Pear Clafoutis – Almost as Good as it Looks

It sounds odd to say that a recipe’s biggest problem is that it looks too good, but that’s sort of the case with this pear clafoutis. Through no fault of its own, this crust-less, custard fruit tart looks a lot sweeter, and richer than it actually is. So, please be sure to adjust yours and your guest’s taste buds accordingly. Of course, you can make this sweeter, with more sugar, or richer, with some cream instead of all milk, but there’s something to be said for those rare recipes that I would describe as, “just sweet enough.”

Which reminds me, be sure to taste whatever fruit you’re using for sweetness, since you may want to adjust the sugar level based on that. Another key, especially if you’re using pears, or apples, is to make sure you slice them thin; otherwise they will not cook through by the time your custard is cooked.

As I mentioned you could cook the fruit first, but I’ll leave that up to you. If you use the traditional cherries, or something like tender juicy berries, this will actually cook faster than the time is given here, so I’d start checking for doneness after about 25 to 30 minutes. Speaking of different fruits, apparently if we don’t use cherries, this is referred to as a “flognarde,” which I’ll never get tired of saying. Hilarious names aside, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

(The baking dish I used was 10-inch wide)

2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, divided (one for pan , one for top)

3 generous cups thinly sliced sweet, ripe pears

1/2 cup lightly toasted sliced almonds

For the batter:

3 large eggs

1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar depending on fruit’s sweetness

1 1/4 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

- Bake at 350 F. for about 45 minutes, or until fruit is soft, and custard is cooked.

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Cherry Tomato & Cheese Galette – Perfect for First Time Growers

When people grow cherry tomatoes for the first time, they often make the mistake of planting more than one or two bushes, which a few short months later usually means a ridiculously large harvest, as in more cherry tomatoes than you can possibly use. Well, this cherry tomato and cheese galette might help, a little.

While “galette” sounds a little fancy, they’re actually one of the easier type of pies to make, and above and beyond the simple technique, they are incredibly adaptable to whatever is in season. Whether that’s sweet fruit, or savory vegetables, there are very few things you can’t galette.

Just be sure to bake them long enough, since the bottom needs to brown, as well as you want whatever filling you’re using to dry out a bit. Your oven time will vary depending on the exact size and shape of your galette, so once you take it out, peak underneath to make sure it’s browned. Basically, you should bake this as long as you possibly can, without it burning, so be brave.

This will also work with larger, sliced tomatoes, but just be careful you let them drain on some towels first. Other than that, there’s not much else to worry about, except what to do with those other 5 pints of cherry tomatoes. Even if you have to go to the store to buy yours, I think this is well worth the trip, and I really do hope you give this cherry tomato galette a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 12-inch pizza pan sized galette:

For the dough:

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons corn meal

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed, frozen

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 cup ice water

For the filling:

8 ounces soft goat cheese or other fresh cheese

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

pinch of cayenne

2 tablespoons sliced basil

For the rest:

3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon

sea salt to sprinkle over the top once cooled, optional

- Bake at 425 F. for 30-35 minutes or until well browned. To be safe, place a foil-lined pan on rack under galette to catch any possible drips.

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Baltimore Peach Cake – Infested with Beauty and Deliciousness

I’ve never been to Baltimore, so I can’t comment on the current state of affairs, but what I can tell you is that this easy to make, yeast-based “cake” really is amazing, and would have been even more so with a few minor tweaks. I was afraid of it coming out too dry, so I went with a very wet dough, and also didn’t bake it quite as long as I could have, but these are easy fixes, and my next one should be spot on.

As you saw, I did test with toothpick, as you should, but I made the mistake of sticking it between the peaches and not underneath one. If I had, I would’ve popped it back in for a few more minutes, and it would have been fine. Also, I’ve heard a thinner cake would have also helped the situation, which simply means using a larger baking dish. I went with a 9 x 12, so if you have the more standard 9 x 13, that should work out even better.

They say this recipe was brought to Baltimore by German immigrants, who apparently used to top it with caramelized onions, which on one hand seems like it would work, and yet on the other hand, doesn’t at all. Anyway, maybe one of our more adventurous viewers will give that a whirl, but regardless, I really do hope you give this unique Baltimore Peach Cake a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 9 x 13 pan:

3 or 4 sweet, ripe peaches

1/3 cup sugar

1 package dry active yeast

1 1/4 cup warm milk

1/4 cup melted butter, for the dough

1 large beaten egg

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon fine salt)

about 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

3 tablespoons butter to grease baking dish, and to drizzle the top

2 tablespoons demerara sugar, or any sugar for the top

For the glaze:

1/3 cup peach or apricot preserves or jam, heated up with a splash of water to glaze the top

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Peaches and Cream – Literally

This new and “improved” peaches and cream recipe might not have tasted any better than the classic, but at least it was more complicated. Turns out that a splash of cold, fresh cream is all that sweet, ripe peaches need, which is probably why no one ever cooks it first when making this.

It wasn’t like the first version was horrible to eat. It wasn’t, but the cooked, sweetened cream, sort of fought with the peaches, both texturally, and with the natural sweetness of the fruit. The lemon didn’t help things either, but at least I was able to appreciate the real one I made after coming to my senses.

As usual, I’ve listed the amounts I used below, but you should adjust the sugar syrup depending on the sweetness of your peaches. If they’re amazingly sweet and juicy, just slice them, and cream them up. Otherwise, modify as needed, but either way, I really do hope you give peaches and cream, the classic version, a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 cups sliced fresh peaches

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

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Strawberry Crepe Cake – Works on So Many Levels

Using this simple “crepe cake” technique, you can turn any of your favorite cake fillings into visually stunning, multilayered masterpieces. By the way, I said this is simple, not fast, as it does take a little bit of time to make and stack all those crepes, but once you get rolling, it goes pretty quick.

I was going for a very light dessert here, in both taste and texture, but this technique really shines if you use a more traditional cake filling like buttercream. Since that gets nice and firm when chilled, you’ll get even more gorgeously defined layers. Chocolate ganache is also a great choice, especially layered alternately with pastry cream, which would create a sort of Boston cream pie.

The ingredient amounts below are just a guide, since it really depends on the size of your crepes, and how much filling you spread on. You’ll probably have a few more crepes than you need, which isn’t really a problem, and you can try to go even higher than I did. I also increased the cream filling ingredients below, since I had to make another half batch during my construction. 

Speaking of filling, I probably could’ve just folded the strawberry jam into the whipped cream mixture to save time when assembling. I though it would be nice to have streaks of fruit in the cream, but once sliced, it really wasn’t that noticeable. Of course fresh fruit would also work, just be aware of the extra moisture that might add. Regardless of how you fill yours, or how high you stack, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

For the crepes:

5 large eggs

3 1/4 cups milk

2 1/2 cups flour

2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the cream filling:

3/4 cup mascarpone

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the fruit mixture:

10 ounce jar of strawberry jam

2 tablespoons water

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Frangipane Tart – Have Your Cake and Eat Pie Too

Not only is this simple frangipane tart a perfect way to enjoy fresh summer fruit, but it’s also great for those times when you can’t decide whether you want cake or pie. This sort of seems like both to me, and unlike many fancy looking pastries, this one is not at all complicated to make.

Even made free form, with pieced together leftover puff pastry, this was a fairly simple operation. As I mentioned, most people use pie dough for this, and if you do, simply follow the exact same procedure for the pre-baking. Once whatever crust you’re using is baked about halfway, and cooled, it’s ready to fill, top with fruit and bake.

Another great reason to make this is that there’s a good chance one of your guests will ask you which bakery this came from, which will give you the opportunity to say, “Bakery? No, I made this.” But say it really casually, like it was no big thing. This travels well, so don’t be afraid to fish for compliments with this at the next picnic. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Fresh Fruit Frangipane Tart:

For the filling:

1 1/2 tablespoons soft butter

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar

1 large egg

3/4 cup almond flour, or very finely-ground blanched almonds

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For the tart:

enough puff pasty or pie dough for a 9 or 10 inch shallow tart pan

enough fresh fruit to do the job

For the glaze:
3 tablespoons apricot jam 
2 teaspoons water
Bring to a boil in small pan or microwave. Let cool to just warm before brushing on.

- Pre-bake pastry shell at 400 F. for 15 minutes or until it starts to get golden-brown.

- Fill, top, and bake at 375 F. for 30-40 minutes, or until browned and the almond filling is set.
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Strawberry Semifreddo – Semi-Amazing

I used to tell my students to never try making classic desserts “healthier,” since your guests will always compare it to the unhealthy, and undoubtedly far superior original version. 

And yet that’s exactly what I’ve done with this strawberry semifreddo, although, in fairness, that happened accidentally while I was trying to make the recipe easier.

Traditionally, we’d make an egg custard for the base, as well as cook down our strawberry puree to concentrate the flavors; and while that does produce a fine, and much richer semifreddo, I wanted something simpler, that didn’t require any cooking. Besides saving time, and eggs, I think we also get a little cleaner, more distinct berry flavor.

However, the price we pay for those skipped steps, and the modest amount of sugar, is a less smooth and creamy texture. An extra rich, classically made semifreddo can be quite similar to ice cream, whereas this will be much firmer when frozen. That's why you really do need to let these warm up for at least 10 or 15 minutes before serving.

In the video, I described the texture as something in between strawberry ice cream and a strawberry popsicle, which reminds me, if you do have the molds, this mixture would be perfect frozen on a stick. Regardless of your delivery system, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 10 Ramekins (mine were 5.5 ounces each):

1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

zest from 1 lemon

2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar, optional

1 3/4 cups cold heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs

3 tablespoons melted butter

For the garnish:

1 1/2 cup diced or sliced strawberries

2 or 3 tablespoons white sugar, or as needed

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Ben Franklin Breakfast Bowl – One Founding Father’s Alternative to Fast Food

I much prefer teaching to preaching, but this time I’m attempting to do both, with the hope that you might introduce this delicious breakfast bowl into your morning routine. I’m not sure if an apple a day really does keep the doctor away, but I do know that being in the drive-thru line every morning, doesn’t.

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which may or may not be true, but I’ve always found it to be the most difficult meal of the day.  There never seems to be enough time, and so it’s easy to get into a rut, resorting to questionable choices such as sugary cereal and milk, or fast-food breakfast sandwiches.

As far as specific ingredient choices go, I like to use chilled Honey Crisp, or Fuji apples, and, as I mentioned in the clip, sheep’s milk is my preferred yogurt. Some say it’s easier to digest, and it contains higher amounts of linoleic acid, which apparently helps with fat loss, but I simply prefer the taste. Just be sure to use a plain yogurt, since many flavored varieties contain a shocking amount of sugar.

So, whether you try this to help with that New Year’s resolution, or you’re just looking to add some variety into the morning routine, I really do hope you give this Ben Franklin breakfast bowl a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one portion:

1 cold, raw apple, cubed

6 ounces plain sheep’s milk yogurt

2 heaping tablespoons granola (click here for our recipe)

chopped nuts and/or additional seasonal fruit to garnish

Fresh Strawberry Tart – Now with 100% Less Tart Pan

There shouldn’t be a lot of stress involved in making this free-form strawberry tart, since once it’s topped with fresh berries, and thickly glazed, it will look like something from a Paris pastry shop. And, I did say, “look like,” not “taste like,” but that’s not our fault. They have better cream cheese.

If you have a tart pan, go ahead and use it, but going free-form is always kind of fun, and even though we’re going to handle the dough a bit more, that’s not a problem with our almost foolproof buttercrust pastry. Just be sure to build up enough around the outside before you crimp, so that your tart is deep enough to hold the filling.

I joked about this being so beautiful that nobody will care what it tastes like, but of course, that’s ridiculous. Do not attempt this unless you can find some perfectly ripe, sweet strawberries. And when you do, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

1/2 of our buttercrust pastry dough recipe

1 pound fresh strawberries

For the sweet cheese mixture:

8 ounces cream cheese or *fromage blanc

2 tablespoons crème fraiche

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, or to taste

For the glaze:

1/4 cup apricot jam (the clearer, the better), plus 2 teaspoons water, heated until brushable. Let cool a bit before applying.

*Note: my cream cheese was suspiciously thin, so your mixture will probably be thicker, and a little easier to work with.

- Bake tart shell at 375 F. for 20-25 minutes, until golden-brown, fill with cheese mixture, and finish baking for another 20 minutes, or until the pastry is browned, and the filling is set.

Fresh Strawberry Jam – Because Man Cannot Live on Clotted Cream Alone

Actually, I don’t think you can live on just clotted cream and fruit preserves either, but regardless, as promised, here’s my preferred method for making strawberry jam. While amazingly delicious, and quite satisfying to make, I’ll have to put this on the same list as homemade ketchup. This is fun to make once in a while, but due to the effort, and time involved, Smuckers has nothing to worry about.

This version features a lot less sugar than many recipes, which is kind of crazy, since we use over two cups, as well as a homemade pectin puree, to help tighten-up the texture. Feel free to use pectin powder or liquid instead, but I think I did a pretty good job explaining why I don’t in the video.

Strawberries should be sweet, and plentiful this time year, so if you’re looking for a fun project, especially if your last fun project was making clotted cream, I really hope you give this delicious, fresh strawberry jam a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3 cups of Strawberry Jam:

For the pectin puree:

3 apples, chopped

1 lemon, chopped

1 cup water

For the jam:

3 pounds strawberries, rinsed, and trimmed

1 1/2 cups (or whatever you got) pectin puree

2 1/4 cups white sugar, added in two additions

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Please Note: To test without a thermometer, wait until the jam starts to reduce and thicken, and spoon some of the mixture on a plate, and place in the freezer for a few minutes, until the jam is cold. If it's jelled, you're done. If it's still runny, keep cooking, and testing. 

Fresh Berry Fool – It Would be a Pity Not to Make This for Labor Day

There are like a thousand approved ways to combine sweet cream and fresh fruit, but this gorgeous fool may be my favorite. Of course, the easy-to-joke-about name helps, but what I really love is how surprisingly light this is. It's also very easy, which seems totally appropriate for a possible Labor Day dessert.

While certainly not light on the calorie counter, this stuff is shockingly airy on the palate. It’s that contrast between the rich, fluffy cream, and the syrupy, tangy fruit, which makes this so much greater than the sum of its parts. Fresh berries are a classic, but this would work with peeled, diced, ripe peaches.

By the way, contrary to what you heard in the introduction, this isn’t called a “fool” because it’s so ridiculously simple to make. Apparently, it comes from the French word, "fouler," which means "to mash." I guess we’ll let you decide which story to go with. I think you know which one I prefer. Either way, I really do hope you get this fool a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for four large portions:

3 cups fresh berries (raspberries, broken blackberries, quartered strawberries)

1/4 to 1/3 cup white sugar (more sugar you use the more syrup you get)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup chilled heavy cream

1/4 cup crème fraiche (yogurt or sour cream maybe subbed - *if using yogurt or sour cream, stir into the cream once it’s almost fully whipped)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup crumbled butter shortbread cookies, or vanilla wafers

Kumquat Marmalade – Beautiful, Delicious, and Almost Easy to Make

If you’re like me, and marmalade is not your favorite type of fruit preserve, it’s most likely because of those bitter flavors from the white parts of whatever type of citrus was used. That is not an issue with this gorgeous kumquat marmalade.

The secret here is using a type of citrus that doesn’t really have any of those pithy parts, which is why kumquats are the only citrus I know of that you eat whole, skin and all. If you are going to enjoy au naturel, make sure you roll them first, to release all that sweet, fragrant oil.

However, if you’re going to cut them up as seem herein, then rolling each one is not necessary, as the oils will be release as we quarter, seed, and slice. This is a good thing, as we need all the time-savings we can get, since what we are going to do, is painstakingly remove the center white membrane.

I believe this will make your marmalade even less bitter, but mostly it’s for appearance. For me, those little white bits spoil the perfect, clear-orange jelly that’s produced. But if you think I’m crazy, and you want to save a half-hour, you can probably skip that step, as long as you get all the seeds. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 cups:

2 generous cups sliced kumquats (measure after they have been quartered, seeded, and sliced into small pieces)

zest and juice of 1 lemon

small pinch cayenne

1 cup white sugar

1 cup cold water

1 star anise (I remove after 10 minutes of simmering)

- Note: You can just go by appearance, but I took the temperature right before it was done, and it was bout 215 F., so I imagine when I was finished it was around 220 F. You can also put a spoonful on a plate in the fridge, and test that way.

A Waldorf Salad by Any Other Name

As I joked about in the video, a fruit salad has to be pretty damn good to actually get a name, and the venerable Waldorf salad is certainly worthy. 

I realize that there are a small group of you who won’t be able to wrap your heads around mayonnaise with fruit, and that’s a shame, since it means you won’t get to enjoy one of the great combinations of all time. By the way, if you are one of the aforementioned people, but like mayo slathered all over your sandwich, containing slices of sweet, ripe tomato, and caramelized onions, then you have some explaining to do. Also, coleslaw. I rest my case.

Embellish this as you see fit, but I really like it best with just the four ingredients seen here. Things like dried cranberries can add a nice seasonal touch, but for me, the chewy fruit gets in the way of that addictive crunchy/crisp texture. I really hope you give this old-school, but timeless Waldorf salad a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 cup dressing (enough for 2 Waldorf salads below):

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup crème fraiche or sour cream (I used CF)

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne

1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

For 2 large or 4 appetizer sized Waldorf salads:

2 large crisp, sweet apples, cut in 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup small cubed celery root

1 cup quartered seedless grapes

1/2 cup toasted walnuts pieces