Category: Dessert

Baked Pears

Servings: 8
Preheat: 375°
Source: Gourmet December 1980

Ingredients

Directions
In a stainless steel or enameled casserole just large enough to hold the pears in one layer combine 3 cups dry white wine, 2½ cups sugar, 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons each of lemon juice, orange flavored liqueur, and grated orange rind, and a 3-inch cinnamon stick and bring the liquid to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the pears and bake them, covered with a round of wax paper and the lid, in a preheated moderately hot oven (375°F.), turning them once, for 25 minutes, or until they are just tender when pierced with a fork. (The cooking time depends on the type and firmness of the pears.) Let the pears cool in the syrup.

The pears can be served at room temperature or chilled overnight and served cold. Transfer the pears carefully with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl and spoon some of the syrup over them.

Baked Figs with Grand Marnier and Whipped Cream

Servings: 6
Preheat: 300°
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Source: Gourmet

Ingredients
12 fresh figs
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
1 cup chilled heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 300°F.

Prick bottom of each fig several times and stand figs in a buttered 9- to 10-inch flameproof gratin dish or ovenproof skillet. Sprinkle figs with 1/3 cup sugar, then add water to dish.

Bake figs in middle of oven, basting twice with pan juices, until tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to stovetop, then add 1/4 cup Grand Marnier and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Remove from heat and carefully ignite pan juices. After flames subside, juices should be syrupy. If pan juices are too thin, transfer figs to a shallow serving bowl, then boil juices until syrupy and slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes, and pour over figs.

Beat cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and tablespoon liqueur using an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks.

Serve figs, warm or at room temperature, with syrup and cream.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 40 min

Baked Apple

Servings: 1
Preheat: 450°
Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep Time: 45 min
Source: Gourmet | September 2003
This is really easy and just what you expect.

Ingredients
1 sm apple (1/4 lb) such as Empire, McIntosh, or Gala
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp apricot jam
2 Tbsp brandy
1 tsp packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

Directions
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 450°F. Peel and core apple, leaving it whole, then turn it on its side and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Reassemble to form a whole apple and brush with some of lemon juice. Put apple into a shallow 4-inch round or oval baking dish. Stir together butter, jam, brandy, brown sugar, allspice, and remaining lemon juice in a small bowl. Spoon 2 teaspoons of mixture into core of apple. Pour rest of mixture over outside of apple and bake, basting once or twice, 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F, then insert cinnamon stick into core of apple and bake, basting frequently, until apple is tender and well browned and juices are thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes more.

Apple Tarte Tatin

Servings: 8
Preheat: 425°
A French classic gets a little twist from Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro in New York.

Ingredients
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
8 – 10 med golden-delicious apples
1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3 oz package), thawed

Directions
Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 425°F (400°F if using double-walled pan). Spray 8-inch-diameter cake pan with 3-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Peel, quarter and core apples; place in bowl and set aside.
Combine sugar and 6 tablespoons water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add butter (caramel will bubble vigorously); stir to blend. Pour caramel into prepared pan. Let cool 5 minutes.
Working carefully, stand apples on end in concentric circles in pan, crowding together as much as possible. Cut any remaining apple quarters into thin wedges; insert into empty spaces. Place pan directly over medium heat and bring caramel to simmer, about 2 minutes.
Place pan in oven; bake until apples are tender and caramel bubbles thickly, occasionally pressing apples lightly with spatula to compact. Check at 45 min. Should be done at 1 1/2 hours, depending on apples and oven.
Meanwhile, unfold pastry sheet on work surface. Using 9-inch tart pan bottom as aid, cut out 9-inch round; pierce all over with fork. Chill until ready to use.
Remove pan from oven. Top apples with pastry; tuck in edges. Return to oven; bake until pastry is golden, about 13-15 minutes. Transfer pan to rack. Cool tart completely in pan, about 3 hours.
Place platter atop pan. Hold platter and pan and invert; tart will fall out onto platter. Cut into wedges and serve.
Makes 8 servings.

Bon Appétit
September 2000

Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro, New York City

Apple Crisp

Servings: 6
Preheat: 350°
Apple crisp and vanilla ice cream make the perfect autumn dessert. You can make individual crisps by dividing the filling and topping among six ramekins or individual gratin dishes. My favorite apples for baking are big, boxy Sierra Beauties, but Gravenstein, Cortland, Golden Delicious, and other sweet-tart apples are also good for baking.

Serves six.

Ingredients
For the filling:
2-½ lb apples (ab 6 medium), peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced to yield about 6 cups
2 to 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
For the crisp topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ cup finely chopped nuts (I like pecans)
4 oz (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into sm pieces and chilled

Directions
Heat the oven to 350°F.

To make the filling: In a 9-inch pie pan that’s 2 inches deep (or a similar baking pan), toss the apples with the sugar to taste, cinnamon, and flour.

To make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix together all the topping ingredients with your fingers or a pastry cutter until small pebbly pieces of butter are distributed throughout the mixture. Sprinkle the entire mixture over the apples. Bake until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling and tender, about 1 hour and 15 min. for a large crisp and 1 hour for individual crisps. Cool slightly before serving.

From Fine Cooking 41, pp. 80 October 1, 2001

Anise Biscotti

Servings: —
Preheat: 325°

Ingredients
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp anise seeds
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3 lg eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2tsp. vanilla

Directions
Coarsely crush anise seeds with edge of a heavy plate or by pulsing in an electric spice/coffee grinder.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt into a bowl. Beat together eggs and sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until batter ribbons with beater is lifted, 8 to 10 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture until combined well, then fold in anise seeds.

Spoon half to batter into pastry bag, then pipe batter onto 1 baking sheet to form 3 by 2 inch rectangles about 1 inch apart. Pipe remaining batter onto second baking sheet in same manner. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes total. Reduce oven to 325F.

Cool rectangles on sheets on racks just until they can be handled, about 5 minutes, then cut diagonally into ¾ inch-thick slices. (There will be end pieces.) Bake slices, a cut side down, on ungreased baking sheets in upper and lower thirds of oven, turning biscotti over and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to racks to cool.”

1-2-3-4 Cake

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
Cook Time: 25 min to 33min
recipeNotes: Two 8- or 9-inch layers

This cake is called l-2-3-4 because it is a very old recipe and people could remember the ingredients by the numbers without having to write it down. This is what we make for birthday cakes. It is very good plain, or with lemon curd and fresh violets.

Two 8- or 9-inch layers

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) at room temp
2 cup sugar
3 cup cake flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Recipe says to bake 25 min.

Directions
Turn on the oven to 350°F. Measure all the ingredients and get organized before you begin to make the batter. The butter should be soft. Cut it into small pieces, and put in a large bowl. Measure the sugar and set aside.

Sift the cake flour, scoop into a measuring cup, scrape a knife across the top of the cup to level it, and measure 3 Cups. Put the flour in a separate bowl. Measure level teaspoons of the baking powder and add to the flour. Measure the salt and add to the flour. Mix together.

Separate the eggs. Put the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another. Have the vanilla ready, and measure the milk and set aside.

Butter the insides of two 9-inch cake pans. Rub a small amount of butter all over the inside; don’t miss the corners. Then put a tablespoon or so of flour in the pan and turn it all around so the pan is completely dusted with flour. Turn the pan upside down, and tap the edge on the table to let the extra flour fall out.

Now everything is ready to make the batter. Beat the butter with a wooden spoon or in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat again until very fluffy and light yellow. This is what it means to cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks and beat them in briefly. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix it in well.

Next add the flour and milk in parts. Sift about half of the flour over the butter mixture and lightly stir it in. Exchange the spoon for a large rubber spatula, and pour in about half the milk. Use the spatula to gently mix the milk into the batter. Sift over the rest of the flour and stir it in. Pour in the rest of the milk and gently mix it in.

The last step is to beat the egg whites and fold them into the batter. Put the egg whites into a very clean metal bowl, and beat with a whisk or mixer. They will gradually thicken and get very white as you beat in air bubbles. When the whites are very fluffy and will hold a soft peak shape when you lift up the whisk, they’re ready.

Scoop up some of the whites with the spatula, add to the batter, and very gently stir them in. This will lighten the batter and make it easier to fold in the rest of the whites. Then pour the rest of the whites onto the batter and begin to fold them in. Folding is more delicate than stirring. Use the spatula to lift up some of the batter from the bottom of the bowl and fold it over the whites. Turn the bowl a little and fold again. Do that just until the egg whites are mixed in. The air bubbles in the whites will give the cake a light and delicate texture.

Divide the batter between the cake pans, and put in the center of the oven to bake for about 25 minutes. When the cakes are lightly browned, and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, they’re done.

Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

You can cut the recipe in half to make a single layer cake. Or a full recipe will make 32 cupcakes-fill the papers half full.