Wednesday Recipes

Enjoy!

CRUNCHY BERRY ALMOND CRUMBLE

This comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “The paradox of a fruit crisp is that it's usually not crisp, nor is a fruit crumble necessarily crumbly. Here, however, the crumbs are as crisp as cookies, offering a textural contrast to the puddinglike berries. This delicious treat is at once crispy, crumbly and profoundly fruity.” Yield: 8 to 10 servings; Time: 1 hour 15 minutes.

This was originally featured in ”A Good Appetite; A Crisp, Made Truly Crisp” and can also be viewed online by clicking here.

Ingredients

For the Filling:

8 cups mixed berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries (halved or quartered) and blackberries

2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending upon sweetness of berries

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca (optional)

For the Crumble Topping:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup sliced almonds, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup/8 tablespoons melted butter (1 stick)

Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare filling, toss berries with sugar, lemon zest and tapioca (if using). Set aside.

To make topping, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, almonds, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt. Stir in butter. Coarse crumbs will form.

Pour filling into a 2-quart gratin dish or 10-inch round cake pan (do not grease first). Using your fingers, form topping mixture into 3/4-inch to 1-inch crumbs and spread over cake.

Bake until filling bubbles and topping is light golden, about 55 minutes. Let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream if you like. Crisp can be made up to 8 hours ahead and kept at room temperature, or warmed up briefly in a 350 degree oven.

CHRISTINA TOSI’S CROCKPOT CAKE

This comes from Sam Sifton, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Christina Tosi, the pastry chef and an owner of Momofuku Milk Bar, sits near the beating heart of David Chang’s eclectic and innovative Momofuku restaurant empire. Off the clock, though, her cooking runs to inspired simplicity, as in this simple, tangy, slightly-caramelized at the edges slow-cooker cake, a version of which appears in her cookbook from Clarkson Potter, “Milk Bar Life.” Slow-cooker recipes invariably tell you to make something at night and enjoy them in the morning, or to make them in the morning and eat them after work. That only works if you don’t sleep much, or have a part-time job. This is a recipe for a weekend afternoon, or for cooking from the moment you get home until the very near end of a dinner party. It is a four-to-six hour affair.” Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: about 5 hours.

This was featured in “The Slow Cooker, Redeemed” and can be viewed online by clicking here.

Ingredients

1/2 pound unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed

1 1/2 cups/180 grams cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

Put all but 1 tablespoon of the butter and the sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream with the paddle attachment at medium-high speed, until the mixture is smooth and pale, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the eggs and vanilla, then continue to mix for another 3 minutes, until fluffy. Add the buttermilk and oil and mix briefly to combine.

Set the mixer to a very low speed and add the cake flour, baking powder and salt, mixing for a minute or so and scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until the batter has just come together, with no lumps.

Use the remaining tablespoon of butter to grease the interior of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, then pour the batter into the pot. Cover and cook on low for somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 to 6 hours, until the cake has set and is cooked through at the center. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the slow cooker to loosen the cake and then carefully invert onto a platter, or simply spoon the cake out of the slow cooker.

ASPARAGUS CHEF SALAD

Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/227.shtml

Source: Cooking Healthy and Fast

Yield: 4-1/2 (1 cup) servings

Ingredients

2-1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2 oz. part-skim julienne Swiss cheese

2 oz. lean julienne ham

1 Tbsp.finely chopped onion

1 orange, peeled and cubed

Dressing:

1 pkg. lemon and herb salad dressing mix

2 Tbsp. water

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

Chop asparagus into bite-sized pieces and place in a microwavve-proof casserole dish. Add 2 Tbsp. water, cover, and Microwave for 2 minutes. Drain. Measure remaining ingredients into a salad bowl. Add asparagus when completely cool.

Prepare dressing in a shaker container and add approximately 1/3 of it to the salad. Save remaining dressing for greens and fresh vegetables.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 151; Fat: 5 g; Sodium: 347 mg; Cholesterol: 25 mg; Exchanges: 2 Vegetable; 1 Lean Meat; 1 Fat

HONEY PISTACHIO ICE CREAM

This comes from Anita Schecter, About.com’s Middle Eastern Food expert. Anita wrote, “As much as I love all desserts, nothing quite makes me swoon as much as the combination of sweet and salty. It's why chocolate covered salty pretzels and I are old friends and caramel sauce only interests me if it's got a good hit of sea salt. Candied or chocolate covered nuts are good but way more awesome if the nuts are salted.

“And so, as fond as I am of pistachios, pistachio ice cream and, basically all things pistachio, store bought pistachio ice cream is usually too sweet and one note for me. I'm missing the balance of the salt.

“Fortunately, I can easily remedy this situation by making my own and by using roasted and salted pistachios. You can make this with sugar only and omit the honey, if you like, but honey vanilla is another favorite flavor of mine so I decided to combine the two.

“When it comes to homemade ice cream, you can use a cooked custard base, which contains eggs. Or you can go for a straight dairy only option which doesn't require cooking. Because I wanted little bits and pieces of pistachios in my finished ice cream, I went with a no-cook method. If I wanted to strain them out, I would have cooked them with the base mix.

“I should also note that the color of pistachios, while definitely green, is nowhere near the deep green shade you find in store bought pistachio or even mint ice cream. You can certainly add some green food color to your ice cream if you really want that bright green shade. But I prefer to keep it all natural so my ice cream is still mostly beige but with green flecks from the bits of pistachios.

“This recipe is easy and simple and results in the perfect hit of sweet, salty and creamy. A perfect treat for a hot summer day. Enjoy!”

Prep Time: 12 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes; Freeze: 240 minutes; Total Time: 292 minutes; Yield: 8 (1/2 Cup) Servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 Cup whole milk

2 Cups heavy cream

1/2 Cup honey

1/4 Cup sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla (vanilla paste is best, if you have it)

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup shelled roasted and salted pistachios

Preparation

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, honey, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse a few times until the nuts are very broken down but not powder or paste. Add to the bowl.

Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions for use. Churn for 40 minutes and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

30-MINUTE PIZZA PASTA SKILLET

This comes from the Tablespoon e-newsletter, and begins, “Ready, set, go! Pizza flavors wrap up a skillet meal in just 30 minutes!” Prep Time: 30 min; Total Time: 30 min; Makes 4 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. lean ground beef

2 oz. (1/2 cup) sliced pepperoni, chopped

1 (14-oz.) jar spaghetti sauce (2 cups)

3/4 cup water

7 oz. (2 cups) uncooked ready-cut spaghetti

1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized strips

4 oz. (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked. Add pepperoni; cook 1 minute. Drain.

Stir in spaghetti sauce, water and uncooked spaghetti. Bring to a boil; stir. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until spaghetti is of desired doneness, stirring occasionally.

Add olives; stir gently to mix. Arrange pepper strips over top. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

APPLE PIE A LA ZING

I'm not sure what emailing list this came from, though the email says that the source is Fabulous Food Associations; it also ends with “Ocean Spray Cranberries,” so I'd be willing to bet it came from either/or (or both?). Either way, it starts off by saying, “Cranberries and apples make a festive, flavorful pie.” While you may have to wait another month or two to buy fresh cranberries where you live, once they do arrive, you can do what I do: buy a bag or two every time I go shopping, then stash them in the freezer. That way, I have cranberries all year long! Serves 8; prep time: 10 minutes; cooking time: 50 minutes.

Ingredients

4 cups pared, sliced apples

2 cups fresh or frozen Ocean Spray cranberries

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1 (9-inch) two-crust pie shell

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except pastry, in a medium mixing bowl; mix well. Pour into a pastry-lined pie plate. Cover with top crust. Seal edges and cut several slits in top crust. Bake 50 minutes or until golden brown. Cover edges with foil if they begin to brown too quickly.