Get Cooking
Page 29
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt (some for the crust, some for the filling)
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1. About an hour ahead of time, unwrap the cream cheese and place it in a large bowl. Use a table knife to cut it into 1-inch pieces, and let it stand at room temperature to soften.
2. Adjust the oven rack to a medium-low position and preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F if you’re using a glass pan).
3. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave (30 to 60 seconds on high power), or in a small saucepan over low heat.
4. Combine the flour, cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl, and stir briefly. Crumble in the brown sugar, and then pour in the melted butter, scraping it all in with a rubber spatula. Use a spoon or fork to mix the butter into the dry ingredients until uniformly blended. Transfer this mixture to an ungreased 9-by 13-inch pan, and pat/press it evenly and firmly into place, forming a crust that coats the entire bottom surface of the pan.
5. Add the eggs, lemon juice, vanilla extract, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, and the granulated sugar to the softened cream cheese. Use a handheld electric mixer (or a sturdy whisk) to beat all these ingredients together. Start slowly, so as not to splash, and then gradually work your way up to high speed as the batter comes together. Keep going until the mixture is uniformly blended. There will still be some small lumps of cream cheese, and that is fine. Pour this mixture on top of the crust, scraping in every last bit with a rubber spatula. There’s no need to spread it; it will form an even layer on its own.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden, the top looks dry, and nothing jiggles when you shake the pan. Remove the pan from the oven, and immediately use a very sharp knife to cut 24 bars with a gentle sawing motion, so as not to disturb the lovely top surface. Cool completely in the pan before lifting out the squares.
GET CREATIVE
For a crisper crust, you can bake the crust on its own in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before pouring in the cream cheese mixture. Once the crust is filled, return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes as directed.
For a deeper flavor in the crust, you can replace 1 cup of the flour with finely ground almonds. (Pulverize them to a fine powder in a food processor or blender, or look for ground almonds or almond meal in the baking section of the grocery store.)
Add 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest to the filling mixture for extra flavor. Grate the zest from the lemon before you cut it open to squeeze the juice. Use a microplane grater (Get Cooking) or the fine holes of a box grater; or shave the lemon peel (outermost yellow part only) with a vegetable peeler, and then chop it with a sharp knife.
You can top the cooled bars with your favorite jam or marmalade, spread in a thin layer.
Garnish each square with a slice of strawberry and/or kiwi.
gingery gingerbread
Makes 24 servings
Fresh ginger makes this a more deeply flavored gingerbread than the kind you might have grown up eating. It’s easy enough to grate the ginger, especially if you buy a knob that is very tight and crisp. It should have no wrinkles, and the skin should come off easily with just a little scrape of your fingernail. Peel it, and then use a microplane grater (see Get Cooking) or the fine holes of a box grater to grate it directly over the bowl, so you catch all of the liquid and solids. The brown sugar can be light or dark; both work very well. Note that you’ll need to soften the butter for at least an hour ahead of time.
½ cup (1 stick) butter, plus a little extra for the pan
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons (3 to 4 ounces) grated fresh ginger
2/3 cup (packed) brown sugar
¾ cup molasses
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1½ cups buttermilk
1. About an hour ahead of time, unwrap the butter and place it in a large bowl. Use a table knife to cut it into 1-inch pieces, and let it stand at room temperature to soften.
2. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F if you’re using a glass pan). Put a little soft butter on a paper towel, a piece of waxed paper, or a butter wrapper, and lightly grease the bottom and corners of a 9-by 13-inch pan. (No need to grease the sides.)
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, powdered ginger, and cloves in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk slowly to blend, and then stir in the grated fresh ginger, whisking until it’s distributed. Set this aside.
4. Crumble the brown sugar into the bowl with the softened butter. Use a handheld electric mixer at high speed (or if you don’t have one, use a whisk, with enthusiasm) to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times during this process. Add the vanilla extract, and continue to beat for another minute or two, until everything is well combined.
5. Add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, slowly whisking just enough to mostly blend. Then pour in approximately a third of the buttermilk, and stir it in. Continue with another third of the flour mixture, and another third of the buttermilk. Then repeat with the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk. As you do this, switch to stirring with a spoon when the batter thickens, and mix from the bottom of the bowl after each addition—just enough to thoroughly blend without overmixing. (It’s okay if the finished batter is not completely smooth.)
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, taking care to scrape all of it in with a rubber spatula. Then use the spatula to spread the batter evenly. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is springy to the touch and/or a toothpick inserted all the way into the center comes out clean.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the gingerbread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting it into 24 rectangular pieces. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.
GET CREATIVE
You can add any or all of these delightful items to the flour mixture when you add the grated ginger:
-½ cup chopped dried cranberries or cherries
-½ cup minced crystallized ginger
-½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
-½ cup golden raisins
Serve this with:
-Your favorite applesauce
-A big spoonful of whipped cream (see Chapter 9: Desserts)
-Vanilla or fruit-flavored frozen yogurt, or vanilla, strawberry, or coffee ice cream
-Freshly cut fruit or defrosted frozen berries
-Store-bought caramel sauce, warmed briefly in a microwave or in a saucepan
buttermilk banana bread
Makes about 8 servings
Banana bread was invented to use up soft overripe bananas. If, from time to time, you’ve got a few extra bananas that are turning dark and soft, don’t throw them out. In just a few minutes, you can transform them into banana bread batter. You’ll need a standard loaf pan for this, about 9 by 5 inches, and about 3 inches deep. You can often find them at garage sales and secondhand stores. Or you can bake two mini-loaves, one to keep and one to bring to someone’s house as a perfect little gift. If you go this route, begin checking for doneness after 40 minutes.
You can make this a day before you plan to serve it. Store it, wrapped in plastic wrap or in a resealable plastic bag, at room temperature—or in the refrigerator if you’re keeping it for more than a day. You can also freeze it whole,
or in slices so you can grab a single serving and toast it. (Okay to put it in the toaster still frozen.)
½ cup (1 stick) butter, plus a little extra for the pan
3 medium bananas, very ripe
¾ cup buttermilk
¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1. About an hour ahead of time, unwrap the butter and place it in a large bowl. Use a table knife to cut it into 1-inch pieces, and let it stand at room temperature to soften.
2. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F if you’re using a glass pan). Put a little soft butter on a paper towel, a piece of waxed paper, or a butter wrapper, and lightly grease the bottom and corners of a standard-sized loaf pan. (No need to grease the sides.)
3. Peel the bananas, and place them in a medium-sized bowl. Mash with a fork until they form a mostly smooth pulp; then switch from mashing to mixing as you drizzle the buttermilk directly into the bananas. (You can use the fork or a whisk.) Keep mixing until the mixture is completely blended, and then set this aside.
4. Crumble the brown sugar into the bowl with the softened butter. Use a handheld electric mixer at high speed (or if you don’t have one, use a whisk, with enthusiasm) to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times during this process. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, and continue to beat for another minute or two, until everything is well combined.
5. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a second medium-sized bowl. Whisk slowly to blend. Add about half of this dry mixture to the butter mixture, stirring it in with a wooden spoon. Then stir in about half of the banana-buttermilk mixture. Repeat with the remaining dry mixture, followed by the remaining banana-buttermilk mixture, stirring from the bottom of the bowl after each addition, just enough to thoroughly blend without overmixing.
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, taking care to scrape all of it in with a rubber spatula. Then use the spatula to spread the batter evenly. Bake for 50 to 70 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted all the way into the center comes out clean.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing it. (The best way to do this is to rap the pan sharply on the counter a few times to loosen the bread, and then let it slide out onto a cooling rack.) To avoid crumbling, wait at least 20 minutes longer to slice and serve.
GET CREATIVE
Add 1 cup chopped nuts and/or chocolate chips to the flour mixture.
Dress this up by serving it à la mode with any ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Top with a generous pile of cut-up fresh fruit in season. It’s also good topped with Balsamic Strawberries (Chapter 9: Desserts) or fresh blackberries or blueberries. Whipped cream is always welcome.
apple crisp
Makes 6 servings
Here’s a perfect autumn weekend afternoon: You meet some friends at the farmers’ market and buy a bunch of apples, head to someone’s place, and hang out, peeling, coring, slicing, and chatting. In no time, you’ve got a pile of sliced apples, which you pack in a pan, top with a simple mixture of oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter, and toss in the oven. A quick stroll to the corner store for vanilla ice cream, and by the time you’re back, the place smells like heaven. You and your friends hang out some more, over generous helpings of warm, freshly baked apple crisp à la mode, and life, at least for this moment, is A-okay.
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
10 medium apples (any kind except Red Delicious)
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1¼ cups rolled oats (regular, not “quick-cooking”)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup (packed) brown sugar (light or dark)
1. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F if you’re using a glass pan).
2. Pour the lemon juice into a large bowl. Peel, core, and slice the apples, and as you cut them, add the slices to the bowl. As the apples accumulate, toss them with the juice every now and then. When all the apples are sliced and tossed, sprinkle in the granulated sugar and gently toss again. Transfer the apple mixture to a 9-by 13-inch pan, and set it aside.
3. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave (30 to 60 seconds on high power), or in a small saucepan over low heat.
4. Without cleaning it, use the empty apple bowl to combine the oats, flour, salt, and cinnamon, stirring them together briefly. Crumble in the brown sugar, then pour in the melted butter, scraping it all in with a rubber spatula. Use a spoon or fork to mix the butter into the dry ingredients until uniformly blended.
5. Spread this mixture over the apples in the pan, patting everything down as you go so it forms a solid topping, as evenly distributed as possible.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is crisp and golden and the apples are bubbling around the edges. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
GET CREATIVE
You can make this with different kinds of fruit. Try swapping in pears for some of the apples. In the summer, you can make this with peaches, nectarines, apricots, and/or plums (any combination). The total amount should be 8 to 10 cups of sliced fruit. (With the summer option, sprinkle the cut fruit with 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour and toss to coat, so it won’t end up too wet.)
Add up to ¼ cup minced crystallized ginger to the topping mixture.
Add up to ½ cup chopped walnuts or almonds or whole pine nuts to the topping mixture.
Toss up to ½ cup dried cranberries or golden raisins with the apples before spreading them in the pan.
Make this vegan by using canola oil instead of butter.
cherry clafoutis
Makes 6 servings
Pronounced “cla-foo-TEE,” from a word meaning “to fill” in a regional French dialect, this easy farm-style French dessert is a cross between a cake and a jumbo fruit pancake or a filled popover, studded with black cherries. You just beat together a quick crêpe-like batter and pour everything right into the pan. You make it with frozen pitted cherries, which require no work other than opening the bag—not even defrosting. If nice fresh cherries are in season, use them instead of the frozen ones, but you’ll need to pit them (cherry pitting gadgets are available in some kitchen supply stores). It’s fun to bring the whole pan to the table straight from the oven so your guests can admire this beautiful, dramatic-looking dish.
2 tablespoons butter
1½ cups pitted black cherries (frozen/not defrosted, or fresh)
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ cups milk
3 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the butter in a 9-by 13-inch baking pan, and place the pan in the preheating oven for a minute or so to melt the butter, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Remove the pan from the oven, and carefully tilt it in all directions to let the butter coat the bottom and the corners. Set it aside.
2. In a small bowl, toss together the cherries and the 1 tablespoon flour, and let this sit for a few minutes while you prepare the batter.