Apple, peach, cranberry crisp with fennel topping

The topping in this recipe was inspired by the strawberry-plum crisp from Veganomicon, although I've jazzed it up a bit. The filling is a modification of a standard apple pie, with a few little additions to spice things up and make it a tasty little treat rather than a ho-hum standby. If you're nervous about the fennel, go ahead and give it a try--it's what really elevates this dish. The original recipe calls for anise seed, so you could substitute 1.5 t. of that instead.

Topping:
3/4 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 t. fennel seeds
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
pinch of salt
4 T. canola oil

Process in a stand mixer until thoroughly combined and crumbly.

Filling
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
1 quart drained home-canned peaches (this is what I happened to have on hand; if you're using fresh, probably 3. Don't use store-canned peaches, as they're flavorless and too syrupy). If you're using home-canned peaches, drain out as much liquid as you can, but don't get too particular.
1 generous handful dried cranberries
3/4 c. sugar
2 T. white flour
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. ground nutmeg

Stir together dry filling ingredients, then add fruit; stir to combine. Spoon filling into a deep-dish pie dish or a 9x9 glass pan; bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes or until the topping is browned and the juices are bubbling. Watch to make sure it doesn't burn!!

Gulab Jamuns

Syrup:
3 c. sugar
4 1/2 c. water
6 cardomom pods, cracked

Gulab Jamuns:
1 c. self-rising flour
2 c. Carnation powdered milk
3/4 c. whipping cream

1. Mix sugar and water in large pot and add seeds from cracked cardomom pods. Bring to boil. Lower heat to medium, and boil for 7 min.
2. Mix flour and powdered milk in medium-sized bowl. Add whipping cream slowly while stirring until dough is somewhat stiff and not sticky. Form dough into 1" balls.
3. In a separate pot, heat 2-3 cups vegetable oil until 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry dough balls slowly (should take 4-5 minutes) until golden, remove, and drain on paper towels.
4. When all balls are fried, place in a separate container and pour the syrup over them (do this just before serving). Serve hot. If balls are fried too quickly, they will not be done on the inside. If balls wait too long before serving, they will be soggy and mushy.

Fresh strawberry pie

No time for witty comments; all you need to know is that this is quite possibly the best pie I've ever had in my life. I love the fact that the berries are unbaked, so they're still at that ecstatically fresh peak of heavenly taste.

Fresh Strawberry Pie
Baked pie crust
1 1/2 quarts strawberries
1 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. water
3 oz. cream cheese, softened

Prepare pie crust and bake as directed. Mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan, gradually stir in water and mashed berries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute; cool.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Spread in pie shell, and fill shell with remaining berries (slice them prior to filling the shell). Pour cooked strawberry mixture over top. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until set (refrigerate any remaining pie).

Cranapple Pie

I'm kind of failing on the Recipe Week front, especially in the area of balanced menus. However, I do have a fantastically delicious pie to share!

This was going to be an apple pie, until I realized I didn't have enough apples. It's a bit improvised, therefore, and could probably stand some more fine-tuning and improvisation. But if you don't feel comfortable playing around, this pie is pretty darn tasty--and fairly easy--as it is.

Pie Crust

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup shortening, chilled
8 - 10 Tbsp ice cold water

Instructions

Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Gently cut in shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until pea-sized. Sprinkle 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) of the cold water over flour mixture, tossing lightly with a fork. Add the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, and press to the side of the bowl until all is moistened.

Divide dough in half, and gently pat into 2 lightly flattened balls. (Don't overwork your dough at this point!) Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Filling

Ingredients

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
6 cups baking apples (around 5 apples)
1 1/2 cups frozen cranberries
2 Tbsp margarine or butter, cut up

2-3 Tbsp milk
sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Peel, core, and thinly slice apples.

In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Add apples and toss to coat. Transfer apple mixture to a large pot over medium heat; simmer, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes, until apples are softening. Add granulated sugar and cranberries and mix thoroughly. Pre-cooking the filling will ensure that the filling and crust don't separate as the pie cooks.

Assembly

On a lightly floured surface, roll one ball of pastry from the center ot the edges, to form a 12" circle. Fold in half or roll the pastry around the rolling pin. Unfold or unroll it over a 9" pie plate. Ease the pastry into the plate, and, using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, trim even with the rim.

Pour filling into the prepared pie crust. Cut margarine into small pieces and dot filling with margarine bits.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the second ball of pastry from center to edges, to form a 12" circle. Place the top crust on the filling, and cut slits or shapes to allow steam to escape. Using kitchen shears, trim the pastry 1/4" beyond the rim. Fold the top edge over the trimmed bottom edge, and flute the edge to seal.

Brush the top crust with milk, and sprinkle with sugar.

Fold a 12" square of aluminum foil into quarters. Cut out the center section, making a 7 1/2" circle. Unfold the foil and place the square section over the pie. Loosely mold the foil over the edges to protect them from burning.

Bake for 35 minutes in the center rack of the oven, with a cookie sheet underneath to catch spills. Remove foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.

Let cool for at least 1 1/2 hours and up to 4 hours before eating with a generous serving of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Strawberry Shortcake

Given that strawberries are just coming into season (you can get a carton for $0.98 at Wal-Mart!) I thought I'd start off my contributions to Recipe Week, and to this blog, with a summer favorite: Strawberry Shortcake! Unfortunately, unlike Rachael, I am not a great improvisor. This recipe comes from "The All-American Dessert Book", by Nancy Baggett, but I've modified it slightly here.

Want this?

Try this:

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little more for shaping dough
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Generous 1/2 teaspoon salt

5 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

Generous 1 cup buttermilk, plus more if desired. (You can make a substitute by pouring 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then pouring in enough milk to make 1 cup.)

1 carton strawberries (at least 3 cups, sliced)

at least 1/2 cup sugar

1 pint whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Wash and slice the strawberries. Toss with sugar until all the sugar is absorbed; refrigerate for at least 1 hour, to allow juices to combine.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Generously grease an 8 to 8 1/2 inch round baking dish.

In a large bowl (I used the Kitchenaid) thoroughly stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sprinkle the butter over the flour mixture and cut in until the butter is incorporated in very fine bits; scrape up the flour underneath to be sure it is evenly incorporated.

Being very careful not to overmix, gently stir the buttermilk into the flour-butter mixture until the dough just comes together. Add more buttermilk, if necessary, to produce a soft, moist dough. Sprinkle evenly with 1 1/2 tablespoons flour. Knead in the bowl 5 or 6 times to form a smooth mass, adding a little more flour to prevent stickiness, if necessary (I ended up adding about 2 more tablespoons). Let stand for 1 minute. With flour-dusted hands, shape and smooth the dough into a 6-inch disk. Brush any excess flour from the top. Place the disk in the pan. Press and pat out into an evenly thick round. If necessary, dust your hands with flour or lightly dust the dough with flour to prevent sticking.

Bake for 17 to 22 minutes, or until the top is puffy and browned. Let cool to warm, then tip out of the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

When biscuit is almost completely cool, whip the cream, adding vanilla and sugar when the cream forms soft peaks. Using a large serrated knife, split the biscuit round in half horizontally. Center the bottom half cut side up on a serving plate and top with half the strawberries and juice, and a generous half of the whipped cream. Top with the second round, cut side down. Spread with the remaining whipped cream, and then add the remaining berries and juice.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Enjoy with a glass of milk, and with plenty of friends or family around to share!

Dad's molasses cookies

Do you like cookies?



We sure do.



These are my absolute favorites: my dad's molasses cookies. Oh...they're just good. So good.


Molasses Cookies

½ c. oil
1 cup sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 egg
2 cup flour (I like whole wheat best)
1 tsp soda
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt

Mix oil, sugar, molasses, egg. Add dry ingredients. Roll into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. Bake 8 minutes at 375 degrees.

Take them off the pans right away and transfer to a cooling rack to preserve the deliciously chewy-ness of these cookies!!