Cherry-Orange Muffins

We bought two 3 oz packages of gourmet dried tart cherries and dried blueberries. Sunsprout, a company based out of Lancaster, PA, distributed the fruit; the following recipe comes from their packaging. I made mini muffins instead of regular-sized ones and adjusted the baking time accordingly.

CHERRY-ORANGE MUFFINS

makes 12 muffins (or about 3 dozen mini muffins, in my case)

2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 c dried tart cherries
3 tbs grated orange peel
1 c milk
1/4 c butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt

To premoisten dried cherries, pour boiling hot water over dried fruit and cover for 15 minutes. Drain. This will help maintain the moisture meant for the prepared recipe.

In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Combine separately: milk, melted (not hot) butter, and egg.

Gently add the liquid ingredients to the dry mixture. When just moistened, gently fold in the premoistened dried cherries and orange peel. Fill paper lined muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven 18-22 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from pan and serve warm.

Coconut Custard Pie

Confession: I was only planning to make two pies this Thanksgiving weekend. Still, we pastry fiends--aka my family of four--have managed to eat all but 1/3 of the pumpkin pie...and it's not yet Saturday afternoon. The solution? BAKE. MORE. PIE.

We all love a good coconut custard, so I tried a recipe from my beloved "Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts." It's quick and easy, so you can spend your time watching "Real Housewives of Atlanta" marathons in your sweatpants instead of stirring eggs over the stove and hoping they don't curdle.

COCONUT CUSTARD PIE

serves 8

10" prebaked pie shell, cooled to room temperature (see recipe below)
6 eggs
2/3 c packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 c milk
1 c half and half
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract or an additional tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
2 tbs unbleached white flour
1 c unsweetened grated coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender, combine the eggs, brown sugar, salt, milk, half and half, vanilla, coconut extract, and flour and blend until smooth. Spread the grated coconut on a baking sheet or taster oven tray and lightly toast at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, or until golden. Stir the coconut into the custard mixture. Pour the filling into the prebaked pie shell.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.BEST ALL-PURPOSE PIE CRUST

yields 1 crust

1 1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar (optional)
1/2 c chilled butter
3 to 4 tbs ice water

To make in a food processor, cut the butter into 1" pieces and place them in the bowl of the food processor. Add the flour, salt, and sugar. Process until all of the ingredients are incorporated. With the processor on, add the water a tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to clump but is still crumbly. Continue to drizzle a little water and pulse the food processor, stopping to test the dough with your fingertips to see if it is moist enough to hold together. (You can almost make the dough by hand or in a stand mixer.)

On a floured surface, gently flatten the ball of dough with a rolling pin. Starting from the center, roll the dough into a circle about an inch larger than the diameter of the pie pan. Lift the dough into the pan. Fold the edges under and crimp with your fingers or a fork.

To make a prebaked pie shell, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prick the prepared crust in several places with a fork. Line the crust with aluminum foil (I used parchment paper) and a layer of dried beans (I used ceramic pie weights) to weight it down. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crimped edge is lightly toasted. Remove the beans and foil and continue to bake for about 10 minutes, until the shell is golden brown and the bottom is no longer moist--if you use a glass pie pan, you can look at the bottom of the pan to check that all moisture has baked out of the crust. Cool before filling.

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

This past weekend, I visited some friends from college who now reside in DC. On Sunday night, Emily and I made dinner for 5 people, and Adriana and Marshall brought a partially assembled apple crisp which they finished and baked on site.

The following is the Ina Garten recipe on which they based their dessert. Instead of McIntosh or Macoun apples, Adriana used Golden Delicious. Any tart and firm baking apple should work well. She rolled out a piecrust and baked the ingredients in an 8 or 9" glass pie dish. It smelled absolutely amazing while it baked, and it tasted even better when dished out with a scoop of ice cream! I could eat the buttery oat streusel topping by itself.

OLD-FASHIONED APPLE CRISP

serves 10

For the filling:

5 lb McIntosh or Macoun apples
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg

For the topping:

1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c granulated sugar
3/4 c light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 c oatmeal
1/2 lb cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x14x2" oval baking dish.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.

Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.

Fresh Applesauce

We'll be having a roasted pork loin and a garlic and spinach saute for dinner tomorrow, so I made applesauce today in preparation. Again, this recipe comes from "The Healthy Kitchen." According to Dr. Andrew Weil and Rosie Daley, "You can use any type of apple you'd like, and because apples are pretty much available year-round, you can serve it as a warm side dish in the winter, or a cold side dish, or dessert, any time of year."

I adjusted the recipe to my taste. Additionally, you could add lemon juice, granulated sugar, and/or brown sugar according to your palate.

FRESH APPLESAUCE

serves 6

6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced, about 6 cups (I used 8 Cortland apples)
1/2 c apple juice (I used 3/4 c apple cider)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I used 1 tbs ground cinnamon)

Put the apple slices and the apple juice in a saucepan with a lid. Cook, covered, over low heat, until the apples are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 10-20 minutes, depending on the type of apple you are using. Break up the apples using a fork or pour the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and stir until it is thoroughly integrated into the apples. Let the apples cool for a few minutes or longer, depending on whether you want to serve them warm or cold.

Pear Custard Pie

I love to cook, but I hate cleaning dirty dishes and baking equipment. This recipe, from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food "Great Food Fast: 250 Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals All Year Long," only requires a blender and a pie dish. It's easy to make, easy to clean up after, and therefore even easier to enjoy!

PEAR CUSTARD PIE

serves 6

1/4 c unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pie dish
3 ripe but firm Comice or Bartlett pears, peeled, halved, and cored
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 c milk
1/4 tsp salt
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; butter a 9" pie dish. Slice the pears 1/4" thick lengthwise. Arrange the slices, overlapping slightly, in the dish.

In a blender, process the melted butter, granulated sugar, flour, vanilla, eggs, milk, and salt until smooth.

Pour the batter over the pears; bake until golden and firm to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Roasted Fruit

According to the editors at Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, "This dessert is more interesting when prepared with a variety of stone fruits, but if you can't find one particular type, substitute more of another. You could also use apricots in place of any of the other three fruits." Instead, I used four peaches.

I served this as a side dish alongside homemade turkey burgers (which were stuffed with red onion and grated Gruyere) and baked beans.

ROASTED FRUIT

serves 4

2 peaches
2 plums
2 nectarines
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 to 3 tbs sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit)
2 tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tbs fresh lime juice
Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. With a fork, prick the skins of the peaches, plums, and nectarines. Halve each fruit, and remove the pits. Halve the fruit again.

In a roasting pan, toss the fruit with the rosemary, sugar, butter, and lime juice. Roast, tossing occasionally, until the fruit is fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve warm over vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, if desired, and drizzle the pan juices over the top.

Peach Bread Pudding

Today, I made Peach Bread Pudding, a recipe from my Moosewood dessert book. I chopped up 6 peaches and used 1 tbs of Appleton Estate rum, which my sister brought back from Jamaica last year. For the bread cubes, I used 2 slices of Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Raisin bread and half of a loaf of homemade cinnamon raisin bread.

The Moosewood Collective recommends serving this with raspberry sauce, rum custard sauce, and/or a dollop of whipped cream. It would also be delightful with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!PEACH BREAD PUDDING

serves 8 to 10

5 c French, Italian or cinnamon raisin bread or challah, cut into small cubes
4 c milk
4 large eggs
1 tbs pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 c packed brown sugar
3 c chopped, peeled fresh or frozen peaches
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbs rum (optional)
2 tbs butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, and 1 c of the brown sugar. Pour over the bread cubes, stir lightly, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, toss the peaches with the remaining 1/4 c of brown sugar and the cinnamon, nutmeg, and rum, if desired. Stir into the bread mixture. Melt the butter right in a 9x13" baking pan in the oven and when the butter has melted, tilt the pan to coat.

Pour the bread and peach mixture evenly into the buttered baking pan and bake until puffed and golden, about 50 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Fruit with Cardamom Yogurt

I've been making recipes from my Moosewood dessert book quite a lot as of late, and this is an unusual spin on fruit-and-yogurt. The cardamom is an unexpected flavor profile. You could serve it as dessert, a side dish, a snack, or breakfast.

According to the editors, "We suggest cubed melon and seedless grapes, but this sauce is also delightful with blackberries, peaches, pears, or bananas. For an interesting change in texture, try adding chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans, or shredded coconut."

FRUIT WITH CARDAMOM YOGURT

serves 4 to 6

1 c yogurt (I used lowfat plain yogurt)
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs frozen orange juice concentrate (I used regular orange juice)
1/2 tsp freshly grated lime peel (I used orange peel)
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
dash of salt
2 c cubed cantaloupe or honeydew melon (I omitted this)
2 c green or red seedless grapes (I used 4 c red seedless grapes)

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, orange juice concentrate, lime peel, cardamom, and salt. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Combine the melon and grapes in a bowl. Pour the yogurt mixture over the fruit and toss gently. Serve chilled.

Baked Apples

As it transitions into fall, I begin to crave doughnuts, pumpkin and pecan pies, and apples in all forms. There are many variations on a baked apple recipe; this one comes courtesy of Mireille Guiliano's "French Women Don't Get Fat."

BAKED APPLES

serves 4

1/3 c chopped walnuts (I substituted homemade maple-glazed walnuts)
4 apples (Cortland, Golden Delicious, or Rome Beauty are recommended)
4 tsp butter
4 tsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs water

Place the walnuts on a baking sheets and toast them in a 250 degree oven for about 5 minutes, until they are fragrant. Set aside.

Wash and core the apples. Place them in a baking dish. Combine the butter, sugar-cinnamon mixture, and toasted walnuts.

Fill the cavity of each apple with the mixture, dividing it evenly among the 4 apples. Pour the water into the bottom of the baking dish.

Bake the apples at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm. You can make the dessert more festive by pouring 1 tsp of heavy cream over each apple just before serving, garnishing with a sprig of mint for color, or placing an edible flower on the side.

White Nectarines and Pate Brisee Stars

When I made my Fourth of July Blueberry Pie (see separate entry), I had several leftover stars cut from the pie crust. Rather than let them go to waste, I used them in a quick summer dessert of my own creation.

In a shallow ovenproof container, I formed concentric rings of white nectarine slices. I sprinkled a bit of sugar on top of them. Then, I overlapped the pate brisee stars atop the fruit. With a pastry brush, I dabbed a mixture of 1 tbs heavy cream and 1 large egg yolk all over the dish. I baked it at 350 degrees until the nectarines became soft and tender and the stars turned a flaky golden brown.This recipe enabled me to use up both ripe fruit and leftover pastry scraps!

Dark Chocolate Pudding with Bananas

This lightning-fast recipe comes courtesy of the "Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts." It's a great way to use up ripe bananas, and you can probably make it with ingredients that you already have in your pantry. I didn't go through the trouble of caramelizing the bananas, but they would add a decadent touch to a dark, dark chocolate dessert. I plan to make this a second time this week, albeit in my sister's New York galley kitchen!

DARK CHOCOLATE PUDDING WITH BANANAS

serves 4

For the banana layer:

2 ripe bananas
1 tbs butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbs sugar

For the pudding:

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c sugar
3 tbs cornstarch
dash of salt
2 c milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Peel the bananas and slice them lengthwise into halves. In a heavy skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Cook the bananas for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden and just beginning to brown. Transfer the bananas to a bowl and lightly mash them. Stir together the cinnamon and sugar, sprinkle over the bananas, and set aside.

In the saucepan, combine the cocoa, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. On medium heat, gradually add the milk, stirring briskly until the cocoa has dissolved. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, until the pudding is boiling, thickened, and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

To assemble individual servings, pour about 1/4 c of the pudding into the bottom of each of the dessert cups, spoon in 1/4 of the mashed bananas and cover evenly with the remaining pudding. To present the dessert in a serving bowl, layer half of the pudding in the bottom of the bowl, evenly spread on all of the bananas, and top with the rest of the pudding. Serve chilled.

VARIATIONS:

For plain chocolate pudding, make this recipe without the cooked banana layer.

For a quick variation, layer the pudding with sliced raw bananas (sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, if you like).

Fourth of July Blueberry Pie

Although the people over at Martha Stewart deemed this a Fourth of July Blueberry Pie, I made it for Labor Day and it was a wild success. My grandmother--who turns 80 this weekend--wolfed down her entire slice in a few minutes flat. The decorative pie crust process is a bit tedious, but it's totally worth it for the showstopping results.FOURTH OF JULY BLUEBERRY PIE

all-purpose flour, for dusting
Pate Brisee (see recipe below)
8 cups (about 4 pints) fresh blueberries, picked over
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c cornstarch
1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tbs heavy cream

On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out one disk of dough to a 12" round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour; fit dough into a 9" glass pie plate, pressing it into the edges. Trim dough to a 1/2" overhand all around. Fold edge of dough over or under, and crimp as desired. Roll out remaining dough in the same manner; transfer dough (on parchment) to a baking sheet. Chill pie shell and dough until firm, about 30 minutes.

Place blueberries in a large bowl; with your hands, crush about 1/2 of the berries, letting them fall into the bowl as you work. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice; stir to combine. Spoon mixture into chilled pie shell, mounding berries slightly in the center. Dot with butter. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a 2 1/2" star cookie cutter, cut out about 25 stars; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream. Lightly brush rim of chilled pie shell with egg wash. Arrange the reserved stars in a circular pattern on top of the fruit (with the tips touching), gently pressing over the berries, until covered. Brush the entire surface of rim and stars with egg wash, being careful not to let it pool. Freeze or refrigerate pie until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with the rack in the lower third.

Place pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking, rotating sheet halfway through, until the crust is deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling and have thickened, 40 to 50 minutes more. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely. The pie is best eaten the day it is baked, but it can be kept at room temperature, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.


PATE BRISEE

makes enough for one double-crust or two single-crust 9" pies

For the flakiest crust, make sure all ingredients (including the flour) are cold before you begin.

2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/4 c ice water, plus more if needed

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender.)

With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of the dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tbs at a time.

Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Boston Organics

I'll soon be moving out of the area, but there are many things I'll miss about Boston. Case in point: the amazing Boston Organics independent organic produce delivery service that I used. For two years, I had 100% USDA certifed organic local and fair trade fruits and veggies dropped off at my doorstep every week.

The friendly Boston Organic staff assemble the weekly boxes for you and select the freshest produce available. Although you can't control everything that goes into your box, you can log in online and check off which items you prefer to receive. Each week, you can opt to add on seasonal items, like soy nut butters, pickles, eggs, chocolate, onions, jams, and breads. I usually added a preservative-free Nashoba Brook Whole Wheat Half Deli loaf to my order:Boston Organics provides both a weekly e-mail newsletter and a paper copy to its customers. It is full of reader-submitted recipes and information about the origins of the produce. The writers also provide helpful tips on how to best store and prepare your goods:I had a $29 box--half vegetable, half fruit--delivered every other week. In the summer, I increased delivery to a weekly basis. The boxes are $29, $39, and $57, respectively. You can decide whether you'd prefer to receive all fruit, all veggies, or a fixed ratio of both. Recently, they created a $45 "office box" and a $57 "family box" for individuals with specific needs. This is a delivery I received a few weeks ago:To give you an idea, this is the approximate content of this week's $29 1/2 fruit 1/2 vegetable box:

1.5 lbs Bananas
1 Grapefruit
0.5 lbs Kiwis
2 Nectarines
3 Paula Red Apples (locally grown)
2 Valencia Oranges
2 Yellow Peaches
1 Avocado
1 Cucumbers (locally grown)
1 Green Bell Pepper (from PA)
1 bunch Red Kale (locally grown)
1 head Romaine/Leaf Lettuce (locally grown)
0.75 lbs yellow/green Summer Squash (locally grown)
2 ears of Supersweet Corn (locally grown)

Having a constant supply of fresh produce helped me to stay healthy and nutritionally-balanced during college. Boston Organics does not charge a delivery, start-up, or cancellation fee, so it truly is a risk-free venture. It has prompt and excellent customer service, and I would highly recommend it to anyone living in the greater Boston area!

Summer Fruit Crostata

Lately, my mom has taken to making variations on this crostata several times per month. It's a simple recipe, and it's a great way to use up leftover ripe fruit. You can substitute whatever fruit you prefer; I made a crostata with black plums, pluots, and peaches. This recipe comes from Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa At Home."

One of crostata's many charms is its rustic appearance. My mom prefers to pinch the pastry edges, tart-style, while I prefer to roughly overlap the pastry dough to help seal in the bubbling fruit juices. Just as with the filling, feel free to experiment with the presentation. This is delicious served hot with vanilla ice cream.

SUMMER FRUIT CROSTATA

For the pastry (makes 2 crostatas):

2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c granulated or superfine sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 lb (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
6 tbs (3 oz) ice water

For the filling (makes 1 crostata):

1 lb firm, ripe peaches, peeled
1/2 lb firm, ripe black plums, unpeeled
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
1 tbs plus 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tbs plus 1/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 tsp grated orange zest
2 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 tbs (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the buter and toss quickly (and carefully!) with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll it into a ball, cut in half, and form into 2 flat disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour. If you only need one dough, freeze the second disk.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the pastry into an 11" circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to the sheet pan.

For the filling, cut the peaches and plums in wedges and place them in a bowl with the blueberries. Toss them with 1 tbs of the flour, 1 tbs of the sugar, the orange zest, and the orange juice. Place the mixed fruit on the dough circle, leavin a 1 1/2" border.

Combine the 1/4 c flour, the 1/4 c sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts to hold together. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Gently fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge.

Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Let the crostata cool for 5 minutes then use 2 large spatulas to transfer it to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Dried Cranberry Scones with Crystallized Sugar Crust

For the past few months, I've been subletting an apartment, and I tend to rifle through the cookbooks that have been left behind in the kitchen. It's not as creepy as it sounds: I'm friends with the people from whom I'm subletting!

In particular, I like to peruse a glossy tome entitled, "Once Upon a Tart...Soups, Salads, Muffins and More from New York City's Favorite Bakeshop and Cafe." Once Upon a Tart is a charming neighborhood haunt in SoHo, located on the corner of Prince and Sullivan Streets.Of this scone recipe, Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau, the authors and cafe owners, note, "We sprinkle it with coarse sugar, to give it texture and sparkle and a little extra sweetness to contrast with the tart cranberries. You can substitute dried sour cherries or candied lemon or orange rind for the cranberries in this recipe." See their candied ginger variation at the end of the recipe.DRIED CRANBERRY SCONES WITH CRYSTALLIZED SUGAR CRUST

makes 8 scones

3 c unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more to flour your hands to roll out the scones
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
20 tbs (2 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 large eggs
1/2 c cold buttermilk
3/4 c dried cranberries
1 large egg whisked with 1 tbs cream or milk (for an egg wash)
1 tbs or more granulated or raw sugar for sprinkling

Position your oven racks so that one is in the center, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Dump the dry ingredients into the bowl of the food processor fitted with a metal blade, and pulse to mix. Add the butter to the bowl all at once, and run the food processor for 15 seconds. Switch to pulse, and continue pulsing until there are no chunks of butter left and the butter and flour are integrated into moist crumbs. Be careful not to mix the butter and flour until they form a dough or paste. Remove the blade from the food processor, and dump the crumbs into a big bowl.

In a separate, small bowl, whisk the eggs to break up the yolks. Whisk in the buttermilk, and use the whisk to stir in the cranberries.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with flour-butter crumbs. Stir the dough with a wooden spoon until it just comes together and there is no trace of flour visible. You don't want to work the dough a moment longer than necessary.

With a little bit of flour on your hands, scoop out a small handful--about 1/2 c--of dough with your hand or a big spoon, and roll the dough until it forms a ball. Drop the dough onto your baking sheet, and press it into a 1 to 1 1/2" thick dish with the heel of your one hand. Leave 2" spaces between the pressed disks.

Use a pastry brush or a scrunched-up paper towel to coat each scone with the egg wash. Sprinkle each scone with a thin layer of sugar.

Place the baking sheet on the center rack in the oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops of the scones are golden brown and a small knife or toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and place it on a wire rack to allow the scones to cool for a few minutes. Lift the baking sheet off the rack, and use a metal spatula to transfer the scones from the baking sheet to the rack, or directly to the dish from which you'll be serving the scones. Serve fresh out of the oven or at room temperature.

VARIATION:
CANDIED GINGER SCONES

Add 1 tsp ground ginger to your dry ingredients, and substitute a cup of candied ginger, chopped, for the dried currents. We love this with a cup of hot chai tea.

Fresh Fig Gelato with Orange and Cinnamon

Recently, I attended a promotional event at the independent Harvard Book Store for Sally Sampson's "Ice Cream: 52 Easy Recipes for Year-Round Frozen Treats." Sampson's cookbook offers up recipes for every week of the year. Although she features the usual suspects--chocolate, vanilla, and whatnot--her text is predominantly full of off-the-beaten-path flavors. For example: Fresh Peach and Marcona Almond Gelato, Basil Gelato, Balsamic and Black Pepper Gelato, Saffron Ice Cream, and Rhubarberry Ice Cream with Crisp Topping.

Gus Rancatore, the founder of Toscanini's and a collaborator on the book, was on hand to distribute free samples of several of his flavors. Toscanini's is a premium ice cream company based out of the Boston area. I sampled the Belgian Chocolate flavor!

Sadly, I don't own an ice cream machine, so I'm unable to test out any of the recipes. However, this is probably for the best: if I had the ability to churn out ice cream at a moment's whim, I'd weigh an additional 15 pounds. The following is an unusual recipe from Sampson's book:

FRESH FIG GELATO WITH ORANGE AND CINNAMON

makes 1 1/2 to 2 pints

1 lb fresh figs, chopped
1/4 c fresh orange juice
1 tbs plus 1/2 c light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 c whole milk
1 c heavy cream
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch kosher salt

Place figs, orange juice, 1 tbs brown sugar and cinnamon in a small pan and cook over low heat until the figs have softened, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness of the skin. Mash until the mixture is almost pureed but still has some texture. Set aside until it reaches room temperature. Cover and refrigerate.

In the meantime, place milk, cream and 1/4 c of the brown sugar in a small pan and cook over low heat, whisking from time to time, until it is warm, about 175 degrees.

Place egg yolks, 1/4 c of the brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a small metal bowl and whisk until completely mixed. Add 1/4 of the warm milk mixture to the eggs, whisking all the while. Continue adding milk to the eggs, 1/4 cup at a time, until you have added about 1 1/2 c.

Slowly, whisking all the while, return the now milk-and-egg mixture to the remaining milk mixture in the pan and continue cooking until it just begins to thicken or reaches about 185 degrees. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Pour through a medium fine strainer into a metal bowl, discard the solids and set aside until it reaches room temperature.

Add the cooled fig mixture. Cover and refrigerate until it reaches 40 degrees, about 3 hours. Transfer to an ice cream maker and proceed according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Blueberry Muffins

I made these muffins a few weeks ago, and they were a big hit among my housemates. According to "Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook," tossing the blueberries with some of the flour mixture helps keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins as they bake. You can also opt to add 1/4 tsp of nutmeg if you are so inclined.

I'm not lactose-intolerant, but, lately, I've been experimenting with soy milk for its health benefits. For this recipe, I substituted 1/2 c of Silk brand vanilla soy milk for regular milk. It made the muffins extra dense and delicious!

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

makes one dozen

1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 c fresh blueberries
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c milk (I used Silk brand vanilla soy milk)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Working over the bowl, toss the blueberries in a fine sieve with about 1 1/2 tsp of the flour mixture to lightly coat; set aside the flour mixture and blueberries.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Mix in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, add the reserved flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add milk, beating until just combined; do not overmix. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.

Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the muffins are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn the muffins on their sides in their cups, and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cooked Pears with Cinnamon

I'm not one for diets, fasting, or extreme low-carb/low-fat/no-fun meals. That being said, Mireille Guiliano's "French Women Don't Get Fat" is surprisingly full of healthy and tasty recipes. The author recommends cooked pears with cinnamon as a guilt-free substitute for a buttery pear pastry. However, if you add a dollop of mascarpone and two chocolate biscotti to it, as I did, it is no longer healthy. With or without the accoutrements, though, this recipe is idiot-proof and comforting.

COOKED PEARS WITH CINNAMON

serves 4

4 Bosc pears
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs sugar mixed with ¼ tsp cinnamon
2 tbs water or pear brandy or Muscat Beaumes de VenisePeel, quarter, and thinly slice each pear, placing the slices at the bottom of a 6" saucepan. Sprinkle lemon juice and sugar-cinnamon over the slices. Add the water and then end with the remaining lemon juice and sugar-cinnamon.Cook over medium heat till boiling, and then cover and continue over a low flame until the pears are tender but not soft.Serve the pears lukewarm. You can refrigerate the other servings and serve them at room temp later with biscotti or a tsp of mascarpone cheese. I served mine with chocolate anise biscotti (see recipe below)!