Stewed Dried Fruit

I know some people think it’s too old fashioned, but I have always loved — still love — dried fruit compote.

Last year I wrote about it for The Nosher (My Jewish Learning) and got lots of responses! It’s the kind of dish that some people absolutely hate (until they try some updated version) but people like me love not just for the flavor but also the memories this dish conjures up.

I grew up in an Ashkenazi Jewish family so dried fruit compote was a given! My grandmother, who made it basically with prunes and the occasional dried apricot, called it kumput. The young kids, me included, hated it.

Years later I rediscovered the dish after trying something similar (Khoshaf) in Egypt and I’ve been tinkering with the recipe ever since. This is my latest version; a tasty and fitting dish anytime, but especially for the lovely holiday of Tu B’shevat (New Year of the Trees), which comes at the beginning of a new season in Israel when trees bring forth their first fruits of the year (this year the holiday starts at sundown on February 5th).

We eat compote with yogurt for breakfast but I’ve also served it with mascarpone cheese for dessert. It’s really good anytime.

Dried Fruit Compote

• 2 cups orange juice

• 1-1/2 cups water

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 3” cinnamon stick

• 12 whole cloves

• 2 pieces of orange peel, each about 2-inches long

• 12 prunes

• 8-10 whole dried figs, cut in half

• 1 cup dried cherries, blueberries or cranberries

• 1 cup dried apricot halves

Place the juice, water, honey, cinnamon stick, cloves and orange peel in a saucepan large enough to hold all the dried fruit. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the fruit and simmer another 18-20 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Let the fruit cool in the pan. The sauce will thicken as the fruit absorbs some of it. Discard the cinnamon stick (you won’t find the cloves). Serve with the poaching liquid.

Makes 8 servings

Squash Streusel Muffins

Last Thanksgiving I had some cooked pumpkin left over after making some pies, so in an effort not to waste any food, I mashed some of the pieces and used a cupful to make muffins. They were so good that I made them again a few times but used cooked winter squash.

Even better!

Those muffins came in really handy for breakfast when I had sleepover guests for New Year’s weekend.

These are delicious with the streusel top — a nice nosh with afternoon tea or coffee — but they’re good plain too (just make them without the streusel).

Squash Streusel Muffins

 Streusel:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup quick cooking or rolled oats

• 2 tablespoons white sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or solid coconut oil, cut into chunks (butter if desired)

Place the flour, oats, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix ingredients to distribute them evenly. Add the shortening and work it into the dry ingredients with fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Set aside.

Batter:

• 1 cup mashed, cooked squash (canned pumpkin is fine)

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1/3 cup oat milk (or other dairy or nondairy milk)

• 2 large eggs

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 10 muffin pan wells. Combine the mashed squash, white sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, oat milk and eggs in a large bowl and whisk the ingredients for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly blended. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and add the mixture to the squash mixture. Whisk or mix the ingredients for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly blended. Spoon equal amounts of the batter into the prepared wells. Sprinkle equal amounts of the streusel on top of each muffin. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Makes 10

Persimmon/Peach/Nectarine Muffins

Unlike so many other fruits and vegetables, persimmons have a real “season” and you can only get them for a couple of months — like now!

They’re a real treat, with tender flesh and, depending on the variety, somewhat apricoty or with a sort of sweet-pear-like flavor.

We don’t get a lot of persimmons where I live, so I grab some when I can. I eat them out of hand, like an apple, enjoying the moment I can feast on a real, rare seasonal treat.

But I also use them for cooking and baking: salsa, coffee cake, for example.

And these muffins, made with basic vanilla batter but covered with chunks of persimmon and then topped with crispy streusel.

I’ve made these muffins using peaches and nectarines, but if you can find a persimmon, I recommend chopping one for this seasonal wonder.

Persimmon Muffins with Streusel Top

Streusel:

• 1/4 cup quick cooking oats

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 tablespoons butter cut into chunks

Batter:

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 persimmon, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the streusel: Combine the oats, flour and sugar in a bowl and whisk the ingredients to mix them thoroughly. Add the butter. Using fingers or a pastry blender (or a food processor on pulse), work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Set it aside.

Lightly grease 12 muffin tin cups. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk the ingredients until thoroughly mixed. In another bowl, combine the egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and mix on low speed with a hand or standing mixer (or use a whisk) for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth and thoroughly blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top each muffin with equal amounts of the persimmon pieces. Sprinkle with the streusel. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool.

Makes 12

Banana Applesauce Muffins with Dried Cranberries

When life gives you leftover bananas, you make banana bread.

Except — if you don’t have enough bananas, you can make muffins.

I have an “all-purpose” banana muffin recipe that I tinker with every time I make it. Applesauce is always part of the base but I change the seasonings and sometimes the type of sugar.

Because it’s cranberry-orange season, this most recent version includes both those ingredients. But, you know — you can skip the dried cranberries and substitute raisins or chopped nuts or chopped fresh fruit, and so on. And you can switch to cinnamon or nutmeg or lemon peel instead of the orange peel.

Such a versatile recipe! And freezable too.

BANANA APPLESAUCE MUFFINS

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel

• 6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

• 6 tablespoons sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 bananas, mashed

• 1/2 cup applesauce

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins, chopped nuts, diced apple, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups (or use cupcake papers). Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and orange peel together in a bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a hand mixer) beat the coconut oil and sugar together on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until well combined. Add the egg and beat it in until thoroughly combined. Add the mashed bananas, applesauce and vanilla extract and beat for another minute or until the ingredients are well blended. Fold in the solid ingredients. Spoon equal amounts of the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.

Makes 10

Ataulfo Mango Carpaccio with Burrata

I had this for lunch again. If you’ve never feasted on slices of the ultimate ataulfo mango with the freshest burrata you are missing out on one of the most special and delicious meals ever. I garnished with a bit of red onion and mint, a squeeze of lime juice and some freshly ground pepper.

Heaven.

Ataulfo Mango Carpaccio with Burrata

• 1 Ataulfo (or similar) mango

• 2-3 ounces burrata cheese

• a few thin slices of red onion

• a few mint leaves

• lime juice

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Slice the mango and arrange the slices on a dish. Add a piece of Burrata cheese. Garnish with some red onion and fresh mint, squeeze some lime juice over the ingredients, then season with the some freshly ground black pepper.

Makes one

Grilled Cheese (Egg, Avocado, Pepper. Tomato)

When I was growing up my Mom occasionally made sandwiches for dinner. She was a really good cook and, with rare exceptions, I loved and ate everything she made. The sandwich dinners were invariably after a busy day or when we had leftovers —shnipzels she called them — and she wanted to use them all up.

And so, I learned that a sandwich is just as worthy a dinner as anything else. Especially when I have shnipzels to use. Or when I’ve been busy and don’t want anything fancier. Or when I was able to buy fabulous avocados that weren’t outrageously priced. Or when my garden finally burst with a few ripe tomatoes.

It all came together last night when we had these wonderful sandwiches for dinner. One of us added some hot sauce to the mayo.

Summer sandwich days are really lovely. No meat, just cheese and veggie goodness.

Grilled Cheese, Egg, Roasted Pepper and Avocado Sandwich

• 1/2 sweet bell pepper, deseeded

• 2 teaspoons butter

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise

• A few drops of hot sauce or 1 tablespoon chopped basil (or both), if desired

• 4 slices homestyle multigrain bread

• 3-4 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella cheese

• 4-6 tomato slices

• avocado slices

• 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to broil. Place the half pepper on a piece of foil and broil for 3-4 minutes per side or until crispy and tender. Remove from the oven and wrap the foil around the pepper to enclose it. Let cool, then peel the pepper, cut it in half and set it aside. Melt the 2 teaspoons butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the eggs and cook until set. Dish out, cut in half and set aside. Spread equal amounts of mayonnaise on each of the bread slices (mix the mayonnaise with optional ingredients if desired). Top two of the bread slices with equal amounts of cheese, tomato, avocado, egg and roasted pepper. Cover with second piece of bread. Melt half the remaining tablespoon of butter in the sauté pan over medium heat. Place the sandwiches in the pan. Place another, heavier pan on top. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the underside is crispy. Remove the heavier pan, lift the sandwiches with a spatula and add the remaining butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, place the sandwiches in the pan, uncooked side down. Weight down with the heavier pan and cook for another minute or so or until second side is golden brown. (If you have a panini grill, use it!)

Makes 2 sandwiches

Blueberry Scones

More treats from the piles of blueberries I’ve been buying. These scones aren’t too sweet, so they’re nice for breakfast. Sometimes I sprinkle the unbaked scones with turbinado sugar if I’m going to serve them with tea or coffee in the afternoon - they’re sweeter and prettier with the sugar crystals on top.

Blueberry Scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel      

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

• 1 cup blueberries

• Turbinado sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon peel in a bowl. Add the butter in chunks and work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix the egg and buttermilk together and add them to the dry ingredients. Mix until a soft dough forms. Add the blueberries and gently mix the dough to incorporate them, taking care not to crush the fruit. Break the dough in half and place on a floured surface. Press each half into a circle about 3/4” thick. Cut each circle into six wedges and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with some turbinado sugar if desired. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the scones are browned and well risen.

Makes 12

Pashtida

If you haven’t tried Pashtida, you’re missing out. This dish — so popular in Israel — is kind of like a cross between a quiche, a frittata and a kugel. Sometimes it’s made with meat, sometimes dairy and sometimes just vegetables. Any way at all — this is one delicious treat!

Pashtida is filling and hearty enough for dinner (add a side salad) but light enough for lunch. It’s also the kind of dish that’s made for weekend brunch. Leftovers are good too — easily reheated for weekday breakfast.

If you’re looking for a new dairy dish for Shavuot (and, thinking ahead, during the Nine Days or for your Break-the-fast) I encourage you to try this one. My recipe is a melange of eggs, cheese and veggies that you spoon into a casserole and bake until the eggs are set and the top is crispy.

This dish is also amazingly versatile, so I’ve listed a variety of options for substitution.

Vegetable Pashtida

• 1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped (3 scallions; 2 shallots)

• 1 cup chopped fresh: spinach; kale; (diced) zucchini; or chopped cooked veggies (such as green beans, carrots, bell pepper, asparagus; eggplant); or thawed frozen peas or corn

• Halved mini-tomatoes (such as grape or cherry; about 7-8); chopped sun-dried tomatoes, optional

• 4 tablespoons cream cheese, cut into small pieces (or 1/3 cup dairy sour cream or 1/2 cup cottage cheese)

• 5 large eggs

• 1 cup whole milk or half and half

• 1/2 cup shredded meltable cheese such as Swiss, cheddar, Havarti or mozzarella

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (dill, basil)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a casserole dish (such as approximately 8”x 6” or a 6-cup round) and set aside. Cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water for about 3 minutes or until barely tender. Drain and set aside. Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the onion and cook for a minute. Add the potato and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the pieces are lightly crispy, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have softened. Add the tomatoes, if used, and cook for another minute. Add the cream cheese and continue to cook and stir until the cheese has melted into the vegetables. Remove the pan from the heat and let the ingredients cool slightly. Beat the eggs and milk together and pour over the vegetable-cream cheese mixture. Add the shredded cheese and stir gently until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Sprinkle to taste with salt, pepper and parsley. Spoon the ingredients into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the eggs are set and the top is crispy.

Makes 4-6 servings

Plain Old Banana Bread

This is the time of year - just past Purim - when people who observe Passover clean out their cabinets (a good spring clean!), throw out stuff they’re never going to use or that’s past a “sell-by” date, give ingredients away and use up prohibited ingredients such as flour, cookies, bread and such.

I’m also always looking for ways to use up uneaten bananas. So, for me, one of the most delicious ways to use up the flour AND the bananas is: Banana Bread!

Like this very simple one to which you could add: chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, crystallized ginger, candied orange peel (about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of any extra).

plain old BANANA BREAD

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 3 ripe medium bananas, mashed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan. Mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Mix the sugar and vegetable oil together in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and beat them in until well combined. Add the buttermilk and bananas and blend them in thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and blend it in. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about one hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes one loaf

Cherry Muffins for a President

Did George Washington chop down a cherry tree and then confess to his father?

That story has been around for as long as I can remember.

But in our current political atmosphere, where lies are often touted as truths and facts don’t seem to matter, I decided to look into this one.

According to Mount Vernon’s George Washington:

the story isn’t true.

But it isn’t Washington’s fault.

The story was a complete fabrication by Mason Locke Weems, George Washington’s first biographer. This is how most of us learned it: someone gave a hatchet to George Washington when he was age six, and somehow the young boy damaged one of the trees near the family home. When his father confronted him Washington said “Father, I cannot tell a lie. I cut down the tree.” And his father told him that his honesty was worth 100 trees.

It’s a myth.

OTOH, it’s really nice that the whole cherry thing happened and long ago cherry recipes became iconic food for Washington’s birthday (now celebrated as President’s Day). Because cherries are delicious by themselves and also add a lot of flavor and texture to so many foods, including muffins.

These cherry muffins would make nice mishloach manot gifts for Purim.

Cherry Muffins

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup plain yogurt or dairy sour cream or buttermilk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup chopped sour (or sweet) cherries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 10 muffin tins. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. In another bowl mix the eggs, melted, cooled butter, yogurt and vanilla extract until thoroughly blended. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and mix to combine ingredients. Fold in the cherries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 10