Showing posts with label Fruit. Show all posts
Peachy Keen Ice Cream
in Desserts, Fruit, Ice Cream, Peach brandy, Peaches on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Dad loved his ice cream! I love ice cream! It’s my favorite “food.” I could eat it any time of the day. I am sure I inherited this trait from Dad.
It was a wonderful thing when Mom went to the basement and pulled out the ice cream maker on a hot summer day. She mixed fresh fruit with milk and cream to make a custard, then placed it in the tall metal can and inserted the paddle. Dad packed lots of rock salt and ice around it and then the hard part started ~ the hand cranking. It was a messy experience with the melted rock salt and ice slurry that I thought was great fun! As the crank became hard to turn, after about a half-hour, the ice cream was ready to eat. I do it the easy way now with an electric ice cream maker!
Old way -
hand crank
My way -
electric!
Peaches are great also. Remember the other day when I made peach cake? I bought enough peaches to make peach ice cream also. They were excellent juicy Michigan
Cooling over ice
Here’s the recipe:
Peach Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh peaches, peeled and chopped
1¼ cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons peach brandy
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg yolks
Method:
In a bowl, combine peaches, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice and peach brandy.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.
Remove peach mixture from refrigerator and drain juice into a small bowl.
Return peaches to refrigerator.
In a saucepan, combine ¾ cup sugar, heavy cream, milk and vanilla.
Bring just to boil.
In bowl, whisk egg yolks.
While whisking, slowly stream in about 1/3 of the boiled cream mixture.
Mix well.
Continue whisking and add remaining cream mixture.
Return to the heat and cook while stirring constantly.
Mixture will thicken as it returns to a boil.
Remove from heat and strain into a bowl set over ice.
Add the reserved peach juice.
Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions to freeze.
After the ice cream begins to stiffen, when almost done, add the peaches and continue to freeze until ready to eat.
ENJOY!!!
Peach ice cream is the real scoop!
By the way, the average American consumes more than 23 pints of ice cream a year. Are you the average American?
Visit my friend, Linda’s blog, My Kind of Cooking, for the prize winning recipe at the fair and for a chance to win her great cookbook!
Tart Cherry Jam
“Life is just a bowl of cherries!”
Which do you like it on, whole wheat or white toast?
You folks out there living in Washington , Utah , Idaho and Oregon U.S.
Years ago we had a couple of tart cherry trees of our own and who knows what disease got them; maybe it was just old age! I loved them though for making jam and baking pies and other goodies. There was a cherry orchard nearby which closed right after our trees died, making it nearly impossible to find tart cherries around here. We have to drive up to Wisconsin or Michigan
My story gets sadder. This year the cherry season was only a week-end long in Southern Wisconsin as there was a late heavy frost which meant very few cherries were for the picking. Unfortunately, I was busy that weekend and couldn’t make the trip. So last Friday was a trip to get some frozen tart cherries. They were shipped from Northern Wisconsin to the orchard in Southern Wisconsin in 5 and 10 pound tubs.
Then, Linda at My Kind of Cooking told me that they were talking about me on her radio segment on Passion Radio that Friday. So Linda, I told you I was on an “errand” and this is what it was, a road trip for the tart cherries. I’m so sorry I missed your great show and now I’m wondering what you said…
I do not make jam the traditional way with a canner. I learned from Mom many years ago, to make the jam and after cooling, place the jars in the refrigerator. She used to refrigerate a gallon glass jar with jam and so did I. It was easy, delicious and kept for many months. I still do the same but in pint canning jars instead. The jars are sterilized in the dishwasher and while still hot, filled with the hot jam, cooled and then refrigerated.
Frozen tart cherries
Boiling away
Jarred
Tart Cherry Jam
Ingredients:
3 pounds sour cherries (4 cups chopped cherries)
4¾ cups sugar
1 box pectin
Method:
Sterilize jars (I use the dishwasher).
Chop cherries 1 cup at a time using a potato masher for best results. If using a food processor, pulse to chop. DO NOT PUREE as jams have a bit of fruit.
Measure exact amount of prepared fruit into a 6- or 8-quart saucepot.
Measure exact amount of sugar into separate bowl.
Stir 1 box pectin into fruit in saucepot.
Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
Stir in sugar quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with a slotted spoon.
Stir, skim off foam and repeat until there is no foam forming.
Ladle quickly into hot jars, filling to within 1/8” of tops.
Wipe jar rims and threads.
Cool.
Cover with lids and refrigerate.
Makes 3 pints
It’s the best ~ cherry jam!
My Blackberry Buckle and So Forth
in Blackberries, Blackberry Brandy, Buckles, Desserts, Fruit on Friday, March 23, 2012
There are grunts, cobblers, crumbles, crisps, pandowdy’s, slumps, clafouti’s, betty’s and then there’s my favorite ~ buckles.
All of the above always confuse me so here’s the lowdown:
Grunt: It is a simple, dumpling-like fruit dessert that is cooked on the stove-top. Large dollops of biscuit dough are dropped on top of the fruit; the dough is steam cooked through the escaping steam of the fruit. The name supposedly comes from the sound the fruit makes as it stews.
Slump: It’s the same as grunt.
Cobbler: A cobbler is a deep-dish fruit dessert with the fruit filling in the bottom of the dish and topped with thick biscuit dough, usually dropped in spoonfuls.
Crisp: This dessert is baked with the fruit on the bottom and having a sweet crunchy topping which is crumbled over the top. The crumb topping can be made with flour, nuts, breadcrumbs, graham cracker or cookie crumbs, or even cereal and baked until the top is brown and crunchy. Crisps are the homey, American version of the British crumbles.
Crumble: Similar to a crisp except that it is topped with a crumbly pastry mixture. The dish is of British origin and is not as rich as a crisp.
Pandowdy: This is a layer of sweetened fruit with a thick top crust, usually made with piecrust. As the dessert bakes and the crust hardens, the crust is pushed and broken into the fruit with a fork, which allows the juices of the baking fruit to partially cover the crust. The name supposedly refers to its rumpled or “dowdy” appearance after baking. It’s generally made with apples; hence, apple pandowdy.
Clafouti: This is a French dessert in which the fruit is topped with either a pudding or cake topping. It’s often considered a baked pudding. It’s easy to make, has a great presentation and is excellent for a quickie dessert for a dinner party. It’s perfect for cherries and is usually served warm.
Betty: This dessert goes back to colonial days and is usually known as Apple Brown Betty. It’s made with brown sugar and baked between layers of buttered bread crumbs with an assortment of spices such as nutmeg or cinnamon.
Buckle: A cake layer is on the bottom of the pan, the berries are spread over this and the top layer is a crumble mixture. The result is a rich, dense cake with a moist crumb which can be compared to coffee cake. It’s an excellent summer dessert, served hot or cold, dressed with drizzles of sauce, ice cream or plain. The origin is mysterious ~ it may be colonial.
Like I said earlier, buckle is my favorite and especially if it’s made with blackberries! This recipe for blackberry buckle is great. The flavor with the combined cake layer, fruit and topping is to die for! It keeps very well.
The day after it is baked, heat a slice in the micro for a few seconds and it is a HEAVENLY thing when slightly warm with maybe a scoop of ice cream or a dab of butter on it as Bill does. I like it just all by itself. The aroma while baking is outstanding ~ it is truly delicious!
Look at those berries ~ almost ready to bake...
Ready for the oven...
Voila!
Blackberry Buckle
Cake ingredients:
1 cup flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 egg
5 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons blackberry brandy
2 teaspoons vanilla
2½ cups fresh or frozen blackberries
Method:
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a mixer bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy and light with an electric mixer on medium speed.
Add egg. Beat until smooth.
Combine milk, blackberry brandy and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients and milk alternately to the batter, beating at low speed after each addition.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 1½ quart baking dish.
Spoon berries evenly over batter.
Crumble topping ingredients:
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
Method:
Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon.
Cut in butter until crumbly.
Sprinkle over blackberries.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown on top.
Pam’s note:
Here’s a tip: I use cold or frozen butter and grate it. If you are in need of room temperature butter quickly, grate your cold or frozen butter! I do this with butter in most of my baking and it aids the product in baking perfectly. Cookies will not spread as they do when using room temperature butter. Plus, if you decide to bake on the spur of the moment you are not concerned with having cold butter!
This blackberry buckle gets rave reviews every time, bake it and yours will also!!!
Don’t forget to enter my give-away posted on July 20th! Here's the link:
http://pamsmidwestkitchenkorner.blogspot.com/2010/07/its-give-away-time.html
Cherry Pie
Move out of the way apple pie! You’ve lost the #1 spot to cherry pie!
I am totally hooked on cherry pie and am one happy lady when there is a slice of it set before me; I don’t care if it’s made with sweet cherries or tart cherries. And then add a scoop of ice cream, pure heaven! Did you know that in Kansas
This cherry pie recipe is one that I’ve made for years and is great filled with sugared up tart cherries, cinnamon and lemon extracts and Kirsch brandy. This is a simple recipe for a great pie!
We used to have two cherry trees which provided great cherries for jam, pies and more but, they’re long gone now. So that has left me with the problem of trying to find fresh tart cherries. They are definitely not sold in grocery stores and I have never seen them in the farmer’s markets around here.
The only ones I have been able to find are canned tart cherries. I just wish there was a cherry orchard in the vicinity or in Southern Wisconsin !
Cherry Pie
Ingredients:
Pastry for 9-inch, two-crust pie*
1-1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 cans (16 ounces each) pitted red tart cherries, drained or 4 cups fresh or 5 cups frozen
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon Kirsch, optional
Dash salt
2 tablespoons butter
Method:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare pie crust.
Mix sugar and flour.
Stir in cherries and remaining ingredients, except butter.
Turn into pastry-lined pie plate.
Dot with butter.
Cover with top crust.
Flute and cut slits in the dough.
Bake until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits in crust for 50 minutes to one hour.
*Pam’s note: under Labels in the right sidebar, click on "pie crust" for my no-fail recipe.
It’s cherry heaven, delicious!!!
Cherry Clafouti ~ Bon Appétit!
I’ve never even tasted it, much less baked it but I have seen recipes for cherry clafouti countless times.
As you can see, my blog header has cherries on it so I obviously really like cherries and “red” also. I had 15 pounds remaining in the freezer and made some more jam with most of it. Then along came the magazine…
By being on the cover of the June issue of "Bon Appétit," Gwyneth Paltrow has done something few people have done. The Editor-in-Chief says they do it a few times a year with the right person and of course, he/she has to love food to bag the honor. It’s an interesting article about Gwyneth and her passion for cooking; except, that isn’t really what attracted me to this issue.
What naturally drew me in was the article with all the recipes for cherries, especially the clafouti. Since I’ve never made cherry clafouti I wanted to attempt it though, I’m not sure I would make the dessert again ~ there are a plethora of cherry recipes out there!
I used red-tart cherries from a Wisconsin orchard but you can use Bing, Brooks, Early Burlat, Garnet or Rainier cherries. As it’s close to the season, here’s the recipe that would be good for using fresh cherries, if you favor clafoutis:
Cherry Clafouti
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted or frozen pitted cherries, thawed, drained
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
4 large eggs
½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt (I used ¼ teaspoon table salt)
Powdered sugar
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butter 10” springform cake pan or eight 2/3 or ¾ cup ramekins or custard cups.
Arrange cherries in a single layer in pan.
Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan.
Bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Set aside.
Combine eggs, flour, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl.
Whisk to blend.
Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture; whisk until custard is smooth.
Pour custard evenly over cherries in pan.
Bake clafouti until custard is set and top is golden brown, about 45-55 minutes for cake pan or 30 minutes for ramekins.
Let cool 3 minutes, then run a knife around pan sides to loosen clafouti (if using a cake pan).
Dust top with powdered sugar, cut into wedges and serve.
Note: Clafouti is traditionally made with unpitted cherries for added flavor. Leave the pits in if you like; just remind your guests!
Bon Appétit!
Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!
Melon, Cherries and Pomegranate Fruit Salad
in Cantaloupe, Cherries, Fruit, Pomegranates, Salads, Watermelon on Saturday, February 11, 2012
I know this might sound a bit strange but it’s really delicious!
I love fresh fruit this time of year, especially melons and bing cherries; however, the taste and crunchiness of pomegranate really appeals to me also. So, I mixed it all together.
You have the sweetness of the cherries and melons combined with the tartness of the pomegranate, a perfect sweet/tart combo! The flavors are really delicious together.
You are probably aware of the many health benefits of pomegranate. If not, check out my March 29, 2010 post.
This is very easy to make. Cut the pomegranate into quarters and submerge in a bowl of water, the seeds separate and sink to the bottom of the bowl making it easy to remove from the skin. Chop the melon into bite-size pieces and you’re ready for a great fruit salad. The only problem may be trying to find them all ripe at the same time. I did and love it!
MELON, CHERRIES and POMEGRANATE FRUIT SALAD
Ingredients:
1 small cantaloupe
½ of small watermelon
½ pound bing cherries
1 pomegranate
Method:
Cut melons into bite-size cubes.
Remove pits from cherries and halve.
Combine in a large bowl.
Add pomegranate seeds.
Mix, add sugar, if needed.
Serve
Fruity delicious!
Spinach Salad with Mushrooms, Mozzarella and Sautéed Chicken
I love this time of year not only for the warm weather but for the variety of salads we enjoy, with this being one of our favorites. It is perfect for a summertime supper!
What sets this spinach salad apart from the others is that the chicken and mushrooms are placed in separate plastic bags to marinate with the salad dressing before sautéing. Added to the salad’s flavors is mozzarella cheese, a chopped apple, dried cherries and pine nuts. Dried cranberries or golden raisins could replace the dried cherries, if you prefer.
Then I topped it with the delicious Italian dressing. The dressing is robust and complements the salad ingredients perfectly. This is one of the best salads you can imagine and you will be making it many times once you try it! You will see how very delicious it is and all that spinach has to make it healthy also!
Here’s the recipe:
Italian salad dressing:
Ingredients:
¾ cup salad oil
¼ cup wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon paprika
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, optional
Method:
In a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients, except cheese.
Process until well blended.
Add Parmesan cheese, stir in.
Cover and refrigerate for 3 or more hours before using.
Spinach Salad with Mushrooms, Mozzarella and Sautéed Chicken
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Italian salad dressing
2 packages (10 oz. each) white mushrooms, sliced
8 cups baby spinach leaves
1 medium apple, chopped
½ cup dried cherries
2 tablespoons pine nuts
5 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
Method:
Pour ¼ cup Italian dressing over chicken in large re-sealable plastic bag, turn to coat.
Close bag and marinate in refrigerator up to 2 hours.
Repeat with mushrooms in additional ¼ cup dressing in separate re-sealable bag and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
Remove chicken from plastic bag and sauté in a skillet until it is cooked thoroughly. Set aside.
Remove mushrooms from plastic bag and sauté in skillet until tender and golden.
Thinly slice chicken into strips.
Arrange spinach on serving platter.
Top with apple, cherries and cheese, then mushrooms and chicken.
Just before serving, drizzle with remaining dressing or however much you desire.
4 servings
This is one tasty summertime salad that’s great for lunch or supper!
Give it a try!
Bubba's Pickled Watermelon Rind
in Bubba's recipes, Condiments/Pickles/Relishes, Fruit, Lemons, Watermelon on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Whatever you do, don’t throw away your watermelon rind this summer!
It may sound a little strange to make pickles out of watermelon rind but, it really might surprise you how delicious they are. My mother used to make these every summer and recalling them, Bubba gave it a try and is now carrying on the tradition ~ lucky for me! I love about anything pickled and these watermelon pickles are fantastic!
Here are some fun watermelon facts:
- The largest watermelon on record was raised in 2005 by the Bright family in
- Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.
- In
- The first cookbook published in 1796 in
- A watermelon was once thrown at Roman Governor Demosthenes during a political debate. Placing the watermelon on his head, he thanked the thrower for providing him with a helmet to wear as he fought Philip of Macedonia.
Watermelon pickles are a tangy, sweet complement to grilled burgers, barbecued meat, hot dogs, chicken and seafood. A 6 pound watermelon yields about two pounds of rind. The pickles are very sweet and contain a great mix of spices, they even smell divine. It may seem complicated to make them but, it’s not. It takes a couple of days to make them and then they’re ready to relish.
So with summer around the corner, remember not to pitch your watermelon rind. Now, if I could only convince Bubba to try pickled eggs!
Bubba’s Watermelon Pickles
Ingredients:
1 watermelon
3/4 cup salt
5 cups sugar
3 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon whole cloves
6 cinnamon sticks (break to 1")
1 tablespoon allspice
1 lemon, sliced
3/4 cup salt
5 cups sugar
3 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon whole cloves
6 cinnamon sticks (break to 1")
1 tablespoon allspice
1 lemon, sliced
Method:
Remove the rind from the watermelon, removing as much of the pink meat as possible and all of the green outer skin.
Cut the rind into small bite-sized pieces.
Make a brine of 3qts water and 3/4 cup salt.
Put the rind in a bowl, cover with the brine, and refrigerate at least 6 hrs
Drain and rinse the rind. Put the rind in a pot, cover it with water, and boil it about 15 minutes until tender. Drain and remove the rind.
Mix the rest of the ingredients with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Pour over the watermelon. Refrigerate overnight.
Bring the watermelon and syrup to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium-high and cook for 1 hr, stirring periodically.
---
To can them, put them straight from the pot into canning jars, leaving about a half inch open at the top. Clean the jars off, put the lids on, and put in boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove from pot.
Remove the rind from the watermelon, removing as much of the pink meat as possible and all of the green outer skin.
Cut the rind into small bite-sized pieces.
Make a brine of 3qts water and 3/4 cup salt.
Put the rind in a bowl, cover with the brine, and refrigerate at least 6 hrs
Drain and rinse the rind. Put the rind in a pot, cover it with water, and boil it about 15 minutes until tender. Drain and remove the rind.
Mix the rest of the ingredients with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Pour over the watermelon. Refrigerate overnight.
Bring the watermelon and syrup to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium-high and cook for 1 hr, stirring periodically.
---
To can them, put them straight from the pot into canning jars, leaving about a half inch open at the top. Clean the jars off, put the lids on, and put in boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove from pot.
Let the jars set at room temperature for 24 hours. They do not need to be refrigerated unless you desire them chilled before serving.
Is it pickles or is it candy? You’ll have to try it and decide for yourself as I don’t think you’ll find it in the stores.
Way to go, Bubba! They’re delicious!
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