archived recipes

Harvest Recipes, October: Easing into Fall

A traditional homey dessert, updated for a fall dinner party! Delicious with big dollops of whipped cream - and maybe a glass of Sauternes?!

CRISPED ALMOND APPLES

Unsalted butter for baking dish
5 or 6 tart cooking apples (Granny Smith or Mutsu are good); pared and cut into slices
3/4 c plus 2 T sugar
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2/3 c finely chopped blanched almonds
3/4 t vanilla extract
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 c heavy cream

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter a 13x9" baking dish. Toss apples with 2 T sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl. Arrange apples, slightly overlapping, in 3 lengthwise rows in the baking dish.

Sift together flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt; stir in almonds. Stir vanilla into melted butter, drizzle over almond mixture while tossing with fork until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over apples.

Bake until apples are tender and almond topping is well-browned, 30 - 35 minutes. Partially cool on wire rack.

Beat cream until soft peaks form. Serve Almond Apples warm or at room temperature; pass whipped cream separately.

makes 6 - 8 servings

Pears and apples are among the fruits that make the coming cold weather easier to deal with. This not-so-sweet tart is lovely for dessert or even breakfast, or any time in between!

RIESLING PEAR TART

Crust:
1 c all-purpose flour (we like King Arthur's unbleached)
2 T powdered sugar
1 stick butter, salted or unsalted, chilled and cut into small pieces
4 T (approx.) ice water

Filling:
1 1/2 c late-harvest Riesling or other dessert wine
1 1/2 pounds firm ripe pears, peeled, cored, and quartered
1/2 c apricot jam
f inely chopped toasted walnuts

For crust: Combine flour and sugar in large bowl, add butter and cut in until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Mix in just enough water to make the dough hold together, one tablespoon at a time. Gather dough into a ball, flatten slightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll dough out to a thickness of 1/8 inch between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Transfer to a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, trim and finish edges. Refrigerate for 15 minutes while oven is heating. Prick dough all over with a fork, and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 and continue baking another 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool

For filling: Bring wine to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Add pears, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until pears are just tender. This can take from 5 to 15 minutes, so check frequently. Transfer pears to bowl with a slotted spoon, cool and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Drain on paper towels.

Melt jam in heavy small saucepan. Spread half of jam over crust, top with pear slices arranged in a spiral design. Brush with remaining jam and sprinkle nuts over all.

Enjoy!

CHAYOTE AND POBLANO CHILI SLAW

(Try it, this is really good! No cooking required! Extremely quick, easy, and healthy.)

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 large cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and peeled
1 large chayote, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and peeled
2 cups pineapple, diced
4 poblano peppers, roasted and peeled
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Roast peppers in a 450 degree oven until charred (or over a hot grill, if available: the flavor will be better!) Pull off the peel, seed, and cut into strips.

In a small saucepan, simmer pineapple juice over low heat, until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Let cool to room temperature. Thinly slice cucumber, chayote, and the peppers. Toss with pineapple.

Whisk the remaining ingredients with the pineapple juice and pour over vegetables, mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered up to 4 hours. The flavors will develop if allowed to sit for a while.

(serves 4-6)

GREEN BEAN AND SUMMER SQUASH RATATOUILLE WITH COUSCOUS

1 1/4 c vegetable or chicken stock or canned vegetable or chicken broth
1 c couscous
1 T olive oil
½ lb green beans, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1 small yellow pepper, seeded and sliced thin
½ small red onion, sliced thin
3 medium plum tomatoes, chopped coarse
1 small can chickpeas (or ½ regular can), drained and rinsed
1 ½ T balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
basil leaves, slivered

Bring chicken stock to boil, pour over couscous in medium bowl. Cover and let sit till stock is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet, add green beans and saute for 3 minutes. Add zucchini, peppers, and onions, saute till tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and chick peas and heat through. Off heat, season with balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. To serve, mound vegetables on couscous on dinner plates, garnish with shredded basil.

(serves 4)

Every Fall, we like go to Acadia National Park in Maine for a week or two. This easy cake was the result of poking around the pantry one evening....

ACADIAN APPLE CAKE

1 ½ c all-purpose flour (we like King Arthur)
1 c light brown sugar, packed
1 ½ t vanilla 1 t cinnamon
½ t nutmeg 1 t baking soda
½ t salt 2 eggs, well beaten
½ c vegetable oil (we like Canola)
2 fresh apples, peeled, cored and chopped small to make 2 ½ cups (we love Mutsu apples, but any flavorful apple will do)
1 c chopped, toasted nuts: pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts are great

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9x13” baking dish. Mix dry ingredients except for nuts in a large bowl, mix in eggs and oil. Stir in nuts and apples, and spoon batter into pan. Smooth top and bake for about 30 minutes, or till a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.

Serve warm with ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of Frangelico, the wonderful Italian hazelnut liqueur!

My parents live in the Ticino, the Italian part of the Swiss Alps. This wonderful satisfying casserole - reminiscent of a crustless quiche - is one of my mother’s specialties. Serve with a green salad for a complete vegetarian dinner on a cold night!

FALL GREENS CASSEROLE FROM THE TICINO

6 large leeks, washed, trimmed, and chopped
1 lb fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1 c finely chopped Swiss chard
3 eggs, beaten
1 T all-purpose flour
1 T cornmeal salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 lb grated cheese (use Gruyere, Sbrinz, Fontina, Tilsit, or any combination)
1/4 c butter

Use a teaspoon of the butter to grease a 2-quart baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine leeks, spinach, and chard in a large bowl, in another bowl mix together eggs, flour, and cornmeal. Add egg mixture to vegetables, stir in cheese. Pour into baking dish and dot with butter.

Bake until center is firm and top puffed (it will deflate right away, unfortunately!), about 30 minutes

(serves 6)