Baked Apples

Our crisper is still gloriously filled with apples varietals from late fall CSA deliveries.  I love that these little guys last so long. Months, in fact, if stored in the crisper with a moist towel on top.

While I love a good tart and never turn down a crisp, in the spirit of simple and slow eating, I wanted to share a recipe that all but keeps the apple in tact. Truthfully, a recipe is barely needed to bake apples. Core, stuff, butter and bake... So perhaps use this as a launching pad for your own masterpiece. When company is over, as it was above, I add a dollop of ice cream.

Baked Apples
Ingredients
For every apple you will bake:

• 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon of chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup
• 1 dash of nutmeg
• 1 dash of cinnamon
• 1 dash of cloves
• Water

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Carefully core the apples 3/4th of the way, leaving the bottom in tact. I use a paring knife in a circular motion, then scoop with a narrow spoon
• Mix the nuts, honey and spices in a bowl and then scoop into each cored apple and top with a butter pad
• Arrange the apples in a baking dish and full with 1 inch of water
• Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, until tender

Ina Garten's Apple & Pear Crisp

I've loved the Food Network since it's early 90's debut.  Like any good East Ender with a passion for cooking, that means I adore the one and only Ina Garten, a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa.

Shopping at the Montauk fish monger one year, I saw her filming a segment.  Ohhhhh did that tickle my fancy!  We watched two takes, where Ina "asked" about the difference between types of scallops for the benefit of us viewers, and then I obsessively DVR-ed until I saw "our" episode air. (See how I did that, I made something about Ina mine!). In the episode, she and Jeffrey enjoyed sandwiches on the Montauk docks, OUR Montauk dock, and I ate it up.

This years crisp CSA apples have been a favorite in my household, and the delivery of pears last week had me looking no further than Ina for a perfect fall dessert.

Apple & Pear Crisp    
Courtesy of Ina Garten & The Food Network

Ingredients (Base)

• 2 pounds / 4 ripe pears
• 2 pounds / 6 firm apples
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of agave syrup or 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup whole wheat or (white) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 Ingredients (Toppings)

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or (white) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of agave syrup or 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
• Note: The recipe calls for 2 sticks, but I used one and was happy with the end result
• Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt 

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and mix in the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
• Note: Out of nutmeg, I used ground ginger instead
• Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish.
• For the topping: Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. If you don't have a mixer (like I don't at the Montauk house), mix and chop the ingredients together by hand with a knife until the butter breaks up. 
• Sprinkle evenly over the fruit base, covering the fruit completely.
• Place the dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. 
• Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.  

 

This October is #AppleLove recipe month, led by The Spicy RD.  Check it out on Twitter with the hash tag or here!

Apricot, Almond & Brown Butter Fruit Tart

I have to admit to something. When these little gems arrived in my CSA that first week, I wasn't quite sure if I was enjoying peaches or apricots.  A few times I asked my husband if he'd like a baby peach, then I offered an apricot to my niece.  My fruit-dar was just off, and I had to check the CSA email to be sure!! 

Food & Wine's Apricot, Almond and Brown Butter Tart had been peaking out of my recipe binder for months. After reading the recipe a few times, the whole vanilla bean seemed overwhelming, and while the almond-fruit-butter combo sounded delicious, I was not loving the idea of dried fruit in a tart. Dried fruit should be saved for trail mix or rest stop snacks... maybe an occasional salad. 

A few modifications (e.g. horror of HORRORS, I subbed vanilla extract for the whole bean), and voila, a fresh apricot, almond and butter tart. Sure, the real-deal vanilla bean may have added more depth, and the dried apricots might have "floated" better in the finished tart, but cooking is about adapting! Regardless, our family had no problem wolfing this down mightily with a few "umms" and "ahhs" to boot.

Apricot, Almond & Brown Butter Tart

Courtesy of Foodandwine.com

Ingredients 

Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, diced
• 5 tablespoons ice water
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Tart:

• 3/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups fresh mini-apricots, washed and halved
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Crust:

• In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until coarse. Add ice water and vanilla extract and mix until the dough forms. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and mold into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 15-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the round to a 12-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom; gently form in the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Refrigerate the crust until firm (@15 minutes).
• Line the tart shell with foil and fill with dried beans, rice or pie weights. Bake for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for about 20 minutes longer, until the shell is cooked through. Remove and let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 325°.

Tart:

• Spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 6 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool. 
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the wine to a boil. Add the apricots and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. 
• In a small skillet, melt the butter, add the vanilla extract, and cook over medium heat until browned, about 4 minutes.
• In a food processor, pulse the toasted almonds with sugar, flour and salt until ground. Add the eggs and pulse until just combined. Add the browned butter and the almond extract and pulse until smooth.
• Drain the apricots and pat dry. Pour the almond filling into the tart shell. Nestle the apricots into the filling in concentric circles. Bake the tart for about 45-50 minutes, until the filing is golden brown and set. Transfer to a rack to cool. 
• Serve warm or at room temperature topped with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.  

 

Veggie & Fruit Love...

Fresh Cherry & Blueberry Tart

On Sunday, we had dinner guests.  Without embarrassing one of my faithful readers, let’s just say we were meeting a family members new flame and I wanted this meal to be just "so".  I was striving for the delicate balance of tasty, not showy; mildly memorable, not over the top.

I settled on a squash and scallop pasta, with a CSA summer salad.  Still eager to somehow acknowledge the motivating factor behind the get-together, I added a homemade fruit tart.  Fresh fruit and pastry scream summer to me, and offered (I hope!) a slightly festive end to the meal.

If you want your custard to work the first time, do not multi-task.  It would not be advisable to place your custard on the burner and then sneak in a quick table setting and candle arrangement.  You'll end up passing any salvageable custard through your soup strainer to de-clump it, and redo a second batch anyway.

What would you have prepared to impress but not inundate a new guest?  I'd love to hear your comments! 

Cherry & Blueberry Tart

courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients 
Pastry  

• 1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and chopped into pieces  
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 egg yolks

Custard

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour 
• 1 cup milk (full fat)
•  2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Fruit

• Fresh in-season fruit. I used CSA cherries and blueberries from my farmers market
• 1/4 cup jam for sealing (apricot works well, though I had strawberry on hand) 

Directions

• Pastry: Using fingers, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal; stir in sugar and egg yolks; form a dough ball and refrigerate in plastic wrap for 30 minutes; preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll pastry between two sheets of wax paper, making pastry large enough to cover base and sides of a buttered 9-inch fluted tart pan; trim edges; place sheet of foil into pastry and fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice; bake 20-25 minutes; remove foil and weights and bake a further 5 minutes; allow to cool.
• Custard: In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and flour until thick; heat milk in saucepan until almost boiling; remove from heat. Slowly dribble hot milk into egg mixture, whisking continuously, until all of milk has been added. I continued whisking to remove clumps.  Next, return custard to pot and cook, over low heat, until custard has thickened and coats the back of a spoon (4-6 minutes), stirring often to prevent sticking. Place piece of plastic wrap directly onto surface of custard (this prevents a 'skin' from forming) and allow to cool completely, in frige for 25 minutes+. 
• To assemble: Spoon custard into baked shell and smooth. Place fruit "attractively" over tart. Heat jam in the microwave for about 45 seconds until it is liquidized and brush  over the fresh fruit to set and seal the tart. Allow to cool completely.
• Refrigerate, and serve same day.