A Gilt Nutmeg

I have to admit that, when cooking, I’m not very adventurous when it comes to flavor combinations.  I think that’s why I was so proud of my alterations to this recipe: there are so many flavors that, despite being such a simple food to grab off a platter, the taste ends up being quite complex.  Balsamic vinegar and strawberries are actually quite an old combination, but one I still find awfully strange.  Basil and strawberries is an even less common combination and one that is shockingly perfect–you’ll have to taste it to believe it.  Add in some lemon goat cheese, a good baguette and a crack of fresh pepper over the top and you’re going to have such a crazy and delicious moment going on in your mouth that you’re just not going to know what to do with yourself!  You’d never think those flavors would go well together but you’ll find you and your guests reaching for these bruschetta over and over again.

Strawberry Basil Bruschetta with Lemon Goat Cheese
Adapted from Annie’s Eats
Makes 2-3 dozen pieces

• 1 good quality baguette
• 1 lb of strawberries, sliced
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 package (4 oz) of lemon goat cheese (or 1 package plain goat cheese combined with zest from half a lemon)
• balsamic vinegar
• handful of whole fresh basil leaves
• fresh ground black pepper

1. Up to a few days before or at least a half hour before you need them, slice the strawberries, add them to a large bowl and mix the sugar in until thoroughly combined.  Set in the fridge until ready to use.
2. The day you plan to eat the bruschetta, slice the baguette into slices, cutting at an angle.  Toast the baguette slices under your oven’s broiler until golden brown on each side.  Set aside and allow to cool.
3. When cool, spread a thin layer of lemon goat cheese on each baguette slice, top with a spoonful of strawberries.
4. Drizzle a small spoonful of balsamic vinegar over each slice with strawberries on it.
5. To cut the basil, lay the leaves flat on top of each other, fold the pile in half and with a sharp knife or with kitchen scissors (I prefer the scissors), cut the basil in to thin strips.  Sprinkle the basil strips over the strawberries.
6. Crack fresh pepper over the top of each bruschetta and enjoy!

Blackberries…Cake…Breakfast….I think that The Boyfriend has never heard a more delightful combination of three of his favorite words in the same phrase.  Needless to say, this was an absolute hit.  It was a little more light, airy, and crumbly than normal cake, which must be why it’s called “breakfast cake”, since it really lent itself to being paired with other hearty breakfast items (like the phenomenal Baked Eggs Benedict my dear friend Anna made) without being overbearing and too filling.

The recipe I found on The Dainty Chef (via Pinterest) uses blueberries and my intention was to do the same until I went to the store and was faced with a sign declaring “Buy one carton of fresh blackberries, get TWO free”.  I don’t even like blackberries, but it was such a crazy deal that I still bought them, hoping maybe The Boyfriend would eat them, since I know he enjoys them.  I think they really went perfect with the cake recipe; because the berries are so big and there are so many of them, the cake ends up delicate and full of berry flavor in every bite.  If berries are showing up in your market, jump on this recipe right now!  If not, promise me you’ll tuck it away to try this summer the instant you spot any kind of berry.

Buttermilk Blackberry Breakfast Cake

Adapted from The Dainty Chef

• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 containers of fresh blackberries or other berries (I’m referring to the small flat containers my grocery store offers blackberries in.  You want at least 2 cups of berries, whatever you choose)
• ½ cup buttermilk
• extra sugar for sprinkling

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9X9 inch baking pan.
2. Cream the butter with lemon zest and sugar for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until combined.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a separate small bowl.
5. Mix a little of the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture, then a little of the buttermilk, combining thoroughly each time and continuing to alternate between the two until everything is mixed in.
6. Gently fold the blackberries in to the mixture.
7. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake.  Dainty Chef said to bake 35-45 minutes, but I think I let mine in for closer to an hour or even a little more.  It could be because I was in a strange mountain cabin with an oven I’m not used to, but I definitely went way beyond 35 minutes.
8. Let cool for 15 minutes and enjoy!  It would be great with whipped cream if you want to eat just that, but eggs and bacon are perfect too!

I think I’ve found my new favorite breakfast–so easy to put together the night before, so the next morning practically all you have to do is throw it in the oven.  Not to even mention that it’s French toast.  And what’s more, it’s French toast that is so perfectly sweet and crunchy and custard-like in different places that to drench this in overly saccharine maple syrup would just be a crime!

I’m posting it now in case you don’t have anything planned for breakfast on Christmas morning, but really this recipe is great for any time of the year when you have guests (or not) and want a deliciously impressive breakfast that doesn’t take much effort at all in the morning.  I admit, the recipe uses canned peaches, which I feel is breaking some sort of “I’m-a-food-blogger-so-I-grind-my-own-wheat-for-flour” rule, but it just makes the recipe that much simpler and it means you’re not forced to wait until summer time to make it!

That said, I absolutely cannot wait until summer time to try this recipe with all the fresh fruits of the season–fresh blueberries and peaches, strawberries, raspberries…the possibilities are endless!  T-minus 5 months and counting…

Peaches & Cream French Toast
Serves 6
Adapted from All You via My Recipes

• 1 8-oz. loaf French bread, sliced (I found a 16 oz loaf at Trader Joe’s, it’s just a half
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cans (15-oz.) sliced peaches packed in juice (not in syrup!), drained
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (I think I used more like 3/4 cup, though)
• plenty of cinnamon for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

1. There are two different approaches to arranging this recipe.  If you use a 9×13 glass baking dish, you’ll be overlapping your bread slices, which is what the original recipe calls for, which I imagine will give an over all more custardy-creamy texture.  I was at a friend’s house and didn’t have a dish like this available so I just found whatever oven-safe dishes I could scrounge up and laid the bread out flat in each dish (as in the photo).  I suspect this is how we got such a great crunch on the edges.  You can use whatever technique will give you your desired results (or just what will fit your dishes!).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla until well combined and pour the mixture evenly over the bread slices, then sprinkle the slices with cinnamon.
3. Drain the cans of peaches and arrange peach slices on top of the bread, then sprinkle another round of cinnamon on top.
4. Cover the dishes with saran wrap or tin foil and refrigerate overnight, for at least 8 hours (this allows the bread to soak up all the egg mixture).
5. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and pull the dishes out of the fridge and let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes (don’t worry, you have stuff to do while it warms up).
6. Pour the 1/2 cup of heavy cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Let it boil for 10 minutes until it is reduced to half.  I was worried that it wasn’t going to be enough cream, but you really just want enough to drizzle over the peaches, so it was just the right amount.
7. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the peaches and drizzle the cream over the peaches.
8. Let the dishes bake for about 50 minutes.  I kept checking mine and probably let it go an extra 10-15 minutes so that it was extra crunchy and golden brown along the edges.
9. Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving and enjoy!  Like I mentioned before, it doesn’t even need syrup for it’s just the right amount of sweetness already.  My dear friend Anna made some eggs to go with it and served some extra fruit on the side and it was the perfect breakfast.

You probably have a favorite apple pie recipe.  You should probably throw it out the window and replace it with this one.  The process, I admit, is slightly more involved than your average apple pie recipe, but it is absolutely worth it.  There’s apples, Southern Comfort, caramel, an overabundance of cinnamon…really, I hope that old recipe of yours is on the ground outside your window by now.

As I mentioned previously, I made this for a group of friends along with the Pumpkin Pie, but this pie was without a doubt the winner of the night.  There are only two tiny issues I had with this pie: 1) the caramel filling overflowed a great deal, but I’m sure that if the pie had a well-sealed full top crust instead of just a crumble topping, this wouldn’t have been as big a problem–good thing we had a pan on the rack below, or else I’m guessing we would have had to pay to have the oven cleaned in the place we had rented!… and 2) good Saigon Cinnamon is $8 at my grocery store and I had just purchased a new bottle.  This recipe cleaned out at least half the bottle and then some!  That said, I think the strong spicy cinnamon really made this pie the wonder that it was, so chintzing on mediocre cinnamon is a crime against this pie.

In the end, though, this is another recipe to save for Thanksgiving and I promise you’ll barely be able to sit through dinner before diving into this pie!  Like the Pumpkin Pie, I did cheat and use a store-bought crust that was too small for my deep dish pie plate, but if you’re looking for a homemade pie crust recipe, see my Bourbon Honey Peach Pie. 

To see how other members of Project Pastry Queen fell in love with this pie (I think it was unanimously love-at-first-bite), check them out here!

Southern Comfort Apple Pie
The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

Topping

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup chilled unsalted butter

1 unbaked pie crust

Filling

• 5-6 medium size tart apples
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup Southern Comfort liqueur
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

To Make the Topping:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a food processor, process both sugars, the cinnamon, salt and flour for about 1 minute.
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the sugar-flour mixture.  Pulse about 10 – 15 times, until the mixture is crumbly.  DON’T over-process!  Mine turned into a big hunk of dough because I pulsed a few extra times and then thought “oh, if I keep pulsing, the blade will cut up the mixture into tiny pieces again.”  I don’t know where that logic came from because the opposite is true and I knew it.  I just stuck the mixture back in the fridge and crumbled it up with my fingers later.
4. Stir in the pecans (and don’t try tasting it, because I made this mistake and may have ended up eating a quarter of the bowl of topping).  Refrigerate until ready to use.
5. Line a 9″ deep-dish pie plate with pie dough.  Press it into place and crimp the edges.

To Make the Filling:

1. Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/4″ thick slices (I used one of those handy apple slicers and just cut each resulting slice in half).
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When the butter starts to foam, add the apples and saute for 5-8 minutes (I had to somehow do mine in two batches because my 10″ skillet wasn’t large enough.  Either do two skillets at once, splitting the ingredients evenly between the two or be ready to clean up the mess you make on the stove spilling apples out of the pan).
3. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle it on the apples and stir to combine.  Simmer the apples for another minute.
4. Remove the apples from the skillet with a slotted spoon and onto a baking sheet, leaving as much of the butter-sugar-apple juices mixture in the pan as possible.  Make sure the apples are spread out in a single layer or else they’ll steam and get all mushy.
5. Pour the Southern Comfort into the butter-sugar mixure in the pan.  Simmer the mixture over medium heat for at least 5 minutes, until the alcohol burns off (it shouldn’t sting your nose if you sniff the steam rising from it).
6. Add the cream and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is thick as pourable caramel.
7. Add the apples back to the skillet and toss the apples with the caramel sauce until evenly coated, then pour contents of pan into the unbaked pie crust.
8. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apples and transfer dish to oven, making sure there is a tin-foil lined baking sheet on the rack below the pie to catch any juices that bubble over (if there’s a lot, the oven may smoke, which is okay as long as your pie doesn’t burn and the fire alarm in your house doesn’t go off).
9. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the topping is brown.
10. Serving warm with ice cream or cooled off after dinner or however you may decide to enjoy it!

Fall in Southern California is a little hard to find sometimes, but I certainly found it while camping in Sequoia National Park this weekend!  It was just coolenough that I needed to wear a jacket while hiking and there were hints of snow on the mountain tops.  The trees there are mostly conifers, which meant we didn’t get beautiful orange and red Fall foliage, but it did smell just like Christmas was around the corner and that was good enough for me!

While preparing for the camping trip, I was considering different snacks to bring for the hike: homemade granola?  just hope that fruit stayed intact in our backpacks?  and then I came across homemade fruit leather on Pinterest and I was sold (especially because the Boyfriend was out of town and he LOVES fruit leather and I knew he’d love the surprise).

This recipe can be made to accommodate almost any fruit you can think of.  I was headed for strawberries but went with raspberries because they were on sale at the grocery store and my brain has already started thinking up crazy cool combinations (cinnamon-peach-blueberry would be fantastic!)  I must admit, I thought these were the sweetest raspberries I’d ever tasted and thus decided to forego the sugar…which turned out to be a poor decision because it meant that these leathers were EXTREMELY tart (I think I may have used extra lemon juice on accident as well…).  That said, plenty of people loved them, so it really will have to be up to your own judgement how sweet you want to make these–just taste the puree before drying and know that sweetness is concentrated once the leather is dry.  These are super simple to make and, while it SEEMS like they would be time consuming, it’s really hands-off for the most part, so I’m sticking by my “these are super easy” statement.

I can say for sure that these certainly didn’t take as long to dry as other people suggested, which surprised me a little, but I think if you just keep a close eye on it, you’ll be fine.  I just stacked the strips in a plastic baggie and threw them in my backpack and they didn’t stick together at all–no powder coating needed AND no sticky fingers after eating, so I was pretty delighted with how they turned out. 

Happy Hiking!  (or Happy School Lunches…or Happy Quick Snack Break at the Office…)

Homemade Cinnamon-Vanilla Raspberry Fruit Leather
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen
yields one 12″ x 16″ pan

• 2 cups raspberries (or other chopped fruit)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 0 – 1/4 cup sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (adjust according to taste)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (adjust according to taste)
• vegetable oil

1. Heat oven to lowest temperature setting possible.  My lowest setting is 180 degrees, so I just set the dial to about a 1/4″ short of the lowest temperature and hoped it would work (it did).
2. Add fruit, water, and lemon juice to saucepan and stew for 10-15 minutes until softened.
3. Add cinnamon and vanilla extract and let simmer for 5 more minutes.
4. Using a stick blender or a food processor, blend fruit until smooth and let cool for a few minutes while you prepare the pan.
5. Using a 12″x16″ rimmed baking sheet, line it with parchment paper (I used Martha Wrap, which I thought was perfect for the job) and brush prepared pan with a layer of vegetable oil.
6. Pour the fruit puree through a sieve (it is definitely necessary for raspberries–those little seeds are tough!) over the prepared pan and spread it evenly over the pan with an offset spatula.  It’s like frosting a cake, only easier–the only goal is to make sure that you have a very thin, very even layer of fruit puree.  A bit of liquid separated out of the puree when I sieved it into the pan, but I was able to gently incorporated it back in with my offset spatula before spreading the layer even again.
7. Carefully put the pan in the oven and walk away–it’s going to be in there for a number of hours.  Know that if you’re impatient and you poke it to see how it’s coming along, you’re likely to poke a hole in the leather, so I tested it by tilting up a corner of the parchment paper and seeing if the puree ran off the paper towards the center.
8. I think my leather was in the oven for about 4-5 hours, but don’t quote me on that–all ovens are different and you really just need to keep an eye on things.  Many people who made fruit leather said they actually left the leather in their ovens on low all night, so I’m not sure why my oven was so fast.  About half way through the process I pulled out the leather and found it was getting a bit crispy and brittle on the edges.  Generously brush the leather with water and stick it back in the oven–this trick honestly works like a charm.  There was not a brittle edge to be found when I took the leather out for a second time, just chewy goodness!
9. As I was about to go to bed, I decided the leather was done on top and that the underside was just a little sticky, but that all it needed was air-drying.  I carefully flipped the whole sheet of fruit leather over upside down and put it back in the pan, turned off the oven and put the leather back in to rest and dry in the oven so that it wasn’t taking up counter space.
10. When you wake up in the morning, voila!  Homemade fruit roll-ups that you won’t cringe at when you put it in a lunchbox.  I used a pizza cutter to cut mine into strips with no problems.  Enjoy!

The Jewish New Year is upon us!  The Boyfriend’s family is Jewish and every year I beg to go to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services with them.  I love the traditions observed and, of course, all of the food.  The best combination of both of those is the Rosh Hashanah tradition of eating honey and apples to symbolize the hope for a sweet year.

So I rushed home today and grabbed some apples from the grocery store on the way.  I had to be ready to go in 45 minutes and would you believe that I was able to combine the ingredients, bake the cake, let it cool a little and take photos of it all before it was time to leave for Temple?  That should show you how easy and quick it is to throw this delicious little cake together.

Some notes: the cake will end up very thin, since the original recipe called for a smaller cake pan.  I used what I had and actually really liked it thin–it let the apple and honey flavors shine and made for a perfect light dessert instead of a one that makes you feel overly stuffed.  Also, I really suggest using a mandolin slicer for this project.  I got a great handheld OXO mandolin for just about $15 and it’s an amazing tool (slicing pizza toppings– just sayin’).

Happy New Year!  This Apple Honey Cake will guarantee it’s a sweet one.

Apple Honey Cake
Adapted from Taste of Home

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 Gala apples, very thinly sliced (use a mandolin if you have one)
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon honey, plus extra for drizzling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line an 8″ square baking pan with parchment paper (I forgot to coat the paper with nonstick spray, but it was fine without it, so no big deal if you don’t have any).  Sprinkle cinnamon in a light, even coat across the bottom of the pan.
3. Arrange apple slices in whatever pattern you want.  I did three rows of 6 overlapping slices, the center row moving the opposite direction.  Fancy!
4. Cream the butter and brown sugar until crumbly and fluffy, about 2 minutes, beat in egg, then milk and vanilla.
5. Combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a small bowl, then add to butter mixture and beat until combined.
6. Drizzle honey evenly all over the arranged apples in the pan, as much or as little as you like.  Gently pour the cake batter over the apples and honey and spread until entire bottom of pan is evenly covered.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean and the apples are soft.
8. After taking it out of the oven, let the cake cool for 5 minutes or so and invert the cake onto the serving platter.
9. Serve warm if you can, but no matter what the temperature, definitely serve it with whipped cream!

I know, I know; I just can’t seem to let summer go.  While I absolutely cannot wait to pull out my Fall arsenal of recipes (you will wonder how much more butternut squash you can possibly stand from me), I’m still sad to see all the fresh fruits and veggies go under a winter frost.  Luckily, my CSA veggie shipment still has some treats tucked in it, like one more beautiful cantaloupe for the season.  Wanting something special for a last hurrah to summer’s melons, I decided to try my hand at aguas frescas.  I’m pretty impressed with what came out of these ingredients and this is such a refreshing drink that I’m pretty bummed that I’ve gone the whole summer without it.  It’ll be great for those warm Indian Summer afternoons and evenings that may still pop up–and if you want to make it for a party, I’m sure adding vodka would make it fantastic.

Mint Cantaloupe Aguas Frescas

• 1/2 cantaloupe, diced
• handful of fresh mint leaves (package from my store was .66 oz)
• 1 bottle (750 mL) sparkling water, such as San Pellegrino
• 4 cups lemonade (click here for my favorite recipe)
• ice

1. Puree the cantaloupe and add to pitcher.
2. Muddle the mint leaves in the bottom of the pitcher by crushing the leaves with a wooden spoon.  When it smells minty, you’re done.
3. Pour sparkling water and lemonade into the pitcher and stir.
4. Add ice cubes and serve with mint sprigs for decoration!

First, I want to remind all you faithful readers to follow me on Facebook or Twitter for status updates from me and alerts for new recipe posts!

Now before I dive into this week’s PPQ recipe, I have to bow down and say that Bananas Foster is not mine to lay claim on within my family.  My father and little sister (my only sibling) staked that claim loooong ago.  Dad makes Bananas Foster, often to introduce guests to fine Southern cuisine and, I suspect, to show off a little bit since the process involves flambeing.  My sister started making it soon thereafter, probably also to show off a little bit, but I think mostly just because it’s a delicious recipe that’s really not too hard to do.  So now it’s my turn.  I have to admit that I have been on pins and needles waiting for the chance to choose a recipe for Project Pastry Queen and when it was finally my turn, there really was no other option than to choose this.

After years of other family members flambeing bananas, I had to, once and for all, make Bananas Foster.  Reading this recipe over and over again, one major thing stood out to me–Rebecca doesn’t flambe the bananas.  This is a key component as it caramelizes and deepens the flavors by raising the temperature to a high degree that wouldn’t be attainable by just a pan over a stove burner.  Now that said, I tried and tried and I could not for the life of me get the pan to ignite.  It was still delicious regardless and I didn’t set my hair on fire.

I admit, I made a number of other changes to the recipe as well.  Usually when I am served this dessert, it is served over ice cream (as Rebecca suggests as well) and since you know that it is a requirement of my cooking to forget an ingredient, it wasn’t until making it tonight when I forgot the ice cream, that I realized ice cream is just too sweet for this recipe and my lack of serious sweet tooth.  I used whipped cream instead and I thought it was perfect–finally a Bananas Foster that didn’t give me a sore throat from all the sugar!  I also forgot the banana liqueur, but I kind of didn’t want to pay for a bottle of it anyway, and I think the recipe benefited from the subtle banana flavor instead of in your face banana flavor.  Finally, Rebecca suggests adding pecans to the processor while making the biscuits.  It’s optional, so I opted out, but it got me thinking of another New Orleans classic treat…instead of adding to the biscuits, I roughly chopped the pecans and sprinkled them on top, which added some fantastic crunch and when mixed in with the sauce made it like a praline!

All the other Pastry Queens-In-Training versions of this recipe can be found here, be sure to check them out.

Bananas Foster Shortcakes
The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather (with help from Brennan’s)
Serves 8

Biscuits

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• sugar for sprinkling

Bananas & Syrup

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 8 barely ripe bananas, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds (a mandolin slicer makes quick work of this)

• whipped cream
• 1/3 cup pecans

1. Turn the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Process about 30 seconds.  Cut the butter into 16 pieces and add to the flour mixture.  Pulse about 15 times, until the mixture is crumbly.  Turn on the processor and pour the cream in through the feed tube in a thin, steady stream, until the mixture begins to form a ball.
3. Remove the dough and place on a flat surface that has been sprinkled with flour.  Gently form the dough into a 1/2 inch thick disk.  Use a 4 inch biscuit cutter, round cookie cutter, or a glass to cut the dough into rounds.  Roll the biscuits in the coarse sugar and set on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet (Rebecca instructs you to use an ungreased cookie sheet, but my shortcakes stuck hard and fast to the sheet.  I was not a happy camper).
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the shortcakes begin to turn golden brown around the edges.  Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then use a spatula to transfer the biscuits to individual serving plates (or on a cooling rack if you’re not serving them immediately).
5. While the shortcakes are in the oven, Melt the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes.  The mixture should not be heated beyond a simmer; if it begins to boil over, decrease the heat.
6. Add the rum and sliced bananas to the syrup and simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Rebecca suggests splitting the shortcakes but mine did not rise enough to actually split, so I used them as a base instead, and poured spoonfuls of the bananas and syrup over the cakes, topped with whipped cream and chopped pecans.

About a month ago, we had a Hawaiian Luau themed luncheon at work.  For it, a coworker bestowed upon me her beloved Grandmother’s secret family recipe for Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.  I was truly honored to be able to make it and I could tell immediately at looking through the ingredients that this cake was something special.  The cake was a big success at the Luau and I couldn’t wait to share the recipe with you except…it’s called “Grandmother’s secret family recipe” for a reason.  I was desperately trying to think of a way to share it, but, really, there must be integrity and honor amongst chefs, right?

I couldn’t leave you with nothing, so I’m including Cooks Illustrated’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, since their recipes are usually foolproof.  You’ll still be eating fantastic cake!  (If you promise not to tell anyone, I might suggest you think about adding bit of a three letter alcohol.  It’s not the most secret ingredient and not the one that adds the biggest special taste profile, so I feel okay sharing it).  Please note again, that the cake shown above is not the same recipe as below!  If you want a more traditional looking cake closer to what I made above than what CI suggests, make the caramel sauce, pour it into the cake pans, and arrange the maraschino cherries (first) and pineapple rings (second), then pour the cake batter over them.  Aloha!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Recipe from Cooks Illustrated

Pineapple Topping

• 1 medium fresh pineapple (about 4 pounds), diced into 1/2 pieces (about 4 cups prepared fruit)
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (7 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened but still cool
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 egg white at room temperature
• 1/3 cup whole milk at room temperature

1. Lightly spray 9-inch round, 2-inch deep cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. For the pineapple topping: Combine pineapple and brown sugar in 10-inch skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally during first 5 minutes, until pineapple is translucent and has light brown hue, 15 to 18 minutes. Empty fruit and juices into mesh strainer or colander set over medium bowl. Return juices to skillet, leaving pineapple in strainer (you should have about 2 cups cooked fruit). Simmer juices over medium heat until thickened, beginning to darken, and mixture forms large bubbles, 6 to 8 minutes, adding any more juices released by fruit to skillet after about 4 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla; pour caramel mixture into prepared cake pan. Set aside while preparing cake. (Pineapple will continue to release liquid as it sits; do not add this liquid to already-reduced juice mixture.)
3. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
4. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with flat beater, cream butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, add vanilla, and beat to combine; one at a time, add whole eggs then egg white, beating well and scraping down bowl after each addition. Reduce speed to low; add about one-third of flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Add half of milk and beat until incorporated; repeat, adding half of remaining flour mixture and remaining milk, and finish with remaining flour. Give final stir with rubber spatula, scraping bottom and sides of bowl to ensure that batter is combined. Batter will be thick.
5. To bake: Working quickly, distribute cooked pineapple in cake pan in even layer, gently pressing fruit into caramel. Using rubber spatula, drop mounds of batter over fruit, then spread batter over fruit and to sides of pan. Tap pan lightly against work surface to release any air bubbles. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack, then place inverted serving platter over cake pan. Invert cake pan and platter together; lift off cake pan. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours; then cut into pieces and serve.

I don’t think I could have found a simpler, more delicious way to eat my favorite summer fruits (peaches and nectarines), aside from just directly biting into one.  The peaches and streusel alone are fantastic–the warm cinnamon and nutmeg flavors complement the fruit perfectly.  When you add the creme anglaise, though…I don’t know if words can even describe how much I LOVE creme anglaise.  This was my first attempt at making it and, while not perfect, I was eating it straight out of the bowl and had to stop to make sure I would have enough to spoon over the peaches.  The original streusel recipe called for chopped almonds for crunch, but I switched in oatmeal instead–I’m a BIG sucker for oatmeal streusel.  Best of all, the ingredients were all in my fridge and pantry already, so it was a quick treat to whip up.  It’s not overly sweet either, so I may be making it for brunch pretty soon here.  In fact, I’m not even going to talk any more, I just want to get right to the recipe:

Roasted Peaches with Oatmeal Streusel and Creme Anglaise
Peaches recipe adapted from Eat Well
Creme Anglaise recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated, Dec 2006
Serves 2 (Creme Anglaise recipe makes about 2 cups)

• 2 firm peaches or nectarines
• 1.5 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces (plus extra for buttering dish)
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
• sprinkle of salt
• 1/4 cup of oatmeal

• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt

For the Peaches:

1. Preheat an oven to 400°F. Lightly butter any baking dish that will accommodate the peaches (I used a glass pyrex).
2. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits.  On the round side of the peach, cut a thin slice off  to create a little flat space so that the peaches won’t roll around in the baking sheet.  Arrange them in the dish with the pit side up.
3. In a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Add the butter pieces and pulse about 5-10 times until the mixture is crumbles.  A word of warning: I over pulsed mine and accidentally made it into cookie dough.  If this happens, it’s no biggie; it will taste the same.
4. Stir the oatmeal into the mixture.
5. Press small handfuls of the mixture onto the tops of the peaches.  Like I said, mine was more like cookie dough, so pinched off bits and pressed them onto the peaches.
6. Pop the peaches into the oven and bake 20 minutes.  Peaches will be tender and the streusel will be baked and browned.  In the meantime…

For the Creme Anglaise

1. Warm the milk in a medium sauce pan over low heat until steaming.
2. In the meantime, whisk yolks, sugar, and salt together in medium bowl about 1 minute until pale yellow in color.
3. Measure out 1/2 cup of the steaming milk (leave the rest in the pan over the low heat) and, while constantly whisking, slowly pour the 1/2 cup of milk over the egg mixture. (This is called “tempering”, you’re warming up the eggs so they don’t freak out when poured into hot milk and turn immediately into scrambled eggs.)
4. Pour the warmed egg mixture into the pan of milk and constantly stir the mixture for the next 8-10 minutes.  Using an instant-read thermometer (do you have one yet?  If not, they’re something like $12 at Bed Bath & Beyond; go get one!), keep stirring the milk until it registers 175-180 degrees.  Be patient.  If you turn the heat up, the milk will curdle.  Make sure to keep an eye on the bottom of the pan–be quick to break up any curdled milk that forms along the bottom of the pan because it will make the creme grainy.  I was disappointed, seeing that my creme was turning out super grainy and decided that I would eat it anyway and just not give you guys the recipe until I had figured out what I did wrong but it turns out I had no reason to panic because of the next step here…
5. Once you reach 175-180 degrees, take the pan off the heat and pour it through a fine mesh strainer.  I was worried I wouldn’t have a strainer fine enough, but just your average mesh strainer will do–it got rid of all the little grains and I had a beautifully smooth Creme Anglaise!

The creme can be refrigerated until you want to use it (put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the creme so that you don’t get a skin on it later), but I spooned it still warm over the warm peaches.  I thought I was in heaven.  I still have a lot of strawberries left (I’m eating them as fast as I can!) and can’t wait to eat them with some of the creme tonight after dinner.