peach blueberry crisp with pecan topping

This was so beautiful, but really, more importantly, scrumptious!  I brought this crisp with two other fruit desserts to a dinner party and this one was probably the most universally loved.  Fine Cooking Magazine featured this recipe months ago – it was the colors in the photo that propelled me to pull it, save it and eventually bake it.  As we spooned it out, the dessert almost glowed with blue-y purples and yellows, as well as orange and pink hues.  The pecan streusel on top added a delightful crunch and snap to this treat that paired extremely well with the soft juicy peaches and bursting blueberries.  This is great for a dinner party as you can easily reheat later in the day and serve it warm with freshly whipped cream and vanilla ice cream.  Equally good as a brunch dessert with its fruity goodness — at room temperature – also sure, paired with whipped cream and/or ice cream.  This is verrry easy to make which is an added benefit if you are a busy person who still likes to bake.  Enjoy- Double this if you want enough for a crowd – this serves only around 5-7 people (depends on portion size) – using an 8 or 9 inch square pan. peach blueberry crisp with pecan topping (adapted from Fine Cooking magazine): 3 oz (2/3 cup) all purpose flour 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 2/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 oz (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened 2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans 3 cups blueberries (washed and drained on paper towels) 5 medium peaches (and or nectarines) peeled, halved, pitted and sliced 1/2 inch thick 1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 2 pinches kosher salt Preheat oven to  375 – and position rack in the center of the oven.  Lightly butter a 9 (or eight) inch pan.  Metal or ceramic – or glass as I used. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Cut up the butter and mix in with your hands and fingers so that the mixture readily clumps together when pressed.  Mix in the pecans.  Set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the blueberries and prepared peaches.  In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg and salt.  Next, toss this dry mixture into the fruit and mix carefully with your hands to coat. Spread the fruit (and any remaining dry mix) into the prepared pan.  Press the streusel into the fruit – in small lumps and also sprinkle all around and on top to cover. Bake until the fruit in the center bubbles – and the topping is nicely browned (I moved mine to the top rack in the oven for the last 5 minutes).  This should take about 50-57 minutes – but check before – just in case! Let cool, and serve warm.  Or reheat later in a warm oven for 10 minutes or so. Enjoy-

burnt caramel pots de creme (with a little chocolate!)

Delicious.  Scrumptious.  Soothing.  These little pots de creme are worth your time and effort!  I made a healthy lunch for my friend Lori and after, I offered her a bite and she said “OhMyGod.  This is seriously Amazing!  Really.”  She proceeded to eat about half and happily exclaimed that her workout allowed this indulgence.  Alisa too – gobbled this right up.  Suzanne said that it got so very quiet as she and her girls tried and savored.  Sweet, delicious and very satisfying she commented.  Smooth caramel flavor with a hint of milk chocolate made Mike say hmm…caramel…mocha.  Ali said “holy pot de creme or as Leo (who is 3) said with a spoonful dripping down his chin – dat good puddin.”  Gotta love that.  All ages a major hit.  These are a little advanced – in that you have to make a caramel base – but if you just follow the directions – it is easy.   Read the recipe through before you start.  The real tricky part is baking time.  And I messed up a bit (blaming this on my continued vertigo :() — so you might be on your own with timing, but you can do it!  (I will make again soon and post a real baking time.)  Oh, and these can be made the day before you plan to serve which is nice.  Just bring to room temp for 20 minutes or so before you enjoy.

12 servings (if you use 2 1/2 oz cups, I used bigger ones…so had fewer)

burnt caramel pots de creme (from Chocolate Obsession by Michael Recchiuti and Fran Gage):

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
5 (3 3/4 oz) extra large egg yolks (just yolks)
2 1/2 oz (41%) milk chocolate chopped fine

Put the sugar and water in a medium heavy pot.  Mix together.  Over medium heat, cook sugar until it melts – and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.  Once it melts, continue to cook with out stirring – and let it caramelize.  You want the sugar to turn a dark amber.  This should take about 4-5 minutes.  The sugar is EXTREMELY hot.  Do not touch it – and take great care when handling it.

While the sugar is cooking, combine the milk and cream and bring to just a boil over medium heat.  Reserve until the sugar is ready.

Now you want to combine the two.  Again take great care.  Wear an oven mitt and use a long wooden spoon.

When the sugar is the correct shade, slowly slowly slowly ladle the hot cream into the sugar – really a little little at a time.  The mixture will bubble up and sputter and foam.  Again, it is very hot so be careful.  When the mixture stops bubbling, add your next ladle-full and continue until completely mixed together.

Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and mix until blended.  Whisk in the caramel mixture – again – ladle then whisk, then ladle then whisk – very slowly so as not to cook the eggs.  You will slowly warm them and combine.  Add the chocolate and whisk until melted.

Strain the custard with a fine mesh sieve into a bowl or large glass measuring cup.  Spoon or pour the custard into 2 1/2 oz (or larger, just cook longer) espresso cups or custard cups or porcelain dishes.  Fill about 3/4’s full.

Let the custard cool to room temperature (I missed this step and it cost me!)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Place the custard cups in a large baking pan.  Place on middle rack in oven.  Then take a pitcher of very hot water and pour hot water into the pan so that it comes 1/2 way up the sides of the custard cups.  This is called a bain marie.

Cover with foil (again, I managed to miss this until later…blaming the vertigo here!)

Bake until the tops are set but the whole custard jiggles when a cup is moved.  The recipe says 25 minutes – but mine took waaaay longer – I think because I didn’t let them set and cool first – and also I forgot the foil for a while.

Once set – remove the cups from the hot water – with oven mitts.  Let cool to room temp.

Cover each cup and refrigerate for at least 5 hours – or overnight.  bring to room temp before serving.

chocolate pudding pie

It was Alisa’s birthday – she is what we like to call our “young friend who is a student who lives with us and helps out now and then” – long title, but she is no longer an au pair and she is not just a student, she is truly part of our family.  So…anyway…it was her 25th birthday and I really wanted to make her something special.  Well…success!  This pie is extremely good.  I’m not even a custard girl (although I think I’m becoming one!) and oh…the cookie crumb crust, the whipped cream and pudding – all together, delicious.  I mean it.  Alisa was very happy and exclaimed “this is perfect for me!” and  “I love it!”  She said she had to hide it in the refrigerator when her friends came to celebrate and I believe it.  If you grind the cookie wafers and make the pudding the day before it is a breeze to assemble the following day.  All the small steps are fairly simple, but I guess added together take a little time and effort.  But please, make this, bake this…and enjoy!

chocolate pudding pie (barely adapted from Williams-Sonoma Pie and Tart Cookbook):

cookie crumb crust (this is an extra half recipe because I enjoy a hearty crust…but decrease if you don’t) –
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (I used Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers – in the cookie aisle – but next time maybe make home-made wafer cookies)
7.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4.5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

pudding filling–
2 1/2 cups whole milk
5 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

whipped cream topping–
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

chocolate curls for the top or shavings

For the cookie crumb crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grind the cookies to fine crumbs in your Cuisinart.  Mix the cookie crumbs with the melted butter, sugar and salt and stir to combine until all the crumbs are moist.  Press firmly and evenly into a 9 inch pie plate – making sure that the crumbs come up the side of the pan.

Bake in preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes.  Remove and let cool.

For the pudding:
In a sauce pan over low heat, warm the milk and chocolate together whisking until the chocolate has melted.  Don’t worry the mixture will look a little grainy.  Do not boil.

In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow.  I did this by hand, just whip vigorously for a minute or two.  Add the cornstarch, salt and vanilla extract and beat again.

Slowly add the warm milk mixture to the eggs…mixing well after each small addition…and then finally mixing all of it together.  Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens and begins to bubble slowly and look like pudding.  This should take about 5-8 minutes.  Remove it from the heat and stir a bit more – another minute or so.

Pour the pudding into the baked and cooled pie shell and cover with plastic wrap – so that the plastic actually touches the top of the pudding.  (This will prevent skin forming on the pudding.)  And refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

In the meantime, make the chocolate curls or shavings.  I failed a bit here – and ended up with shavings – and my only excuse was that I was rushing.  But to make the curls, just warm a hunk of semisweet chocolate (wrapped in plastic wrap) in your hands.  With a vegetable peeler, gently “peel” your chocolate pulling the peeler up and towards you to make the curls.  If the chocolate is too cold (like mine) you’ll get shavings (which is not the end of the world).  So practice and see.  I will too!  You can store these in the refrigerator until ready to assemble pie.

OK, lastly,once the pie is set and cool, make the whipped cream by placing the cream, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment or with hand held beaters and whip until nice soft peaks form.  Do not over whip!  Look to freshly whipped cream post for more help if you need it.

Spread the cream on top of the cooled pie and place curls or shavings on top of the cream.

Refrigerate the pie but try to pull out for 20 minutes before you serve for maximum flavor and enjoyment.  (Takes the chill off.)

Enjoy- really.  This is good!

gingerbread pudding cake

I really wanted to sneak this one in before Thanksgiving because it is so easy to make yet really delivers.  This moist pudding like cake is full of ginger flavor and when paired with freshly whipped cream or ice cream…oh so very good.  While it bakes – the top turns cakey while the bottom creates a sticky syrup.  I’ll admit that sometimes it doesn’t look too beautiful (although to me – the sticky look is immediately appealing).  I read about this a few years ago in Bon Appetit – it was in the readers’ favorite restaurant recipes – and brought it to our families for Thanksgiving.  Huge hit especially with Rob’s family!  Over the past few weeks I’ve received e-mails from almost every member of his family – urging me to share this recipe and to please bake it again for Thanksgiving.  OH, and by the way, you can make this the day before you plan to serve and just re-heat in the oven for service.  This recipe makes one 8×8 pan – I often double the recipe making two pans – or bake doubled in a 9×13 pan – just watch the baking time…

gingerbread pudding cake:
1 1/4 all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons beaten egg – (from 1 egg)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mild molasses
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water
5 tablespoons unsalted melted butter
freshly whipped cream and or vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8×8 pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt.  Set aside.

In your mixer or with hand beater, beat the 1/4 cup (room temp) butter and granulated sugar until blended.  Beat in the little bit of egg, scrape and mix well.  Scape and mix again.

In a glass measuring cup (for ease) mix together the vanilla, molasses and the 1/2 cup water.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 additions alternately wit the molasses mixture (in 2 additions) – starting and ending with the flour.  Gently beat to blend between additions.  Do not over-mix.

The batter will be thick.  Spread it into the prepared pan, and sprinkle all over with the brown sugar.

Stir 1 1/2 cups hot water water with the 5 tablespoons of melted butter and carefully pour this over the top of the batter.  There will be a lot of liquid and you’ll be worried about this – but don’t be!

Bake until the gingerbread is cracked on top and bubbly on the bottom – about 38-45 minutes.  Scoop the warm pudding cake into bowls and serve with whipped cream…yum.  Enjoy-

cranberry apple crisp

This is a great dessert for Thanksgiving – the cranberries make it festive and the red color throughout is visually appealing.  Oh, and it tastes great.  Forgot that nugget of information.  I really love crisps and cobblers because they are so easy to make.  One of my goals with this blog was to branch out and bake more difficult things…but that is proving to be tough for me.  Plus it seems that most people who read this are busy and love to bake but with out too much crazy effort.  I love the pecans in the topping – they add great crunch and texture that offsets the tartness of the cranberries and apples.  This is just great served warm out of the oven with vanilla ice cream and freshly whipped cream – yes…both!  It is also great at room temperature and guess what…it is awesome cold!  On Saturday night I cooked this for friends and they were wowed.  Loved it.  All those fruit loving folks.  Someone placed the crisp in the refrigerator overnight (even though it does not need refrigeration) and when I found it there in the AM, I just had to take a spoonful and oh, cold heaven.  Maybe a little little bit with yogurt in the AM would turn it into breakfast??  Hmmm…

cranberry apple crisp (adapted from Jane Close – an old friend of my mothers):
filling–
8-9 granny smith apples (peeled cut up into nice sized chunks)
2 1/2 cups whole fresh or frozen (not dried) cranberries
1/2 cup sugar (you can fiddle here – taste it after 1/3 cup for sweetness then add more as needed)
lemon juice from half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)

topping–
(I like a lot of crumb topping – if you don’t,  just cut recipe in half and bake as directed)
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
2 sticks unsalted butter (cold and cut into small pea like pieces)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter a 9×13 inch pan.  Or split into two pans…or a pie plate.  Or three pans.  Really any shape will do.

In a large bowl, place the cut apples, cranberries, sugar, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon.  Mix and taste for sugar, lemon, and cinnamon and see if you want to add any more.  Place the mixture in the prepared pan(s).

In another bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and salt.  With your hands, firmly rub this mixture together.  Squish the butter and slide and spread it around rubbing your hands together – try to incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients.  Keep working with the mixture until it starts to come together a bit.  You can also do this effortlessly in your stand mixer on low speed.  Add the pecans.

Place the topping all over the fruit.  You can mound this.  I make a lot of topping – so if you don’t want it all, you can bake it on the side – on a sheet pan and save it for ice cream mix ins or just a ridiculously decadent treat.

Place in oven and bake for about 55-65 minutes.  You will see the fruit bubbling and the topping will turn a nice golden color.

Enjoy-