Fruit Crisp with Spiced Pecan Topping

by Brian on August 28th, 2010 in Dessert Digest,Recipes No Comments

I went to graduate school studying applied mathematics, in particular optimization theory. At the time, some of the biggest users of the optimization techniques were the airlines. They were struggling with how to do scheduling, sizing of aircraft, and optimizing their selection of cities.

Been on a flight recently? That airline thingy did not work out too well. No, I did not work for the airlines. I worked for the Pentagon. That did not go too well either.

But, as a saving grace, working for Pentagon I learned about real world problems and real world data and real world statistics. The textbook stuff I used in graduate school was effectively worthless when confronted with data that had issues or “attitude.”

I had to retrain and to learn something called Robust Statistics, techniques for analyzing data where there is a lot of “noise” and error or just mess. If you think about the current data for the economy, it’s that sort of stuff. The robust techniques I learned allowed me to gain some insights when the input data was contaminated by screwy values, had missing values, or consisted of values that represented the best guess of some expert on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I met of few of those guys at the Pentagon.

That’s why I am in food.

Which brings me to this recipe. Did you have fruit crisp in grade school? I did. Every third Friday. As each school year began, I would like that crisp for a few times, but by springtime I was sick of it. Always the same flavor. Couldn’t that cook just once switch from blueberries? What she needed was a robust recipe, one where you could improvise with the fruit at hand. Glean flavors when the blueberries were out of season.

I present you with this delightfully robust recipe for fruit crisp. It even says to use whatever is in season. So, go ahead. Drift down the produce aisle or, better yet, hit your local farmers’ market. Pick the fruit up, test for ripeness, smell for sugar content and enjoy.

Back on August 9^th, I posted a recipe for Lemon Ice Cream. You might consider pairing that ice cream with is crisp. It’s not a Top Secret combination. Just exceptional.

Fruit Crisp with Spiced-Pecan Topping

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened; more for the pan
• 3 ounces (⅔ cup) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon table salt
• ⅔ cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 3 cups (about 1 lb.) blueberries, blackberries, strawberries or raspberries
• 1 lb peaches, nectarines, plums or rhubarb (whatever is in season)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

 
Preparation:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch square metal or ceramic baking pan. Alternately small individual ramekins may be used.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon of the salt. With your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture readily clumps together when pressed. Mix in the pecans.

In a large bowl, toss the fruit. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the cornstarch, nutmeg, and the remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt and toss this mixture with the fruit.

Spread the fruit into the prepared baking pan. Pressing the streusel into small lumps, sprinkle it over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling in the center and the topping is crisp and well browned, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm.

Source: Fine Cooking Magazine

Double Chocolate Brownies

by Brian on August 21st, 2010 in Cookie Jar,Dessert Digest,Recipes No Comments

Before you say something like, “Another brownie recipe, does this man not have a limit?” I just want to tell you that I believe in democracy. This summer at Cooking by the Book, this has been the most requested dessert. By far. People just love brownies. Call it “Double Chocolate” and it’s irresistible.

The brownie flavor here is quite, quite intense. So this creature is the perfect foundation for a brownie sundae. Top this brownie with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream for contrast [look for a Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream in tomorrow's post!]. Or, go for a complement. Coffee or mocha ice creams would be fine choices.

You can be decadent and top with marshmallow fluff. By now you need a bigger bowl. And probably a second batch of these treats.

On technique, this is a brownie made in a saucepan, not in a mixing bowl. It’s quick to prepare and you have less kitchen mess — yet you create a real treat. Chances are, anyone who tastes this will also vote for more.

Double-Chocolate Brownies

Yield: Makes nine 2 ½-Inch squares

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1½ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
• Chopped walnuts, pecans or chocolate chips may be added

 
Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with the parchment, leaving a slight overhang on all sides. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. Whisk in cocoa and salt. Fold in flour until combined.

Pour batter into pan. Bake until set and toothpick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan about 15 minutes. Lift brownies from pan using parchment. Remove parchment, transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely. Cut into 9 squares.

Source: Martha Stewart Living Magazine