Category: Dessert

Fruit Crisp

Servings: 8
Preheat: 375°
Source: Fine Cooking June/July 2002

Ingredients
Crunchy Crisp Topping

Yields enough for one crisp.

This is my version of the classic fruit crisp topping. It can be made up to a month ahead and frozen; use it straight out of the freezer.

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
Pinch salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1/8 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg (optional)
8 tablespoons slightly softened unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Combine the flour, both sugars, salt, and cinnamon or nutmeg, if using, in a medium bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it’s well blended and the mixture crumbles coarsely; it should hold together when you pinch it. Refrigerate until needed.

OATMEAL TOPPING VARIATION
Adding oatmeal makes a more voluminous toppin with a rustic, crumbly texture. Add 1 cup old fashioned oats to the master recipe.

CORNMEAL TOPPING VARIATION
Cornmeal adds some unexpected crunch but makes the topping a bit less crumbly. Add ¼ cup cornmeal to the master recipe.

NUT TOPPING VARIATION
After rubbing in the butter, add 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts, or sliced almonds to any of the recipes above.

Directions
Make a topping
Use the Crunchy Crisp Topping recipe (or one of the variations) below and refrigerate.

Prepare 6 cups of fruit
Choose one or two fruits and cut each into even-size pieces:
½-inch pieces for firmer fruit, ¾-inch pieces for tender fruit.
The following are good alone or mixed:
· Apples and pears: peel, core, cut into ½ inch slices.
· Peaches, nectarines, plums, an apricots, Pit and cut into ¾ inch slices.
These fruit are best mixed with each other or with one of the fruits above:
· Strawberries: stem, core, and quarter or halve, depending on size.
· Cherries: stem, pit, and leave whole.
· Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries: Leave whole
Put the fruit in a bowl.

Adjust the sweetness
Taste the fruit and sprinkle on 2 tablespoons to 1/3 cup sugar. For less ripe or tart fruit, use more sugar; for sweet, ripe fruit, use less.

Add the thickener
In a small dish, dissolve 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. For juicier fruit, such as berries, use the greater amount of cornstarch. For denser fruits like apples and pears, use the lesser amount. Pour over the fruit.

Add optional flavorings
Choose one or two spices, zests, or extracts
· grated lemon or orange zest: 1-2 tsp
· ground cinnamon: ½ tsp
· grated or ground nutmeg: 1/8 tsp
· grated fresh ginger: 1 to 2 tsp
· vanilla: 1 tsp extract of the seeds from 2 inches of a vanilla bean.
· almond extract: ½ tsp
· dried cherries, dried cranberries, or raisins: ½ cup soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained.
Gently toss into the fruit.

Assemble and start baking
Pour the fruit mixture into an 8- or 9-inch square (or similar-capacity) glass or ceramic baking dish. Set the pan on a baking sheet to catch overflowing juices. Top the fruit with half of the topping (refrigerate the other half) and bake for 20 minutes.
Finish baking

Sprinkle the remaining topping over the crisp and continue baking until the fruit is tender when pierced with a knife, the topping is crisp, and the juices are bubbling, another 15 to 35 minutes, depending on the fruit (apples take more time; berries take less). Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes.

Serve warm.

Fastest Fudge Cake

Servings: 8-10
Preheat: 350°
Source: Fine Cooking, Winter 2004 p. 18b
I get the best results stirring this batter with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. This cake is delicious on its own but even better topped with ganache.

Ingredients
4½ ounces (1 cup) all-purpose flour
1 ounce ( ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon table salt
4 ounces (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted and warm
1¼ cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup hot water
1 cup warm ganache (optional; see the recipe below)

Directions
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of an 8×2- or 9×2-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift only if the cocoa remains lumpy after whisking. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add the eggs and vanilla; stir until well blended. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir just until all the flour is moistened. Pour the hot water over the batter; stir just until it’s incorporated and the batter is smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes for a 9-inch pan; 35 to 40 minutes for an 8-inch pan. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 1 0 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge and invert the cake (peel off the parchment if necessary). Invert it again onto the rack and let cool completely.

Once cool, set the rack over a baking sheet or foil. Pour the warm ganache over the cake and use an icing spatula to spread it over the top of the cake and down the sides. Let set for about an hour before serving.

Ganache

Yields 1½ cups.
You’ll have a bit of this ganache left over after icing the cake; use it as a sauce for ice cream or another dessert. It keeps for a week in the refrigerator. Rewarm gently.

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream; more as needed
Granulated sugar (optional)

Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk gently until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. (if using a 70% bittersweet chocolate, the ganache might be a bit thick; add more cream, a tablespoon at a time, to thin it. You might also want to add a couple of teaspoons of sugar when you add the hot cream.)

Elsie’s Butter Cookies

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 lb. butter
1 raw egg
1 hard boiled yolk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sugar

Directions
Mix sugar, butter, raw egg and egg yolk until well blended.
Combine four and baking powder and mix into sugar, butter etc.

Roll out dough…use juice glass as a cookie cutter
cover with egg, cinnamon sugar and nuts prior to baking

Double Ginger Crackles

Servings: 4 doz
Preheat: 350°
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
The double dose of ginger here comes from ground and crystallized ginger. Because the ginger flavor intensifies with time, these cookies keep especially well.

Ingredients
10 oz. (2¼ cups) unbleached all purpose flour
2¾ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. table salt
6 oz. (¾ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ cup molasses
3 Tbs. finely chopped crystallized ginger

Directions
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer (a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a hand-held) on medium-high speed until well blended. Add the egg, molasses, and crystallized ginger; beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended.

Pour the remaining 1/3 cup sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, a small ice cream scoop, or two tablespoons, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Set the balls 1½ to 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and the bottoms are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. If you touch a cookie, it should feel dry on the surface but soft inside. The surface cracks will look a bit wet. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. When cool, store in airtight containers for up to five days

Double Chocolate Chunk Fudge Brownies

Servings: 12
Preheat: 350°
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
If you use a metal pan, the edges of these brownies will be flat and the texture will be even. If you use a Pyrex baking pan, your brownies will have puffier, drier edges.

Ingredients
6 oz. (¾ cup) unsalted butter, cut into six pieces; more for the pan
2 oz. (2/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
¼ tsp. table salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4½ oz. (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ lb. very coarsely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (¾ cup)
2 oz. (½ cup) coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square Pyrex or metal baking pan.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Off the heat, add the cocoa. Whisk until smooth. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until blended. Add 1 egg and whisk until just blended. Whisk in the vanilla and the second egg until just blended. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just blended. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Scatter the nuts evenly over the batter, if using. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with small, gooey clumps of brownie sticking to it, 33 to 38 minutes. Don’t overbake or the brownies won’t be fudgy. Transfer the baking dish to a rack and let cool completely.

Run a knife around the edges of the brownie and then lift it from the pan in one piece. Using a sharp knife, cut the cooled brownie into three equal strips and cut each strip into four equal pieces. Or, use a bench scraper to cut the brownie in the baking pan and then use a spatula to lift out the cut brownies. The cooler the brownie is, the cleaner the cutting will be, but these fudgy brownies will always leave some sticky crumbs on the knife

Dorée’s Extravagant Almond Cake

Servings: 16
Preheat: 325°
Source: The Savory Way – Deborah Madison
My friend Dorée and I both love almond cakes more than any other. This is her recipe for a handsome, rich cake filled with the flavor of almond. She uses almond paste both blended into the batter and broken up into pieces that are stirred in just before baking, leaving pure pockets of almond throughout the cake. Almond aficionados will want it both ways, but it’s perfectly delicious without the final addition.

This recipe is very easy to make and is also very easy to cut in half, making a smaller 1-pound cake.

Serve the almond cake with coffee, tea, or a dessert wine. Berries, peaches, and nectarines, sliced and sugared, are also delicious served alongside or with Compote (see below), with or without a spoonful of crème Anglaise. In fall and winter I like to serve this cake with the Preserved Figs with Star Anise and Bay (page 404) or Quince Compote (page 361).

Ingredients
Commercial almond paste usually comes in 8 oz cans.
You can also make your own with the recipe on page 394.
If you’re planning to use it in both ways, you’ll need a whole pound.
Makes 1 lg bundt cake, serving 12 to 16
unsalted butter and flour for the cake pan
½ lb almond paste
1¼ cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
5 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3 cup unbleached white flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1¼ tsp salt
1½ lb additional almond paste (optional)
powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a bundt pan or a 9-inch springform pan. Combine the ½ pound almond paste and the sugar in a food processor and work until well blended. Add the butter and continue to process until blended; then add the eggs, one at a time, the sour cream, and the flavorings. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.

Sift the flour with the baking powder, soda, and salt. Add it to the batter a third at a time, gently stirring in each cupful. For the extravagant touch, break another ½ pound -or less- almond paste into pieces and fold them into the batter. Turn the batter into the baking pan and bake the cake in the middle of the oven until the cake is golden on top and springy to the touch, about 1 hour.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it stand to cool slightly; then turn it out onto a serving plate. When cool, dust it with sifted powdered sugar. This cake will keep well, wrapped tightly, for several days

Cranberry Walnut Tart

Servings: 8-10
Prep Time: 50 min
Source: Gourmet
November 2003; originally published January 1991
recipeNotes: Great for Thanksgiving
Nut pies can be very sweet – mixing in tart cranberries keeps everything in check.

Ingredients
Pâte Brisée recipe for pastry
3 large eggs

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups chopped fresh or frozen cranberries (7 oz; thawed if frozen)

1 cup chopped walnuts (1/4 lb)

Directions
Do not use tart pan. It leaks. Use a regular pyrex pie pan.

Special equipment: a 10- to 11-inch round tart pan (1 inch deep) with a removable bottom; pie weights or raw rice

Make shell:

Roll out dough into a 13-inch round (1/8 inch thick) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin and fit into tart pan. Trim edge of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then chill 30 minutes. Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is set and pale golden on rim, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until pale golden all over, 5 to 10 minutes more. Transfer shell in pan to a rack.

Make filling:

Move oven rack to middle position and reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth, then stir in cranberries and walnuts. Pour filling into shell and bake tart until filling is set and golden, 40 to 45 minutes. (If pastry edge darkens before tart is done, cover edge with a pie shield or foil.) Cool completely in pan on rack.

Cooks’ notes:

Tart can be baked 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

For a more unusual presentation, you can make the tart in an 11- by 8-inch rectangular fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

Elsie’s Coffee Cake

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°

Ingredients
mix 1 cup sugar with 1/4 lb butter
beat in 3 eggs
add 1 tsp vanilla

2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
mix above 3 items together
and fold
into butter- sugar mixture

fold in 1/2 pint sour cream

Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions
Pour 1/2 batter into 9 inch square pan – spread half topping
pour balance of batter and topping

Bake for 35-37 minutes

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Servings: 36
Preheat: 325°
Prep Time: 20 min
Source: Adapted from Carol Field
December 1992, Gourmet
Biscotti keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks.

Ingredients
1 1/3cups dried cranberries (1/4 lb)
2 1/2cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1cup sugar
1/2teaspoon baking soda
1/2teaspoon baking powder
1/2teaspoon salt
3large eggs
1teaspoon vanilla
1cup salted shelled natural pistachios
1large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp water to make egg wash

Directions
Soak cranberries in boiling-hot water to cover in a small bowl until softened,about 10 minutes.Drain, then pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a large baking sheet, knocking off excess flour.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderate speed until combined well. Add eggs and vanilla and beat just until a dough forms. Add cranberries and pistachios and mix at low speed.

Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and knead several times. Halve dough, then form each half into a 13- by 2-inch slightly flattened log on baking sheet, using floured hands and spacing logs about 3 inches apart. Brush logs with egg wash.

Bake in middle of oven until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut diagonally into ½ -inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, a cut side down, in 1 layer on baking sheet (don’t worry if slices touch each other). Bake in middle of oven, turning once, until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Cornmeal-Currant Biscotti

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
Makes 2 ½ to 3 dozen biscotti Among pastry lovers, Venice is known for its cookies, and among the best known are these cornmeal-currant biscotti called zaleti, Venetian for “”little yellow things.”” in northern Italy cornmeal is a common ingredient in desserts, and in Venice, zaleti are as common as chocolate chip cookies are in the States. Traditionally made in diamond shapes, they also can be made like classic biscotti- i.e., sliced and twice-baked; see last paragraph.

Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
I stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 to 8 pieces
1 cup plump currants (or raisins)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°E Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Put the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a rubber spatula to blend. Add the butter to the bowl and, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, rub the pieces into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Don’t worry if there are a few lumps; you’ll work them out as you knead the dough later. Stir in the currants.

Whisk the egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, and vanilla together in a small bowl, then, with your fingers or a rubber spatula, stir them into the flour mixture. At this point, the dough won’t come together in the bowl and it may seem a little dry, but if you pinch a bit between your fingers, it will hold together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly folding the dough over onto itself a few times, until smooth. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and shape each piece into a 12-inch-long log. Press down gently on the logs with your palms to flatten them slightly and then cut the logs on the diagonal every 1 ½ inches to make 7 or 8 diamonds from each log. Transfer the diamonds to the prepared pan. Since the ends of the logs will not form perfectly shaped diamonds, set the scraps aside, and then, after all the logs have been cut, gather them together and shape them into a mini-log. Flatten the log, angle each end by pressing it with the back of your knife, and cut into diamonds.

Baking the Cookies Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are a light golden color, firm to the touch, and just slightly puffed. Check after 5 minutes to see if the bottoms of the biscotti are browning too quickly; if so, slip a second baking sheet under the first one. Slide the cookies, parchment paper and all, off the baking sheet and onto a rack to cool. (To make classically shaped biscotti, see last paragraph.)

Storing Diamond shaped cookies will keep for up to a week in an airtight tin or plastic container-, twice-baked biscotti will keep for about a month similarly stored.

Classically Shaped Biscotti After the dough has been kneaded, cut it in half and shape into 2 logs, each about 12 inches Long. Flaten the togs slightly-they should be about 1/4 inch high-and place on a parchment-tined baking sheet. Bake the togs in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch and just a little puffed. Let cool completely, then use a thin sharp serrated knife to carefully cut them into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Lay the cookies on parchment-tined baking sheets and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until they’re lightly toasted. The biscotti may still be a bit soft, but they’ll crisp as they cool. Coot the biscotti on the pans. (Makes 5 to 6 dozen.)