinade

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

A pinch of dried chilli flakes

2 teaspoons demerara sugar

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Finely grated zest of 1 lime

To serve

Lime juice

Shredded mint

Some fruits have an amazing affinity with the grill, and pineapple is definitely one of them. Dust it in a dry marinade of spices and lime zest, then char-stripe it on the grill and you get a warm, fragrant, sweet, caramelised delight. A barbecue is not essential – a ridged grill pan on the stovetop works just as well.

For the dry marinade, grind all the ingredients together as finely as you can using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder.

Cut the top and base off the pineapple, then stand it on a board and slice off the skin. Turn the fruit on its side and cut into 1–1.5cm thick slices (2 per person). Lay these on a plate and scatter with the dry marinade, patting it on so each piece is well coated. Leave for about 30 minutes (after which time, the pineapple will taste pretty amazing already, before you even get round to grilling it).

Working in batches, cook the pineapple on the barbecue or in the pan, turning each slice from time to time to get plenty of colour on each side – this can take up to 12 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.

Finish with a squeeze of lime juice and some shredded mint. I like to serve something creamy on the side, such as ice cream, crème fraîche, yoghurt or the chilled coconut rice pudding on page 312. The spiced pineapple goes well with meat too, in a savoury context.

Variation

Barbecued tropical fruit salad Mango and banana also barbecue well to make a tempting warm fruit salad with pineapple. Cut 4 slices of pineapple, as above; peel 1 large mango and slice away the flesh from either side of the stone in two thick 'cheeks', plus the side bits; peel 2 slightly under-ripe bananas and halve lengthways. Brush all the fruit very lightly with sunflower oil and grill on a barbecue or ridged pan. The pineapple will take longest, then the mango, while the banana needs only 2–3 minutes each side. As each piece of fruit is cooked, transfer it to a large plate, squeeze over some lime juice and sprinkle with soft brown sugar. Keep going, stacking the fruit if necessary, until all the fruit is cooked and dressed with lime and sugar. Serve warm.

Apricot fool

Serves 6

500g apricots

About 75g caster sugar

200ml double cream

200ml plain wholemilk yoghurt

½ vanilla pod

A good handful of flaked almonds, lightly toasted

Fools are among the simplest of puddings and they really show off the wonderful flavours of fresh fruit. You can use all sorts of puréed cooked fruit to make a fool or 'fumble' (see the variations below).

Set aside 4 apricots. Halve and stone the rest of the fruit and place, cut side down, in a steaming basket or a large sieve over a pan of boiling water. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes until the fruit is soft.

Tip the apricots into a sieve over a bowl and rub through. While the purée is still hot, add 35g of the sugar and stir until dissolved. Leave to cool completely, then refrigerate. Taste the chilled purée: it should be pleasantly tart; add a little more sugar if you think it needs it.

Shortly before serving, put the cream, yoghurt and remaining 40g sugar in a large bowl. Slit the half vanilla pod open and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a small, sharp knife into the bowl. Beat until the mixture holds soft peaks.

Slice or chop the 4 reserved apricots, discarding their stones. Divide half the cream mixture between six glasses or sundae dishes. Spoon half the apricot purée on top. Scatter over the pieces of apricot, then add another layer of cream and another of apricot purée. Use a fork or spoon to roughly marble the cream and fruit together. Scatter toasted flaked almonds on top of each fool and serve straight away.

Variations
In place of apricots, you could use plums, rhubarb, blackcurrants or gooseberries, adjusting the sweetness of the cooked purée accordingly.

Dried apricot fool
Put 250g unsulphured dried apricots in a pan with 350ml orange juice (from 4–5 large oranges, or use freshly squeezed juice from a bottle or carton) and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Leave to cool completely, then purée – or simply break up the fruit with a fork. Marble this purée into the cream and yoghurt mixture as above.

An extract from River Cottage: Fruit Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Bloomsbury, $49.99 (hardcover)