Showing posts with label Fruit

Cooking Cranberries….

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, September 30, 2012

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When I cook cranberries, I always think of my friend Veronica.  She taught me how she makes them and it’s so simple. 

A bag of cranberries (I buy multiples at Christmas and freeze them)
1 cup Splenda
1/8-1/4 cup water

Simmer until they pop, then squeeze in the juice of an orange.  So easy, and so good!

We’re having them tonight, using a bag of frozen berries from the freezer…

Rustic Apple Tarts from The Best Thing I Ever Ate

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, July 08, 2009

Rustic Apple Tarts by David Leite

by Johanne Killeen and George Germon
of Al Forno Restaurant, Providence, RI
Makes 4 tarts

Another favorite recipe from Food TV’s, “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” – this one is for Dilly, she and hubby are our apple lovers, well, John, too.  Anyway, I saw this recipe on the show and the people eating it were totally orgasmic, so it must be good!!! Right??

Because these tarts are less bothersome to make than a pie — they take all of 30 minutes to make once you have the dough prepared — you can file them under easy-to-make. I bake them for weeknight dinners, brunches, picnics, even late-night snacks.—David Leite

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup ice water
2 tablespoons sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, cut in quarters and sliced paper-thin
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, quartered

Vanilla ice cream, optional

Methodomg,
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt until blended. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with pieces no bigger than small peas, about 13 to 15 one-second pulses.

2. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Process for about 10 seconds, stopping before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the contents of the bowl onto a work surface, form into four equal-size discs, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an one hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 450°F (220°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out each disc into a 7-inch circle and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Spread one-quarter of the ginger mixture on each tart, then arrange one-quarter of the slices (about half an apple) in an overlapping circular pattern on top, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle the sugar evenly on top of the apples and fold over the borders. Most of the apples will remain uncovered. Press down the dough on the baking sheet, snugly securing the sides and seams to prevent drips. Dot the center of each tart with butter.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crusts are golden and the apples have begun to brown slightly. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, November 03, 2008

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

2 cans crescent rolls. I used Pillsbury 8 count cans in original flavor
2 apples.
2 sticks butter. 2 cups sugar.
2 tsp. cinnamon.
1 can Mountain Dew.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
Core, peel and slice apples.
  
Wrap each in a crescent triangle. I basically just tried my best to get every inch of the apple covered by the dough.
 
Line up in a 9x13 inch pan.
 
Melt butter, cinnamon, and sugar together. I just nuked the butter and then stirred in the sugar and cinnamon until it had a pretty smooth, pourable consistency.
 
Pour the Mountain Dew around the edge of the pan.
 
Bake 45 minutes.
 
Eat warm with a scoop of vanilla or butter pecan ice cream

~ Awesome Dessert ~
~ Jan

Peach Crumble from Cooks Illustrated

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, September 07, 2008

Add the lemon juice to taste in step 2 according to the sweetness of your peaches. If ripe peaches are unavailable, you can substitute five 10-ounce bags of frozen peaches, thawed overnight in the refrigerator. The topping can be baked ahead of time, as directed in step 3, then cooled and stored in an airtight container. As directed in step 4, sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit and continue to bake.
INGREDIENTS
Filling
3 1/2 pounds ripe but firm peaches (6 to 7 medium), peeled and pitted; each peach halved and cut into 3/4-inch wedges (about 6 1/2 cups prepared peaches)
1/3 cup granulated sugar (2 1/3 ounces)
1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
3-5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon (see note above)
Pinch table salt
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark), 1 3/4 ounces
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 6 pieces and very soft
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1. Adjust oven racks to lower and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. FOR THE FILLING: Gently toss peaches and sugar together in large bowl; let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times. Drain peaches in colander set over large bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup drained peach juice, cornstarch, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in small bowl; discard excess peach juice. Toss juice mixture with peaches and transfer to 8-inch-square glass baking dish.
3. FOR THE TOPPING: While peaches are macerating, combine flour, sugars (reserving 1 tablespoon granulated sugar), and salt in workbowl of food processor; drizzle vanilla over top. Pulse to combine mixture, about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and half of nuts; process until mixture clumps together into large, crumbly balls, about 30 seconds, pausing halfway through to scrape down sides of workbowl. Sprinkle remaining nuts over mixture and combine with two quick pulses. Transfer mixture to parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into even layer (mixture should break up into roughly 1/2-inch chunks with some smaller, loose bits). Bake on middle rack until chunks are lightly browned and firm, 18 to 22 minutes.
4. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Grasping edges of parchment paper (following "Transferring the Baked Crumble" illustrations 1 and 2 below), slide topping over peaches and spread into even layer with spatula, packing down lightly and breaking up any very large pieces. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar over top and place on lower oven rack. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until well browned and fruit is bubbling around edges, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes; serve.
1. After crumble is baked, lift short sides of parchment paper. (Crumble will break apart into uneven 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces.)
2. Carefully slide broken crumble pieces onto peaches or apples, spreading into even layer with spatula.
STEP BY STEP: Overhauling Ho-Hum Peach Crumble
MACERATE
Problem: Bland peaches
Solution: Macerating the fruit in sugar and draining off excess juices helps to concentrate the peach flavor.
SEPARATE
Problem: Soggy topping
Solution: Baking the topping separately before sliding it onto the fruit filling keeps it crumbly and crisp.

Here is a lighter version of this recipe -

Topping
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
2 T unsalted butter, melted
pinch of cinnamon

Mix the above together, toast in the oven as called for in the CI recipe and follow the CI recipe for the filling and combining the filling and topping.

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated

Banana-Caramel Cake

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, January 14, 2007

Banana cake + caramel icing = heaven on a plate.

Yields: 12 servings (one 9-inch 2-layer cake)

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup (about 2 bananas) very ripe, mashed bananas
Caramel Icing


DIRECTIONS:
1. Make the batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a small brush, lightly coat two 9-inch cake pans with softened butter or vegetable-oil cooking spray. Dust with flour, tap out any excess, and set aside. Over a surface covered with a large sheet of waxed or parchment paper, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Into a medium bowl, resift the flour mixture and set aside. In a large bowl, using a mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the butter until light — about 1 minute. Add the sugar and continue to beat for 2 more minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition, and mix in the vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture by thirds, alternating with the buttermilk and bananas and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just enough to blend the batter after each addition.

2. Bake the cake: Divide the batter equally between the pans and bake on the middle rack of the oven until a tester inserted into each cake layer comes out clean — 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the cake pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the cake layers from the pan sides and invert the layers onto the wire rack to cool completely.

3. Ice the cake: Use a serrated knife to trim the mounded side of the cake layers, if necessary. Line the edges of a cake plate with 3-inch-wide strips of waxed or parchment paper and place a cake layer, trimmed side down, on top. Place 1 cup Caramel Icing on top of the layer and spread evenly. Place the second layer, trimmed side down, on the first and cover the top and sides with the remaining icing.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Based on individual serving.
Calories: 528
Total Fat: 23.8 g
Cholesterol: 74.8 mg
Sodium: 291 mg
Carbohydrates: 77.8 g
Fiber: 0.70 g
Protein: 3.5 g

Source: Country Living Magazine January '07
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