French Toast

Sundays are a good day for a hot breakfast (or brunch!). This recipe is easy to execute. Keep in mind that egg quality will make a big difference in the final outcome (and color). This particular day the toast was served with a delicous warmed marion berry jam from local company Mountain Fruit Co. Fruit compotes, thick fruit syrups, or real maple syrup are all great toppers (along with a little pat of salty butter, of course).

French Toast with Jam

French Toast
Yield: 6 slices (serves two people)
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5-8 minutes per slice


Ingredients


2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 C cream (or milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
2 TB white sugar
6 slices stale french breadsalted butter for frying
2-3 TB Topping of choice


Instructions

1. In medium dish or bowl, beat eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar until smooth.
2. Soak bread in batter, at least 30 second each side.
3. In frying pan over low-medium temperature, fry battered bread in butter a few minutes each side until golden brown.
4. Keep warm in low oven while preparing the rest of breakfast.
5. Serve warm with a small pat of butter and a heated topping such as jam, thick fruit syrup, or maple syrup. You can dust with icing sugar if topping is served on the side.

Tip: Fresh french bread that goes stale overnight is the perfect bread for this. Cut slices at an angle for attractive presentation. Slices of bread can be frozen, and toasted lightly before battering for added dryness.

Plum Crisp

A friend gave us plums from his tree. This recipe used 3 pounds of plums and a double batch of apple crumble topping. This crumble/crisp topping uses almonds rather than oats but I threw some oats in as well. Shown with homemade french vanilla ice cream. This plum crisp didn't taste pruney at all; the plums have a mild almost apple-like flavor. Both plums and almonds are grown locally.

Carrot Cake

This cake is so fruity you might call it a muffin (if it wasn't for the frosting!). This time I made cupcakes rather than a sheet cake, as cupcakes keep well as individual servings either in the fridge or freezer.


Carrot Cake

Yield: 1 sheet cake.
Baking Temperature: 350°F
Baking Time: 45 minutes


Ingredients


4 eggs
3/4 C canola oil
1/2 C applesauce
2 C sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 C AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 C grated carrots
8 oz can crushed pineapple
1 C nuts


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Grease and flour pan.
3. Drain juice from can of pineapple, discard juice.
4. Beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla.
5. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
6. Stir dry mixture into wet mixture.
7. Stir in carrots and pineapple.
8. Fold in nuts.
9. Pour in pan and bake 40-50 min.
10. Cool in pan 10 min then turn out onto rack and cool completely before frosting.
11. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
12. If you wish, top with 1-2C sweetened shredded coconut.

Tips: For cupcakes, spoon mixture into cupcake pan lined with paper cups. Bake 20 min or until toothpick comes out clean, still at 350°F. Makes 24.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield:  a double layer cake or full batch of cupcakes

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
½ stick butter (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 C powdered sugar


Instructions

1. Sift or at least whisk lumps from sugar.
2. Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until blended.
3. Add sugar gradually, beating until well blended after each addition.
4. Use right away or refrigerate and bring back to room temp before using.

Apple Streusel Muffins

Apple Streusel Muffins


Yield:  18 regular muffins
Source: allrecipes.com
Baking Temperature: 400°F
Baking Time:  20 min


Ingredients: Muffins


1 1/2 C apples: peeled, cored, and diced small
2 C white flour
1 C sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, room temp
1 C sour cream (8 oz), room temp
1/4 C butter, room temp


Ingredients: Crumb Topping


1/4 C brown sugar
3 TBsp flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 TBsp cold butter
1/2 C oats (optional)


Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Peel, core and dice apples, set aside.
3. Whisk together dry muffin inngredients
4. In large bowl, beat butter and sour cream.
5. Beat eggs into butter/sour cream.
6. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until barely combined.
7. Fold in apples.
8. Fill muffin/cupcake cups 2/3 full.
9. For topping, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon, then cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in oats if using.
10. Sprinkle topping over each cup of batter.
11. Bake at 400°F for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
12. Cool on rack in pan for five minutes then remove each muffin to rack to continue cooling. 

Tip: Use tart apples like granny smiths. Use 2 small or medium apples, maximum of two large apples, anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 C once diced is fine.

Apple Pie

Well friends, winter is still with us, so lets do something about all those apples available. I have tried this recipe a few times and my suggestion is to make sure you cook your crust through; the pyrex pie pan is crucial for this (so you can see when it's done). This pie is ostensibly "easy," because the filling and crust are cooked together and there is no top crust. I won't call it easy because I think it's a little tricky to make your first pie... but give it a try!

Apple Pie


Yield: 8 slices
Baking Temperature: starts at 400°F
Baking Time:  40 min
Source: How to Bake by Nick Malgieri

Ingredients : Flaky Pie Dough

1 1/4 C AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, cold
2-3 TB water, cold

Instructions : Dough

1. To mix the dough by hand, combine the flour salt and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut the butter into 1 TB pieces and add to the dry ingredients, tossing to coat the butter chunks. Then using your hands or a pastry blender break the butter into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the dry ingredients. Keep the mixture uniform by occasionally reaching down to the bottom of the bowl and mixing all the ingredients evenly together. Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse-grown cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible. Sprinkle the minimum amount of water over the mixture and stir gently with a fork, the dough should begin holding together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough holds together easily.
—or—
2. To mix the dough in the food processor, combine the dry ingredients in the work bowl fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 3 times at 1-second intervals to mix. Cut the butter into 1 TB pieces and add to the work bowl. Process, pulsing repeatedly at 1 second intervals until the mixture is fine and powdery, resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal, and no large pieces of butter remain visible, about 15 pulses in all. Scatter the minimum amount of water on the mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times , the dough should begin to hold together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough holds together easily.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a disk. Sandwich the disk between to pieces of plastic wrap and press it into a 6 inch circle. Refrigerate the dough until firm or until you are ready to use it, at least one hour.

Ingredients : Crumb Topping

1/2 C brown sugar
1 C AP flour
6 TB unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients : Filling

2 1/2 pounds firm, tart apples
2/3 C sugar (brown, white, or blend)
2 TB AP flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 TB unsalted butter, cold

Instructions : Pie

4. Roll the prepared dough out and line a 9" pyrex pie dish. Chill the crust while preparing the topping and filling.
5. For topping: combine the sugar and flour in a mixing bowl, add the butter, and stir in evenly. Set mixture aside 5 min, then use your fingertips to break into 1/4" to 1/2" crumbs. Set aside.
6. Set a rack at the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
7. For filling: Peel, halve, and core apples. Cut the apples into a 1/2" dice. Place the diced apples in a bowl and add the remaining filling ingredients, except butter, tossing well to combine. Place the filling in the dough-lined pan, mounding it slightly in the center. Dot the filling with butter and sprinkle to cover with the prepared crumb topping.
8. Place the pie in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375°F; bake the pie for 40 min or until crust and topping are baked through and a deep golden brown, and the filling is gently bubbling.
9. Cool on rack. Serve alone or with sharp cheddar cheese, or ice cream.

Tips

• Try one of these apple varieties: Northern Spy, Granny Smith, Pippin, Golden Delicious.
• You can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it double-wrapped in plastic.
• I have made this same pie using the crumb topping from the Apple Crumble recipe and it's good :)

Apple Crumble

What a great winter standby. There's hardly any other fruit available so let's use it in a very easy dish to cap off a special meal.
I recommend Granny Smith apples as they are firm and tart, and remain so after cooking. Do not use a soft apple but feel free to experiment with your favorite cooking apples. Apples are in season in fall and remain in stores in great variety in winter. Apples are available year round because of the amazing things they can do with irradiating, cold storage, and international shipping! I recommend using fruits in season and with the bounty of choices in spring and summer there's no reason to use apples any other time than the colder months.
This recipe uses two large Granny Smiths or three to four smaller apples. It's easier to peel, core, and slice larger apples but if you have very fresh fruit don't let size be your guide.
I have a suspicion that this dish would work fine with peaches with no adjustment, or with pears using a little nutmeg instead of the cinnamon.

Apple Crumble

Yield:  6 servings
Baking Temperature: 400°F
Baking Time:  30 min

Ingredients

4 C apples: peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
3 TB orange juice
1/4 C white sugar
1 TB corn starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon (divided)
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C AP flour
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal (uncooked)

Instructions 

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 2 qt baking dish.
2. In large bowl, combile apples, orange juice, and vanilla.
3. In medium bowl, blend sugar, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Add to apple mixture tossing to coat.
4. Spoon apples into dish.
5. In same medium bowl combine brown sugar, flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, mixing well.
6. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This is easiest if you use your fingers.
7. Stir in oats.
8. Sprinkle over apples.
9. Bake 25-30 minutes until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.
10. Serve plain or with cream or vanilla ice cream. 

Notes: While a hit warm it's pretty good straight out of the fridge, too.
Any other thickener can be used instead of corn starch, such as arrowroot.

Muffins

Felicia's Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins
Baking Temperature: 400°F
Baking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 C AP flour
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
grated zest of one lemon
2 eggs
1 C milk or cream
2/3 C packed brown, or white sugar
4-8 TB melted butter
1 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
1 1/2 C blueberries (fresh or frozen)
or 12 oz chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In secondary bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and zest.
2. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, butter and blossom water.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet but do not overmix.
4. Fold in berries or chips.
5. Pour into greased muffin tins (or lined with paper cups)
6. Sprinkle with a little extra sugar (maybe demerara).
7. Bake 15 mins or until stick comes out clean.

Tip: Use lesser quantity of butter for muffins that will be eaten right way; more butter means longer life.
Tip: In absence of lemon zest and orange water, substitute 2-3 tsp of vanilla essence.
Source: Felicia Bock.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Yield:  3-4 dozen cookies
Baking Temperature:350°F
Baking Time:  12 min

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, softenened
1 C firmly packed soft brown sugar
½ C white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ C AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
3 C old fashioned oats
1 C raisins
1 C chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
3. In large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy.
4. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
5. Add in flour mixture, beat well.
6. Stir in oats, raisins, and nuts using wooden spoon, mix well.
7. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto silpat cookie sheet.
8. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
9. Cool one minute on sheet and move gently (using frosting spatula) to wire rack to finish cooling.
10. Serve warm with a glass of milk.

Notes: Refrigerated and frozen cookies can be briefly microwaved for a warm-up, but refrigerated cookies are also good. Perfect for a quick morning snack.
Occasions Used:  Serve these cookies in colder months.
Source: Quaker Oats

Fig Bars

From Sweet Things: Food Pics!

Earlier this summer a friend of mine took us out to a fig tree and we came home with quite a few. I've never cooked with them before so this recipe was a shot in the dark... and it was delicious! I tried it once with the rum, which has a grown-up flavor, and I tried it on the remaining figs a week later with just orange juice and dressed the top with sweetened, shredded coconut instead. Both were a hit :)

Fig Bars

Yield: 36 small bars
Baking Temperature: 350°F
Baking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

16-ounces figs: stems trimmed, figs coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup rum or orange juice
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/4 cups old-fashioned oats

Ingredients: Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons rum or orange juice

Instructions

1. PREHEAT oven to 350º F.
2. COAT a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
3. COMBINE figs, walnuts, sugar, rum (or orange juice) and hot water; set aside.
4. BEAT together butter and sugar in a large bowl.
5. ADD egg and mix until creamy.
6. STIR in flour and baking soda; blend in oats to make a soft dough.
7. RESERVE 1 cup dough.
8. With floured fingertips, PRESS thin layer of remaining dough in bottom of prepared pan.
9. SPREAD fig mixture evenly and pat firmly over dough.
10. CRUMBLE reserved dough by teaspoonfuls over top, allowing figs to show through.
11. BAKE 30 minutes or until golden brown.
12. COOL completely in pan.
13. STIR together powdered sugar and rum or orange juice.
14. DRIZZLE over top; let stand until glaze is set.
15. CUT into bars.

Note: This recipe is from SunMaid.

Cherry Turnovers

Note I photographed this guy while it was cold, they look a little more "alive" when they are piping hot! Also this is obviously a cutaway, to show you the filling.
Enjoy!

Cherry Turnovers


Yield: 8 turnovers

Baking Temperature: 350°F

Baking Time: 20-25 min

Ingredients: Dough

One box of "puff pastry" dough

One egg white

Pinch of salt

3 TB turbinado or white sugar

Ingredients: Filling

About a pound of cherries, pitted and halved

sugar to taste (1/4 C)

1/2 tsp almond essence

Instructions

1. Cooking the filling first reduces its water content, reducing sogginess in the turnover. In a saucepan over medium heat, place cherries in a little water (1/2C).
2. Heat until it is bubbling then cook down until volume is reduced.
3. Add sugar to taste (some cherries are sweet and some are tart).
4. Add almond essence to enhance flavor (not to impart an almond flavor) if you wish.
5. Defrost the pastry according to its directions.
6. Cut each sheet into quarters for a total of eight squares.
7. On your work surface lay out a square and put a few spoonfuls of fruit in the center.
8. Fold one corner over to the opposite corner making a triangle.
9. Using tepid water trace a line along the edge to "glue" the pastry into a triangle.
10. Tamp down edges using a fork.
11. Using a sharp knife make a one inch slit in the top of the pastry to vent steam.
12. Transfer to baking sheet/silpat and repeat for remaining pastries.
13. In a small bowl, whisk an egg white and a pinch of salt well until mixture has an even texture.
14. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg white onto the top (cut top) of each pastry. This just browns the pastry and can be omitted.
15. Using a spoon, sprinkle some turbinado (or white) sugar evenly over the egg white. This adds crunch and sweetness and can be omitted.
16. Bake at 350°F-375°F for 15-25 min, until tops are brown and fruit is bubbling.
17. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
18. Serve hot or warm, best when fresh.

For the first time in this blog I am using an improvised recipe. The cherry turnover thing all started with getting over a pound of cherries from a business contact. I imagine the guy got them from a dude at the side of the road because there's a lot of those fruit stands around this time of year with cherries and strawberries. I had to use these cherries fast and I've never made a successful pie before, so the idea was to try turnovers. Not in a mood to ruin the dough (which is similar to pie dough), and considering it was at least 80° and dough is hard enough to deal with in winter, I decided to "cheat." Then I improvised on the filling.

The baking time and temperature is vague because my oven can't regulate it's own temperature properly. Basically when your house starts to smell delicious, it's done. See what's on the box of puff pastry and use that as your guide.

Yes you can make your own puff pastry, don't let me stop you. This is an "abundance of fruit" recipe and is a quick and easy way to use up fruit.

Look forward to more "abundance of fruit" recipes because this is a farm town and fruit season is here!

Pavlova with Chantilly Cream

Yield: 8-10 servings
Baking Temperature: start at 400°F
Baking Time: varies on oven
Trivia: This Australian (or New Zealander) classic was named in honor of Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova.

Ingredients: Pavlova

6 egg whites
pinch of salt
2 C fine white sugar
1 ½ tsp white vinegar
1 ½ tsp vanilla essence

Ingredients: Chantilly Cream

300 mL heavy whipping cream
2-4 tsp confectioner's sugar
½ tsp vanilla essence

To Top

½ to 2 C sliced fresh fruit
confectioner's sugar
or ¼ C dark chocolate shavings
or ½ C fruit coulis

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Grease and and lightly flour 9" springform pan or grease silpat on cookie sheet.
2. Beat egg whites and salt in an electric mixer at full speed until they stand in stiff peaks.
3. Sprinkle in sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating on high until all sugar is incorporated.
4. Fold in vinegar and vanilla.
5. Spoon in large dollops in pan or on cookie sheet in a low dome.
6. Reduce heat to 150°C (300°F), put pav in oven and bake for one hour.
7. For electric ovens: Turn off heat and leave in oven until cold.
8. For gas ovens: Turn heat down to 120°C (250°F) and bake 30 more minutes, then turn off oven and leave in until cold.
9. Remove to or slide onto plate. Collapses and cracks are normal.
10. To make chantilly cream: whip cream in an electric mixer, incorporating sugar and vanilla to taste. Don't overwhip.
11. Top room temperature pavlova with chantilly cream.
12. Prepare fruit topping. Rinse and slice fresh strawberries or blackberries; rinse raspberries; halve and scoop out passionfruit pulp; or peel and slice kiwi. Overly tangy berries can be sweetened with a dusting of confectioner's sugar then use once sugar has dissolved.
13. Arrange fruits on top of cream-covered pavlova in pleasing pattern.
14. Serve in slices like cake.

Notes: If fruits are out of season you can make a coulis with frozen berries and drizzle top of pavlova and plate, without dark chocolate shavings. Try chocolate flavored with mint for a sophisticated fruitless pav. Sprinkle shavings straight from a vessel as the heat of your hands will melt the chocolate. Use your egg yolks for another dessert such as custard, or make pasta.

Polvorones de Naranja (Orange Cookies)

Polvorones de Naranja

Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Baking Temperature: 400°F
Baking Time: 10-15 min

Ingredients

4 C AP flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ C white sugar
2 sticks butter (room remperature)
4 large egg yolks
1 can/14oz sweetened condensed milk
zest of 1 orange
¼ C orange juice

Instructions

1. In medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda and sugar.
2. In large bowl, cream butter and egg yolks thouroughly.
3. Slowly add condensed milk to butter/eggs, then zest.
4. Slowly add the drys until they are all incorporated.
5. Finally mix in orange juice.
6. Flour a surface and roll out small quantities dough using a rolling pin to ¼ inch thickness or less (see below).
7. Cut 2" rounds using cookie cutter.
8. Gently transfer to baking sheet/silpat.
9. Bake 10-15 min at 400°F, will not brown much at all. Thin cookies take much less time to cook.
10. Cool 2 min on sheet (if soft) before transferring to wire rack to complete cooling.

Notes: The zest and juice requirements are more or less what one orange provides. This is a big recipe and expect to do several batches. Cookies will freeze fine in an airtight container. Undecorated this cookie is sophistacated and not overly sweet but (once cooled) a dusting of confectioner's sugar or a sugar cookie frosting are fun additions. Consider having the egg whites for breakfast...

Tool notes: In addition to your usual tools you will need a fine grater, a (hand) juicer, a rolling pin, and a cookie cutter. As you can see, I used stars but a round cutter would have more evenly colored edges. See pictures of these tools here.

About Rolled Cookies

I remember the first time I rolled out sugar cookies. It was just a few years ago and I did a lot of research on how to best go about it. I have to say that this recipe, while not really a sugar cookie, is much easier for a first-time roller as the dough is a lot less sensitive to the heat of your hands.

If you've never made a rolled cookie before but you've got your rolling pin all ready to go, here are my quick hints.

• Refrigerate dough for half an hour if it is too sticky to work with.
• Flour your work surface and pin as necessary. Keep cup of flour nearby.
• Find a BIG area for your work surface. I used my glass dining table. Granite, marble, or steel countertops are ideal.
• Lay out a piece (or two) of cling film (plastic wrap) on your work surface.
• Roll a (handful sized) ball of dough flat onto the plastic.
• Use the cutter all over your flat dough. Flour the cutter if it sticks.
• Peel the large pieces of scrap dough away.
• Lift the plastic wrap and with one hand under you can peel the cookies off easily (or lift wrap right up and slap the cookie onto the silpat/cookie sheet upside-down).
• Be careful about spilling flour on the top of your cookie because the flour will stay there despite baking.