Winter Fruit Salad 2

Here is the next winter salad, similar to the last one but different enough that I wanted to post them both. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 Tbs. diced onion
1 tsp. Dijon-style prepared mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs. poppy seeds
I head romaine lettuce
4 oz. shredded Swiss (or other pungent) cheese
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced
1 pear, peeled, cored and sliced

What to Do

In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt.  Process until well blended.  With machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth.  Add poppy seeds and process just a few seconds more.  Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces and toss together with the cheese, cashews, cranberries, apples and pears in a large bowl.  Pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat.

Winter Fruit Salad

Still thinking of apples, so here is the first of two more salad recipes that are appealing for fall.  This one is reported to be a favorite of Michelle Obama.  A nice size for company, but I cut it in half for fewer servings.  I love the sweet-sour cranberry flavor. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or other nut
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup chopped red onions (or other onion, if that's what you have, works fine too)
1 Tbs. Dijon-style prepared mustard
1 cup vegetable oil
I cup sugar
salt and pepper to taste

About 10 cups mixed salad greens, rinsed and dried
2 apples, cored and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake 8 minutes or until lightly toasted.  In a food processor or blender, combine cranberries, vinegar, onion, sugar and mustard.  Puree till smooth.  Gradually blend in oil and  and season with salt and pepper.  In a salad bowl, combine greens, apples, and enough of the cranberry mixture to coat.  Sprinkle on the nuts and serve.

Some optional but nice additions: feta or other sharp cheese, avacoda, rye croutons

Best Ever Apple Crisp

My daughter's home in the country includes several apple and pear trees.  She is canning, and her kitchen has been full of the aroma of apple and pear sauce for days now!  Yum! Now that the nights are cool and the leaves are changing color, I'm thinking of baking and cinnamon and yummy apple recipes. 

Who doesn't love apple crisp?  There are plenty of recipes available for this perennial favorite, of course, but this one is tops on my list (even though it doesn't contain oatmeal and I'm an oatmeal fan).  Maybe it is the "pinch" of lemon?  Try it--you'll like it!

Ingredients for Filling
5 to 6 Granny Smith or other tart apples, small to medium
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs. cinnamon (not tsp)
Pinch of lemon peel

Ingredients for Topping
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar (I like to use 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown, but whatever you do is fine)
1 stick of cold butter, cut in slices
1 slightly beaten egg

What to Do
Peel, core and slice apples.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees, F.  Combine the topping ingredients in a bowl with a pastry cutter.  Mix in egg.  Set aside. 

Mix apples with other filling ingredients (an easy way to do this is to dump everything in a gallon-sized bag, seal and shake) and  pour into a 8" x 8" baking pan.  Spoon topping over apple mixture. 

Bake for 10 minutes and then turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 35 minutes. 
Serve warm with a wedge of cheddar cheese, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb Cobbler

I can't help it.  Here is just one last rhubarb dessert for you.  A little bit putzy to make, but oh-so-good!

Ingredients

4 cups Chopped Rhubarb
11/2 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract (optional)
2 cups All-purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening Or Lard
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup Milk
1 Egg

What to Do

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, lemon juice, and almond extract if using. Stir and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Stir together. Add shortening and butter, then cut together with a pastry cutter.

Beat egg and milk together. Pour into flour mixture and stir with a fork until just combined.

Pour rhubarb into a buttered baking dish. Tear off pinches of dough and drop it onto the surface of the fruit, creating a "cobbled" texture. Sprinkle additional sugar over the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Here's another delicious recipe for while rhubarb is still available from the garden or the store! There are many rhubarb crisp recipes available, but this is my favorite.  There's nothing unusual about what's in it, so it must be something about the amounts of the various ingredients.  It will be somewhat "wet" so it's best served in bowls.  I'm making it for our July 4th picnic tomorrow! 

Ingredients

4  c. rhubarb pieces (about 1 lb.)
2 c. sliced strawberries
1 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. flour, divided
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. butter, melted & cooled

What to Do:

In large bowl combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, 1/3 cup flour and cinnamon. Transfer to greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  In another bowl combine remaining 1 cup flour with brown sugar, oats and nutmeg. Add butter and blend well to create the topping. Sprinkle topping over rhubarb mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Apple Rhubarb Pie

Yesterday Ken came home with a bag of Granny Smith apples (purchased mainly because it gave him several cents off a gallon of gas) and announced, "I think an apple rhubarb pie would be great."  I had a bunch of rhubarb from my daughter's patch--but I never heard of apple rhubarb pie.  A little searching turned up a few recipes, and I tried this one because I had the Jell-o on hand.  It was delicious.  Slightly tart, of course, being rhubarb and Granny Smith apples, but a dollop of whipped cream was perfect.  Next time I'll try it with vanilla ice cream.  (I asked both the men in my house if I should make it a bit sweeter, and both said no.)

Ingredients

dough for a two-crust pie

2  c. rhubarb, diced
2 c. apples, sliced
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. melted butter

What to Do
Roll out half of pie dough and arrange in an 8 or 9 inch pie pan.  Mix all pie ingredients together and spoon into prepared crust.  Roll out remaining dough and cover, tucking edges under and fluting. (A lattice top would be nice for this pie.) Bake at 350 F for for about one hour or until top is lightly browned and fruit is bubbly. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

The Duchess' Lemon Bread

Those who have read my other blog, The Owl's Song, may know that my husband and I like to play dress up--that is we participate in what is called Rendezvousing. It is a sort of reenacting of the fur trade era, pre 1840. It was at one of these gatherings that I first met the "Duchess Anna," aka Carol Knuth. At the recent Baraboo, Wisconsin Rendezvous, the duchess (as usual) held one of her special tea parties, Victorian era style. It is a highlight of this particular rendezvous.

Along with delicious samples of tea, each party includes a few sweets as well. The Lemon Bread was so delicious I asked for the recipe and our hostess was kind enough to share it. It was light and sweet but not too sweet, and reminded me of pound cake.


Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
6 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon or lemon peel
1 1/2 cups flour
2 level tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 c flaked coconut or chopped nuts

What to do:
Beat eggs. Gradually add sugar and beat well. Add melted butter, juice, salt and grated rind and blend well. Sift the flour with the baking power and add flour mixture alternately with the milk, just stirring enough to blend. Add flaked coconut (or nuts). Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Carol ("The Dutchess") adds:
"You can moisten 1/4 cup sugar with lemon juice and pour over loaf. I didn't think it needed this; it seemed kind of granular. Other recipes heat the lemon juice and sugar to dissolve sugar. That may seep in top of bread nicer to give a little crunch. But for me less sugar is fine too."

Note from me:
The samples we ate did have a bit of the crispy lemon top. I liked it but have yet to try it without. The loaf for the tea party had coconut. Delicious, and part of the light texture. Haven't made it with nuts yet, but I will. This simple recipe is too good to pass up trying some variations!

Added note: I just made a loaf with 1/2 cup slivered almonds. Nice. Not sure which way I prefer. I wonder what would happen if I put in nuts and coconut? Hmmm...

Peach & Berry Pie

This pie is beautiful, and it tastes even better than it looks. I made it last week as a potential entry in a pie baking contest. It is a slightly different version of my strawberry peach pie (that won second place last year.) This was my attempt at the blue ribbon entry, but circumstances beyond my control dictated that it never got to the contest. Still, as we ate it by firelight one evening, one of our friends said, "Oh my, this is a first place pie as far as I'm concerned!" Good enough then, and I'll share it here. :-)

Ingredients
pastry for top and bottom, 8 or 9 inch pie
(lattice top would be nice for this too)
1 c. raspberries
3 c. peaches (pitted, peeled & sliced)
1 c. strawberries
4 Tbs flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. butter

What to do:
Line pie pan with one pastry. Combine ingredients (except butter) and pile into pie pan. Dot with butter and cover with top pastry. Seal and flute edges and cut several slits in top. Sprinkle a little extra sugar and cinnamon on top. Cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake at 425 degrees F. for about 40 minutes. Cool. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Note: I used the fruit amounts above because that is what I had. I don't think it would matter if you used all peaches and strawberries (though that would require a bit less sugar) or different combinations of the three fruits, depending on what you have.

Fruit and Almond Cake

This cake is moist with a dense texture and a slightly crisp top from being sprinkled with sugar. It is easy, quick, and delicious. Great for a last-minute dessert for company, or to make when time is short.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh fruit chopped into chunks
(if using frozen fruit, use the fruit frozen, do not defrost it first, otherwise the fruit gets mushy)
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (careful to sift and measure, even a little too much flour throws this recipe off)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan. Scatter fruit evenly on the bottom of the pan. Mix remainder of the ingredients together in a large bowl until fully combined. Spread batter over fruit in cake pan and sprinkle sugar lightly over the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Serve with whipped cream.

Variation

I ran out of almond extract so made this today with apples and a few raisins for the fruit, and instead of almond extract I used rum extract (Watkins makes a nice one). I omitted the nutmeg--not sure how nutmeg and rum extract would mix. I put it in a non-stick pan and turned it over to make an "upside down" cake. The rum extract was interesting and quite good, and now I don't know which way I prefer. Try both and see what you think!

Another variation that might be my favorite. Rhubarb sauce on the bottom of the pan instead of the chunked fruit. Whipped cream is a must this time. Yum!

Classic Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ah, Spring! A Baltimore Oriole has been spotted at the feeder, dandelions are taking over the lawn, temperatures are finally reaching the 70s and---the RHUBARB is up! I remember my first taste of rhubarb. I was about 10 and had never heard of it, but I was served a bowl of warm rhubarb sauce at the famous fried chicken restaurant at Knott's Berry Farm, Anaheim, California.

I thought it was about the most wonderful thing I'd ever tasted, and I told my mother I could not understand why we had never had it before. She had never tasted it either. We had a large and healthy stand of it by our mobile home at Trinity Bible College, and I've since learned that it is beloved in the cold states.

Here is the first of a few rhubarb recipes. This one about as simple as it gets. Sometimes simple things really are the best!

2 c. rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced in half
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. butter, melted
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 unbaked pie crusts

Mix strawberries and rhubarb together. Place on bottom crust in 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Mix other ingredients well. Pour evenly over top of fruit. Top with pie crust.
Sprinkle with sugar and a little cinnamon and put some vents in top crust.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and finish baking until rhubarb is tender. Serve with whipped cream.

Orange Spiced Rhubarb Sauce

I remember my first taste of rhubarb sauce. I was about 10 years old and we were having a fried chicken dinner at Knotts Berry Farm. They served it warm. I didn't know what it was, and I remember asking my dad, "What is this delicious stuff and why have I never tasted it before?" In the upper midwest, one of the ways we know spring has finally arrived is that the rhubarb starts growing. Almost everyone who can has a little rhubarb patch.

Sometimes a simple thing can make quite a difference. That's what I think about this recipe. I got the idea of adding the orange and cinnamon when I was making cranberry sauce.

Ingredients

6 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch inch pieces
1 to 1 1/2 sugar
1/4 c. water
about a tablespoon of orange peel, or use orange juice insted of water
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
If rhubarb is the green variety, a few drops of red food coloring is nice.

What to do:

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and cook slowly about 5 minutes, or until tender. Makes 4 cups. May be served warm or cold, depending on what you are using the sauce for.

Rhubarb sauce is good alone (like applesauce), served with meat (especially pork) over vanilla ice cream, or as a topping on pound cake with a dollop of whipped cream.

Variations:

Add some canned crushed pineapple, drained. This is good for dump cake, along with cherry pie filling.
Mix with applesauce.
Omit water and add some sliced strawberries to rhubarb when you remove from heat, and chill.

Roasted Fruit Soup

Plums are starting to appear in the grocery stores around here. This is another recipe from my mother that I found on a slip of paper, jotted in pencil. That means she was at someones home and tasted something she wanted to learn how to make. In this case, I think it was another of her sister, Pauline's, wonderful dishes. It might sound strange, but it is delicious. It can be served as a hot or cold soup.

1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 medium pear, cored and cut into thin wedges
1 medium cooking apple, cored and cut into thin wedges (I like a Figi apple for this.)
3 plums, any variety, halved and pitted
3 cups cranberry/apple juice
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 or 3 pieces stick cinnamon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In baking dish, stir together cranberries and brown sugar. Add pear and apple wedges. Roast uncovered in oven for 20 minutes or till just tender. Add plum halves. Roast uncovered for an additional 15 minutes or till fruit is tender and edges begin to brown or curl. Stir gently to combine.

Meanwhile, in large sauce pan, combine the cranberry/apple juice, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil and them simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks and discard.

Gently stir the the roasted fruit into the juice mixture. Pour into six bowls.

Roasting is perfect for fruit that is not quite ripe. For a real treat, serve this as a warm dessert with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Cheesy Apple Bake

Today is Johnny Appleseed's birthday. I posted this recipe (using two of Wisconsin's favorite foods) as part of today's Friday Five at Rev Gals. It is easy and quick and the apple and cheddar flavors are just right for fall!

Next door to the church where I am the pastor is a home with an apple tree. Each year the tree is loaded with apples, and they mostly fall to the ground. I have no idea what kind of apples they are, but they are among the best I've ever tasted. They are crisp like a Granny Smith, but they are the perfect mx of tart and sweet. The skin is a mix of green and red, just like the one in the picture. I look at that tree and wish it was in my yard. Those apples would be going to good use, I can tell you! Later today I'm going to go pick a small basket full from the ground and make this recipe. It will be delicious with the pork chops that are waiting for the grill. Yum yum!

Cheesy Baked Apples

Ingredients:

4 medium apples - peeled, cored, and cut into eighths

1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons sugar (or more, depending on tartness of apples used--Granny Smith's need at least 3))

1 Tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

What to do:

Arrange apples in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with water and lemon juice. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Sprinkle over apples. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until apples are tender. Uncover, top with shredded cheese, and bake 5 minutes more or until cheese melts. Serves: 4 to 6. Great side dish with ham or pork.

Notes:

It can be made in a medium sized cast iron skillet with a cover. Bake on bed of coals with coals on the lid as well. Add coals as needed. Try adding raisins or craisins and a tiny pinch of cloves and a little more sugar for a sweeter dish. For a more savory dish, add 1/2 to 1 tsp. of curry powder and a sliced onion (baked along with the apples--with or without raisins).