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| Fresh summer fruits with goat cheese and clover honey |
Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts
Fresh summer fruits with goat cheese
I had a variety of fresh summer fruits to work with for this appetizer. On this dish are the following: goat cheese (plated first), 1 black fig halved, 1/4 green fig, slice of white nectarine, slice of yellow peach, strawberry slice, blueberries, and clover honey (drizzled last). The plating was totally random, but consistent across all 12 servings.
Apple bars
This is a quick, easy recipe for apple bars. It uses fresh apples and can be a party food.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9" x 13" baking dish.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. organic rolled oats
1 1/3 c. unbleached white flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
12 tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened or melted
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 sweet, firm apples (I used Gala apples)
2-3 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together; then mix in the rolled oats
2. Melt butter and let cool, then whisk together with eggs, vanilla, and brown sugar.
3. Fold together the flour mix and the butter mix until well combined. Pour into prepared baking dish and Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes, then cut into bars and remove from baking pan.
Oven notes: My oven doesn't heat properly and heats up unevenly, so I tend to bake for 5-10 minutes longer. If you have an accurate oven, these bars should be baked for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9" x 13" baking dish.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. organic rolled oats
1 1/3 c. unbleached white flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
12 tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened or melted
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 sweet, firm apples (I used Gala apples)
2-3 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. In a bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together; then mix in the rolled oats
2. Melt butter and let cool, then whisk together with eggs, vanilla, and brown sugar.
3. Fold together the flour mix and the butter mix until well combined. Pour into prepared baking dish and Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes, then cut into bars and remove from baking pan.
Oven notes: My oven doesn't heat properly and heats up unevenly, so I tend to bake for 5-10 minutes longer. If you have an accurate oven, these bars should be baked for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle.
Pastelitos de guayaba y queso
This dessert goes by different names (pasteles de guayaba, pastelitos de guayaba y queso, guava and cheese strudel) depending on who you ask. I don't see why it wouldn't be more popular among bakers. It is an easy recipe that doesn't involve working with filo dough. Mine came out lighter in color because I don't use egg washes when baking. The recipe comes from the cookbook, In a Cuban Kitchen
by Alex Garcia. I "halved" the recipe because this was a first run, and while I like experimental cooking, I don't like to waste ingredients. It is possible that it's not a popular dessert because the dough requires a chilling step before it is rolled out, then cut into squares.
When I went shopping for guava paste at Vallarta's, I couldn't find any that didn't have red food coloring in it. I picked up a seemingly harmless brick of guava paste. When these bricks are packaged and shipped, the sugar in the paste crystalizes and forms a crusty outer edge around the brick. I sliced off the crystalized sugar part and am saving it for other uses.
I have a third of my "half" dough mixture leftover which I will combine with a new batch tonight. This batch (minus that third) made 11 pastries, 7 cheese pocket-shaped (take a square, put paste in the center, take the corners of two of the opposing edges and fold them to the center) and 4 rugelach shaped (need a rectangle, put guava paste in the center, fold over the edges so that it looks like a small bundle, crimp edges). Tonight I'll make them turnover-shaped (take a square, fill it with guava paste, fold it in half diagonally, and crimp the edges). Finished product looked like this: pic1 and pic2.
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 c. unbleached white flour
2 sticks butter, softened
guava paste
Directions
1. Blend cream cheese, flour, and butter together. Wrap it in plastic (or put it into a lidded pot) and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes).
2. After the dough has been chilled, roll it out once. This keeps the gluten in the flour from being all worked up.
3. Add 1 tsp or so of guava paste to a random danish pastry shape.
4. If the pastry shape requires edge crimping, use fork tines to do this or squeeze the edges together with the back edge of a knife.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
The guava paste didn't melt like all the pictures that I've seen of this dessert. I may have to work with the brick to see if I can reconstitute it into a jam-like consistency. The dough came out quite nice, flaky enough to be crisp and has a little bit of weight because as the dough starts to sweat (need to roll it out while it is very cold), it became rather hard to get it rolled out to the 1/4-inch thickness that the pastry shell requires.
Since it is just a pastry method, I expect that both savory and sweet fillings can be used.
by Alex Garcia. I "halved" the recipe because this was a first run, and while I like experimental cooking, I don't like to waste ingredients. It is possible that it's not a popular dessert because the dough requires a chilling step before it is rolled out, then cut into squares.When I went shopping for guava paste at Vallarta's, I couldn't find any that didn't have red food coloring in it. I picked up a seemingly harmless brick of guava paste. When these bricks are packaged and shipped, the sugar in the paste crystalizes and forms a crusty outer edge around the brick. I sliced off the crystalized sugar part and am saving it for other uses.
I have a third of my "half" dough mixture leftover which I will combine with a new batch tonight. This batch (minus that third) made 11 pastries, 7 cheese pocket-shaped (take a square, put paste in the center, take the corners of two of the opposing edges and fold them to the center) and 4 rugelach shaped (need a rectangle, put guava paste in the center, fold over the edges so that it looks like a small bundle, crimp edges). Tonight I'll make them turnover-shaped (take a square, fill it with guava paste, fold it in half diagonally, and crimp the edges). Finished product looked like this: pic1 and pic2.
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 c. unbleached white flour
2 sticks butter, softened
guava paste
Directions
1. Blend cream cheese, flour, and butter together. Wrap it in plastic (or put it into a lidded pot) and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes).
2. After the dough has been chilled, roll it out once. This keeps the gluten in the flour from being all worked up.
3. Add 1 tsp or so of guava paste to a random danish pastry shape.
4. If the pastry shape requires edge crimping, use fork tines to do this or squeeze the edges together with the back edge of a knife.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
The guava paste didn't melt like all the pictures that I've seen of this dessert. I may have to work with the brick to see if I can reconstitute it into a jam-like consistency. The dough came out quite nice, flaky enough to be crisp and has a little bit of weight because as the dough starts to sweat (need to roll it out while it is very cold), it became rather hard to get it rolled out to the 1/4-inch thickness that the pastry shell requires.
Since it is just a pastry method, I expect that both savory and sweet fillings can be used.
Lemony lemon bars
So, I started with this basic recipe, and ended up with a more-tangy-than-sweet product in the end. Lemon drop makers would be proud to eat this creation. Juice and grated rind of 5 lemons might just be overkill and needs to be washed down with a cup of mildly hot tea. Alas, I took no pics of the process, but it has less than 1-hour prep/cook time.
Ingredient/method adaptations:
Crust: 1 1/2 sticks of butter (instead of 2 sticks); sifted unbleached white flour and powdered sugar together, then added melted butter and mixed by hand.
The filling: juice of 5 small lemons, grated rind of 5 lemons, 1 1/2 cups granulated organic sugar (instead of 2 cups), 4 eggs. Blended with a hand mixer.
I cut the bars after they cooled, then dusted the batch with sifted powdered sugar before taking them into work. The crust is definitely tasty. The filling is a wee bit too tart for me and needs less lemon juice
Ingredient/method adaptations:
Crust: 1 1/2 sticks of butter (instead of 2 sticks); sifted unbleached white flour and powdered sugar together, then added melted butter and mixed by hand.
The filling: juice of 5 small lemons, grated rind of 5 lemons, 1 1/2 cups granulated organic sugar (instead of 2 cups), 4 eggs. Blended with a hand mixer.
I cut the bars after they cooled, then dusted the batch with sifted powdered sugar before taking them into work. The crust is definitely tasty. The filling is a wee bit too tart for me and needs less lemon juice
Peach Cobbler
This is a basic cobbler recipe with biscuit-shaped dough baked on top of the peaches. It is good for anyone with at least one peach tree in their backyard. I've tried using store-bought fruit with this recipe but just doesn't have the same taste.
Peach mix:
10 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
1/4 c. cornstarch
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dough mix:
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
2/3 c. heavy cream
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Put peaches, cornstarch, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss until well combined. Pour mixture into an 8 1/2" by 11 1/2" baking dish.
3. In another bowl, combine flour, 1/4 c. granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal.
4. Whisk together egg and cream in a liquid measuring cup. Slowly add this mixture to dry ingredients. Mix with a fork until dough just comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and roughly shape a log. Using a knife, cut log into 12 equal portions.
5. Place rough balls of dough on top of peach mixture. Sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp. of granulated sugar on top of the dough. 6. Bake until golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.
Peach mix:
10 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
1/4 c. cornstarch
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dough mix:
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
2/3 c. heavy cream
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Put peaches, cornstarch, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss until well combined. Pour mixture into an 8 1/2" by 11 1/2" baking dish.
3. In another bowl, combine flour, 1/4 c. granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal.
4. Whisk together egg and cream in a liquid measuring cup. Slowly add this mixture to dry ingredients. Mix with a fork until dough just comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and roughly shape a log. Using a knife, cut log into 12 equal portions.
5. Place rough balls of dough on top of peach mixture. Sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp. of granulated sugar on top of the dough. 6. Bake until golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.
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