Salted Dark Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart

This is unbelievable. Seriously. Without a doubt one of the best things I have ever made. I was unsure of how it would turn out as I was kind of making it up as I went along, but ohmygoodness did I luck out here. The best part: it is super-easy. It does take some time — both the crust and the filling must cool completely at separate times, but the hardest thing about this recipe is having to wait for it to be done! This is not super sweet as there is no sugar added to the ganache and dark chocolate tends to be a little bitter. Personally I like a subtly sweet-salty dessert, but if you like something sweeter substitute milk chocolate for the dark.

Another bonus: this recipe can be vegan with no compromise on taste or texture — just substitute Earth Balance or other equally good butter substitute for the butter in the crust and soy for the dairy milk in the ganache. Also, make sure that you read the ingredients on your chocolate, but any high quality dark chocolate should not contain milk fat and should be vegan.

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

– 1 c. flour

– 1/3 c. powdered sugar

– 1/4 tsp. salt

– 1/4 c. finely chopped hazelnuts (or other nut if you prefer)

– 1/2 c. cold butter (substitute)

For the ganache filling:

– 10 oz. dark chocolate

– 3/4 c. (soy) milk

– 1 tsp. vanilla

– Sea salt to top (1-2 Tbsp. according to preference)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Sift together flour, powdered sugar and salt

3. Mix in chopped hazelnuts

4. Cut in butter

5. Work butter into dry ingredients — can be done in food processor or with hands — until a dough begins to form

6. Work dough into cohesive ball

7. Press dough into a spring-form pie or tart tin. You can also use a shallow pie pan, but edges of crust should not come up more than 3/4”

8. Place crust in freezer for 10 minutes

9. Bake crust at 350F for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown

10. Allow crust to cool completely

11. In a small saucepan warm (soy) milk over medium heat until it begins to simmer

12. Place chocolate into a large heat-proof bowl

13. Strain hot milk through sieve onto chocolate. Add vanilla. Whisk until all chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth and free of lumps

*If you have any trouble getting your chocolate to melt completely you can stick it in the microwave, but NEVER for more than 20 seconds at a time. One or two 20 second trips should be more than enough

14. Pour ganache into pie shell. Chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours.

15. Carefully remove tart from tin and transfer to serving plate. Top with sea salt according to preference and serve.

Garam Masala Coconut-Banana Bread

My wonderful friend Bronwyn was here visiting this week and we were inspired to make some vegan yumminess….Well, not too inspired I guess since we never got around to actually making anything. But I did go out and buy about 5 lbs. of bananas, and I did salivate over the fantastic recipe for vegan banana bread from the awesome folks over at Post Punk Kitchen. Then I was looking at the Joe Beef cookbook my husband got (yes, funny, I know — a vegetarian reading a cookbook with “beef” in the title) and came across a slobber-inducing recipe for Cardamom Banana Bread. I decided to play with both recipes, adding my own twist.

Garam Masala is a classic Indian spice mixture of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, star anise, and peppercorns. I know it might sound strange to put something with cumin and pepper in a sweet baked good, but the subtle savoriness adds something really unique and delicious to the flavor profile and is balanced nicely by the sweetness of the brown sugar and the coconut milk. Coconut and banana are natural partners, but you could certainly omit the shaved coconut and swap the milk for soy or almond if you’re not a fan. This recipe is vegan.

Garam Masala Coconut-Banana Bread

Ingredients:

– 4 very ripe bananas

– 1/2 c. butter or margarine

– 1 c. packed light brown sugar

– 1 tsp. vanilla extract

– 1/3 c. coconut milk, with 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar mixed in

– 2 c. flour

– 1 tsp. baking soda

– 1 tsp. salt

– 2 tsp. garam masala

– 1/2 c. shaved unsweetened coconut (I used a full cup here and I think it was too much — it made the bread super crumbly)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Peel bananas, place in a bowl and mash well. Set aside. *Do not mash until they liquefy or baking time will be altered

3. In a large bowl cream together butter (substitute) and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy

4. Add bananas, vanilla, and coconut milk to sugar. Mix well.

5. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to wet ingredients. Do not overmix.

6. Fold in shaved coconut.

7. Pour batter into a greased 9×5 bread tin. *You can make muffins if you prefer — just reduce baking time to 30 minutes

8. Bake at 350F for 75 minutes, or until a skewer or knife inserted into the center comes out clean

9. Allow to cool 10 minutes in tin, and then transfer to a rack or towel to finish cooling

10. Enjoy!

And about 30 seconds later….

Pomelo-Coconut Tart with Candied Citrus

I love citrus desserts. It all started when I was pregnant. I was watching episodes of Dexter back to back and, in case you don’t watch the show, in Season Three, there’s this whole subplot where Dexter is trying to find “the perfect key lime pie” for a family friend on her death bed. Five months pregnant, bored out of my mind, lonely, and constantly starving, watching those episodes of Dexter was all it took to ignite the most hardcore craving for key lime pie in the history of ever. But it didn’t stop, and the key lime pie craving turned into a an insatiable hunger for all things sweet and citrus. Lemon meringue, orange sticky buns, blood orange sorbet….all were consumed in disgusting quantities….

Anyway, in the midst of my citrus dessert frenzy I started toying around with ideas about how to expand the classic key lime pie recipe to other citrus fruits….and although my daughter is 17 months old, I am just now moving out of the realm of fantasy into actually making it happen. *Sigh* there’s been a lot going on…and I am incredibly lazy.

This recipe calls for pomelos — which are more or less really big, slightly sweet grapefruits — but you could certainly use regular grapefruit (or lemon, lime, blood orange, or any other relatively sour citrus) in place of them. The crust is essentially a coconut shortbread, and the filling a revision of the classic key lime pie. Candied citrus 100% optional.

Ingredients:

Candied Citrus (needs to be done 1-2 days ahead of serving):

– 20-25 very thin (I recommend using a mandolin) slices of citrus, any kind

– 1 1/2 c. sugar

Crust:

– 1/2 c. sweetened coconut flakes

– 3/4 c. flour

– 1/2 c. cold butter

– 1/3 c. powdered sugar

– 1/4 tsp. salt

Filling:

– 2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk

– 2 Tbsp. finely grated pomelo zest

– 1 cup freshly squeezed pomelo juice

– 4 large egg yolks

 

 

Directions:

1. Place sliced citrus in a large casserole dish. Cover each piece well with sugar. Toss to coat.

2. Cover and place in refrigerator. Let sit 1-2 days, tossing occasionally.

3. Preheat oven to 350F

4. Spread coconut over a sheet pan and toast, stirring occasionally until golden — about 10 minutes. Let cool.

5. Combine flour, coconut, powdered sugar, and salt in a large bowl

6. Cut in cold butter. Mix until dough just begins to form. (This can most easily be done by pulsing in a food processor, but I did it by hand and got the same result….with a bit more time and effort)

7. Form dough into a ball

8. Press dough into a tart or pie pan

9. Freeze until firm — about 10 minutes

10. Bake at 350F until golden  — about 25 minutes — then set aside and allow to cool completely

11. Whisk together freshly squeezed pomelo juice, zest, and egg yolks

12. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk, whisking all the while

13. Pour filling into pie crust (you will have some left over — I poured it into a tiny dish and baked it separately)

14. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, until just set in the center

15. Let cool 30 minutes

16. Loosely cover and chill in refrigerator 8 hours or longer. Filling will set as it cools and bubbles in filling will disappear

17. Decorate with candied citrus. I also mixed together a little powdered sugar and water and coated the edge of my pie pan so that I could adhere toasted coconut for added decoration.

18. Serve chilled. Excellent with fresh sweet whipped cream…

Best Apple Pie

This apple pie recipe is about as classic, simple, and delicious as it gets. This recipe is super-easy but sure to impress — the perfect pie for Thanksgiving, or just any cozy autumn evening you want something comforting and special.

Ingredients:

– Pie dough (you can use store-bought crust here, but if you do, you must use two)

– 7-8 medium sized apples (about 3.5 pounds) — I used a mix of Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Braeburn, and Granny Smith

– 1/4 c. butter or butter substitute

– 2 Tbsp. flour

– 1/2 c. granulated sugar

– 1/2 c. brown sugar

– 2 tsp. cinnamon

– 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Prepare pie dough according to recipe. Put in refrigerator to chill at least 30 minutes

2. Preheat oven to 450F

3. Peel, core, and slice apples

4. Melt butter, then pour over apples and toss to coat

5. Combine flour, sugars, and spices

6. Sprinkle dry mixture over buttered apples and mix well

7. Separate pie dough into two equal parts. Roll out one half of dough to about 1mm thick and fit to pie pan

8. Put apple filling into pie. Don’t worry if it seems like there are a lot of apples — they should mound over the top of the crust/tin and will reduce when baked

9. Roll out second piece of dough

10. Carefully place dough on top of pie to cover. Roll top edges over the overhanging dough from the bottom piece and pinch into place

11. Use a sharp knife to cut several holes into the top crust so that steam can vent

12. Bake in oven at 450F for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325F and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until golden brown

13. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Can be baked ahead of time and reheated at 200F for 15 minutes before serving

14. Enjoy! We enjoyed ours so much I forgot to take pictures after we cut into it! 🙂

Peach Layer Cake

With bits of fruit mixed right into the cake batter, a layer of freshly made preserves, and nectar-sweetened cream cheese frosting, this cake is about as peachy as it gets! And yet, the flavor is not overwhelming — sweet and summery and bright — this Peach Layer Cake is sure to delight and impress.

My darling daughter, Harriet, turned one this week. Sigh. Despite all of my cynicism pre-motherhood, I am totally one of those moms who likes to take a million pictures of their child wearing ridiculous outfits…So needless to say, I had my heart set on getting one of those cliche pictures of baby covered in cake and frosting at her first birthday party. However, the thought of loading baby up with the metric ton of sugar found in most birthday cakes was cause for hesitation, even despite the insanely adorable mental image I’d been nurturing for weeks of Harriet’s sweet little face plastered in pink frosting. I decided to compromise: there would be cake, but it would at least have plenty of fruit in it. So, cake + frosting + fruit = healthy…right? Right!

Okay, so this may not be exactly healthy, but it is seasonal, it is delicious, and it does indeed have lots of fruit in it…for whatever that’s worth. This recipe is my own — created by combining about 5 diverse recipes (none of which was for peach cake) with a little guesswork and a lot of luck, but I will definitely be making it again soon — it was a big hit.

Ingredients:

– 5 c. fresh ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 7 medium peaches, plus one for decorating, if desired)

– 1 c. sugar

– 4 c. flour

–  2 tsp. baking powder

– 2 tsp. baking soda

– 1 tsp. salt

– 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

– 1 c. butter, room temperature

– 1 c. brown sugar

– 2 eggs

– 1 tsp. vanilla

– 2/3 c. milk

– 1/3 c. sour cream

– 2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, room temperature

– 1 c. powdered sugar

Directions: 

1. Prepare your peaches. Peaches should be ripe, but not overripe. Try to dice them into fairly small bits, but don’t worry yourself too much — the fruit will break down quite a bit throughout the cooking process

2. Put peaches into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and cook with 1/4c. water

3. Stir frequently and bring to a boil

4. Add 1/4 c. of the sugar, stir well, return to a boil. Remove from heat

5. Preheat oven to 350F

6. In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg

7. In a separate bowl (use an electric mixer if you have one) cream together the remaining 3/4 c. of sugar, the brown sugar, and the butter

8. Add eggs, one at a time, to the creamed butter/sugar

9. Add vanilla, milk, and sour cream to the liquids and mix well

10. Add your dry ingredients to the wet. Mix well

11. Fold in 1 1/2 c. of your cooked peaches

12. Grease and flour 4 cake/pie tins (You can do this in batches if you don’t have enough tins)

13. Distribute batter evenly amongst tins

14. Bake in oven at 350F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer or knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean

15. Allow cakes to cool for 20-30 minutes before (carefully!) removing them from tins.

Now, for the frosting…

16. Measure out 1 c. of your cooked peaches, trying to include as much of the juice from the pan as possible. Put peaches with juice into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth

17. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat both packages of cream cheese until smooth and creamy and free of lumps

18. Add powdered sugar, beat well

19. Add blended peach puree to frosting and mix well. (You can also add food coloring if you like — I added two drops of red plus three yellow to make a “peach” colored frosting)

20. Make sure that your cakes are completely cooled. Transfer the first one to a cake stand or serving platter

21. Using a sharp, serrated knife carefully create a flat work surface by shaving any rounded part of the cake, as shown below. You can also flip each cake upside-down — using the bottom of each cake as your flat surface as you work your way through the layers. I usually evaluate each as I go along

22. On the top of your first cake, heap about 1/4 of your frosting and spread just to the edges

23. Place your second cake directly onto of your first

24. Create your smooth surface, then spread the remainder of your cooked peaches (you should have about 3/4-1c. left) over the top of the second cake

25. Place your third cake directly on top of your second, create a smooth surface, and then cover with an additional 1/4 of the frosting

26. Place your final cake on top of the third

27. Cover top and sides of cake evenly with frosting

Don’t stress if your cake doesn’t look perfect — it takes lots of practice. As you can see, my frosting skills need a lot of work!

You can slice an additional peach if you’d like to decorate the top. Peach candies would also be a really cute way to decorate.

I think Harriet liked her cake….

This is one of those things that I actually think tastes even better the day after you make it — the preserves saturate the cake beneath it making it super moist and yummy….Enjoy!

Caramel Custard Bread Pudding

Its going to be difficult for me to describe just how delicious this is without using expletives…..Let’s just say that this is the kind of thing that you may want to eat in private because there will probably be sufficient eye-fluttering and moaning to cause some embarrassment in mixed company. It’s what would happen if creme brulee, caramel, and French toast had a menage a trois…Yeah, it’s that good…

I never liked sweets. Given the choice of a cheese plate or popcorn (or a cocktail) versus dessert, the savory option would win every time. And then I got pregnant. Aside from wanting to put cream cheese on everything, I also craved sugar. Hard core. There was a key lime pie phase, a lemon bar phase, a chocolate-raspberry truffle phase, a peanut brittle phase, and a cinnamon ice cream phase. Not that I was turning down any other sweets available amidst the cravings….I had assumed that once my daughter was born the cravings, and the sweet tooth, would go away. Incorrect. It seems that the sweet tooth that was neglected for so many years is here to stay, and wants to make up for lost time…

Now, despite my newfound love of all things dessert, I’ve never been a big fan of bread pudding; but, my sweet, wonderful sister recently brought me some amazing local eggs and raw milk from the farm she works on, and I wanted to put them to good use.

(Quick note: Sea Island Eggs are a much-coveted Charleston delicacy. Known locally as “Celeste Eggs” they are found on the menus of all of the best local restaurants. Why? Because they are delicious — nothing like the eggs you find in the grocery store. Next time you’re at your local farmer’s market, see if you can find a local egg purveyor. You’ll never be able to go back to supermarket eggs again, I promise.) I also just baked a loaf of bread yesterday, so putting the eggs, milk, and bread together for an easy dessert seemed like a no-brainer, but how to make it more appealing was another question entirely. I considered strawberries briefly — and then, out of nowhere, it hit me: caramel.

One of my favorite sweet things in the world is caramel. I LOVE caramel. Like, love it the way peanut butter loves jelly, like Ricky loves Lucy (bad analogy: my love for caramel is waaaay more affectionate), like a fat kid loves cake…or caramel for that matter… Eating caramel is an other-worldly experience, but for all of the complexity of its flavor it is astonishingly simple to make: milk (or cream), butter, brown sugar. That’s it — three simple ingredients. For this recipe the milk, butter, and sugar are all baked together with the bread, rather than separately making a caramel sauce, so it’s just about as easy as could possibly be.

Ingredients:

Yields 6-8 servings

– 2 2/3 c.  whole milk

– 1/4 c. butter

– 1 c. brown sugar, plus 2 Tbsp.

– 3 eggs

– 1 tsp. vanilla

– 1/4 tsp. salt

– 3 c. cubed (about 1”) day-old bread — use the rest of that baguette left over from last night’s dinner, or some crusty French bread, or use my easy recipe to bake your own, but don’t use pre-sliced sandwich bread — your results will be disappointing

– 1/4 tsp. vanilla

– 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Cut bread into cubes, removing crusts

2. Toast bread briefly under broiler, until crisp. I tossed mine in about a tablespoon of melted butter, but it’s not necessary

3. Set oven to 350F

4. Scald milk*

*Scalding milk is not a common practice anymore. It used to be crucial when baking, but now that our milk is pretty much all pasteurized there’s not the same concern about bacteria. However, when working with breads it is a good idea to scald your milk to keep the bread fluffy. To scald milk:

– Heat milk over medium-low heat

– Stir frequently

– Cook until just beginning to bubble and steam, but DO NOT boil

– Remove from heat

5. Add butter to scalded milk and let cool

6. Add two eggs, plus one egg yolk to one cup of the brown sugar. Mix well.

7. Place bread cubes in a greased bread tin or a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish

8. Add cooled milk to egg/sugar mixture. Add vanilla and salt. Mix well.

9. Pour liquid mixture over bread cubes

10. Sprinkle cinnamon and remaining 2 Tbsp. brown sugar over top of bread

11. Set casserole/bread tin in a pan containing about 2” of water

12. Bake in oven at 350F for 50 minutes or until a skewer or knife inserted into the center comes out clean

* Be very careful removing the pan from the oven! That water is HOT — strain it carefully into the sink before attempting to remove your casserole or bread tin from the pan.

Serve warm or cold.

I was kicking myself for not having any vanilla ice cream or whipped cream in the house — that would have been unbelievable. I topped it instead with a little bit of powdered sugar and a splash of raw milk. So good I had two pieces and had to stop myself from eating more…

It also occurred to me that adding chopped apple, pear, or banana into this would be absolutely insane. In a good way. Or chunks of dark chocolate?!? Craziness! It might be too much to handle…

Adapted from Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook, 1959

Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Cookies

My brother’s birthday is on Monday. Unfortunately (for me, anyway) he is spending the summer working on Nantucket. So, since I will not be able to celebrate the anniversary of his arrival into this world in-person, I’ve opted instead to send him a care package. Along with road atlases of the American Southwest, Chile, and Mexico, a Moleskin journal, and break-away piece of amazing dark chocolate, I am also sending homemade peanut butter cookies; his favorite. I’m a big fan of the sweet/salty flavor combo, so I decided to add some crushed salted peanuts to my usual recipe. These were delicious! I think next time I’ll try making these using cashew butter and salted cashews….and maybe sprinkling a little sea salt over the top before baking too…

Ingredients:

Makes 2 dozen large cookies

– 2 1/2 c. flour

– 1/2 tsp. baking soda

– 1 tsp. baking powder

– 1 c. butter or butter substitute

– 1 c. sugar

– 1 c. brown sugar

– 2 eggs, beaten (or 1/2 c. applesauce if making vegan)

– 1 c. peanut butter

– 2 tsp. vanilla

– 3/4 c. crushed, salted peanuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F

2. Measure flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl

3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter (substitute) and both sugars. Beat until well blended, but not fluffy

4. Add eggs (or applesauce), peanut butter*, and vanilla to creamed sugars

* Tip: To prevent peanut butter from sticking to your measuring cup, spray cup first with a little cooking spray — it minimizes mess and frustration!

5. Add peanut butter mixture to your flour and incorporate fully

6. Add crushed peanuts to dough. I just put my peanuts into a large ziploc bag and used a pestle to crush them…

7. Mix well

8. Using your hands and/or a spoon, roll pieces of the dough to form smooth balls. I made these cookies rather on the large side, but the size you make them is totally up to you

9. Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet, with at least 2” between each

10. If desired, press tops of cookies with the tines of a fork to get that old-fashioned PB cookie look

11. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden

12. Let cool on cookie sheet about 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack or paper towels to finish cooling. I find I get the best results when I bake 1 tray at a time…

And, of course, I had to do a taste test before sending these. Delicious!

Decadent Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (with vegan options)

When I asked my stepson, Mason, what dessert he would like for me to make he took the question very seriously. After much conflicted deliberation and mind-changing he decided upon Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. (It was between that and Coconut Cream Pie…so maybe that’s next.) I don’t think I had ever even tasted a real Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (outside of a shot glass, I mean), let alone made one, but after eating a piece of this (okay, more like six pieces…) I am certain I will be making this again. Soon.

Are there things that I would do differently? There are: I would probably make the whole thing from start to finish in a 10” cast iron skillet, so that the pineapple had a chance to caramelize a bit more and have a little more texture; I’d use brown sugar in the pineapple/cornstarch mixture to get a richer, deeper, more caramel-like flavor; I would use pineapple rings in the decorative first layer with the maraschinos to get that classic Pineapple Upside-Down Cake look. But regardless of the type of pan it was made in, what kind of sugar I used, or how pretty it was, there is no doubt that this was one darn delicious cake. Not only did my husband say that it was one of his favorite things I have ever made, but nary a crumb was left of it 24-hours later! With only three people in the house… I think it’s safe to say we liked this cake…and that a few pounds were gained between the three of us….

Ingredients:

– 1 c. sugar (or 1/3 c. brown sugar, 2/3 c. white)

– 3 Tbsp. cornstarch

– 20 oz. crushed pineapple

– 2 Tbsp. melted butter or Earth Balance/butter substitute

– 1/2 c. maraschino cherries

– 1 2/3 c. flour

– 1/2 tsp. salt

– 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder

– 1/3 c. vegetable shortening

– 2 eggs, beaten (or 1/2 c. applesauce for vegan version)

– 1/2 tsp. vanilla

– 1/2 c. milk (or almond milk for vegan)

Directions:

1. Mix 1/3 c. of sugar with the cornstarch. Add juice drained from the pineapple  (about 3/4 – 1 c.)

2. Cook in a saucepan, stirring constantly until sauce boils and becomes glossy and clear:

3. Add drained pineapple and melted butter/butter substitute. Mix well and remove from heat

4. Drain cherries and arrange in whichever pan you’d like to use. I used a 9” spring-form cake tin, but you could use a large skillet or a regular cake pan, even a casserole dish or bundt tin would work

5. Cover cherries with pineapple mixture

6. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder

7. Cream the shortening with the remaining 2/3 c. sugar and the eggs (or applesauce). Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla.

8. Add the flour mixture and the (almond) milk alternately to the creamed shortening, ending with the flour. Mix well.

9. Pour batter over pineapple, smooth evenly to cover

10. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 35-40 minutes. The center of your cake should be golden and barely springy when gently pressed with fingertips

11. Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes

12. Turn onto a serving plate and let cool another 10-15 minutes. This part is important — the still hot pineapple juice will seep down into your cake, making it super moist and, well, pineapple-y….This part of the cooling process also allows your pineapple layer to set a bit. I rushed this part; as you may be able to tell from the pictures…

13. Carefully remove pan from cake

14. Serve warm. Do yourself a favor and throw some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream up on this beast….you won’t be disappointed….

Adapted from The Modern Family Cookbook, 1942

Peach-Poppyseed Fruit Kuchen

Kuchen is the German word for cake, though it is used to describe an assortment of desserts and pastries. This recipe for Peach-Poppyseed Fruit Kuchen is indeed cake-like, but truly has more in common with bread. With coffee or tea this lemony kuchen makes a perfect summer breakfast; with fresh whipped cream it is a lovely light, and health-conscious, dessert.

Ingredients:

– 2 1/2 c. flour

– 2 Tbsp. butter

– 1/4 tsp. salt

– 2 Tbsp. sugar

– Zest from one whole lemon

– 3/4 tsp. fast-action dried yeast

– 1 egg, beaten

– 2/3 c. warm water

– 2 Tbsp. poppyseed, prepared dessert filling (available in the baking aisle of most grocery stores)

Topping:

– 1 lb. fresh peaches – about three large fruits (though really you could use any stone fruit in this recipe and it would be fantastic)

– 2 Tbsp. butter

– 2 Tbsp. raw or demerara sugar

Directions:

1. Put the flour in a large bowl. Rub 2 Tbsp. butter in with fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Stir in the salt, sugar, zest, and yeast.

3. Add the beaten egg, prepared poppyseed, and enough water to make a soft dough.

4. Knead well on a clean and lightly floured surface for at least five minutes — dough should be smooth and elastic.

5. Put the dough back in to the bowl and cover with a piece of oil cling-film. Let rise at least 1 hour, or until doubled in size. It is very important that you place the bowl somewhere warm or the dough will not rise.

6. Once risen, tip dough out onto a floured surface and knead well again. Press dough into a buttered spring-form pan or a loose-bottomed flan tin. I used a 9” pan, but if you have a larger one (like 11”) I think it may better suit this kuchen to be a little thinner.

7. Halve, stone, and thickly slice the peaches. Arrange them over the top of your dough.

8. Leave uncovered to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size

9. Preheat oven to 400F

10. Brush the fruit with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar

11. Bake in oven at 400F for 15 minutes

12. Remove from oven, cover with foil, reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 35-40 minutes.

13. After finished baking, removing from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Using a knife or thin spatula loosen the edges and remove kuchen from tin.

14. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle extra sugar over top, if desired.

15. Serve warm or cold, cut into slices. This is especially good warm with some sweet cream butter slathered over it…but then again, what isn’t?

 

Adapted from The Bread Book by Sara Lewis

Jam-Filled Sandwich Cookies

 

These may be the most delicious thing I’ve ever made. If not, they’re definitely close to the top of the list. Of all of the sweets in the world, sandwich cookie-type-things are definitely amongst my favorites. Whoopie Pies, French Macarons, Oreos….I’m salivating just typing this. Though not as refined  (or anywhere near as difficult to make) as the macaron, these jam-filled cookies are elegant in their own right, and certainly just as delicious. Shoot, I’d take one of these over a whole sleeve of Oreos any day! You wont believe how incredibly easy these are to make — especially if you opt to use store-bought or pre-made jam.

 

Ingredients:

– 12 oz jam of any flavor. I used the Sweet Plum and Blueberry Jam that I made a couple of weeks ago, but peach, raspberry, apricot, or strawberry would be wonderful choices too — get creative!

– 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter

– 1 c. sugar

– 3 Tbsp. lemon zest

– 1/4 tsp. salt

– 2 large egg yolks

– 2 1/4 c. flour

– powdered sugar, for sprinkling

 

Directions:

1. In the bowl for an electric mixer (you can do this by hand, but your arm may get tired!) combine butter, sugar, lemon zest and salt

2. Beat until light and fluffy — 2-3 minutes

3. Add egg yolks and mix well

4. Add flour, one half at a time and beat until well-incorporated

5. Divide dough in half. Form first half into a long log, about 1 3/4” – 2” in diameter. Wrap log in wax paper

6. Repeat step six with second half of dough

7. Chill both rolls of dough in the refrigerator until firm, at least two hours. If you are in a hurry you can place dough in freezer, but let it chill in the refrigerator at least one hour first. Can be done one day ahead.

8. If making your own jam for these cookies, or using the recipe linked above, make it now so that it has time to cool.

9. Once dough has chilled sufficiently, preheat oven to 400F

10. Line baking sheet with wax paper

11. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into thin rounds, about 1/3” thick — you may have to reshape rounds a bit with your fingers — and place on lined baking sheet

12. Bake cookies one sheet at a time on a rack in the center of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes — edges should be golden brown

13. Allow cookies to cool completely, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired

14. Spread as much jam as desired on flat side of cookie, then top with another cookie, thus making a sandwich

15. Try not to eat them all at once….

Super-duper close-up:

Yum….These were so good I had to make my stepson hide them from me….

 

Adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2009