Apricot Blueberry Cobbler

The other night I blew up a pyrex in my kitchen. I realize now I shouldn't put my trust in a brand name that has been around forever, claiming you can transfer your bakeware from freezer to oven and such. I could trust something made in the 1920's but not recently. They changed the glass product from borosilicate glass to soda-lime glass which can't handle the swing in temperatures and results in a shatter. I lost some good pastry cream and spent way too much time cleaning little glass shards out of my kitchen. Note to bakers: don't use pyrex on the stovetop (and definitely use caution in the oven with change in temperature). This little disaster put a bit of a hold on my baking for a while. I remade my pastry cream and finished a birthday tart for my office, but since then, I haven't been baking much. sigh.

Kitchen disaster behind, I decided to use some new ramekins to make individual apricot blueberry cobblers. Sugar Dough was the monthly recipe for June over at the Easy Bake cOven  and since I had some very ripe fruits in my fridge, I put together this incredibly simple dessert.

I think most people are more familiar with cobbler that has a fruit filling and a sugar dough topping. Sugar dough may range from a biscuity dough to a thick crumble, and even hunks of bread. The sugar dough recipe we used came from the restaurant stove in Portsmouth, Virginia. I was reading a blog post the other day and someone said they were skeptical of restaurants who published their recipes. Would they leave something out? Why would they reveal their secrets to ordinary people? Well, I can't tell you the answers to these questions, but I'm glad that some restaurants are confident enough to do it. I have a feeling knowing Stove's recipe will not keep Sarah & Eric from going back! Thanks for picking this recipe, it was fantastic!

Mini Fruit Cobbler 
you can use any stone fruit or fruits that won't obliterate when cooked

for one 10 oz ramekin:
slice 3 small fruits into a buttered ramekin
add 2 tablespoons blueberries
break up 1 scant tablespoon of butter and distribute evenly
sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the top
top with sugar dough and press lightly into the fruit (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup)
set ramekins on a baking sheet
bake for 20-25 minutes at 350˚F or until the fruit is bubbly

Stove’s Sugar Dough

This is not a dough for rolling, you have to pat this dough out into the pan your using for dessert. It’s rich and wonderful and can also be made into a short bread as well. I have even used it for bottoms of pans mixed with pecans and then a cake batter over that for a crunch factor. Just don’t over mix it or you will have some good rubber dough

1 cup white sugar, baker’s sugar if you can find it

1lb unsalted double A butter

6 cups of all purpose flour, (unbleached and without chemicals if possible, King Arthur is good stuff and easy to find)

In the bowl of a 4 to 6qt. mixer cream the sugar and butter until light and somewhat fluffy. Stop the machine, scrape down sides and add all at once 6 cups of flour, raise the bowl and on the lowest speed blend the dough until it pulls together. If it’s winter and your environment isn’t warm you may need to spray from a mister water a little at a time till the dough starts to combine. Pinch a bit of dough to see if it will hold together, if so it’s ready for use. 

this dough stores in the refrigerator for a week or so. It also makes a ton, so feel free to half the recipe.

Low-Fat Blueberry Coffee Cake

I use the Whole Foods Recipes app for my iPhone a lot. The format is great. You can search for foods on hand, or in a certain category (vegan, slow cooker, quick and simple...) which I find is a huge help for making quick meal plans. I have a couple other apps for recipes but this one I use the most. I keep recipes bookmarked in my "Favorites" tab and have a fairly dynamic collection. I finally made the time to try this recipe recently and am very happy with the results. 

I happened to be babysitting the day I decided to make this coffee cake and finished up the prep with a one-and-a-half-year-old on my hip. He seemed mesmerized by my one handed mixing, all the while educating him on each ingredient I was using. He also liked to peek in the oven window with me to check the progress. Thankfully, amid the distractions of the wee one running amuck in a non-baby-proof house, the coffee cake turned out stunning. 

The cake has a much lighter crumb topping than most coffee cakes (remember it's low-fat) but the almonds help give texture. There is hardly any fat in the recipe, so the moisture comes from fat free yogurt. Michael says you can tell it's low-fat but he is also not a big fan of blueberries. The girls in my office liked it a lot and I enjoyed it as well. I'd definitely make it again and recommend serving it to guests. It's fast to put together and friendly for your summer bikini body. 

Low-Fat Blueberry Coffee Cake
from Whole Foods Recipes

2 C fresh or frozen and thawed blueberries divided
1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C plain non-fat yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 C sliced almonds

for the topping:
2 T whole wheat flour
1/4 C brown sugar
2 T butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside. Mix together the ingredients for the topping in a small bowl with your fingers until it you have pea sized clumps.

Whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. Combine yogurt, eggs, and vanilla in another small bowl and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Add half the blueberries and smooth into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter and add the remaining blueberries. Top with the almonds. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove the sides of the pan. Let cool another 20 minutes before serving. Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can also use a standard 12 tin muffin cup with liners instead of the springform pan. Reduce the baking time to 22-25 minutes.

Easy Bake cOven - Lemon Bars by Tartine

I have a recipe for lemon bars that I really like. I like to think it was I who brought them back into fashion here in san francisco, but more realistically it was Tartine Bakery. They definitely serve more people in one day than I have possibly my whole "baking career". Every now and then I thumb through their cookbook when I'm at Therapy (one of the best stores ever) and never quite bring myself to buy a copy. Maybe it's because I know they are making a killing at their bakery (and newer restaurant) and feel no need to add to their success. But that might be a little harsh.... More likely, a flash of the overstuffed shelf of cookbooks I own enters my mind and I can't seem to find a place for it. I'm glad Angela chose this recipe for January. Even though I tend to think of lemon bars as a summery dessert - I brought them to life in our kitchen on this sunny Sunday (if only we hadn't eaten giant souffles for dinner we may have been able to enjoy them).

I was quite intrigued by this recipe. The shortcrust contains pine nuts - which sounded delicious and weird all at the same time. It also said you could use orange zest of a particular variety if available which was also interesting. Lemon bars with pine nuts and orange zest. I did not go searching for this specific orange but did opt to try the pine nuts. I wanted to do the crust a little different though and rather than leaving the nuts whole, I processed them until they resembled fine crumbs and mixed them in to the dough. I also wanted to make them into little tarts so I could experiment with different toppings. My lemon bars were more like mini lemon pies serving 4-6 people. Can't forget to thank the landlord for having my oven fixed on Friday! I actually thought I might miss the January recipe because of it.

Do I like these more than my own recipe? I can tell you they are different enough to make an easy choose. I like my very simple crunchy crust with just enough lemon to satisfy a craving - but these are a good change. Thick crust and a almost double the amount of filling I would normally use - they were nice with the hint of nuts. The filling was also a little bit creamier than the normal. Very tart with a nice nutty depth of flavor. I might try serving one with chopped toasted pine nuts.

If you would like to try out the recipe from Tartine, find the original post here. And don't forget to check out the rest of the lemon bars at the cOven blog.

Tea & Books, what more can you ask for?

Maybe some delicious finger foods, a small room full of girls, old friends, new friends, and lots of great conversation. I think we had it covered. A couple of weeks ago my good friend Joey and I hosted what we called the Tea & Book exchange. Our intention was to get a bunch of girls together to exchange books. Yes, that simple. Joey and I have been exchanging books back and forth for a while now and we decided it was time to branch out. We had a lot of girls show up (just over 20) and they brought the expected chick lit, some books stolen from husbands, and a few serious books. It was a hit. We requested each lovely lady bring one book but most people brought a lot more.

Joey and I concocted a menu that may have been a little over zealous but we pulled it off just in the nick of time. Here is what we had:

Cilantro Mint Chutney and Cucumber Sandwiches

Tomato and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Brie with Apples and Crackers

Asiago and Parmesan Cheese Crisps

Chocolate Strawberries

Green Tea Shortbread Cookies

Blueberry Crumble

We also had an assortment of treats brought to us by friends for the event which were delicious (Thanks Girls!). Joey cracks me up - she doesn't really bake or cook much - and to this she states, "If you don't cook, you have to be a really good shopper - and I'm a really good shopper." So I coached her through her green tea cookies (the hard way since my mixer died) and they turned out perfect! She also had a lot of great ideas up her sleeve, like the Chutney (which she used to make in Boston and says is good on fish too).

I think we had a great assortment of sweet and salty with some of my favorites. In order to keep my rambling short I am going to give you some of the recipes we used and invented. We plan on doing this again in a couple of months to switch books again. If you really liked this idea, I think you could turn it into something that suits your style: Children's Book Exchange - for Mom and Dad, or older kids who enjoy reading, a magazine exchange, recipe exchange, whatever you choose I assure you it will be great fun! Joey also found this great little site that is still beta testing for online invitations, they are beautiful (more fun than Evite) and you can personalize them to suit your party, I hope you check them out.

Cilantro Chutney

1 cup packed cilantro ( leaves and stems)

1 cup packed mint (leaves only)

1/4 small red onion coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Up to 2 tablespoons water

Blend it all in a blender until you get a smooth paste. Add water if

needed to aid on the blending. Refrigerated chutney will keep for 4

day. Smear on bread with cucumber for a tea sandwich or add to fish too.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

super simple - no real recipe here

1 baguette sliced and lightly toasted

5 oz goat cheese

2 large tomatoes diced

handful of fresh basil leaves

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

add garlic, basil, and some olive oil to a food processor and blend until pieces are small but not pesto! salt and pepper to taste. toss with tomatoes and set aside. Spread a little goat cheese on the toasts and top with a little of the tomato mix.

Green Tea Shortbread Cookie

2 cups flour

1-2 tblspns green tea powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

sift the flour, powdered tea and salt into a bowl. In a mixer bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Add flour mixture to mixer bowl and mix slowly until dough just comes together.

Pull dough into a log aprox. 2" in diameter. Wrap dough log and place in freezer for 30 minutes until dough has firmed to the touch. Slice dough into 1/4" rounds and place on silpat lined cookie sheet, aprox 1" apart.

bake on preheated oven at 325 for 16 to 18 minutes or until cookies

start to turn golden

Blueberry Crumble

1 1/2 C quick oats

1 C flour

3/4 C brown sugar

3/4 C butter, cut into small pieces

1 C blueberries, frozen

1/2 C raspberry jam

zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Line a 8x8x2" pan with foil and preheat oven to 350*. In a small bowl combine oats, flour, sugar, and butter. Using your fingertips cut in butter until it resembles peas and flakes. Reserve 1 C of the mix. Press the mix into the bottom of the pan. Bake 25 minutes.

In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Gently pour onto half baked crust and top with the reserved crumble. Return to oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden. Cool in pan on a wire rack and cut into bars.

I like to make this one in individual cups (muffin tins work well) when I am not making them for a large crowd. Use foil for the lining. Bake as directed above separating the mix equally between the 12 muffin tins. Unmold and serve with a small scoop of great vanilla ice cream or raspberry gelato - or both!

click here to see all of the pictures from Tea & Tales

Daring Bakers: Four Cheesecakes

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge. I recently joined the group Daring Bakers. It is an online community of bakers who come together once a month and bake the same recipe. As you can see from my title, this month's challenge was Cheesecake. Jenny chose this recipe and asked the bakers to be creative and alter the recipe however they wish by adding ingredients, changing the crust, or making an interesting topping. I decided this was the best challenge to break in my new 4" mini spring form pans. Since we were supposed to get creative, and I had four pans to get creative with, I decided to make four versions of the Cheesecake: Pistachio Crust with Basic Cheesecake filling + lemon zest Pretzel Crust with Margerita Cheesecake filling Graham Cracker Crust with Lemon Cheesecake filling + Blueberry Compote Graham Cracker Crust with Vanilla Bean filling I have had a recipe in my box for Pistachio Lime Tart for a while now and since I haven't made it yet, I thought it was time to steal the idea for a Pistachio crust. Though the recipe is more like a pie dough for the tart, I made mine more like a typical cheesecake crust using about 2/3 pistachios and 1/3 graham crackers. It turned out really well with the basic cheesecake filling and lemon zest. My other ideas for the cheesecakes were somewhat random. I liked the idea of lemon cheesecake and wanted to use up some lemons from my CSA box and decided to try a Blueberry Compote based on a recipe from a blog I follow. The lemon cheesecake could be a lot more lemony, but it was hard to tell how much to add to a 4" pan. I think the addition of blueberries was not necessary, but interesting and varying from the regular lemon + raspberry combination. With a little tweaking this recipe will be successful. I have also had a little vile of vanilla beans in my spice cabinet for too long and decided to break them open for the cheesecake. They are so expensive I kind of think of them as sacred - but am glad I took them off of their pedestal for this recipe. The addition of vanilla bean was delicious and not too overpowering and the left over pod will make a great addition to sugar. The fourth cake - the Margarita - was inspired by my friend Joey. The fact that I have a huge weakness for Margaritas did not help my quest to make this recipe work. I used pretzels for the crust for the salty addition and added lime juice and zest and triple sec. Interesting is a good description. I think with a little makeover it would be lovely and very different. Here is the recipe and below my variations. Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:

crust: 2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs 1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted 2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract

cheesecake: 3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature 1 cup / 210 g sugar 3 large eggs 1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean) 1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Variations (for full 9" cheesecake): Lemon Cheesecake Crust: Graham Cracker Crust Filling: Add zest of 3 lemons 3 T lemon juice (no liquor) Pistachio Cheesecake Crust: 1C finely ground pistachios 1/3 C graham cracker crumbs 1 T sugar (more if you like sweeter crust) Filling: zest of 1 lemon Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Crust: Graham Cracker Crust Filling: Add contents of 1 vanilla bean to filling no liquour Margarita Cheesecake (changes for next time) Crust: Graham Cracker Crust 1T sugar 1tsp salt no vanilla Filling: zest of 3 limes 1/3 C lime juice Substitute Orange Extract for Vanilla 1T Tequila Coarse Salt with zest for garnish