Double Apple Bundt Cake

This cake is made with both applesauce and diced Granny Smith apples.  We used a chunky applesauce, but feel free to experiment with your favorite style.  The cake is wonderfully moist and aromatic, and makes a nice afternoon snack with a cup of creamed tea, or a tasty evening dessert.

Double Apple Bundt Cake

Ingredients

1          cup            butter, room temp

2          cups           sugar

5                           eggs

1 1/2     tsp            vanilla

2           tsp            lemon zest

3           cups          unbleached A.P. flour

1 1/2     tsp            baking soda

1/2        tsp            baking powder

1 1/2     tsp            cinnamon

1/4        tsp            salt

1/4        tsp            nutmeg

1/4        tsp            allspice

1/4        tsp            ginger

1 1/2     cup            homestyle applesauce with cinnamon and brown sugar

2                            granny smith apples, peeled and diced

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 300° convection (350° conventional), place shelf in middle of oven.
2. Butter and flour bundt pan.
3. Combine dry and set aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping bowl each time.
5. Add lemon zest and vanilla and combine well.
6. Alternate between adding dry and apple sauce, starting and finishing with dry.
7. Fold in diced apples, then fill bundt pan.
8. Bake until done through to center and cake is golden brown, 80 minutes in our oven.
9. Cool on rack completely, then remove from pan.  Serve at room temperature.

Texas Peach Cobbler

Peach season in Texas is not to be missed.  Roadside stands lining the back roads feature a ridiculous assortment of freshly-picked peaches as well as peach ice cream, peach pastries, peach pie, peach butter and peach preserves.   We have been planning our annual pilgrimage to Hill Country to gorge on these delights, but work and family obligations keep delaying our trip.  Luckily, this year the peaches came to us by way of our dear family friend Kenny.

Kenny gave us a big bag of peaches from Rhew Orchards in Floresville, a town southeast of San Antonio.  By the time they got to us, the peaches were perfectly ripe and so juicy that the bottom of the bag was leaking.  The fruit definitely had to be used right away, so we pulled out our favorite cobbler recipe.  This recipe works with almost any fruit, and is perfect in a pinch because it comes together so quickly.  We've used this recipe to make strawberry cobbler, blackberry cobbler, and rhubarb-strawberry cobbler.  The buttery biscuit topping can't be beat.  It complements the fresh peaches perfectly here, although frozen peaches would work well too if you aren't lucky enough to be in Texas during peach season.

Texas Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

Filling

6            cups        peaches, sliced
3            Tbs          unbleached A.P. flour
1/3         cup          sugar
1/8         tsp           cinnamon
                             pinch of salt

Topping

1 1/2            cup        unbleached A.P. flour
1/4               tsp         salt
1                  Tbs        baking powder
2                  Tbs        sugar (plus more to sprinkle on top)
4                  Tbs        unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold
1                  cup        heavy cream
                                 sugar for sprinkling                        


Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 for convection oven, or 375 for regular oven.  
2. Combine all the filling ingredients, mix well, and put into 8" pyrex baking dish.  Or, use individual ramekins to make individual cobblers (these are perfect for dinner parties if you're so inclined).
3. Make topping.  First, combine all dry ingredients.  Then cut in the butter to resemble coarse meal using your fingers or a fork.
4. Add cream and mix until uniformly moist.  Spoon out on top of filling.  It should be plopped on in clumps.  You don't want a perfectly smooth topping.  Sprinkle the biscuit generously with granulated sugar.
5. Bake in oven until top is golden brown, about 40 minutes.  If you used a glass pyrex, you will also see the fruit bubbling.  
6. Serve warm topped with clotted cream, whipped cream or ice cream.
7. Leftovers refrigerate and re-heat well.

 Printable Recipe

Strawberry Cobbler

Beautiful strawberries are available everywhere right now.  Last week we made a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie which was gone all too quickly.  Here we use our favorite cobbler recipe to make an amazing strawberry cobbler.   The key here is the biscuit topping, crusty on the outside and soft and tender within, and buttery throughout.  The biscuit is also very versatile -- we've used the same recipe to make cobbler with blackberries; peaches; and (our favorite combo) strawberries and rhubarb.  It soaks up a bit of the fruit juices, and reheats well if you have leftovers.   This is a rustic dessert that does not require any baking skill.  Just dump the biscuit dough on top of the berry filling, bake and eat.  Proof that taste triumphs over form when it comes to dessert.  Perfect any time of day served warm with lots of creme fraiche on the side.

Strawberry Cobbler

Ingredients

Filling

6           cups             strawberries, wished and sliced
1/2        cup               sugar
3           Tbs               flour
1/2         tsp               orange zest

Biscuit

1 1/2      cup               unbleached A.P. flour
1/4         tsp                salt
1            Tbs               baking powder
2            Tbs               sugar, plus more for top
4            Tbs               butter, cubed and cold
1            cup               heavy cream
                                   8" pyrex baking dish or similar

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 325° convection (375° conventional). 
2. Combine filling ingredients and place in pyrex baking dish.
3. Make topping.  First, combine all dry ingredients.  Then cut in the butter to resemble coarse meal.  We use our fingers for this by rubbing the butter/flour mixture between my thumb and forefinger until the butter pieces are the size of a pea (some can be bigger than that).  You don't want the texture to be too smooth or the topping will lose its buttery richness.  You can also use a pastry cutter, food processor or forks to do this, but why create one more dirty thing to wash?
4. Add cream and mix until uniformly moist.  Spoon out on top of filling.  It should be plopped on in clumps.  You don't want a perfectly smooth topping.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar for some sparkle.
5. Bake until biscuit is golden brown and filling is cooking and bubbling.
6. Let cool enough for the juices to thicken, then served warm alone or with whipped cream or creme fraiche. 

If you like this, check out our:
Blackberry Cobbler and Rhubarb Strawberry Cobbler recipes which use the same biscuit topping
You might also like our Mixed Berry Grunt which is a stove-top version of a cobbler

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Pie is one of our serious obsessions.  Whenever we travel, we are on the lookout for the best local pie.  On a recent trip to Austin, we enjoyed several mini pies from the Cutie Pies food truck.  Our favorite was the bumbleberry.  Last weekend, we drove to New Orleans and stopped in Beaumont for the sweet potato pie at Willy Ray's BBQ.  (David ate more than just pie, but this is a vegetarian blog so we won't talk any more about that).    We love that Willy Ray's serves sweet potato pie as the side vegetable of the day.  In New Orleans, we had a slice of chocolate pecan chess pie at Dick and Jenny's.  And whenever we drive out to see the annual wildflowers in Texas Hill Country, we gorge on pie at Bevers in Chappell Hill.  Even the local Exxon station in Chappell Hill sells great pies, especially the coconut cream pie.

We will forever be on a quest for the perfect pie, but we frankly think there is nothing better than a pie freshly baked at home.  It is one of those homey desserts that is hard to perfect on a mass scale.   The trickiest element is the crust, which is often the most disappointing part of any store-bought pie.  We have tried many recipes at home, and have settled on what we think is the perfect crust.  We love our pie crust recipe and know that you will too.

When it comes to fillings, rhubarb is one of our favorites.  We love rhubarb so much that we are trying to grow it here in Houston even though these plants really prefer cool weather.  We started seeds last fall, but sadly many of the seedlings did not survive the winter.  Those that did are still so small that any harvest is many, many months away.  Luckily, rhubarb is now available, combining perfectly with the gorgeous local strawberries.  The filling for this pie is little more than fruit and sugar, so make sure to use strawberries and rhubarb that are packed with flavor.  The resulting pie is wonderfully sweet and tart at the same time, brimming over with gorgeous red fruit and thick juices inside a super-flaky crust.   After we made this pie, we checked on our rhubarb seedlings hoping that there had been a dramatic growth spurt in the last week.  Sadly, no.  But this pie has convinced us to redouble our efforts to grow rhubarb this year.  And we will have no problem using every last bit of our harvest.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

Crust  (makes enough for 2 pies or a top and bottom crust)

2          cups     unbleached A.P. flour
1/4       tsp       salt
1          tsp       sugar
1/2       lb         unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold
1/4       cup      vegetable shortening, cold
1/4       cup      ice water

Filling

2                      pie crusts, one rolled out and lining pie pan, chilled
                        one rolled out and chilled for top
3 1/2    cups     strawberries, washed and sliced
3 1/2    cups     rhubarb, sliced into 1" pieces
1 1/4    cup       sugar, plus more for top
5          Tbs      unbleached A.P. flour
1/2       tsp        orange zest
1/8       tsp        salt
3          Tbs      butter, cubed
                        small amount of heavy cream for lattice top

Procedure

Crust

1. Combine Dry.  Add half the butter and mix until resembles coarse meal.  Add rest of butter and the shortening and cut in, leaving larger pieces of fat (around 1/4").  Add ice water until dough forms a ball (you may not need all the water).
2. Divide into two balls, wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Let dough rest at least 4 hours before rolling out, but will keep for several days in the refrigerator if you want to plan ahead.
3. Roll out on a well-floured surface.  

Filling

1. Preheat oven to 400° convection (450° conventional).  Place a shelf in the middle for the pie, and another shelf below.  On lower shelf, place a sheet pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper.  This pan will catch the dripping juices as the pie bakes.
2. Roll out bottom crust and line pie pan.  Return pan with crust to refrigerator.
3. Roll out top crust and refrigerate.  When chilled for about 15 minutes, cut into strips for lattice top.  Return to refrigerator.
4. Combine filling ingredients (except the butter and heavy cream).
5. Add filling to pie pan and dot the top of the filling with the butter cubes.
6. Remove lattice strips from refrigerator and make lattice top.  Brush strips lightly with the heavy cream using a pastry brush or your finger, then sprinkle sugar on top.
7. Freeze pie for 15 minutes before placing in oven.
8. Bake for 10 minutes, or until crust looks lightened and dry.  Reduce oven temperature to 325° convection (375° conventional) and continue to bake until crust is golden and fillings and thick and bubbling, about 45 minutes in our oven.
9. Cool completely on a wire rack to allow juices to thicken before cutting into pie.  Store at room temp.

Printable Recipe

If you love rhubarb as much as we do, try our Rhubarb Strawberry Cobbler .
You can also make a delicious quick Rhubarb Sauce perfect on ice cream or pound cake

Momofuku Crack Pie Bars

We went to Momofuku Milk Bar in New York a few years ago to try their famous desserts.  We spent and ate way too much, but the only dessert that we vividly remember is the crack pie.  A rich, gooey, custard pie with hints of butterscotch and caramel on top of a cookie crust, it was unlike anything we have had before or since.  We couldn't deconstruct the ingredients (though we really tried), so we were excited when the recipe started circulating last fall thanks to Martha Stewart and our friend Mae of Peas Love Carrots.   With almost a pound of butter and eight egg yolks, this is a seriously rich dessert, and we would have never guessed it included milk powder and oats. 

The recipe we used, from the L.A. Times, makes two pies.  Since we prepared these with our boys and wanted to keep it simple, we instead made bars using one big baking dish.  If you prefer pies, you can follow our recipe and just divide the crust and filling into two pie pans.  The original recipe gives measurements by volume and by weight, but the volume measurements are a bit odd (2/3 cup plus 2 Tbs flour, scan 1 cup oats, etc.), so we chose to use our digital food scale in order to be precise.  In doesn't hurt that our kids love weighing everything, making the baking process especially fun for them.

The bars have been a huge hit with all of us.  However, if you don't want your family baking time to be converted into a "just say no" conversation, feel free to change the name.  We haven't come up with anything brilliant so in our house they're Crack Pie Bars.  Regardless, you are sure to be hooked after you take your first bite.

Momofuku Crack Pie Bars
recipe from The L.A. Times


Ingredients

Cookie for Crust

3                      oz              unbleached A.P. flour
scant 1/8           tsp            baking powder
scant 1/8           tsp            baking soda
1/4                    tsp            salt
1/2                    cup           (1 stick) butter, room temp
2 1/2                 oz             light brown sugar
1 1/4                 oz             sugar
1                                        egg
3 1/2                 oz             rolled oats


Crust

                                          crumbled cookie for crust
1/4                    cup            (1/2 stick) butter
3/4                    oz              light brown sugar
1/8                    tsp             salt

Filling

10 1/2               oz              sugar
7                       oz              light brown sugar
1/4                     tsp            salt
3/4                     oz             milk powder
1                        cup           (2 sticks) butter, melted
3/4                     cup           plus scant 2 Tbs heavy cream
1                        tsp            vanilla
8                                         egg yolks
                                           9x13 pyrex baking dish or similar
                                           powdered sugar


Procedure

Cookie for Crust

1. Preheat oven to 325° convection (375° conventional) and place shelf in the middle.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Cream butter, brown sugar and sugar with in stand mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg and mix well.
5. With mixer running on LOW to prevent a cloud of flour in your kitchen, slowing add flour mixture until fully incorporated.  Fold in oats.
6. Spread in a thin layer on a butter baking sheet and bake until golden brown and slightly crispy around edges, 12 minutes in our oven.  Remove to a rack to cool.

Crust

1. Crumble cookie when just very slightly warm.  
2. In food processor, combine cookie crumbs, brown sugar, salt and butter and blend well until evenly combined and crumbs are fine.
3. Press into a even layer in the bottom of a well-butter pyrex or similar baking dish.  Press well to compact and even.

Filling

1. Reduce oven temperature to 300° convection (350° conventional).
2. Combine sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder in bowl of mixer.  Add cooled melted butter and combine well.  Add heavy cream and vanilla and combine well.
3. Add egg yolks and combine on very low speed to avoid incorporating too much air.
4. Pour filling on top of cookie crust, and bake at 300° about 20 minutes, then lower temperature to 275° and continue to bake until top is golden brown and set around the edges, about 30 minutes, with filling still slightly jiggly.**
5. Remove and cool to room temp, then refrigerate.  The official recommendation is to serve cold with powdered sugar dusted on top, but we prefer to eat these warm and gooey so we heat the bars for about 20 seconds in the micro.  Stored in refrigerator, extra keeps for several days.

** We used a low temperature with our convection oven, so the bars baked quite slowly and evenly.  If you use a conventional oven with higher temperatures, you may need to reduce the baking time considerably to avoid over-baking or burning the top, and be sure to rotate your pan regularly for even baking.

Black Plum Pie

Black plums just showed up at our market, and we couldn't wait to make this pie.  It brims over with thick purple juices surrounded by our favorite flaky crust.  The only time-consuming part of this recipe is rolling out the crusts -- the filling is ready in just minutes.  If you store the pie well-wrapped at room temperature, the crust will stay perfectly flaky but the pie will only keep for two or so days.  Refrigerated, the shelf life is closer to four days but the crust tends to get soggy.  We chose the former option, and had no problem polishing off the pie in two days.  We serve slightly warmed with creme fraiche.

Black Plum Pie

Ingredients

2                               pie crusts (for top and bottom of pie)
2 1/2         lbs            black plums, pitted and cut into 1/2" slices
2/3            cup           sugar
2               Tbs           raspberry preserves
1                                small lemon
2 1/2         Tbs           cornstarch
2 1/2         Tbs           sugar
2               Tbs           butter, cut into small cubes

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350° convection (400° conventional) and place shelf in middle of oven.
2. Roll out dough for bottom of pie and line pie pan.  Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
3. Zest lemon and measure out 1 tsp of zest, and squeeze 1 tsp lemon juice.
4. Combine plum slices, lemon zest, lemon juice, raspberry jam, and 2/3 cup sugar.  Set aside for 10 minutes.  Taste to adjust sugar content (you may need to add up to 1/3 cup sugar if your plums are not very sweet).
5. Combine cornstarch with the remaining 2 1/2 Tbs sugar and set aside.
6. Roll out top pie crust.  If you roll out on a piece of parchment paper, it is easy to flip it over onto the pie when the time comes.
7. Combine plum mixture with cornstarch mixture and toss well.
8. Remove pie pan from refrigerator and fill with plum mixture, mounding slightly in the center.  Sprinkle butter cubes on top.
9. Place top pie crust over fruit.  Seal well around the edges, then trim with a sharp knife.  
10. Add decorative pieces of leftover pie crust if desired and attach by moistening underside of cut-outs with a tiny bit of water.  If you have kids helping out, they will love this part. Cut several vents.
11. Put pie in the oven, and place a sheet pan on a lower shelf to catch juices.
12. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325° (375° conventional).  If you do not have a convection oven, rotate pie so it will bake and brown evenly.
13. Continue to bake until juices are thick and bubbly and top is golden brown, about 40 more minutes in our oven.
14. Cool on rack, then serve warmed with creme fraiche, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.  See notes above regarding pie storage.

Mixed Berry Grunt

A grunt, also known as a slump, is a stovetop version of a fruit cobbler.  The biscuit topping is steamed in berry juices resulting in fluffy dumplings floating in a thick sea of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.  Feel free to play around with the berry ratios, although these proportions do approach perfection.  Serve warm with a generous amount of creme fraiche, and the origin of the name will become abundantly clear as you grunt with pleasure.

Mixed Berry Grunt

Ingredients

Filling
3         cups           raspberries
1 1/2   cups           blueberries
3         cups           blackberries
                             zest and juice of 1 small lemon
1/2      tsp             vanilla
                             pinch of cinnamon
2         Tbs            water
                             straight-sided skillet with a lid that fits and
                             deep enough to prevent juices from flooding
                             your kitchen while this cooks
Dumplings
3/4      cup            unbleached A.P. flour
1         tsp             baking powder
2         Tbs            sugar
                             pinch of salt
1/8      tsp             cinnamon
1/3      cup            heavy cream or whole milk, room temp
2         Tbs            butter, melted


Procedure

1. Combine filling ingredients and place in skillet.  Cover and bring to a boil over medium high.  Stir often in the beginning until fruit starts to release juices.  Cook until juices are starting to thicken.
2. While fruit is cooking, make topping.  Combine dry and mix well.  Mix cream with melted butter, then stir into dry.
3. Drop dough in balls into the berries, evenly spacing.  You'll have eight to ten dumplings.  Cover and reduce heat to medium.  Watch to avoid the juices overflowing -- if they do, leave top very slightly ajar or remove 1/4 cup liquid (which you can add back later).
4. Cook until dumplings are cooked through and fluffy, about 15 minutes.  Serve warm with lots of creme fraiche.  If you don't have creme fraiche, it's worth the minimal effort to make some (although you have to plan ahead because it takes a few days).  Or, keep it simple and serve with warm heavy cream or whipped cream.

Granny Smith Apple Fritters

No need for a deep fryer; these fritters cooked beautifully in a saucepan on the stove.  You'll need the oil to be about 2 inches deep.  If you let the kids help out as we did, just be sure to supervise closely to ensure the safety of both your kids and your fritters.

Granny Smith Apple Fritters
makes about 12 fritters

Ingredients

1         cup            unbleached A.P. flour
1/4      cup            sugar
3/4      tsp             salt
1 1/2   tsp             baking powder
1         tsp             cinnamon
1/3      cup            whole milk
1                           egg
1                           Granny Smith apple, peeled, with 1/2 finely diced and the other 1/2 shredded
                             vegetable oil for frying
                             thermometer
                             powdered sugar and milk for glaze

Procedure

1. Heat vegetable oil to 375° (use a candy thermometer).
2. While oil is heating, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon.
3. Add milk and egg until just combined. 
4. Add diced and shredded apple.
5. Drop a heaping tablespoon of dough into oil.  Fry until well browned, using slotted spoon to make sure doughnut is fried on both sides.   
6. Remove to paper towels to dry.
7. Combine about 1 T milk with enough powdered sugar to make a thick glaze (about 1 cup).  Drizzle over apple fritters.  Flip doughnuts over and glaze other side.
8. Eat while still warm.
   

Blackberry Cobbler

This cobbler contains over two pounds of blackberries topped by a rich, flaky biscuit, but we still managed to polish it off in just a few days.  And when I say "we", it does not include the kids.  It is best served with creme fraiche (which is easy to make if it is not available locally), but a topping of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream certainly wouldn't hurt. 

Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients

Biscuit Topping

1 1/2             cups           unbleached A.P. flour
1/4                tsp              salt
1                   Tbs             baking powder
2                   Tbs             sugar, plus more for sprinkling
4                   Tbs             butter, cubed and cold
1                   cup              heavy cream

Blackberry Filling

36                  oz               fresh blackberries
1                    cup             sugar
1/2                 cup             water
1/2                  tsp             vanilla
1/2                  tsp             lemon zest

Procedure

1. Combine blackberries, sugar, water, lemon zest and vanilla in sauce pan.  Bring to a simmer, then continue to cook on low, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickly coats the back of a spoon and berries are soft, about 20 minutes.  Depending on tartness of the blackberries, you may need to add more sugar (up to 1/4 cup). 
2. While berries are cooking, make biscuit topping.
3. Combine dry, then work in the butter until it resembles coarse meal (I use my fingers to do this, but you can also use a pastry cutter, forks or a food processor).  Add cream and mix until evenly moistened.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Preheat oven to 350° convection (or 375° conventional). 
5. Place cooked berries and sauce in 8" square pyrex or similar (or individual ramekins).  Top with biscuit topping, sprinkle sugar on top, and bake until top is golden brown and fruit filling is thick and bubbling, about 40 minutes.
6. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, craime fraiche (this is our favorite topping) or whipped cream.
7. Extra keeps well in refrigerator if well-wrapped.  Re-heat before serving.
   

If you like this recipe, try our Rhubarb Strawberry Cobbler which uses the same biscuit topping.
And here's another great recipe for fresh blackberries, Blackberry Shortbread Bars

Blackberry Shortbread Bars

These bars are a study in contrasting textures:  a custardy filling with a streak of fresh blackberries atop a dense shortbread crust and a buttery crumble topping.  These bars have an excellent shelf life, so pack them in cello bags, tie with a bow, and you've got Valentine's Day gifts for the special people in your life.   Or serve warmed at home with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Blackberry Shortbread Bars


Ingredients

Crust

3            cups           unbleached A.P. flour
1 1/2      cups           sugar
1/4         tsp              salt
1 1/2      cups            butter, cubed and chilled


Filling

4                                eggs
2             cups            sugar
1             cup              sour cream
3/4          cup              unbleached A.P. flour
1/8          tsp                salt
                                    zest of 1 small lemon
6             cups              blackberries

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 325° convection (350° conventional) and place rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Generously butter a 9 x 13" baking pan.  We used a Dansk enamel pan this time, but we have also used pyrex with good results.
3. In food processor, combine dry crust ingredients well.  Add butter and process until mixture is crumbly and butter is well-distributed.
4. Reserve about 2 cups of mixture, then spread the rest in the bottom of the baking pan.  Press well to create an even layer, then bake until golden brown, 20 minutes in our oven.  Remove and cool 15 minutes.
5. Combine all filling ingredients except the blackberries, and mix well.  Add blackberries.
6. Spread filling evenly over pre-baked crust.  Sprinkle reserved crust mixture on top of filling.
7. Bake until bars have puffed up and feel firm through to the center, and top is golden brown, around 1 hour in our oven.
8. Remove to cooling rack and cool well before cutting into bars.

Chocolate Pecan Fudge Pie

If you have a little extra bittersweet chocolate from yesterday's Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake, here's a great way to use it.  This is an old-fashioned Southern fudge pie, but great chocolate and roasted pecans elevate it into something really special. 

Chocolate Pecan Fudge Pie

Ingredients

2/3        cup      evaporated milk
2           Tbs      butter
6           oz        good-quality bittersweet chocolate
2                      eggs
1           cup      sugar
2           Tbs      unbleached A.P. flour
1/4        tsp       salt
1           tsp       vanilla
1           cup      roasted pecans***, coarsely chopped
1                      unbaked pie shell

*** you can roast the pecans yourself or buy roasted pecans.  Candied pecans are amazing in this pie if you have the time to make them.


Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350° convection (375° conventional) and place shelf in middle of oven.
2. Combine chocolate, evaporated milk and butter in pyrex measuring cup and melt in short blasts in the microwave until melted.  If you started with chocolate in bar or block form, chop first.  Discs can go straight into the micro.  Be careful to make sure chocolate doesn't burn, stirring well between blasts.  Allow to cool to room temperature.
   
3. Combine eggs, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and pecans until well blended.  Add melted chocolate mixture and combine well. 
4. Fill pie shell and bake until crust forms on top but filling is still dark and a bit liquidy underneath, about 30 minutes in our oven.
5. Cool, then store well-wrapped in the refrigerator.
6. If desired, top with more pecans and chocolate shavings.  Serve slightly warmed with creme fraiche, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
   

Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake

Since we've been in the flower business, the meaning of Valentine's Day has changed dramatically.  No more romantic weekend getaways or fancy dinners out, just long, stressful hours and more red roses than we care to count.  We are usually exhausted by the end of the day, and look forward to a peaceful family dinner.  If you are celebrating Valentine's Day at home this year like we are, our Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake is, in our humble opinion, the perfect chocolate dessert.  With a pound and a half of chocolate, the cake is so rich, a small slice will satisfy the most devoted chocoholic.  It is amazingly easy to make, and keeps well in the refrigerator.   Just be sure to use high-quality bittersweet chocolate since this cake is all about the chocolate. 

Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake

Ingredients

Cake

1        cup         water
3/4     cup         sugar
9        Tbs         unsalted butter
18      oz           bittersweet chocolate***
6                       eggs
                         10" springform pan
                          big roasting pan
                          parchment paper
                          aluminum foil

Ganache

1         cup        heavy whipping cream
8         oz          bittersweet chocolate***

***use the best quality bittersweet chocolate you can find.  Our favorite is Valrhona Caraibe (we use the discs).  El Rey, Guittard and Callebaut are also excellent. 

Procedure

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 300° convection, 350° conventional.  Place shelf in middle of oven.
   
2. Butter a 10" springform pan, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper (it will stick on thanks to the butter).  Wrap pan in several layers of aluminum foil to keep out the water from the water bath in which the cake will be baked.
3. Fill a tea kettle and bring water to a boil.  If it boils before you're ready to stick your cake in the oven, just set the kettle aside.  The water will stay hot enough.  Locate a roasting pan that is wide and deep enough to accommodate your springform pan.
4. Combine the 1 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar in a small pan and bring to a boil over medium.  Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring until sugar dissolves.  This is really just a simple syrup with a little less sugar than the typical 1:1 ratio of water to sugar.  Remove from heat.
5. Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave in one-minute increments, stirring well after each minute and watching to avoid the chocolate burning.  We use chocolate discs which do not require any chopping before melting.  If you are starting with a block or bar, chop up before trying to melt in the micro.
6. Add simple syrup to chocolate mixture, whisk well, then allow to cool enough to add eggs.  Whisk in eggs and combine well.  Pour batter into springform pan.
7. Place springform in center of roasting pan, place in oven, then add enough hot water to the roasting pan to come up to the middle of the springform pan.
8. Bake until cake is set in the center, about 40 minutes in our oven.  Remove from water bath and cool completely on a rack.

Ganache

1. Melt chocolate and cream together in the microwave in a big pyrex measuring cup or similar.  See our earlier note re starting with discs vs. a bar or block before you start nuking your chocolate.  Whisk until smooth, then pour over cooled cake (still in the springform) and distribute evenly.  
2. Can refrigerate immediately, or once ganache is set. Allow ganache to set completely before removing from springform pan and cutting into cake.   
3. Make chocolate shavings with a microplane, and serve slices topped with shavings and fresh raspberries, with a dollop of creme fraiche, whipped cream, or raspberry sauce on the side.
4. Store extra cake well-wrapped in refrigerator.
5. Keeps several days.

Cherry Almond Loaf

This is truly a quick bread ready in a snap once the cherries are pitted and halved.  Save the prettiest halves to decorate the top of your loaf.

Cherry Almond Loaf

Ingredients

2          cups            unbleached A.P. flour
1          tsp               baking powder
1          tsp               baking soda
1/2       tsp               salt
                                dash of cinnamon
1/2       cup              unsalted butter, room temp
1          cup              sugar
1/2       tsp               almond extract
2                              eggs
2          Tbs              sour cream
2           cups            sweet cherries, stems removed, pitted and halved
                                set aside the prettiest halves as you do this, about 3/4 cup

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 300° convection and place shelf in the middle of oven.   Butter a pyrex loaf pan.
2. Combine dry and set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add almond extract.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping bowl each time.
5. Add sour cream and mix well.
6. Add dry and mix until fully incorporated.
7. Fold in 1 1/4 cups of the cherries, reserving the prettiest ones for later.  Batter will be thick, so this isn't easy and some may get smushed up.  Don't worry.  Fill loaf pan and bang on counter several times to settle.  Smooth top with spatula.
8. Lay pretty cherry halves, cut side down, on top of batter in rows.  If you don't have enough, cut a few more cherries in half to totally cover top of loaf.
9. Bake until cooked through, about one hour.

Cherry Almond Custard Pie

We have never acquired a taste for canned cherries, so we eagerly grabbed a big bag of beautiful sweet cherries when they appeared at the market last week.  We bought enough to make this pie, a spin on the classic French dessert, cherry clafouti, plus a lovely cherry almond loaf (recipe coming soon).  Sweet cherries baked in an almond custard, all surrounded by a flaky pie crust.  Definitely worth the wait for fresh cherries.

Cherry Almond Custard Pie

Crust
makes enough for 2 pies

2            cups             unbleached A.P. flour
1/4         tsp                salt
1            tsp                sugar
1/2         lb                 unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold
1/4         cup               vegetable shortening, cold
 1/4        cup               ice water

Filling

1 1/2      cups             sugar
3            Tbs               unbleached A.P. flour
1/4          tsp               salt
3                                 eggs
2             Tbs              unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2       cups             buttermilk
1             tsp                vanilla
1/2          tsp                almond extract
                                   zest of 1 small lemon
3             cups             fresh, firm sweet cherries, stems removed, pitted and halved
                                   cinnamon

Crust

1. Combine Dry.  Add half the butter and mix until resembles coarse meal.  Add rest of butter and the shortening and cut in, leaving larger pieces of fat (around 1/4").  Add ice water until dough forms a ball (you may not need all the water).
2. Divide into two balls, wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Let dough rest at least 4 hours before rolling out, but will keep for several days in the refrigerator if you want to plan ahead.
3. Roll out on a well-floured surface.  
4. This recipe only uses one ball of dough, and requires an unbaked pie shell.

Filling

1. Preheat oven to 325° convection (350°conventional) and place rack in middle of oven.
2. Combine sugar, flour and salt.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time.
3. Add melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, almond extract, and lemon zest.
4. Fold in 2 cups of cherries.
5. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.  Use last cup of cherries to make a decorative pattern, setting them into the custard cut-side down.  Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon all over the top.
6. Bake until custard is firmly set, about 1 hour.
7. Excellent served at room temperature or chilled.

Blueberry Pound Cake

 This is a classic southern pound cake made with Texas blueberries.  We like our pound cake extra moist, so we pull it out of the oven when there's still a "sad" streak of batter in the middle.  Some may call that underbaked, so feel free to bake the cake a few minutes longer if you lean towards "happy" pound cakes.

Blueberry Pound Cake

Ingredients

1            cup            butter
2            cups          sugar
4                             eggs
1            tsp             vanilla
2 3/4     cups           flour
1            tsp             baking powder
1/2         tsp             salt
2            cups           fresh blueberries
1/4         cup            flour for blueberries
1/4         cup            sugar for the pan
                                butter for greasing pan
                                10" tube pan or similar

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 325°.  Grease pan and dust well with 1/4 cup sugar.
2. Combine 2 3/4 cup flour with baking powder and salt.
3. Dredge blueberries with the 1/4 cup flour and mix well to coat.  We use fresh blueberries, but frozen work well too. 
   
4. Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time.  Mix well each time.  Add vanilla and mix well.
5. Slowly add dry.  When fully incorporated, fold in blueberries.  Batter will be very thick so some of the blueberries may get mashed up in the process. 
   
6. Bake until golden brown on top and cooked through, 75 minutes in our oven.  It's ok to have a bit of a moist, "sad" streak in middle of the cake when you remove from oven.
7. Cool, then dust with powdered sugar.  Serve at room temperature or toasted with some lemon curd or blueberry preserves on the side.
8. Store well-wrapped at room temperature.
   

Potato Chip Shortbread Cookies

We first read about potato chip cookies several years ago in the Washington Post's annual cookie round-up.  If you haven't seen these articles, we highly recommend them.  The reporters take their cookies very seriously, going so far as to trash noted chef Michel Richard for a cookie recipe that doesn't produce perfect results and independently testing every recipe several times.  Only the best make the cut, and the recommendations are always interesting.  We filed the Post's recipe and forgot all about it until reading Mother Rimmy's and Brie's posts last month about their potato chip cookies.  What could be a better baking project for kids than cookies which include greasy, old-fashioned potato chips, a snack that is contraband in our house.  The fact that the recipe requires smashing the chips to smithereens first makes this recipe even more fun, and with only 5 ingredients, young children can easily take charge of this baking project.  The results really do taste like shortbread, with a bit of potato chip crunch here and there.    Admittedly a bit odd, but what can we say, the kids loved these from start to finish.


Potato Chip Shortbread Cookies 

produces 16 big cookies
recipe adapted from Washington Post


Ingredients

8           oz                 unsalted butter, room temp
1/2        cup               sugar, plus more for rolling
1 3/4     cup               unbleached A.P. flour
1           cup               coarsely crushed potato chips
1            tsp               vanilla

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 325° convection (350° conventional).  Combine flour and potato chips.
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then add vanilla.  Add dry and mix just enough to combine.
3. Form balls of dough by hand about 2" across (or to suit your preferences).  Roll in granulated sugar, then place on sheet pan with silpat or parchment paper.  Flatten cookies with your hand (they won't spread much in the oven) and smooth edges if they crack a bit when flattened.
4. Bake until golden and just starting to brown around edges.  Our cookies were big and fairly thick, so they took a while to bake through.
   

Lindsay recommends adding chocolate chips
Molly suggests adding pecans and drizzling chocolate on top

Fig and Walnut Loaf

This is one of those recipes that we totally forget about until the temperatures drop, and then it's all we can think about.  We normally only eat sweets after dinner, but this bread makes a wonderful afternoon snack when served with honeyed cream cheese and a pot of tea.   Yes, thanks to the chill in the air and frost on the ground, Anglophilia is alive and well in Texas.

Fig and Walnut Loaf

Ingredients

4           oz           (one stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/2     cups        unbleached A.P. flour
1           tsp           baking soda
1/2        tsp           baking powder
1/2        tsp           salt
1/4        tsp           cinnamon
1/8        tsp           allspice
pinch                     nutmeg
7           oz             dried Mission figs, stems removed and diced
1          cup            packed light-brown sugar
2                           eggs at room temp
1/2       cup           sour cream
2          oz             walnuts, chopped

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 300° convection (325° conventional).  Butter pyrex loaf pan.
2. Combine dry (flour through salt) and set aside.
3. Heat 1/2 cup water in the microwave until starts to simmer.  Add a third of the figs to the water and leave to soften, about 10 minutes.  Puree in food processor until smooth and thick.
4. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and mix well each time.  Scrape down a few times.  Add dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined.  Add sour cream and pureed fig and mix on low until just combined.  Add chopped figs and walnuts.
5. Fill prepared pan and bang on your counter a few times to level.  Bake until cooked through to center and top is springy, about 1 hour.
6. Store at room temperature.  Keeps several days.
7. Serve plain, or with honeyed cream cheese.