Pear Clafouti

A clafouti is a French oven-baked dessert pudding. The impressive end result belies the little effort it takes to produce.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• Unsalted butter to grease baking dish
• 3 ripe but firm pears, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Wash pears, peel, seed and chop. Place in bowl and toss with lemon juice.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Crack eggs into a medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer until foamy.
4. Add milk, vanilla, sifted flour, sugar, nutmeg and pinch of salt. Beat again until smooth.
5. Pour batter into buttered 9” ovenproof dish or pie plate. Scatter pear pieces over batter.
6. Place in oven and bake 40-45 minutes. Batter should rise and turn golden when done.

Remove clafouti from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, which is a fine powdery sugar also known as icing or powdered sugar. Makes 8 portions.

WHIDBEY BLACKBERRY CRISP

Berry mixture:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 quart Blackberries
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons blackberry brandy

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut in pieces

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F. Butter an 8" square glass baking dish; set aside.

Combine the sugar and flour. Add berries and lemon zest and toss gently to evenly coat. Place in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the liqueur and set aside.

For topping, sift the flour and salt together. Add all remaining ingredients and blend with fingers until crumbly and well mixed. Sprinkle in an even layer over fruit. Bake until crisp is golden brown and fruit is bubbly, about 35 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Can also use black raspberries or a combination of blackberries and/or black raspberries with raspberries.

Rose Bakery Ricotta Cheesecake

This Italian via France version of cheesecake is smooth and creamy but not as rich as American cakes. It's from "Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, Rose Bakery" (Phaidon Press).

Butter a 10" springform pan and line it with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Crust:
Crush 7 ounces (one and a half packets - there are 3 packets per box) graham crackers with a rolling pin or in a blender, and mix in 1/4 - 1/3 cup butter until moist. Add a pinch of ginger or cinnamon. Pat into the base of the tin, pressing down evenly.

Filling:
3 and 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
Scant 1 cup of cream cheese
2/3 cup superfine sugar
grated zest and juice of two lemns
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of ground cinnamon
5 eggs
1 egg yolk
scant 1 cup half-and-half
1 T. all purpose flour

Mix all the ingredients for the filling together in the order listed. Make sure there are no lumps. It helps to use an electric mixer.

Pour into prepared tin over the graham cracker crust and bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until just set. The top shold be pale and just beginning to puff up - you don't want it to turn golden.

Remove from the oven and cool the cheesecake in the pan before taking it out

Grandmother Hathaway's Angel Gingerbread

My mother made this pale, light-textured gingerbread at least once a week when I was growing up. It's quick, easy, and delicious served with ice cream, whip cream or frozen yogurt.

Combine 1/2 cup golden(light) molasses, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and one beaten egg. Beat well.

Add 1 and 1/4 cup sifted flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. soda, 1/2 tsp. each cinnamon and ginger.

When well mixed, add 1/2 cup boiling water and beat well.

Bake in greased 8" square pan at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Best served right out of the oven.

Alice Waters's Pie Crust

This recipe makes two 11 inch tarts, or one double crust nine-inch pie. It's easily doubled or halved.

Have measured: 1/2 cup ice cold water

Mix together:
2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. salt (if using unsalted butter)

Add:
12 tablespoons (one and one-half stick) cold butter, cut into small (1/4") cubes

Cut or work the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingertips, leaving some of the butter in fairly large, irregular pieces. This will take 1-2 minutes. Pour in three quarters of the water, stirring all the while with a fork until the dough begins to form clumps. Keep adding water if needed. Divide the dough in two, bring each part togethe rinto a ball, and wrap each ball in plastic wrap. Let rest, refrigerated, for one hour or longer.

Rolling out:
If the dough has been in the 'fridge for many hours, take it out to warm a bit (no more than 20 minutes). If it's just been in the 'fridge an hour or two, it's ready to roll out.

Choose a surface that is smooth and cool with plenty of room to roll it out. Flatten the gall with your hands while it's still wrapped. Dust the counter lightly and evenly with flour, dust the top of the dough with flour, tap the dough with the rolling pin to flatten it out even more, and then roll from the center of the dough disk out toward the edge with firm but consistent pressure. Don't roll back and forth, continue to roll out from the center as the disk gets bigger.

Brush off extra flour gently with a flour, fold it in half and then quarters, and ease gently into the pie pan. Fill and bake.

Greg Atkinson's Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Makes 4 dozen cookies

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup canola oil

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cocoa nibs

1 cup powdered sugar



1. Melt the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl set over barely simmering water. Mix in the oil and granulated sugar. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With a rubber spatula, stir the flour mixture and cocoa nibs into the chocolate mixture just until the ingredients are combined. Cover the dough securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with baker's parchment. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into the powdered sugar. Roll the dough in the sugar and shape into balls. Place the cookies at least 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Serve warm with cold milk.