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In the Oven: Pear Plum Crisp

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Next up on the schedule is a colorful crisp! Posting date is August 11.

Pear Plum Crisp
Author: Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • For the Fruit Filling
  • 2 medium Bosc pears, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 medium Bartlett pears, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 large plums, pitted and cut into thin wedges
  • Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
  • Grated zest and juice of ½ orange
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • For the Oat Topping
  • 6 tablespooons cold unsalted butter, cut into pea-sized pieces
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup rolled oats
  • ¼ cup firmly packed dark sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • To serve
  • Vanilla ice cream
Instructions
Make the fruit filling
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, toss together the pears, plums, and the lemon and orange zest and juice. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and flour and stir until just combined. Set aside.
Make the oat topping
  1. In a small bowl, using a wooden spoon, toss together the butter and flour until the butter pieces are evenly coated. Add the oats and both sugars, and using your hands or the back of a wooden spoon, rub the mixture together until it resembles coarse meal.
Assemble the crisp
  1. Pour the filling into one 8-by-8-by-2-inch pan, and completely cover the top of the filling with the oat topping.
  2. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 20 minutes, and serve slightly warm with a scoop of ice cream.
  3. The crisp can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and can be reheated in the microwave in 15-second bursts until warm.

 

In the Oven: Sour Cherry Slump

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No need to turn on the oven to make this week’s recipe — you cook this “twice-removed cousin of the cobbler family” entirely on the stovetop. Posting date is July 29!

Sour Cherry Slump
Author: Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • For the biscuit topping
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • Raw sugar for topping (optional)
  • For the Sour Cherries
  • 2 pints sour cherries, pitted and drained
  • ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to serve
Instructions
Make the biscuit topping
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a wooden spoon, stir in the melted butter and mix until combined. Add ¼ cup of the sour cream and stir. Add a few heaping tablespoons of the remaining sour cream, stirring between each addition, until the dough feels wet. You may end up using slightly less than the ½ cup of the sour cream. Set aside while you prepare the sour cherries.
Make the sour cherries
  1. In a well-seasoned 8-inch or 8 ½-inch cast-iron skillet, gently combine the cherries, sugars, 3 tablespoons water, the lemon juice, and lemon zest.
  2. Cover the skillet with a lid or a piece of tight-fitting foil and bring the mixture to a rapid boil over medium heat.
  3. When the mixture reaches a boil, remove the skillet from the heat and scoop heaping tablespoons of the biscuit topping over the cherries, covering as much surface area as possible. If using, sprinkle the top with raw sugar. Cover the skillet tightly and return it to low heat. Cook for about 15 minutes. Do not remove the lid. After 15 minutes, check the topping for doneness; it should be dry to the touch. (The topping will not brown the way it would in an oven.)
  4. Serve the slump hot from the pan.

 

In the Oven: Cherry Almond Crisp

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Next up is Cherry Almond Crisp in celebration of Washington’s Birthday/Presidents’ Day!

Posting date is Sunday, 15 February.

In the Oven: Cherry Almond Crisp
Author: Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito
Serves: 8 – 10 Servings
In celebration of Washington’s Birthday/Presidents’ Day
Ingredients
  • For the Crisp Topping
  • 2⁄3 cup (85 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 ounces (¾ stick/85 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for the pan
  • ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 2⁄3 cup (100 g) blanched almonds, toasted (see page 19)
  • ¾ cup (30 g) of your favorite oat-based childhood cereal, chocolate-based granola, or Fruity or Cocoa Pebbles[br]
  • For the Cherry Filling
  • 5½ cups pitted cherries (about 2 pounds/910 g before pitting)
  • 2 tablespoons instant tapioca
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
  • 1 tablespoon pure almond extract
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • For the Assembly
  • Premium vanilla ice cream (optional)
Instructions
Make the Crisp Topping
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
  2. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch (20-cm) round cake pan with at least 2-inch (5‑cm) sides.
  3. Place the flour, both sugars, and the salt in a food processor and pulse until combined.
  4. Add the butter and almond extract and pulse until sandy (8 to 12 quick pulses).
  5. Add the almonds and pulse until the nuts are chopped and incorporated but the mixture is still coarse and chunky, not powdery; do not overpulse.
  6. Add the cereal and pulse with the almonds for a few more seconds.
  7. Place the topping in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
Make the Cherry Filling
  1. In a large bowl, gently toss together the cherries, tapioca, lemon juice, almond extract, sugar, and lemon zest.
Assemble the Cherry Almond Crisp
  1. Place the cherry filling in the prepared pan.
  2. Evenly scatter the chilled crisp topping over the filling and bake until the top is browned and the fruit is bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes. If the top starts to brown too quickly (but the filling is not bubbling), tent the crisp with foil and continue baking until the filling is ready.
  3. Remove from the oven, place the pan on a cooling rack, and allow to cool slightly.
  4. Serve the crisp warm, with vanilla ice cream, if you like.
Notes
How to store: Wrap and refrigerate any leftover crisp for up to 3 days. To reheat, let the crisp come to room temperature, then rewarm it in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Leftovers can also be eaten straight from the fridge with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Excerpted from Baked Occasions: Desserts for Leisure Activities, Holidays, and Informal Celebrations, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2014 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.