Summer Fruits
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Marcella's Macedonia of Fruit

"A good meal soothes the soul as it regenerates the body.
From the abundance of it flows a benign benevolence."
~ Frederick W. Hackwood, "Good Cheer"

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Mango Passion
Kiki Davis
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Macedonia-Macerated Mixed Fresh Fruit
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
by Marcella Hazan, 1992, Alfred A. Knopf

“Geographically speaking, Macedonia is a region in southeastern Europe
divided among what used to be Yugoslavia, Greece and Bulgaria. The mixture
of peoples that inhabit it must have suggested the name that has become attached
to this famous fruit dish, whose success in fact depends on the greatest possible variety of ingredients.
Indispensable to fruit Macedonia are apples, pears, bananas, and the juice of
oranges and lemons. To these you should add as full a sampling of seasonal fruits
as you can assemble, choosing them for diversity of textures, balancing succulence with firmness, giving ripeness the preference, but avoiding mushiness.”

For 8 or more servings

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
The peel of 1 lemon grated without digging into the white pith beneath
2 or 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (only 1 tablespoon if
using the optional liqueur)
2 apples
2 pears
2 bananas
1 1/2 pounds other fruit, such as cherries, grapes, apricots, plums,
peaches, berries, mango, melon, and tangerine sections on as varied
an assortment as possible
1/3 cup to 1/2 cup granulated sugar, to taste

Optional:
1/2 cup Maraschino liqueur
3 tablespoons walnuts or peeled almonds,
toasted in the oven and chopped coarse

1. In a tureen or punch bowl or other large serving bowl put the orange
juice, grated lemon peel, and the lemon juice.
2. All the fruit, save for cherries, tangerine sections, grapes and berries,
must be washed, peeled, cored when applicable, and diced into
1/2-inch cubes. Add each fruit to the bowl as you prepare it, so that
the citrus juices will keep it from discoloring.
3. Wash the cherries, grapes, and berries. Divide the cherries and grapes
in half, pitting the berries and picking out the grape seeds, if any. Leave
the other berries whole, if they are blueberries, raspberries, or currants.
Put any blueberries or currants in the bowl. If you are using raspberries
or strawberries, which become mushy when then steep in a marinade,
add them 30 minutes before serving. Stem the strawberries, and cut the
berries in half before adding them to the Macedonia.
4. Put in the sugar and the optional liqueur and nuts, and toss thoroughly,
but gently, taking care not to mash the more delicate fruits. Cover with
plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but not overnight. Serve chilled, tossing all the fruit gently 2 or 3 times before serving.

Mangoes [or Peaches] and Strawberries in
Sweet White Wine
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
by Marcella Hazan, 1992, Alfred A. Knopf

“Mangoes are not native to Italy, and absolute fidelity to indigenous ingredients would suggest you do this dish with peaches. If you can buy peaches that were
picked ripe and are succulently sweet, forget the mangoes. I never see such
peaches, except for a week or two in August, so for the rest of the year mangoes,
their exotic flavor and texture notwithstanding, are a more desirable choice.
They are usually least expensive when already ripe and ready to use. If they are
still firm, let them ripen for 2 to 4 days at home at room temperature, until they
begin to give under light pressure from your thumb.”

For 6 servings

2 small, ripe mangoes OR 1 large one OR peaches
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
The peel of 1 lemon grated without digging into the white pith beneath
1 cup good sweet white wine (see note)

Note: The ideal wine for macerating fruit is one made from moscato, the most aromatic of all grapes. Throughout the Italian peninsula, and beyond it to the
Sicilian islands, ravishing sweet Muscat wines are made, and if you chance
upon one of these, do not pass it by. If you are obliged to choose a substitute,
any fine, natural, late-harvest sweet white wine from Germany [Spätlese],
South Africa, or California will do.”

1. Peel the mangoes (or peaches), and slice the flesh off the pits. If using peaches, split them in half and remove the pit. Cut the fruit into bite-size
pieces of about 1 inch, and put them in a serving bowl.
2. Wash the strawberries in cold water, remove stems and leaves, and
slice them lengthwise in half, unless they happen to be very small. Add
them to the bowl.
3. Add the sugar, lemon peel, and wine to the bowl, and toss the fruit thoroughly, but gently to avoid bruising it. Refrigerate and let steep for
1 to 2 hours. Serve chilled, tossing the fruit once or twice before
bringing it to the table.