Category: COBBLERS, CRISPS & TARTS

BANANA BLUEBERRY CRUNCH
I usually make everything from scratch, but this recipe is too good to mess with much. I have reduced the fat a bit and altered the ingredients to meet my family’s likes, but other than that this recipe is fantastic as is. The key is to remember to layer exactly as listed! It is great in a pinch since most ingredients are always in the cupboard or freezer. The original recipe called for the butter before the nuts and coconut, but I changed that. By putting it last, the nuts and coconut toast up fantastically.

1 large can crushed pineapple, undrained
2-3 cups frozen blueberries
1-3 ripe banana(s), sliced thin
1 cup sugar
1 box yellow cake mix, dry
1/2-1 cup minced walnuts
1/2-1 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 -2 sticks butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Layer exactly as listed in even layers
• Bake 45-60 minutes until it tests done

CRISP
2-3 large Granny Smith apples (4 Cups)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup apple juice

TOPPING
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 small box Cook & Serve Lemon Pudding (NOT instant)

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large mixing bowl combine all CRISP ingredients and mix well. Pour into an un-greased stoneware pan.
In a mixing bowl combine the topping ingredients and mix until crumbly.
Sprinkle topping over apple mixture.
Bake 45-60 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is crisp and golden.
Serve warm with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream.

BLUEBERRY COBBLER    Author: adapted from Southern Living

• In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and milk until smooth.
• Add the melted butter.
• Spread the batter into a greased 11X7 pan.
• Slice bananas evenly over batter.
• In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
• Sprinkle over bananas.
• Bake at 375 ˚ for 40 minutes or until filling bubbles.
• Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

3 medium pears, firm but ripe
1 lemon
4 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup ground blanched almonds
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg

2 teaspoons coconut rum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 partially-baked 9-inch tart shell, made with Sweet Tart Dough (see below), at room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting, or apple jelly for glazing
whipped cream
toasted coconut

• Make the sweet dough recipe below first!

• Peel pears, but leave them whole.
• Bring the 4 cups water, the 1 1/4 cups sugar and the juice of the lemon to a boil in a saucepan just large enough to hold the pears.
• Add the pears to the boiling syrup, lower the heat so the syrup simmers and gently poach the pears until they are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.
  
• Cool the pears to room temperature in the syrup.

• Cream the butter and sugar in the food processor until the mixture is smooth and satiny.
• Add the ground almonds and continue to process until well blended.
• Add the flour and cornstarch, process, and then add the egg. Process until almond cream is smooth and consistent.
• Add the rum and vanilla and process just to blend.
  
• Place the almond cream in a container and refrigerate it until firm.

• Center rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  
• Line a jelly roll pan with a silicone mat.
• Cut the pears in half from blossom to stem and core them; make sure to pat the pears dry – really dry – so that their liquid won’t keep the almond cream from baking.
• Fill the baked crust with the almond cream, spreading it even with a spatula.
  
• Thinly slice each pear half crosswise, lift each half on a spatula, press down on the pear to fan it slightly and place it, wide-end toward the edge of the crust, over the almond cream. The halves will form spokes.
• Put the crust on the lined baking sheet.
• Bake the tart 50 to 60 minutes, or until the almond cream puffs up around the pears and browns.
• Transfer the tart to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature before unmolding.

SWEET TART DOUGH
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (4 1/2 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup sweet flaked toasted coconut

To make the dough:

• Put the flour, powdered sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine.
• Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is cut in coarsely – you’ll have pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pea-size pieces and that’s just fine.
• Beat the egg slightly, and gradually add it, pulsing after each addition.
• When all of the egg has been added, process in long pulses – about 10 seconds each – until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface.
• Very lightly and sparingly – make that very, very lightly and sparingly – knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.
• Butter the tart pan and press the dough evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
• Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

2 to 3 stalks rhubarb, trimmed well (3 Cups)
1 small loaf white bread (6 ounces), crusts removed (3+ cups)
1 stick butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons sliced thin
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into thin wedges
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut rhubarb into 1/4-inch-thick cubes.
• Tear bread into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Spray a shallow 1-quart baking dish with PURE.
• In medium bowl, combine melted butter and bread pieces; cover bottom of dish with 1 to 1 1/2 cups bread pieces.
• In another bowl, combine rhubarb, apple, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice.   Grate zest; add to mixture.
• Let sit until juices begin to run, about 5 minutes.
• Spread half of rhubarb mixture over bread pieces.
• Sprinkle with 1 cup more bread pieces.
• Add remaining rhubarb mixture and juices; cover with remaining bread pieces.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar.
• Dot with 2 tablespoons butter slices.
• Cover; bake 25 to 35 minutes on the middle rack, until rhubarb is tender.
• Increase heat to 400 degrees; uncover, and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until rhubarb is soft, top is crusty, and juices begin to bubble at edges of baking dish.
• Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

ANGEL WINGS with BANANA DROPS & STRAWBERRY KISSES
1 slice angel food cake per person*
3 strawberries per person
1/2 banana per person
2 tablespoons Mocha Hot Fudge Sauce per person
2 tablespoons Caramel Sauce per person
whipped cream

• Slice cake in half diagonally and arrange on plate.
• Sprinkle banana slices and strawberry slices randomly around angel food cake pieces.
• Pour

*I like to make loaf angel food cakes for this recipe

GLAZE
2 baskets fresh strawberries, sliced
2 kiwis, chopped
1 cup pureed strawberries*
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons KARO light corn syrup
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup water

BUTTERMILK SHORTCAKE
2 cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
4 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup butter, softened, but not melted
¾ cup buttermilk**

• Mix together 1 cup sugar, corn syrup, cornstarch and water in a 2 quart sauce pan, cover and bring to a slow boil. 
• When you reach a boil remove the lid. Add the 1 cup pureed strawberries and boil a few minutes more.  Chill 10-15 minutes.  After the sauce is chilled, pour over the fruit and toss gently.  Return to the refrigerator to continue chilling. 
• Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the milk and butter and mix well into a soft dough. DO NOT over knead – it will become tough. 
• Grease an 8 inch pie pan really well. Gently arrange dough into an even mound and pre-cut into your serving portions before baking. 
• Bake at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick done and golden brown. 
• Slice each shortcake open, dot with a thin layer of honey, arrange on plate and top with a scoop of the  strawberry kiwi glaze and vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

*I use the less than pretty berries for the puree.

**As a substitute, Buttermilk can be made by adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar to regular milk.

STRAWBERRY PIZZA
1 package Pillsbury pie dough (or homemade if you have time)
2 eggs
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar + 3-4 tablespoons
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound strawberries, cleaned and sliced
whipped cream

• In a medium mixing bowl sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons of sugar over sliced strawberries and toss. Set aside.
• Cut out 4 – 5 inch rounds.
• Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Cool.
• In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, eggs, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla. Beat until well blended.
• Bake cream cheese mixture 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
• Spread over “pizza” rounds.
• Top with spoonfuls of strawberries.
• Add whipped cream and top with Caramel Sauce and Mocha Hot Fudge Sauce.

This recipe was the Pillsbury Grand Prize Winner of $25,000 in 1969 for a very good reason, it really is magical. The cinnamon-sugar marshmallows melt away during the baking, leaving an ooey-gooey caramel center behind. And while they are delicious warm from the oven I defy anyone seeing a baked one for the first time to identify the inigredients that made the whole or to resist even a cold one especially now that they leave an ooey gooey caramel chocolate center behind. The BIG trick is making sure that the marshmallow is wrapped really well inside and sealed tight.

1/4 cup sugar

• Combine sugar with cinnamon.
• Separate crescent dough into 16 triangles.
• Push a cherry Kiss into the center of each marshmallow
• Dip marshmallow in melted butter and then roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
• Wrap a dough triangle around each marshmallow, completely covering marshmallow and squeezing edges of dough tightly to seal.
• Dip in melted butter and place in regular sized muffin cups.
• Roll in crushed walnuts.
• Repeat with remaining marshmallows.
• Place pan on foil or on a cookie sheet during baking to guard against spill-overs in the oven.
• Bake puffs at 375 degrees for 10 – 14 minutes until golden brown.
• Wait a minute or two, then remove from pans and drizzle with glaze and sprinkle with chopped nuts if desired.