Strawberry-Rhubarb-Blackberry Pie

Is there any food more “American” than pie?

Okay, maybe. Hot dogs, hamburgers and stuff. Cole Slaw. Potato salad. And lots of others.

Actually, none of the ones I mentioned were “American” at the start. Hot dogs, burgers and potato salad are German foods, Cole Slaw is Dutch and Pie began as British.

No matter. They’re American now, all terrific summer foods also. And all perfect for any Fourth of July celebration.

So, when our local Hadassah decided that our biweekly Tea (for cancer patients and their caregivers at Stamford Hospital) should have a Fourth of July theme, I decided to bake a pie to give. 

This one is red (sort of), white (beige crust/white sugar) and blue: a riff on Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie. It includes blackberries because I had some in the house and figured why not. You can leave out the blackberries and add more rhubarb and/or strawberries.

Also, I used orange peel as flavor, but you can switch to lemon peel. And I used orange juice for the crust. First because orange goes really well with berries and rhubarb and also, my mother, a consummate pie baker, always told me that the liquid you use to make pie dough can be just about anything. She frequently used juice for fruit pie (the juice depended on the pie). Juice not only gives the crust more flavor, it helps the dough bake into a lovely brown color crust too.

Strawberry-Rhubarb-Blackberry Pie

dough:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup chilled vegetable shortening

4-5 tablespoons orange juice

filling:

3 cups sliced (1/2-inch pieces) rhubarb, about one pound

2 cups strawberries cut in half

1 cup blackberries

2/3 cup sugar (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Combine the flour, salt and orange peel in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening in chunks and process on pulse about 24 times, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add as much of the juice as is needed to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Cut the dough in half, flatten into disks and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into circles to fit a 9” pie pan. Place one circle inside the pie pan.

To make the filling, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, blackberries, sugar, salt, flour, orange peel and cinnamon. Add the filling to the pie pan. Cut the butter into chunks and place on top of the filling. Cut strips from the second dough circle and place them in a lattice design on top of the fruit. Seal the edges where the strips meet the bottom crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes one 9-inch pie

Two Baby Birds and a Birdhouse

See those two tiny birds peeking out the window of their home? They are ready to fly the nest.

And I got to see the entire event as I was sitting in the backyard. My grand daughters, Lila and Nina, painted that birdhouse. It’s difficult to see all the colors, which have been muted by rain, but this was a wooden birdhouse that I bought at Michael’s and the girls layered it with enough paint to resemble Joseph’s amazing technicolor dreamcoat. And then there was a final flourish of gold glitter.

They told me the birds would surely love that house because it was so colorful.

And they were right.

A finch mama and papa built a nest right inside that thing. I found it thrilling to watch them bring all sorts of stuff to put inside their new home to make it comfy.

And then some time after that I heard lots of low chirping, which of course was from the newly hatched finches inside the house.

Last weekend, as I was sitting outside I noticed one of the tiny birds stick its head out hesitantly. The parents were in trees nearby and I heard them chirping away words of encouragement. “Come on out. You can do it.” And the baby finch fluttered out of the house and hopped onto the short perch under the window, not yet ready to fly. Then it hopped onto the roof, then onto the brick and then, parents still chirping away at it, the baby flew up into the tree to join his folks.

Then these two pictured above looked out to see what the commotion was all about and they, too, one by one, followed the same pattern: perch, roof, brick and away.

The fourth bird took his time. Maybe another 10 minutes went by until it, too, flew the nest.

So, now I am an empty nester for the second time in my life.

My kids (and their families) come back to visit often. 

I do hope some birds come back next season too.

Supersized

motherjones:

It’s not just our soda sizes that have blown up over the years—it’s also our bagels, pizzas, cheeseburgers, and more! Check out some more of fast food’s victims here.

If you were ever in doubt about whether we have supersized food in the U.S., check out this article. There is no doubt.

Today, portions are bigger.

I can say that for sure because I am old enough to remember the smaller ones.

Like in those old 8-ounce Coke bottles.

And I remember going to the movies with my brother and the popcorn (10 cents) came in that box shown in this article (4-5 cups?) and that’s what you expected and no more because your mother wouldn’t give you any more money for any more popcorn than that.

Pizza slices were smaller and you ate two pieces for dinner, not as a snack in the afternoon at the playground.

I remember going to the bagel factory with my Dad, to buy fresh bagels once a week. The place was about 3 blocks from our house and gave off that fabulous fresh baked bread smell for miles around. We watched as the workers boiled the bagels in huge vats, then placed them in the big brick oven to crisp up. It was almost impossible to get home without devouring one along the way.

Those bagels were 2 ounces. Today, most bagels are 3 ounces. The one-ounce ones are called “mini” and I don’t know about anyone else, but for me they are too small and make me feel as if I am on an enforced diet. And they are too chewy. Two ounces for a bagel is just right. I would vote for the return of the 2-ounce bagel. But 3 ounces is too large.

Still, like most everyone I know, I buy the 3-ounce bagel and then eat the whole thing. Because, well, because it’s there, in front of me and so the tendency is to eat rather than discard good food.

And that’s the whole problem isn’t it? And why Americans are getting fatter?

If they made smaller portions that’s what we’d eat.

Right?

Peach Streusel Cake

Some recipes are easy to change and for the sake of variety in my life, I change them. This is one of the areas that my Mom, a really good cook, and I, didn’t see eye to eye. Her philosophy was that if you have a good recipe you should make it over and over because, well, it’s a good recipe.

But I like to tamper and see what happens if …

So, the worst thing that can happen is that whatever it is you are making doesn’t come out good. Or not as good as you wanted, but still fine. This is the way new recipes get invented (along with maybe some thrown-out stuff along the way).

The other day I needed to bring a coffee cake to a neighbor, so I got out my tried-and-true recipe for Blueberry Streusel Cake. Only I didn’t have blueberries. So I made it with peaches and it was just as good as ever, in part thanks to the wondeful peaches this year.

Here’s the recipe. Play around with it if you like. For instance, use almond extract in the batter or make it with plums or mixed berries. Or add some grated nutmeg or grated fresh orange peel.

Peach Streusel Cake

the streusel:

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons cold butter

1 cup finely chopped nuts, optional

the cake:

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

4 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9”x13” cake pan. To make the streusel, place ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. You can also do this by hand, by mixing dry ingredients and working in the butter with your fingers or two knives.

To make the cake, melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon peel in the bowl of an electric mixer. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk and melted butter. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and stir only to combine: do not overbeat. Turn the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top with the peaches and press them down into the batter gently. Cover with the streusel. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 12-16 servings

Meatloaf Muffins

Cupcake?

No.

It’s meatloaf.

Made in a cupcake/muffin tin.

Because my husband Ed once said he would file for divorce if I ever made him meatloaf and so, when I want some meatloaf I make it only for me. And it occurred to me that it might be better to make a small amount as muffins rather than make a big meatloaf, have a slice or two and freeze the rest. I know it’s okay to freeze meatloaf but I like it better fresh.

Ed is the only man I know who doesn’t like meatloaf. He says he never did and when he was a kid and went to visit his grandma she would hide a slice of it under spaghetti and he’d find it when he ate up the spaghetti and she made him finish the meat too.

Hence, his “never make me meatloaf” thing.

Btw, I never did. We are married for 42 years.

Last night I made this meatloaf muffin for me. He looked at it and said it smelled great but was more interested in his different dinner.

I think he was tempted. I’ll see today whether he nibbles at the leftovers.

Meatloaf Muffins

2/3 cup packed fresh breadcrumbs

1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock

2 large eggs

16-20 ounces ground beef such as chuck (or mixture of beef/turkey/veal)

1 very small onion, very finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4-6 tablespoons ketchup or bottled chili sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, stock and eggs together until well blended. Add the meat, onion, parsley and salt and pepper to taste and gently mix to combine the ingredients. Lightly oil 6-8 muffin tins. Bake for 25 minutes. Brush each top with 2-3 teaspoons ketchup or bottled chili sauce. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until well browned. Makes 4 servings

Half and Half Cheesecake

Why wait for a holiday to eat cheesecake?

We didn’t.

Last week as the family gathered I wanted to make a dessert we hadn’t eaten in a while, so I played around with my basic cheesecake batter and came up with this sort of striped, half vanilla, half chocolate version.

When even my grandson Remy, who is 2 and will not eat cheese, asked for “mo cheesecake, mo cheesecake!” I knew I had a winner. (Everyone else liked it too.)

You might think cheesecake is too heavy for summer eating. But it doesn’t have to be. This recipe is light, but creamy and soft. Nice even on a hot hot day.

You can make this cake all vanilla, of course (I would add some freshly grated lemon and/or orange peel, maybe 2-3 teaspoons grated) or all chocolate (increase the melted chocolate to 10 ounces).

Among the great things about cheesecake is that you can make lots of changes easily to suit yourself and it’s still cheesecake. Like, you can serve it plain or cover it with glazed fruit. Or you can build a graham cracker crust inside. And so on. Also, you can save leftovers for another day: wrap in plastic and put in the freezer for months.

Try this first and let your tastebuds take you from there:

Half and Half Cheesecake

6 ounces semisweet chocolate

1-1/2 pounds cream cheese (3 8-ounce packages)

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup dairy sour cream or unflavored yogurt 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the chocolate in the top part of a double boiler over barely simmering water (or use a microwave oven). Set aside to cool. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and set it aside. Beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer set on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract, cream and sour cream. Remove half the batter to a second bowl. Add the melted chocolate to one of the halves and blend it in thoroughly. Spoon one of the batters into the prepared pan. Top with the second batter. Place the springform pan inside a larger pan. Fill the larger pan with enough hot water to come at least 1” up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 65-70 minutes or until the cake is set and doesn’t shake when the pan is moved gently. Remove the springform pan from the larger pan and let the cake cool in the springform pan. When the cake has reached room temperature, place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until it is thoroughly chilled. Remove the sides of the springform pan and cut the cake into slices using a knife that has been heated under hot water and dried. Makes one cake, 8-12 servings 

Gillian’s Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Banana Muffins

Remy, my grandson is two years old today. And my daughter Gillian, who writes Lala Lunchbox (and has developed an App for kids and their parents to plan healthy lunches), was experimenting with recipes for cupcakes for his party this weekend.

But Remy didn’t want cupcakes. He said “my want a muppin peez.”

So when a kid asks so nicely for a muffin please, what do you do?

Make muffins!

Gillian made the muffins (Remy added the cinnamon and got to lick the bowl) using a vegan recipe she created long ago for a party at her daughter Lila’s school — one of the kids was allergic to milk and eggs. It’s Gillian’s family’s go-to recipe now.

She wrote about it here. But I am repeating the recipe here as well. Note: there’s no added sugar in this recipe.

Gillian’s Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Banana Muffins

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 super ripe bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup applesauce 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 12 cupcake liners in a muffin tin. In a bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a second bowl, mash the bananas. Add the vanilla extract, vegetable oil and applesauce and blend ingredients thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir to combine. (We like leaving the bananas slightly chunky.)

Pour the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for approximately 22-24 minutes. Makes about 12 muffins. 

Peach Crisp

The best peach I ever ate was in Italy, somewhere right off the Amalfi Drive on a trip I made with my mother. Maybe that peach tasted so good because it was our first trip to Europe and everything seemed special and magical — the sights, the hotels, the food. Everything. We took a tour bus on that particular day. It was summer and it was hot and the driver stopped in a little village where there were vendors selling fresh fruit just picked off the local trees.

We each bought a peach. A gigantic, ripe peach with a rosy glow and a fragrance vivid enough to attract bees as well as tourists.

Those peaches were so juicy that with each bite the sweet, pink liquid trickled down our forearms like the way it always does when a kid eats ice cream too slowly in the heat.

I’ve never tasted a more perfect peach. But I’m always looking for one and every year I buy hundreds during the summer in the hope of biting into peach paradise once again.

I must say, this year’s peaches have been exceptional.

No, not exactly like that one in Italy so many years ago. But maybe that’s just the power of memory.

I’ve already eaten several peaches this season, but I bought so many recently that I used the leftovers for this crisp, which I made for a Tea our local Hadassah group holds for cancer patients and their caregivers every other week.

Hope they liked it!

Peach Crisp

filling:

6 ripe medium peaches

6 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

crust:

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons butter

Lightly butter a baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the peaches and cook for 10 seconds. Drain under cold water. Peel the peaches and discard the pits. Slice the peaches into a bowl. Add the sugar, flour, lemon juice and cinnamon, toss the ingredients and place the mixture in the baking dish. In a bowl combine the brown sugar, oats and flour. Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Place on top of the fruit. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Makes 6 servings

Peach Whiskey Barbecue Sauce

 

These are outdoor grill days. Perfect weather, not too hot (yet), clear skies.

Last week a colleague and I were discussing his recipe for grilling brisket. And that led to several emails back and forth about homemade barbecue sauce. We both make Mango Barbecue Sauce. I wanted to cook barbecue sauce for the upcoming Father’s Day weekend but I needed to save all my mangoes for the grandchildren and I just couldn’t get myself to go back to the supermarket.

But I did have peaches. So I improvised and came up with a mildly spicy, mildly tangy Peach-Whiskey Barbecue Sauce. Used it on chicken, but it would probably work with just about any meat or poultry you might want to grill.

 

Peach Whiskey Barbecue Sauce

•      4 large ripe peaches
•       1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•       1 medium onion, finely chopped
•       1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
•       1 serrano pepper (or other small cili pepper), deseeded and chopped
•       1 cup ketchup
•       1/4 cup bourbon or rye whiskey
•       3 tablespoons cider vinegar
•       1/4 cup honey
•       1/2 teaspoon chili powder
•       salt to taste

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 12-15 seconds, drain and rinse under cold water. Peel the peaches and set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for one minute. Add the garlic and chili pepper and cook for another minute. Add the peaches, ketchup, whiskey, cider vinegar, honey and chili powder. Stir to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Cook over low-medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until thickened. Let cool. Puree in a food processor. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Rollups

What’s a good last minute, easy hors d’oeuvre?

This one!

My neighbor asked a few of us women over the other night because one of the women on the block is moving. And when I asked if I could bring something she said “yes, how about some hors d’oeuvre!”

I didn’t have much time, so I prepared an old standby: smoked salmon rolls. 

No recipe really. Here’s what you do: buy some smoked salmon (ask them to slice it wide, not into narrow strips). Wipe each slice with paper towels (so you can spread the cheese). Then spread some cream cheese (goat cheese, herb cheese or anything else spreadable) on the top of each slice. Place a cooked asparagus (or green string bean) on top. Sprinkle with lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper (add chives or capers if you wish) and roll the salmon slices, jelly roll style. 

After you roll the slices, place them seam side down on a dish and refrigerate for about one hour (to firm up the cheese). Then, slice each roll into bite size hors d’oeuvre.

It couldn’t be easier. And they look good too.