Summer fruit, or really any season's fruit lend themselves to rustic tarts, or galettes. Once you get the basics down, they are an easy, adaptable, and delicious dessert that you can throw together for a party or just for a sweet weeknight treat. Yes, you do have to learn how to make dough, but our recipe is tried and true, and you can make it in the food processor. We always make a full batch of dough as we love having one dough at hand in the freezer. One batch makes two tarts! The dough can be jazzed up with whatever spices you like, this one has some ginger and vanilla in it, but cardamon, cinnamon and nutmeg are all tasty additions. You can also go savory with basil, oregano, or even sesame seeds and fill with veggies. We will post a recipe for a savory galette soon! It may look hard, but we promise, try it and once you make one you won't be able to stop! Mixed Fruit Galette Makes one Galette that serves about 8 ½ Batch of your favorite pie dough or store bought, enough for 1 disc 2-3 cups mixed fruit, cut into bit sized pieces (this has apricots, blueberries and strawberries) 1 lemon, juiced and zested ¼ c to 1/3 c sugar depending on the sweetness of your fruit 1/4 cup cornstarch ½ teaspoon ginger, nutmeg, or cinnamon ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg, beaten Sugar for sprinkling Preheat oven to 375 Add cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, lemon zest, sugar, and spice to a bowl. Mix then add the fruit. Carefully mix fruit, but mix well so juices begin being released. Mix until cornstarch is almost dissolved then set aside. Roll out your dough on a well-floured surface. Trim sides to get as close to a circle as you can then save the scraps. Move dough onto a parchment lined baking tray preferably without a lip. Place fruit in middle of the dough and spread out, leaving about a two-inch rim around the sides. Brush with egg wash and start at twelve o’clock, folding the dough in. Work your way around the tart and use the egg wash to seal your folds. You will get about 6-8 folds resembling an octagon or hexagon. You can stop here and brush with egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar. Or, reroll scraps and have some fun with cookie cutters, using the egg wash to help stick your shapes to the tart. When done decorating, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 40-50 minutes until fruit is bubbling and dough is brown. If it browns too quickly cover with foil and keep baking. *You can also freeze before baking and then bake when you choose. It will take about 20 more minutes.
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We have a thing for pie and especially apple pie. This is a riff on Grandma Ceil's award winning apple pie. She didn't do the caramel part, but her pies were always on point. Apples are pretty much always in season somewhere so play around with the different varieties you find. By creating a caramel first, the flavors of the apples and the honey really shine. And, yes, we also have a thing for #pieart. Grab your favorite cookie cutters or practice the braids you did as a child and have FUN! Caramel Apple Pie 1 9 “ pie 1 batch of your favorite pie dough or store bought, you need 2 discs 6 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced Juice of ½ lemon 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons tapioca flour ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ cup butter ¼ cup white honey ½ cup brown sugar Pinch of salt 1 egg whisked Sugar for sprinkling Preheat oven 425 Place apples in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice, flour, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a sauté pan on medium high heat add butter, honey, and brown sugar with a pinch of salt. Swirl pan carefully to mix and let mixture get bubbly. Watch carefully and keep swirling or stirring until the caramel thicken slightly and begins to brown. Add in apples and stir to coat for one minute. Remove from heat and set aside. Remove dough from refrigerator and let warm up for ten minutes. Roll one disc out until about 1/8 inch thick and line pie dish. Leaving over hanging dough. Fill with apples and then roll our second disc. Cover apples with dough and crimp the edges together either with a fork or rolling and using your fingertips to pinch along the edges. With a sharp knife make some small slits on the top to let steam out. You can make little trees or arrows. You can also create a lattice with strips and braids or play with cookie cutters. You just want to leave some negative space so steam can escape. Brush with the whisked egg and sprinkle with sugar. Place in oven and after 10 minutes drop heat to 350 and cook for another 40 minutes or until apples are soft when tested with a knife or tooth pick. If the pie is browning to quickly cover the tip with tinfoil. Let rest before cutting. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream Collaborations with other chefs allow us to experiment and in experimentation comes some risk and some rewards. These cookies were certainly a reward! In honor of @holajalapeno and the margarita week she is inspiring, we went cookie as we hardly ever go actual margarita. (Mom is a vodka girl!) These cookies are not too sweet, tender, with a hint of lime. Dare you to eat just one! And, they are safe for the kids to eat as the alcohol burns off in the baking. Strawberry Margarita Cookies
about 1 dozen cookies 1/2 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup of sugar 1 egg 2 tsp Tequila 1 tsp lime juice 1 tsp lime zest 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups of flour 1/8 cup diced fresh strawberries (dice small and if you have a little more its ok) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Cream together the butter and the sugar. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and lime zest. Set aside. When sugar and butter has lightened in color and become fluffy, add the egg, the lime juice and the tequila. Mix and then add the flour a little at a time until it is incorporated. Add diced strawberries and mix just until evenly placed in batter. Roll dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls in your hand and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 15-16 minutes until the bottoms just begin to brown. We are always game to trying something new and when Zest Tea, @getzesttea, sent us some apple cinnamon tea to try, we thought "why not bake with it?" The results were by far the best muffins we have made in awhile. Adding the additional layer of flavor the tea imparted to the butter, really made these muffins sing! The apple cinnamon flavor was pronounced, not lost in the baking. We are definitely going to play around with some other flavors of tea and will let you know how they turn out! A friend suggested ear grey and cherries.....yummy! Apple Cinnamon Tea infused Muffins Makes 10-12 ½ cup or 1 stick of unsalted butter ¼ cup loose apple cinnamon tea 1 ½ cups flour ¾ cups sugar plus 1 tablespoon 1 ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon plus ½ tsp. ½ cup milk 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract 1 egg 1 cup grated apples, about 1 large apple. Preheat oven to 375 Grease muffin pan with cooking spray or butter and set aside. To make your tea infused butter, melt butter then add the tealeaves. Let heat over low for about five minutes, it will continue bubbling. Remove from heat and set aside for another few minutes. Butter will look a little green, but don’t worry! Using a fine meshed strainer or sieve, pour butter through and push on leaves, squeezing out all you can. Set aside. In a medium bowl, add flour, ¾ cups of sugar, baking powder, salt and 1 tsp. of cinnamon. In another bowl, add egg and gently whisk. Add to egg, the vanilla, tea infused butter, and milk and mix. Add to flour, with the apples and stir until all is incorporated. Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon in small bowl and set aside. Scoop batter into muffin cups, filling about ¾ of the way. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 20-23 minutes until slightly brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan, then remove and serve. These cookies are nutty and chocolatey, two things that are always a win. We have been playing around with different nut butters and different flours, and this cookie is a nice addition to your arsenal as it gives you the feel of a chocolate chip cookie and is good for your gluten-free friends or family. We have a version on the site with peanut butter that does not have any type of flour whatsoever in it, but the almond flour in this cookie gives the cookie a heartier bite. Maybe we can then eat them for breakfast? Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cookies Makes about 1 dozen cookies 2 eggs 1 cup almond butter 1 cup brown sugar ½ cup almond flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup dark chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, then add the rest of the ingredients. Once dough comes together, roll into about inch size balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool on the sheet pan as cookies are crumbly when they are removed from the oven. When the kids hear they can have cookies for breakfast, they are super psyched! And, well, these cookies pack enough punch to get them fueled up while they think they are pulling one over on us. They are sort of like the cookie version of loaded oatmeal, filled with lots of oats, dried fruit and coconut oil. You could add a tablespoon or two of almond butter or a 1/4 cup of chopped nuts to the dough if you wanted a hit of protein, but we leave them out as the kids school is nut free and these are also great as school snacks. Breakfast Cookies Makes about 1 dozen ½ cup applesauce ½ cup dried cherries or cranberries ½ cup oats ¼ cup oat flour ½ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. nutmeg ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 tbsp. coconut oil 1 egg ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ c mini chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 In a large mixing bowl whisk egg, oil, and applesauce. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until incorporated. Chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes Scoop dough into about 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet Bake for 14 minutes We love chocolate and salt and together they make a tasty combination. This cookie is a full on chocolate explosion, however, with the bits of salty pretzels thrown in, it has a delicious balance. Soft and crunchy, salty and sweet. They are ridiculous right out of the oven when the chocolate is still melty and warm, but the kids like dipping cool cookies in milk. Either way its a winner! Chocolate Chocolate Pretzel cookies Makes about 2 dozen cookies 2 c flour ¼ c unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1-cup butter ½ cup sugar 1-cup light brown sugar, gently packed 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. espresso powder or finely ground espresso 2 eggs 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks or chips 1/4 c pretzels, roughly chopped, plus small whole ones for topping Preheat oven to 350 In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light al fluffy. In a large bowl whisk together the flour cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso and salt. Set aside. Add eggs one at a time to the creamed sugar, making sure you scrape the sides as you go. Add vanilla extract. Then, slowly add the dry ingredients. When everything looks combined, add your chocolate and your pretzels. Do not over mix. Scoop dough into 1 inch to 1.5-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. If topping with whole pretzels, squish one into the ball and slightly press down so the pretzel sits in the dough, not just on top. Bake for 9-11 minutes and cool. Serve with milk! We were getting sick of banana bread, if that is possible, and the kids decided for the week that they were not eating bananas. So, we tried a banana cake and said kids went crazy for it! The seven-year old ate most of it by himself for breakfasts many days in a row. We topped ours with a chocolate ganache but feel free to top with cream cheese frosting or vanilla ice cream. The cake is not too sweet and very moist thanks to the buttermilk and the graham flour gives it a nice texture. Banana Cake Makes 1 9 inch cake 2-3 ripe bananas, mashed 1 ½ c flour 1 ½ c graham flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. nutmeg ½ tsp. salt ¾ c canola or coconut oil 1 c sugar ½ c light brown sugar 3 eggs, whisked 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 ½ cup buttermilk Preheat oven to 350 degrees Spray or butter your cake pan so batter will not stick and set aside. In large bowl whisk together the flour, graham flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and set aside. In a stand mixer or bowl with a hand mixer cream the oil and the sugars together for about 2 minutes. Add the mashed bananas, the eggs and the vanilla and briefly beat until mixed. Then add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk and ending with the dry ingredients. (Dry can be done in 3 parts.) Batter will be lumpy so do not over mix. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. *Frosting is optional: you can top with your favorite cream cheese frosting or drizzle with chocolate ganache. Canned pumpkin is something we always have in our pantry no matter the time of year. It lends a earthy, tenderness to cakes and we have even used it as a way to vary a basic tomato sauce. It also can be added to hummus to give it a different spin or heated low and slow on the stove with some brown sugar to become a pumpkin butter for breakfast toasts. This cake is a yummy take on a classic coffee cake, and trust us it wont last long. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Streusel Cake For the cake: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons of cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup canned pumpkin puree 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips For the streusel: 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup whole wheat flour ½ cup packed light brown sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks ½ cup chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or rub with butter. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Add the pumpkin puree. Reduce speed to low, and mix in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. To make the streusel, in a medium bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add in the butter, using your fingers or a knife, and cut butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle streusel evenly over the top of the cake. Next, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the cake. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the sides pull away from the pan and a toothpick comes out clean. Place cake on a wire rack and cool completely. Cut into squares and serve. We've become a little obsessed with these fruit bars. This version we made for bookclub and the raspberry and lime combo was amazing. Sweet and tart with a little floral note from the almond extract. The graham flour was an experiment and it gave the bars a nice chew, and a slightly more dense bite which pared well with some Vanilla Ice cream. Graham Raspberry Lime Crumble Bar Makes one 8 inch round cake or square Pyrex 1 ½ cups of Graham Flour ½ cup brown sugar ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt Zest of 1 lime ½ cup butter 1 egg ½ cup sugar Juice of 1 lime 2 tsp. cornstarch ½ tsp. almond extract 2 ½ cups raspberries Preheat oven to 375 Grease an 8’ inch cake or Pyrex baking dish. In a medium bowl mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and lime zest. Then add in the cold butter and egg, cutting it in with a pastry cutter or fork. You can also use your fingers to break up any large pieces of butter. Once the mixture resembles crumbs, press half into the pan. In another bowl, add sugar, lime juice, cornstarch and almond extract and mix. Carefully stir in berries. Spread fruit with juices evenly on top of dough and sprinkle with remaining dough. You want some fruit peeking out. Bake 40-45 minutes until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Cool before slicing. The kids were craving cookie...or maybe we were (wink) so here are some cookies with a healthyish twist. We always like adding oatmeal to any baked good as it ups the fiber and whole grains in anything (and somehow saying its an oatmeal cookie) makes it sound healthier. The mix of the two kinds of chocolates gives you some morsels that hold their shape and other chunks that melt and get gooey, just how we like it! Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies Makes about 2 dozen 1 cup of butter, room temperature ½ cup brown sugar 1 cup sugar ½ cup rolled oats 1 ¾ cup flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract ½ cup golden raisins 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips 1 cup bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate chunks, or a baking chocolate chopped up Preheat oven to 375 Line tray with parchment In a stand mixer place butter and sugars and cream together with paddle attachment until light and fluffy In a separate bowl whisk oats, flour, salt and baking soda When sugar and butter mixture is ready, add in the eggs one at a time, scraping down side after each addition. Add the Vanilla extract and then, slowly add in the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated and add the raisins then the chocolate. Do not over mix. Scoop whatever size cookies you like and bake for about 10-11 minutes until slightly brown.
Somehow by magic, the now seven year old has decided this is his favorite cake. Not, chocolate, not some basic vanilla buttercream frosted, but this carrot cake. It feels like a gift, and while we may not be cake boss decorators, he loved his (healthy) birthday cake. This is filled with carrots, warming spices and the tangy sweet frosting provides a nice balance of flavors. We don't put raisins in our carrot cake, but feel free to stir in a half cup after processing everything together. Carrot Cake Serves: 10-12 (4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 1 cup of pecans or walnuts 1 cup brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon of baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ cup vegetable oil ¼ cup Greek yogurt 2 eggs Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. You could also use a square pyrex baking dish. In a food processer process the carrots and nuts until finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and process, scraping down the bowl occasionally, until combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until when tested with a toothpick or wooden skewer, it comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely in the pan before turning out and frosting. For frosting: 1 cup cream cheese, chopped and softened ¼ cup fresh ricotta or goat cheese 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice ½ tsp vanilla extract zest of 1 lemon Combine all the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. It helps to have frosting at room temperature before frosting cake.
For the month of October, we are donating a portion of the sales of our greeting and note cards to help those in Puerto Rico. Be sure to check out our Etsy site! We have made banana bread too many times to count as somehow when you have little kids around, you always have overripe bananas! My mom and I argue about this recipe all the time and go back and forth over who's we like better. This recipe is our compromise! Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour ¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cinnamon 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon honey 2 large eggs lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 very ripe bananas, mashed ½ cup chocolate chips or you can omit chocolate and add ½ cup chopped nuts Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 6-cup loaf pan. Whisk all dry ingredients together in medium bowl. In a stand mixer or using a large bowl and a hand-held mixer, beat on high speed the butter and the sugars until lightened in color and fluffy. Add to sugar and butter the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed until resembling sand. Slowly add in the beaten egg, a little at a time, then add vanilla. When combined, carefully fold in banana and chocolate chips (or nuts). Scrape into prepared pan and bake about 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before unmolding. If you omit the chocolate chips bump sugar up to ½ cup sugar, and ½ cup brown sugar. A true family classic. We have been making these brownies for over thirty years. They are a more cake like brownie and rich with chocolate and always studded with extra chips. The third generation is on their way to making these without help, just a watchful eye as the chocolate melts on the stove. If you wanted to tweak this a little, on a few occasions we have added a few tablespoons of espresso to compliment the chocolate, but we recommend not serving those to small children who you want to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. Double Fudge Brownies makes 1 9 x 13 inch baking pan 1 ½ cup sugar 2/3 cup butter ¼ cup water 1 12 oz package of chocolate chips plus 1 cup extra chocolate chips (or butterscotch) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 eggs 1½ cup flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup of walnuts or pecans (optional) Preheat oven to 325 Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan or pyrex baking dish Place sugar, butter and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in all but 1 cup of chocolate chips and the vanilla. Allow mixture to cool, then beat in eggs one at a time. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. After sifting, fold in chocolate mixture and remaining cup of chocolate chips and nuts if using. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake in preheated oven at 325 F for 40-50 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Peanut butter and chocolate are a classic and favorite combination. As are pretzels and peanut butter. This pie combines everything that is wonderful into one delicious bite. The littlest one loves using the food processor, so he got in on the crust making action. However, once the peanut butter and cream cheese and whipped cream started coming together, he ran off with the spoon to lick away in peace! Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pie with Pretzel Crust Makes one pie ½ cup-3/4 cup crushed pretzels. (About large 4 handfuls of whole pretzels) 6 tablespoons butter, melted plus 1 tablespoon ½ cup brown sugar 8 oz. cream cheese 1-cup smooth peanut butter ½ cup powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 cups heavy cream plus 2 tablespoons ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 375 Place crushed pretzels, melted butter, and brown sugar in food processor and pulse until mixture begins to clump together. Dump into pie dish and press/pat firmly on bottom and sides to make crust. You want it to be even, about ¼ of an inch thick. Place in oven and bake 10-15 minutes until the crust turns a light golden brown. Remove and cool. Whip the 2 cups of heavy cream, and once soft peaks appear, add the vanilla extract. Beat a minute or two more until firm peaks. With a handheld mixer or stand mixer, beat cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar together until incorporated. With a spatula carefully fold half the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Once mixed, fold in remaining whipped cream until mixture is uniform. Set Aside. In a microwave safe dish add chips, 2 tablespoons of cream and the butter. Depending on your microwave, heat until chips melt, then stir carefully until mixed. Pour into prepared pretzel shell and place in freezer to cool for 10 minutes. Remove crust from freezer and fill with Peanut Butter mousse. Chill for at least two hours or over night. Fifteen minutes before serving, remove pie and decorate with shaved chocolate, or chopped peanuts, or chopped peanut butter cups. Not sure about you, but we tend to overbuy at the Farmers Market this time of year, as the fruits just seem to beckon with their siren call. This means we are always looking for ways to use up fruit that is on the verge. You can make this treat with really any combo of berries and stone fruits. This bar hits all the right notes, sweet, tart, chewy with a little crunch. The addition of the almond extract instead of our go-to vanilla gave the bar a surprising undertone that was tasty. The kids had seconds! We made a second version a few days later with raspberries, strawberries and plum and used lime instead of lemon as we had no lemons. It was tangy, sweet and even better! You make the call based on the citrus you have on hand, may try orange next time! Mixed Fruit Crumb Bars Makes one 8 inch cake pan or one 8 inch square Pyrex ½ cup brown sugar 1 ½ cups flour ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt ½ cup cold butter, cut into pieces Zest of half a lemon 1 egg 2 cups mixed berries and or stone fruit cut into small pieces (this had blackberries, strawberries and plums) ½ cup sugar 2 tsp. cornstarch Juice of ½ lemon 1/2 tsp. almond extract Preheat oven to 375 Grease an 8’ inch cake or Pyrex baking dish. In a medium bowl mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Then add in the cold butter and egg, cutting it in with a pastry cutter or fork. You can also use your fingers to break up any large pieces of butter. Once the mixture resembles crumbs, press half into the pan. In another bowl, add sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and almond extract and mix. Carefully stir in fruit. Spread fruit with juices evenly on top of dough and sprinkle with remaining dough. You want some fruit peeking out. Bake 40-45 minutes until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Cool before slicing. The kids love muffins, so we are always playing around with different combos. This is a hearty breakfast muffin or afternoon snack that gets a hit of protein from the almond butter. The littlest is getting adept at cracking eggs and mashing bananas, and the bigger kids like filling up the muffin cups. A trick to making them all even is using an ice cream scoop. Almond Banana Oat Muffins with Chocolate Chips Makes 12 muffins 2 eggs 1 banana ½ cup Canola Oil 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract ¾ cup Almond Butter 1 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 1 cup sugar 2 cups quick cooking rolled Oats 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons flax seeds 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 Line muffin tray with paper muffin cups or oil/spray pan with non stick baking spray. In a Medium bowl add the eggs, banana, oil, vanilla, and almond butter. Whisk/mash all ingredients until incorporated and only small pieces of banana are visible. In another bowl whisk together the baking soda, salt, sugar, oats, flax seeds and flour. Then add this mixture to the wet ingredients. Fold with a spatula until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups to top with batter and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. We experimented with all sorts of butters and sugars in making this cookie and this was the most successful. The tahini version was a little too strong, and the nutella version made a wonderful brownie brittle type thing but also dripped everywhere and killed the oven. These did work well with almond butter, and almond extract but in our family it's all about the peanut butter! Also, for some reason, we always think these are healthier to eat as they have no flour....ummm....yeah right! Gluten-free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies 1 cup smooth Peanut Butter 3/4 cup coconut sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1 egg 1 tsp Vanilla Extract Preheat oven to 350 Mix all ingredients together, adding the chips last. Scoop into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet with about an inch between cookies. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes depending on your oven. We got in the habit of making this cake to use up fruit that was on the verge of being overripe. The plums give it a sweet and sour counterpoint and its a great little cake for afternoon snacks or bring it to a pot luck. Plum Snackcake with Pecan Topping Topping: ¼ cup packed light brown sugar ¼ cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (¼ stick), plus more for coating the pan ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch fine salt ½ cup finely chopped pecans Cake: 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1/3 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¾ cup sugar 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature 2 eggs, at room temperature 5 medium plums, pitted and cut into ¾ -inch pieces Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter and set aside. To make topping, in a medium bowl use your fingertips and work the brown sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, and salt until the ingredients come together. Stir in the pecans, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. To make cake, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk together the milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl and set aside. Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. You can also use a hand held mixer. Add the eggs 1 at a time, letting the first completely incorporate before adding the second. Add a third of the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in half of the milk mixture and mix on low until just incorporated. Repeat, alternating dry and wet ingredients and ending with the dry ingredients, until completely incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer, fold the plums and turn the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved topping evenly over the top and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 20 minutes before serving. This was a last minute dessert thrown together for bookclub. The lemon pound cake is delicious on its own, but with the fruit and cream it becomes a show stopper. This trifle is even better a day later when all the ingredients meld. Lemon Berry Trifle 1 Lemon pound cake loaf, unglazed 2 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced in half, 1 pint blueberries 1 pint raspberries 3 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus zest of lemon 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 pint of whipping cream 1 tablespoon powdered sugar few leaves of fresh mint In a saucepan combine 2/3 of the strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Cook on medium heat until the fruit begins to break down and sauce begins to thicken. Pour into container and cool in fridge. Whip cream with powdered sugar and remaining vanilla extract until firm peaks. Slice lemon cake into ¼ inch slices. In a deep glass bowl, spoon some berry sauce on bottom and spread. Top with pound cake, cutting to fill in spaces. Top with more sauce, then whip cream. Along edge place strawberry with cut side facing out. Continue layering cake, sauce, cream and strawberries until you end with cream. Decorate top with remaining strawberries and fresh mint. Chill in fridge for a few hours or overnight. Lemon Pound Cake 1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for the pan 2 ½ cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the pan 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon of baking powder 3 cups of granulated sugar 2 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 4 tbsp. of lemon juice 6 large eggs, room temperature 1 cup plain full fat Greek yogurt Heat oven to 325° F. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice, then the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add half the flour mixture, then the yogurt, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not over mix). Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 65 to 75 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. My mother's specialty is Apple Pie and mine are these fruit tarts. Inspired by my time working at Campanile restaurant in Los Angeles and making tons of their version of a rustic tart, I started making these for July 4th over fifteen years ago and I have yet to stop. Cherry and Peach are always musts and I vary the others depending on what fruit is available from the farm stand in Hailey, Idaho. Apricots were a big hit last year. Now, I have my ten-year old niece helping me, and I hope one day she takes this over. Rustic Fruit Tart 1 basic pie dough 2-3 cups fruit compote 1 cup Oatmeal crumble topping 1 egg yolk pinch of salt 2 tablespoons sugar Preheat oven to 350 On cool surface, roll out pie dough until ¼ inch thick. Transfer dough round to a parchment lined, flat baking sheet. If you don’t have one, flip a rimmed baking sheet over and use bottom. Mound compote in center, leaving a two inch border along dough. Begin at bottom and fold dough over compote. Continue folding, creating a hexagon, and leaving the center of the compote exposed. Whisk egg yolk with salt and brush along folded dough to seal. Sprinkle edges with sugar. Add crumble onto exposed compote, gently patting into place. Bake for 40-50 minutes until dough is browned and exposed fruit is bubbling. Cool before slicing Basic Pie Dough Serves: 2 pies 1 cup chilled butter 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar 6 tablespoons ice water 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar Put butter, shortening, 2 cups of flour, sugar and salt into food processor. Pulse until you have small pea sized pieces. Add the rest of the flour and briefly pulse. Pour mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Add chilled water to the flour mixture and fold with a large flat spatula until dough comes together, pressing dough as you fold. Flip dough onto floured surface and push into a ball. Divide into two, and gently flatten each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic and let rest in fridge or freezer until ready to use. If freezing the dough, put in fridge the night before you want to make the tart. Fruit Compote for Rustic Tart 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 vanilla bean, scraped 2 tablespoons butter Water to moisten 2 lbs. fruit, chopped or sliced (cherries, peaches, apricots, plums) *(if using peaches, nectarines or apricots, peel first) 1-2 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in water Place both sugars, vanilla bean, butter and water in a sauté pan. Cook over medium high heat, swirling pan as you go. Let bubble. If sugar chrystalizes along edges of pan use a pastry brush dipped in water to clean. Cook until a warm brown caramel color. Add fruit and cook, allowing sugar chyrstals to dissolve and the fruit to begin to break down and release their juices. Add cornstarch that has been mixed with water a little at a time, judging how thick you want compote. Cook until thickened, remove from heat and cool. *to peel fruit bring a large pot of water to a boil. Make a small x on bottom of fruit and slide into boiling water. After 1 minute remove and plunge into ice water bath. Skin should easily peel off. Oatmeal Crumble Topping
(for Dutch Apple Pie or Rustic Fruit Tart) ½ stick unsalted butter, softened 1 cup oatmeal 1 tablespoon flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 pinch salt Cut with pastry knife or pulse in processor for a minute until large chunks form. ![]() Everyone in my family loves pudding, and everyone loves bananas. There is never a piece left of this pie, and never any complaints. We have sometimes added a peanut butter layer just above the crust as well as doing the same with same melted chocolate. Banana Cream Pie 1 basic pie dough shell or graham cracker crust 3 bananas, sliced 2 cups whipped cream 1 tablespoon powdered sugar I teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups Vanilla Pastry cream Preheat oven to 375. Roll out dough to about 1/8” thick and line pie plate. Crimp edges, and prick a few times with a fork. Top dough with parchment paper and using either pie weights or beans, weigh down pie shell and blind bake until light brown about twenty minutes. Set aside and cool. Whip cream with powdered sugar and Vanilla extract until medium peaks. Mix together half of the pastry cream and half of the whip cream Take pie shell and line bottom with bananas. Top with remaining pastry cream. Add another layer of bananas and then the whip cream/pastry cream mixture. Use remaining bananas and top with whip cream. Place in fridge to chill for 2 hours. Before serving you can top with a few slices of banana or chocolate shavings. Basic Pie Dough Serves: 2 pies 1 cup chilled butter 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar 6 tablespoons ice water 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar Put butter, shortening, 2 cups of flour, sugar and salt into food processor. Pulse until you have small pea sized pieces. Add the rest of the flour and briefly pulse. Pour mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Add chilled water to the flour mixture and fold with a large flat spatula until dough comes together, pressing dough as you fold. Flip dough onto floured surface and push into a ball. Divide into two, and gently flatten each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic and let rest in fridge or freezer until ready to use. If freezing the dough, put in fridge the night before you want to make the tart. Graham Cracker Crust 1 1/2 sleeves of graham crackers 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 tablespoon brown sugar pinch of salt Pulse graham crackers, sugar and salt in food processor. Add melted butter and pulse briefly. Press mixture into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees until slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Vanilla Pastry Cream Serves: 2 cups of cream 1/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons corn starch 4 large egg yolks 1 1/3 cups whole milk 2 vanilla beans split 1 teaspoon vanilla In a medium bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, corn starch, and egg yolks until light yellow and fluffy. You can use a hand mixture to whisk as well. In a saucepan combine milk and vanilla bean and bring to a simmer. Carefully pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture while constantly stirring, then pour the egg mixture into the remaining hot milk. Stir continuously over medium heat until mixture has thickened and begun to bubble. Then cook for one minute whisking constantly. Remove from stove and scrape into a bowl. Mix in the vanilla. Place plastic wrap directly on-top of custard to prevent a skin from forming and cool. Once cool place in refrigerator. Can be used for banana pudding or banana cream pie |
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