Linda's apple crisp

In Northeast Ohio we are very lucky to be near so many amazing farmers' markets! This past week, The Coit Rd. Farmers' Market, a true Cleveland treasure, held a fundraiser. Many local chefs were involved, and Slow Food Northern Ohio had a part as well.


For our dish we decided on an apple crisp, and used a wonderful recipe given to us by my dear friend and accomplished cookbook author and James Beard Award winner, Linda Griffith. I was quite proud to be a part of the baking team!

(my husband was very helpful- he can peel an apple in one strip!...nice)


This apple crisp had a wonderful flavor, full of cardamom and brown sugar, and a crunchy pecan and oatmeal topping. And for variety, Kari made a bourbon and bacon apple crisp- yum!


Almost Gert's Apple Crisp with Pecans and Oatmeal
(Linda Griffith's recipe)

Serves 10

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup broken pecans
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold and cut in pieces
8 large Northern Spy apples (or Granny Smiths)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cardamom

Place rack in upper third of the oven. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 3-quart casserole or a deep 9-inch baking dish.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, granulated sugar, nuts, oatmeal, 1/2 cup brown sugar, spices and salt. Pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until mixture is that of corn meal. Set aside.

Peel, core, and thinly slice apples. Toss in a large mixing bowl with lemon juice. Sprinkle with cardamom and remaining brown sugar. Try to arrange apple slices in layers, as evenly as possible, until the baking dish is filled. Keep in mind that they cook down considerably.

Bake for 1 hour, or until lightly brown. Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, preferably with ice cream on the side.

apple, goat cheese, and honey tart

I simply love fall. It's not just the crisp air, or the cool, relaxing weather...the falling leaves, or the colorful foliage...in fact, much of my love for this season is associated with food. (imagine that!). I absolutely love the comforting foods that go along with fall. In fact, I've even made a list of all of the delicious foods I want to make this season (yes, that's the kind of food nerd I am). So let's get started!!

This is an easy dessert that uses fresh apples, creamy chevre, and spicy cinnamon. Perfect for a simple fall dinner party.

If you want some extra indulgence, serve with vanilla bean ice cream or fresh whipped cream. Enjoy!

Bon Appetit October 2007

INGREDIENTS

• 2 17.3-ounce packages frozen puff pastry (4 sheets), thawed
• 1 egg, beaten to blend
• 6 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (about 3/4 cup packed)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 3 medium Gala apples, peeled, quartered, cored, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup honey (preferably dark), divided
• 1/2 teaspoon (scant) ground allspice

PREPARATION

• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out each puff pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 11-inch square. Using 5-inch-diameter cookie cutter or bowl, cut out 4 rounds from each pastry sheet, forming 16 rounds total. Divide 8 pastry rounds between prepared baking sheets; pierce rounds all over with fork. Using 3 1/2-inch-diameter cookie cutter or bowl, cut out smaller rounds from center of remaining 8 rounds (reserve 3 1/2-inch rounds for another use), forming eight 5-inch-diameter rings. Brush outer 1-inch edges of 5-inch rounds on baking sheets with beaten egg; top each with 1 pastry ring. Freeze at least 30 minutes.
  
• DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep frozen. Do not thaw before continuing.

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix cheese, lemon juice, and salt in bowl; spread mixture inside rings on frozen pastry rounds. Overlap apple slices atop cheese. Mix butter and 1/4 cup honey in small bowl; brush over apples. Sprinkle with allspice. Bake until apples are tender and pastry is golden, about 35 minutes. Place tartlets on plates. Drizzle 1 tablespoon honey over each and serve warm or at room temperature.
• DO AHEAD Bake the tartlets four to six hours ahead, then store them uncovered at room temperature. Rewarm in a 350°F oven for five to ten minutes. Drizzle tartlets with honey just before serving.

roasted figs

If you're able to get your hands on some fresh figs, consider yourself lucky! I absolutely love fresh figs, and one of my favorite preparations is to simply roast them. Then they can be used on all sorts of dishes!

We just roasted these beauties and then served them with goat cheese and local honey- amazing! We also tried them over vanilla ice cream- also delicious! Of course the list goes on, just think of all the possibilities...


The prep is easy. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Snip the stems off the figs, and then cut them in half. Place all the figs skin side down on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and add a few fresh sprigs of thyme. Roast for 10 minutes. Allow the figs to cool for about 10 minutes, then serve.


You can also store these roasted figs in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days. Enjoy!

peaches, peaches, and pluots

I love this season. Fresh, local peaches. Juicy and delicious.

We've had some wonderful desserts this week, all based on the natural sweetness of summer fruits.

First, warm peaches sprinkled with brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon. Just bake peach wedges at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes and top with vanilla ice cream. So good!


Second, grilled peaches with wildflower honey and creamy lemon ice cream.


Just grill peach halves for about 5 minutes, drizzle with honey, and top with a small scoop of ice cream. Sweet and creamy.


And last but not least, sliced pluots. If you've never tasted a pluot, they are a cross between plums and apricots. They are sweet, and crunchy, and honestly one of my favorite fruits!




I don't think you need to add anything, just slice and eat for the perfect finish to any summer meal!

raspberry buttermilk cake

When I first saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen about a week ago, I knew I had to make it.

And just as I pulled this cake out of the oven, my new copy of Gourmet magazine arrived- and wouldn't you know it, there was the recipe again!



So, this isn't an original recipe, but it sure is good! And it's great for use with any summer fruits, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, even bits of strawberries would work. If you don't have buttermilk, don't worry! Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk, let it sit for 10 minutes, and voila! buttermilk!



This cake is simple and delicious, and perfect for bringing to a barbecue or packing up for a picnic. Enjoy!



Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (146 grams) plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large (57 grams) egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 oz)

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup (146 grams) sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter (see Note) raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

strawberry rhubarb crumble

Please. Get the ingredients and make this dessert. You will not regret it.

I know it may seem simple, and it is. Fresh fruit, some sugar, lemon juice, all topped with a buttery, almost sugar cookie like crust. Trust me. It's AMAZING.



My husband and I ate this dessert, and the only thing that came out of either one of our mouths was the phrase- "this is so good". After we finished, Jerel declared this was "the best dessert I've ever made".



So much for those time consuming cakes, cookies, and tarts....from now on, fruit crumbles for everyone!! And please, don't skip the vanilla ice cream.



We made this with strawberries and rhubarb, but I feel confident that this will be made again with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, pears, whatever I can find at the farmers market!



Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Yields 6 to 8 servings.

For the topping:
1 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons Demerara sugar (or turbinado sugar aka Sugar in the Raw)(I only used 1 tablespoon)
Zest of one lemon
1/4 pound (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 quart strawberries plus a few extras, hulled, quartered
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons cornstarch (some commenters found the flour option a little too, well, floury so this has been updated)
Pinch of salt

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Prepare topping: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugars and lemon zest and add the melted butter. Mix until small and large clumps form. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Prepare filling: Toss rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. (I used a square dish and it was just perfect)

3. Remove topping from refrigerator and cover fruit thickly and evenly with topping. Place pie plate on a (foil-lined, if you really want to think ahead) baking sheet, and bake until crumble topping is golden brown in places and fruit is bubbling beneath, about 40 to 50 minutes.

strawberry mascarpone tart

This weekend we went to my mom's house for dinner.  As usual, she made a wonderful meal. To start, puff pastry with blue cheese, topped with sauted apples and onions.  Followed by a green salad with panko breaded goat cheese.  And for the main course grilled scallops served with roasted carrots and fennel.  It was a feast!

 

For dessert I made the strawberry mascarpone tart featured on the cover of April's Gourmet magazine. My tart actually looked fairly similar to the cover photo! 

And while everyone liked this dessert, including me, there was nothing "wow" about it. The crust was more like a crisp sugar cookie, not a tender buttery crust like I was expecting.  The mascarpone cheese mixture was great, I will definitely use that combo again. Instead of the port glaze (we don't keep port on hand) I mixed the sliced strawberries with a drizzle of buckwheat honey.  Overall I enjoyed this recipe.  I might make it again, although I think I prefer Ina's strawberry tart. 

STRAWBERRY MASCARPONE TART WITH PORT GLAZE

SERVES8

• ACTIVE TIME:30 MIN
 
• START TO FINISH:2 1/2 HR (INCLUDES COOLING)

Gourmet Magazine APRIL 2009

FOR TART SHELL

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Rounded 1/4 tsp salt
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons cold water

FOR FILLING

• 1 1/2 lb strawberries (about 1 1/2 qt), trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup ruby Port*
• 1 lb mascarpone (about 2 cups)
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• *(again, we just mixed the strawberries with a few tablespoons of honey and did not add port)

• EQUIPMENT: 

  a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom; pie weights or dried beans

MAKE TART SHELL:

• Blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water with a fork, then drizzle over flour mixture and stir with fork (or pulse) until mixture comes together.
• Gently knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface until a dough forms, then gently knead 4 or 5 times. Press into a 5-inch disk. Place in center of tart pan and cover with plastic wrap. Using your fingers and bottom of a flat-bottomed measuring cup, spread and push dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan. Prick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.

MAKE FILLING WHILE TART SHELL COOLS:

• Stir together strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Strain in a sieve set over a small saucepan, reserving berries. Add Port to liquid in saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff.

ASSEMBLE TART:

• Spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle Port glaze all over tart.

COOKS’ NOTE:

• Tart shell can be baked 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature.