Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie

Lemon Custard Cake for Two

1 egg, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest (reserve 1/4 teaspoon of zest)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Whipped cream, optional

Preheat the oven to 325F (163C).

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolk until light and fluffy.  Add in sugar, milk, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt.  Mix until smooth.

In a second mixing bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form, and then gently fold into the lemon mixture.

Pour the mixture evenly into two ungreased custard cups (6 ounce size).

Using an 8 inch baking pan, place the custard cups into the pan, and then pour boiling water into the pan to until the water comes up on the cups about 1 1/2 inches.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean, and the cakes are golden.  To serve, place a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with the remaining lemon zest.

Dessert on Thanksgivng!!

The traditional thing is Pumpkin Pie, and I’m all for that (there’ll be an upcoming recipe for it, too), but one thing that I think always hits the spot after Thanksgiving dinner is a nice cool dessert.  The house has been heated up all day, your tummy is full of hot turkey, potatoes, yams, stuffing, and corn — and to round out dinner, a chilled dessert always seems to fit the best.  Last year I made Roosamanna Semolina Pudding, and this year it will be Cranberry Cream Pie.

You can use canned whole cranberries if that is your preference, though I usually use a homemade cranberry sauce (as is linked below).  Use what you like, and what you have though.

Enjoy!

Frozen Cranberry Cream Pie

Graham Cracker Crust (see below) (No need to bake, just refrigerate before filling)
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup Orange Cranberry Sauce (Or one can of whole berry cranberry sauce)

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.

In a second bowl, combine the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla.  Whip until thick, but not stiff peaks.  Gradually add in the cream cheese, beat until smooth and creamy.  Fold in the cranberry sauce. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the cranberry sauce for garnish.  Spoon the mixture into the graham cracker crust and freeze at least 4 hours.  Overnight is best.

To serve, remove from the freezer about 10 minutes before hand.  Top with the remaining cranberry sauce and any left over whipped cream.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until well-combined. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate or tin. For baked pies, preheat oven to 350 F and pre-bake crust for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool before filling. For no-bake refrigerator or freezer pies, no baking is necessary.

The original recipe called for soaking the cranberries in ‘grape juice’, but that just seemed so odd to me.  I then experimented with cranberry juice and orange juice.  Both work really well.   See below for some variations.

Acorn Squash with Cranberry and Apples

2 acorn squash
6 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup cranberry juice (or orange juice)
3 medium apples
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Prep the squash by cutting it in half, and cleaning out the seeds & strings.  Brush the top

with melted butter. On a baking sheet, place the squash face down, and pour 1/2 cup water onto the baking sheet – it should be just enough to cover the bottom.  Bake for about 30 minutes at 350F.

Meanwhile, soak the cranberries in the cranberry juice (or orange juice).  Peel, and chop the apples until they are about 1/2 inch or so.  Melt the remaining butter (about 4 tablespoons) in a frying pan, and add the apples.  Cook about 5 minutes.  Stir in the brown sugar and lemon juice.

Once the squash has baked for about 30 minutes, flip it over.  Drain the cranberries, and mix into the apples.  Fill the squash with the apple-cranberry mix, and return to the oven, baking about 30 minutes more, or until the squash is tender.

Garnish with a bit of cinnamon.

Note:

• You can replace the cranberries with raisins or currents.
• Soak the fruit in red wine
• Add some chopped walnuts to the apple cranberry mix before you stuff the squash

This recipe is one I got from a bed and breakfast — Sunshines Bed and Breakfast –  in upstate New York, about 10 years ago.  The b&b was lovely — a huge house, with 3 smaller cabins, on about 40 acres.  It had this lovely lake, with the most beautiful swans — I wanted to stay forever.   The woman who ran the b&b served breakfast one morning by the lake, and this is what we had — They were tender, delicious and just freaking amazing.  Best of all, she had no problem sharing the recipe, as it is one she received from a fellow b&b owner.  I have no idea where the recipe originated, but I do know that it is simply fantastic.

She served the pancakes with maple syrup, but to me that just never seemed quite right.  The maple syrup overshadowed the apples.  So, I started playing around with different syrups, and finally came up with the one that is here.  I really enjoy apples, and being able to use them in as many was as possible.  The syrup was just one more way for me to utilize the bushels of apples I always have in the Autumn.  You can use it on regular pancakes as well.  Or, use it on ice cream.. or bread pudding.. or apple bread…or spread on toast.. it’s almost endless what you can use it for.

Baked Cinnamon Apple Pancakes with Warm Apple Cider Syrup

4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/16 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
4 Tablespoons melted butter, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 medium apples *See Note

Combine the eggs, flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, baking powder, salt and the milk in a bowl, and mix until smooth.  Add in 2 tablespoons of melted butter, vanilla and the nutmeg.  Allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator. (Or, if you are like me, let it sit on the counter for about 45 minutes before using).

The next morning, (or 45 minutes later), heat the oven to 425F.  Melt the remaining butter in a large (10-12 inch) ovenproof skillet.  Spread the butter all over the pan, including the sides, and then remove from the heat.

Next, mix the sugar, cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.  Sprinkle about 1/2 of this mixture over the butter in the skillet.

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples, and layer the slices over the butter/sugar in the skillet.  Overlap if necessary, but try to keep the layers pretty thin.

Return the skillet to the stove, and over medium-high heat, cook just until you start to see small bubbles.  Pour the patter slowly over the apples.  If you pour it too fast, the apples will become unseated and move around.  You want the apples to be as evenly spread out as possible for more tasty goodness.

Move the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, reducing the heat after 15 minutes to 375, and then bake for another 10 minutes.

Serve with Warm Apple Cider Syrup (recipe here), or just sprinkle with confectioners (10x or icing sugar), and serve immediately.

Notes:

You can use 1 large apple in place of 2 medium apples.  I just like the 2 medium apples, because then I use 2 different types of apples.

Warm Apple Cider Syrup

3/4 cup, plus 2 teaspoons of apple cider
1/2 cup honey
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 teaspoons cornstarch.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 3/4 cup of apple cider, honey and the apples, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce the heat to low, place a cover on the sauce pan, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the apples are nicely fork-tender.

In a bowl, mix the cornstarch and the 2 teaspoons of apple cider in a small bowl. Remove the apple mixture from the heat, and add in the cornstarch, stirring all the while.  Return the saucepan to the heat, and cook until the mix is slightly thickened.

Notes:

Of course, the simplest apple syrup you can make goes like this

4 cups of juice or cider

Place juice or cider in a sauce pan, and simmer until it reduces to 1/2 cup.

The end.

Simple, easy, and though not as thick as you might like, amazingly tasty.

With the abundance of apples, I went through all my recipes, and though I will post some of my own as the season progresses, I found this recipe — The Official New York State Apple Muffin — in the files.  The subheading states: “The apple muffin was adopted as the State muffin in 1987 as a result of the efforts of elementary students throughout New York State.” I actually recall making this recipe with my son when he was in 3rd grade, at the school with his classmates.   It’s a good recipe, and as muffin recipes go, simple to do.

I am making these tomorrow, again with my son — he’s in 9th grade now — and I know we’ll have fun making them, and even more fun eating them.  Knowing him, these won’t last too long, either ;)

Official New York State Apple Muffin

For the Topping:
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
2 tablespoons melted butter.

For the Muffins:
1 cups New York State Empire Apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
Combine the ingredints for the topping and set aside.

Muffins:
Combine apples, raisins, walnuts, eggs, butter, cream cheese, and vanilla.

Add in the dry ingredients a little at a time to the apple mixture.  Stir until just combined.  Do not over mix.

Portion the batter into lightly greased and floured muffin tins, (or use muffin papers).  Sprinkle the muffins with the topping, and bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes.

This recipe makes about 2 dozen muffins.

Below is the version of mulled cider that I have used a lot over the years.  The nice thing about this recipe is that you can leave out ingredients you might not have on hand, and it still comes out pretty well.  The only thing that is really necessary is the cider, cloves and cinnamon.  And even then, if you don’t have cloves, you can leave that out, too.

I like to serve this just as is – in good sized mug – one that isn’t too big, or too small.  Once it is strained to remove the spices, you can put it into a thermos and take it with you on Halloween, or while cutting down your Christmas tree.

This can be made, and then re-heated easily.  Just pour into a pitcher, or a serving container of some sort and refrigerate.  Either warm in a pot on the stove, or a mug in the microwave.

Autumn Hot Spiced Mulled Cider

1 gallon Apple Cider
12 Whole Cloves
2-3 cinnamon sticks
2 whole nutmeg
2 chunks crystallized ginger
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 tablespoon honey

Add Cider, clove and cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to a large pot. Slice lemon into wedges, remove the seeds, and add them to pot.  Add honey.

Stir to combine and begin simmering, stirring occasionally.  You can simmer this for 10 minutes to 2 hours.  The longer (up to 2 hours) you simmer this, the better the flavors meld. Strain the cider before serving.

Alternatively, put cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and lemon in a tied cheesecloth bag and no straining is necessary.  Stir often so the flavors mix with the cider.

For the adults, add a splash of rum or bourbon when serving.

When I first tasted this combination of pineapple and Nutella, I was in heaven.  It is a bit rich, so serving size is small, serving between 12 & 16 people. 

Another thing I like about this recipe is that everything here can be prepped outdoors.  I’ve made this all outside, with anything that needed heat done right there on the grill.  Adjust the coals or gas to suit, and you are all set.  No need to heat the house whatsoever.  If you are crafty enough, you can also make this recipe on a camping trip, as long as the pineapple are prepped before hand, and everything is measured out into small bowls and kept cool.

And then of course, there is the Nutella. 

Heaven in a jar. You just cannot go wrong with .. well… anything and this stuff. 

I could almost eat it on mushy yellow wax beans or cooked slimy spinach. 

Almost ;)

Fresh Grilled Pineapple with Hazelnuts, Nutella & Marscapone Cream

Grilled Pineapple with Nutella,  Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis from Everyday Italian

2 pineapples, peeled, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and core removed
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
6 tablespoons whipping cream
Olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts

Prepare the outdoor barbecue to medium-high heat. If you do not have a barbecue, you can use an indoor grill pan set to medium high heat. Lightly oil the grill. Grill the pineapple slices until heated through and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes per side. It’s important to leave the pineapples on the grill, untouched so that you can create the grill marks.

While the pineapples are cooking, whisk the mascarpone and vanilla in a small bowl to blend. Set aside.

Combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small bowl and stir to combine. Place in a microwave on high for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds to blend well. Alternatively, you can combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small saucepan, set over low heat, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Heat until satiny smooth and easy to pour, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the pineapple slices to a large platter. Drizzle the warm chocolate-hazelnut sauce over.

Dollop the mascarpone mixture atop. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and serve.

My notes:

This is really good with grilled peaches, nectarines, plums, or other fleshy fruit.  I’d like to try this with thick slices of kiwi, or mango. 

Summer Fruit Bruschetta with Banana Bread and Cream Cheese Vanilla sauce

The sauce:

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 dash of cinnamon
1 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla)

Combine the cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla.  Blend well — easier if using a hand mixer, but will come out smooth with just a bit of elbow work.  Add the yogurt and mix until smooth.  Refrigerate for 1  hour.

1 chopped Banana
2 fresh peaches or nectarines, chopped
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 lime
4 slices of thick banana bread

Prepare the fruits, combining the bananas, peaches and raspberries in a bowl.  Mix in the lime juice and refrigerate (up to 2 hours).

Once you are ready to serve, plate the banana bread, with pile of the mixed fruit on top, and a drizzle of the vanilla cream cheese sauce.  Serve immediately.

Some variations

• Toast the banana bread just prior to serving
• I’ve not had banana bread in the house, and have substituted this with cinnamon flavored bagels, or cinnamon bread.
• Sprinkle finely chopped pecans over top, after the sauce is drizzled on
• Make this fall inspired by using apples, raisins and walnuts, and  use pumpkin bread.  Add a bit of fresh (canned) pumpkin to the sauce