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.

Homemade Fridge Magnets

I took it upon myself to spruce up my parents' refrigerator. I rotated out old photos and replaced their mishmash of magnets with homemade magnets. At Michaels, I picked up some heavy-duty square magnets and business card magnets, both of which were already treated with adhesive.

With Martha Stewart brand "Pegboard" crafting paper, I cut out and applied decorative paper to each of the magnets.I left some of the magnets plain and also created strawberry magnets. Using 3D Martha Stewart patches (also adhesive-backed) intended for scrapbooking, I put together the following:

Frozen Cookie Dough

My sister lives in New York and rarely cooks, so I like to stock her fridge and pantry when I visit her apartment. This weekend, I'll be dropping off logs of frozen cookie dough. She can defrost, slice, and bake individual cookies whenever she wants!

After making a batch of cookie dough, divide it in half. Roll each half into a log and wrap it with plastic. Then, roll the plastic-wrapped log in a long sheet of parchment paper. Tightly twist the ends of the parchment paper. Using a permanent marker, I labeled the individual logs with the name of the dough and the baking directions. Here is a log of Chocolate Chunk Cookies:...and a log of Icebox Butter Cookies:You can store the cookie dough in your freezer for up to three weeks:

Almond Cake

My grandmother made a large Chinese dinner for 6 people, so I had to come up with a dessert that would balance the strong spices and flavors of her cuisine. I opted for a simple almond cake served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You could also present this meal-textured cake with whipped cream and pear slices.

Giada De Laurentiis based this recipe on an almond cake from Il Fornaio bakery in Los Angeles. According to her, "It's very important to cream the butter and almond paste until it becomes thoroughly smooth."

If you're not familiar with it, almond paste is packaged in a tube and can be found in the baking section of most grocery and specialty food stores. It is usually located next to the marzipan. Tightly packaged, almond paste will keep in the refrigerator for two days or in the freezer for up to three weeks.

ALMOND CAKE

makes one 8" round cake

1/2 c fine yellow cornmeal
1/2 c cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1/4 c almond paste, cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 c confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1/4 c sour cream

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8" round cake pan.

In a medium bow, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour, and baking powder. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and almond paste on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the vanilla extract. Gradually add 1 1/4 c of confectioners' sugar, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to high and beat in the egg yolks and whole eggs, one at a time. Reduce the speed to medium and add the sour cream and dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool. Remove the cake from the pan and dust with more confectioners' sugar. (The cake can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight in a plastic container.) Cut the cake into wedges and serve.

Ribollita

Ribollita, an "Everyday Italian" recipe, is a spin on hearty vegetable soup. Although it's full of veggies, the olive oil and pancetta lend it a savory heartiness. You probably already have the ingredients for it in your pantry and freezer! I made many ingredient substitutions (as noted in parentheses), but this recipe is very flexible and you can fine tune it according to your palate. My father makes a similar tomato-based vegetable soup; his mother handed the recipe down to him.

I refrigerated the leftover soup and reheated it for lunch the next day. This would also keep well frozen for up to a month.RIBOLLITA

makes 6 to 8 servings

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling on bread
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped (I cut up baby carrots)
4 oz pancetta, chopped (I used a little less)
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbs tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 lb frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I used frozen petite peas)
1 (15 oz) can cannelloni beans, drained (I used frozen corn that had been sliced off the cob)
1 tbs herbs de Provence (I added thyme, marjoram, and basil to taste)
3 c chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 (3") piece Parmesan rind (I added a few tsp of grated Parmesan to taste)
4 to 6 ciabatta rolls, halved lengthwise or 1 loaf, sliced
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the spinach, beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Drizzle the ciabatta halves with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

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.

2 Variations on Banana Bread

This particular recipe comes from "The Martha Stewart Cookbook: Collected Recipes for Every Day."

I made two large loaves: one with 1/2 c of chopped pecans and the other with 1/2 c of semisweet chocolate chips. The photos depict what remains of the chocolate chip banana bread loaf!

BANANA BREAD

makes 1 large loaf or 4 small loaves

1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9"x5"x3" loaf pan or several smaller pans.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well.

Sift the dry ingredients together and combine with the butter mixture. Blend well. Add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir well. If using, stir in the nuts or chocolate chips and pour into the prepared pan.

Bake 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

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.

Sugar Cookies

I made about 5 dozen sugar cookies last Friday and individually decorated them with a confectioner's sugar-based icing and various sprinkling sugars. Sadly, we've eaten most of them by now, and I only snapped photos of a few paltry remnants. The following may not have been the prettiest of the batch, but they still taste quite good with a mug of homemade cocoa!

An elephant and two rhinos:
Two ice cream cones and a guitar:

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!