Fruit Crisp Emily

As you can see from the most recent postings, I've been having fun with all sorts of fruit dishes.  Last Saturday I began making Emily's Peach and Raspberry Crisp, a recipe I clipped from a magazine in 1992. After using all the peaches and raspberries I had on hand, the amount of fruit looked kind of skimpy.  I looked in my fridge and added rhubarb and plums to bulk things up a bit.  The result was a huge hit.  I brought the rechristened fruit crisp to Lee's house for dessert.  My friends could not get enough of the stuff.  Lee, an experienced pie maker, said the crisp was better than the pies she had just made and a whole lot less work.  The lesson here is to combine any fruits that seem to go well together and wait for the accolades.   This is what I did:

2 pounds peaches, peeled and sliced

1 pint raspberries

2 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 plums, sliced

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup plus 1 tbl. flour

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9 inch by 9 inch baking dish.  In a medium bowl, toss the peaches., raspberries, rhubarb, plums, sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tbl. flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves together.  Add fruit mixture to the baking dish.

For topping, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup flour and butter in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. (This can also be done by hand).  Remove from food processor and add walnuts to topping mix.  Sprinkle topping over fruit, spread evenly covering all the fruit.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until topping is lightly browned.

Serves 6

Notes: Emily suggests serving with whipped cream but I always offer ice cream. 

Serve the crisp either warm from the oven or, if made in advance, reheat in a 300 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Feel free to substitute other fruits such as blueberries, nectarines or apricots and don't get hung up on amounts.  It will all work out.   

 

Fruit Salsa

Peggy, who lives in Florida, just sent me a basic recipe for quick fruit salsa. She makes the salsa  all year long using whatever fruits appeal to her.  Her timing is perfect since the fruit season in New York is just beginning.  Take advantage of local berries, apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums.  During the winter, pineapple or mango would be great choices.  The salsa looks beautiful and gives an interesting kick to fish, chicken and pork.  Peggy's guests give it very high ratings.

1 cup chopped fruit

3 tbl. olive oil

2 tbl. fresh cilantro, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 scallion, minced

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped and seeds removed

juice of one lime

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and chill before serving.

Notes: Peggy's favorites are strawberry or peach fruit salsa.  She found the recipe on the wrapping for frozen fish. Strange. 

Strawberry Jam

If the idea of making your own jam is a little scary but still appealing, I beg you to try this recipe. First, it makes only 1 pint of jam which fits perfectly into two jam jars. Second, it isn't processed in a boiling water bath so it is perfect for novices. The taste is divine but the jam will keep for only a few weeks in the fridge. Keep one jar for yourself and give the other to someone special. Now, run to the farmer's market and buy some strawberries while they are still in season. This may be the start of a summer of jams. Peaches will be here before you know it.

I found this recipe in The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich. She calls it Small-Batch Strawberry Jam.

1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced thin or mashed

1 cup sugar

2 tbl. lemon juice

In a 12-inch nonreactive skillet, combine all of the ingredients. Stir the contents over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Raise the heat to medium-high and boil the mixture, stirring and skimming off the foam, until a drop mounds slightly in a chilled dish.

Store the cooled jam in a tightly capped jar (or two 1/2 pint jars) in the refrigerator.

Makes 1 Pint

Notes: I used a non-reactive saucepan since I didn't have the type of skillet called for and I cooked it for about 15 minutes. The jam came out fine. Before you begin cooking, place 2 small dishes in the freezer. When it looks as if the mixture is thickening, take a dish out of the freezer and place a drop of the jam on the chilled dish. If it sort of stays without spreading over the dish, it's ready. If not set yet, cook a little longer and try again with the other dish. This jam is runny, so don't expect it to get too thick. Try it with toast, stirred into yogurt, atop toasted poundcake or straight from the jar.

Spring Pizza

Alison got this very appealing recipe from her organic food coop. It calls for organic vegetables to be used but the choice is yours.  I have always been too intimidated to try making my own pizza dough but this recipe calls for a pre-baked commercial pizza shell. Be flexible with the ingredients. If fixing the fresh artichokes seems like too much trouble, use frozen or canned or substitute cooked mushrooms, zucchini or whatever else seems to go well.  Bill and Alice, my brother and sister-in-law, order an arugula and prosciutto pizza at a local joint almost every Friday. Alice feels as if she is having her salad and pizza all in one dish.  Do your own thing and have fun with this one.

4 baby organic artichokes

8 dried tomatoes(not in oil)

2 tb. extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 12 inch prebaked commercial pizza shell

6-8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

10 black, dried or kalamata olives, pits removed

1 tsp. fresh oregano, minced

1 cup young, organic arugula leaves

3/4 cup Asiago cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  

Cut top 1/2 inch off baby artichokes.  Cover with water and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.  Cool.  While artichokes are cooking, chop the tomatoes coarsely and reconstitute them in warm water for 10 minutes.  

Blend the olive oil with the garlic, spread the oil mixture evenly over the pizza shell.  Spread the sliced mozzarella evenly in the shell. Quarter the cooked artichokes and put them on top of the mozzarella.  Add olives and tomatoes and sprinkle them with the oregano.  

Bake the pizza for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.  Remove from the oven, cover the pizza evenly with arugula and sprinkle with Asiago cheese.  Either serve the pizza as is or return it to the oven for 2 more minutes to wilt the arugula and melt the Asiago.

Makes 1 medium size pizza that serves 2

Notes:Can anyone suggest a good brand of pre-baked pizza shells? (Something without a lot of unnecessary ingredients.)   That would make a big difference in the quality of the dish. 

 

Spring Pizza Photo

Rhubarb Strawberry Pudding Cake

I am a lover of rhubarb, especially in combination with strawberries. Last week I had them both on hand and thought about making a strawberry rhubarb compote. But I've done that many times and decided to find a new way of preparing these specially springtime ingredients. Epicurious.com had a recipe for this pudding cake. It didn't sound very inspiring but I had all the ingredients and always wanted to try making a pudding cake. The results were way better than what I was expecting. Henry and I both loved this either warm from the oven or cold from the refrigerator. No one will believe how simple the pudding cake is to prepare.

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar

2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb stalks (10 ounces)

1 cup chopped fresh strawberries (5 ounces)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup whole milk

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 8 inch square glass or ceramic baking dish.

Stir together water, cornstarch, and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan, then stir in rhubarb. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, then simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in strawberries.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl.

Whisk together egg, milk, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Reserve 1/2 cup fruit mixture, then add remainder to baking dish and pour batter over it, spreading evenly. Drizzle reserved 1/2 cup fruit mixture over batter. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center of cake portion comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

Notes: I used 1 % milk instead of whole milk and substituted safflower oil for the butter. It still tasted delicious. I baked the pudding cake in a metal pan.

Spaghettini alla Rustica

This dish is simplicity itself. It can be made in minutes and must be served as soon as it is ready. The recipe is from The Peasant Kitchen by Perla Meyers. I reduced the amount of oil and increased the number of shrimp to suit my taste. Ms. Meyers advises to use just one chili pepper the first time you make the spaghettini. Increase the heat, if you wish, the second time around. Of course, crusty bread and a green salad are great accompaniments.

Salt

1 pound thin spaghetti

1/3 cup fruity olive oil

4 cloves garlic, cut in half

1 to 2 dried chili pepper, cut in half

2 tbl. minced fresh parsley

20 shrimp, peeled and cubed

freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

2 tbl. minced fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghettini and cook for 8-9 minutes, or until barely tender.

While the spaghetti is cooking, in a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil, together with 2 cloves of the garlic, peeled but left whole, and the chili pepper. As soon as the garlic is browned, remove and discard. Add 2 tbl. of the parsley and the shrimp and cook 1 or 2 minutes, or until the shrimp turn bright pink. Season with salt and pepper, then remove the pan from the heat, discard the chili pepper, and set aside.

Drain the spaghetti, add it to the skillet, and toss lightly in the oil and shrimp mixture. Add a heavy grinding of black pepper and garnish with garlic and parsley. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Note: Ms. Meyers used 3/4 cup of olive oil and 15 shrimp in her recipe. Adjust these amounts as you wish.

Cucumber Raita

I really enjoy cooking food inspired by Indian spices and flavors and have posted quite a few on Ricka Cooks.  Cucumber raita is a popular side dish for all types of Indian style chicken, fish, meat and vegetable dishes. It is refreshing and cools your mouth if a dish is especially fiery. Raita is easy to make and always welcome on the table.

1 cucumber

16 ounces plain whole milk or low-fat yogurt

1/2 tsp. ground cumin seed

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp. paprika

Peel and grate the cucumber.  Drain well.

Put the yogurt in a bowl and beat it well with a fork until it is smooth.

Add the cucumber, cumin seed, salt and pepper to the yogurt. Garnish with the paprika.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Notes: Tomatoes (chopped and drained) and chopped dill are wonderful additions to raita.