Food

  Well this week's tip is going to be with nectarines coming in from Chile—their summer, our winter—the reverse seasons coming in and nectarines one of the first stone fruits to come across.

Peaches and apricots are out there, but my favorite of the earliest varieties is the nectarine. Look how beautiful these are; let's take a look at these nectarines.

When you buy them you want to make sure they have a beautiful red color all the way around. A little bit of yellow tinge is good, but make sure it is free of any greening whatsoever, and also make sure the skin is nice and tight, free from any shriveling whatsoever; nice and heavy for their size. That means they're loaded with sugar.

When you bring nectarines home, simply store them on the counter.

Now, remember they come from thousand's of miles away, so buy them and enjoy them within two - three days. If you wait any longer, they're going to become mealy and you don't want that.

The reason you want to store them on the counter is because when nectarines have been picked with just the right amount of sugar level, they will continue to get riper and get sweeter and that is the best thing about nectarines.

Easy to eat—they're great for us—loaded with nutritional value and by the way, the season just started which means the prices are a little bit high right now, but they will be coming down; I mean way down.

You'll see some great nectarines and some prices well, you won't even believe it, and the flavor will be there.


Roasted Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Nectarines
Don't let the number of steps on this recipe throw you. This is a remarkably simple dish and a good way to combine fruit in a presentation that isn't overly sweet. Keeping the skin on the chicken retains the moisture of the fruit and meat, although I recommend removing the skin before eating.
Serves 6

2 medium to large nectarines, ripe but firm
1½ cups dessert wine such as later harvest Riesling or gewürztraminer
4 chicken breast halves, on the bone with skin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Halve nectarines by cutting a slit along the seam all the way to the pit. Give a twist, releasing the halves. Pop out the pit with the tip of a paring knife. With the cut side down, cut each half into 5 slices lengthwise. (If halves don't twist off easily, you can cut wedges from the whole nectarine by cutting down to the pit and lifting off the wedges.)

2. Put slices in a shallow bowl and add wine. Allow to marinate 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 500°F. Loosen the skin on the chicken breast, taking care not to tear it; season flesh with salt and pepper.

4. Place 4 nectarine slices between the skin and breast, covering the slices with the skin and securing the skin, nectarines, and flesh together with toothpicks. (You will have some nectarine slices left over.) Reserve marinade.

5. Put breasts on a sheet pan lined with foil, drizzle a tablespoon of wine marinade over each, and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until temperature in the deepest part of the flesh reads 160°F. Remove to a platter or individual plates.

6. Meanwhile, put marinade with remaining slices in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until reduced to a light, syrupy glaze, about 15 minutes. Pour over breasts.

Cooking Tip
One way to avoid cross contamination after handling poultry is to combine the amount of salt and pepper you'll need in a small dish. Then take what you'll need to season each breast from the dish with your finger and rub onto the flesh of the breast. This eliminates handling the saltshaker and pepper mill with unclean hands.