Natasha Pickowicz Has Ideas for All That Fruit You Just Bought

In the summer, I visit the Union Square greenmarket at least twice a week. Partly because I’ve been working with Norwich Meadows Farms (New Yorkers: you can buy my pies from their stand every Friday and Saturday!), and partly because this time of year, the market is so explosive and wonderful, I can’t stand to miss a week of the fleeting black raspberries or the first corn of the year.

I rarely keep a shopping list — I buy whatever sings out to me from its tiny punnet or tray. Late July marks the delirious transition from early summer berries and cherries to melons and larger stone fruit, all of which I bring home without a plan but only the hope of turning them into simple, satisfying desserts.

When the produce inevitably forms a near-constant traffic jam in my fridge and on my counter, I turn to cookbooks organized by ingredients for ideas (Lindsey Shere’s Chez Panisse Desserts, Richard Olney’s Simple French Food, Anna Higham’s The Last Bite, Abra Beren’s Pulp). But if I’m being honest, more often than not, I end up roasting the fruits into a compote, or boiling them into a sticky jam, or dehydrating them into glassine candies — ready for whatever is to come (usually a layer cake). It’s a leg up on the next project, a $20 bill discovered in a pocket.

When I do use the fruits to satisfy my cravings for something buttery and juicy and bright, I’ll make my freeform version of a fruit crisp — a dish that I strongly believe doesn’t need a recipe to be great.