Crunchy Cookie and Brown Sugar Nut-Free Plum Crisp

The past few days were dessert top-loaded. My kids and grandkids were here for the Labor Day weekend so I bought the usual ton and a half of fruit and used half of that to serve as is and the other half, plus the usual overload of bananas that get too ripe for anyone to eat, to make into something else.

We have toddlers in the family and keep their diets nut free, so I made a different version of Plum Crisp without a nut topping.

A couple of us had this plain, but most of us added a blob of ice cream. Either way, this was a big hit. 

Crunchy Cookie and Brown Sugar Nut-Free Plum Crisp

2 pounds Italian prune plums

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

crust:

1 cup bran flakes or raisin bran flakes

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup crumbled vanilla wafers (or similar cookie)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

6 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry the plums, cut them in half and remove the pits. Slice the plums into smaller pieces and place them in a bowl. Add the brown sugar, lemon peel, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and flour and mix ingredients to distribute them evenly. Place the fruit mixture into a baking dish and set aside. Crush the bran flakes slightly and put them in a bowl. Add the oats, crumbled cookies, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and toss ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the melted butter. Mix until the dry the ingredients are coated with the melted butter. Place the mixture over the fruit. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown. Makes 6-8 servings

Beet Salad with Moroccan Spices

My grand daughter Lila, age 6, asked what Labor Day was for.

Because for her it means she doesn’t officially start first grade until the day after. But there aren’t any decorations or presents, no pumpkins, trees, glitter, hearts or chocolate. So what’s the deal?

I explained to her that it is meant to celebrate America’s workers. The people who work every day as mechanics and auto workers, salespeople, firefighters, teachers, police and restaurant cooks and servers and so on and so on. Sometimes communities have parades and fireworks.

But there are no special ornaments, no greeting cards and also no particular food.

On the other hand, people do celebrate Labor Day in some sort of way. The entire weekend has become a sort of end-of-summer before-we-have-to-get-serious one. So there’s picnics and baseball games and maybe the last swim of the season.

At my place, the kids and grandkids come. We’ll have a homemade challah. And pie. Some Grand Finale Cookies. Lots of grilled stuff and a heap of summer tomatoes, corn and salad.

And Beet Salad. Because everyone in the family loves it. This is my latest version.

Beet Salad with Moroccan Spices

3 large beets

1/4 cup chopped red onion

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Trim the beets (use the greens separately). Scrub the beets and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. Roast until tender, about 55-75 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap the beets and when they are cool enough to handle, peel them. Cut the beets into bite size pieces. Place the beet chunks in a bowl. Add the onion, parsley and mint. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, wine vinegar, mustard, cumin and coriander. Pour over the beet mixture and toss ingredients. Let rest for 15 minutes before servings. Serve at room temperature. Makes 4-6 servings

Fresh Tomato Soup with Yogurt and Chili Pepper

Small plates are hot, hot, hot. I don’t mean temperature of course. I am talking about the small portions of food you get at a multi-course dinner at restaurants.

Tapas. Kaiseki. Meze. Call them what you wish in other food cultures, they’re right here in the States and more and more places are offering this kind of meal.

Recently I read an article in which the author considers the possibility that entrees as we know them are a thing of the past.

Well, maybe. Maybe not. Food trends come and go. Some day restaurant goers may get bored with eating two nibbles of this and that and long to go back to the days when you could get an actual roasted duck quarter or beef rib to eat.

Small plates were also popular back in the day, long ago when I was a kid. And then the trend disappeared.

At least those small plates were popular in some of the places my parents took me to.

Like Hotel Helferd, in Lakewood, New Jersey, where we would go for our winter holiday, like so many other lucky Jewish families. My family couldn’t afford the grander Laurel-in-the-Pines, and actually preferred Helferd’s because Mrs. H was Romanian and so were our forebears and therefore, all assumed, the food would be to our liking.

And so it was.

Small plates at every meal, but especially dinner. A couple of appetizers, including, I always hoped (at about age 7 or 8), those wonderfully tender sweetbreads in brown gravy. Mushroom ragout. Stuffed derma. Matzo ball soup often. A little fish. A little meat. 

So, small plates are nothing new in my life.

I like them now too and sometimes when I entertain I make a multi-course meal and serve little portions. It’s a lot of work.

But if you make the right sort of things you can make the usual big portions and save the leftovers for the next day when it’s just you and your significant other and maybe your kids and you can eat them as entree and side dishes, the way it used to be.

Tomato Soup is one recipe you can serve in regular portions or in small shot glasses or espresso cups. Plain or topped with yogurt. Hot or cold. It’s a versatile recipe. 

Fresh Tomato Soup with Yogurt and Chili Pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 serrano pepper, deseeded and chopped

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

4 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon harissa

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup plain yogurt or soy or coconut milk, optional

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 2–3 minutes or until the pieces have softened. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the tomatoes, serrano pepper, parsley and mint. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Add about 1/2 cup of the stock to the vegetables and puree the vegetables in a blender or food processor (or use a hand blender). Return the ingredients to the saucepan. Stir in the remaining stock and bring the soup to a simmer. Stir in the harissa and season with some salt and pepper. Cook for 5–6 minutes. Add the optional yogurt or milk, whisk them in and serve the soup hot. OR, let the soup cool and blend in the yogurt or milk with a whisk. Makes 4 servings.

Poached Figs with Orange, Ginger and Cinnamon

There were so many figs in the supermarket recently that I thought maybe I wound up in the Garden of Eden. Because, for fig lovers like me, this year’s bonanza is almost like Paradise.

I’ve bought pounds of the stuff and I’ve used them in all sorts of ways. Figs with chicken. In salad. Grilled. Poached.

I have to get it all in before all the figs are gone and Paradise is lost, at least until next year.

So I poached a few more for my weekend company last weekend. These were supposed to be dessert but we decided to eat them for breakfast with a little cream on top.

Well, actually only the women added the cream. The men poured more of the sweet, thick sauce on top.

Have it your way. But act fast. Figs will be around just a short time longer.                    

Poached Figs with Orange, Ginger and Cinnamon                                                                   

2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

one orange

1 2-inch chunk cinnamon stick

1 1-inch chunk peeled fresh ginger

8 large green fresh figs

Combine the water and sugar in a large saucepan. Peel the orange and add half to the saucepan. Squeeze the juice from the orange into the pan. Add the cinnamon stick and ginger. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add the figs and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the fruit is tender but not soft or mushy. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool. Strain the poaching liquid. Pour the strained liquid back into the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for several minutes or until it is syrupy. Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool. Cut the figs into halves or quarters. Serve the figs drizzled with syrup (and add cream if desired). (If the syrup has firmed, heat it for a minute or so over medium heat to liquefy). Makes 4 servings

Lamburgers in Pita with Lemon-Tahini Sauce

With the skies cloudless, air bugless, weather warm and birds happily chirping, this past weekend was perfect. My cousins visited for a sleepover and we were able to sit outside for hours two days in a row.

Then, at one point I noticed the tops of our oak trees, just beginning to fade faintly golden-orange. And on Sunday there was the slightest of breezes, alerting us that a hurricane may be coming.

But whether or not Isaac affects us way up north, that tiny puff of wind was a reminder that by September the weather is “iffy” and then comes the cold and snow and etc etc etc. So grilling season is almost over, for me anyway.

I don’t go out in the snow and freezing cold to cook meat.

If you’re like me, get the last of your grilling in soon. These lamburgers are a perfect grill-season ender.

Lamburgers in Pita with Lemon-Tahini Sauce

• 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds ground lamb

• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• 1 large egg

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• olive oil

• 4 medium pita pockets, warmed tomatoes, chopped or sliced, optional

Preheat an outdoor grill (or use the oven broiler or a grill pan). Place the ground lamb, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, egg, parsley, mint, cumin, paprika and cinnamon together in a bowl and mix the ingredients gently to combine the ingredients. Shape the mixture into 4 patties one-inch thick. Brush the grids (or the pan) with a film of olive oil. Sear the burgers for one minute per side then lower the heat to medium. Cook for another 2–3 minutes per side or until cooked through. While the burgers are cooking, mix together the tahini sauce. Place the burgers inside the pita pockets. Drizzle some tahini sauce on top, add a few spoonsful of chopped tomato (or some tomato slices) if desired.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Quick Tahini Sauce

• 1/2 cup tahini

• 1/3 cup lemon juice

• 1/4 cup water

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• salt to taste

Stir the tahini to blend in any oil that has risen to the top. Mix the tahini and lemon juice together, blending ingredients completely. Add the water, olive oil, garlic and salt to taste. Blend thoroughly.

Makes one cup

Chicken Nuggets

I see Back to School signs all over the place and as a matter of fact, here in Connecticut, where there can be a lot of snow days in the winter, teachers are already back at work. The kids start on August 28th, before Labor Day. Just in case.

My kids are grown, so I no longer have any of the worries that come with going back to school. About the bus pickup or whether some child they don’t especially like is in their class or whether their new teacher is an ogre who gives too much homework.

Those were stressful days, those days before school when the inertia of summer keeps us wanting to stay in place at the beach or in the pool or just lazing around.

But we can’t of course. Life goes on. And I am now watching from the grandparent side of things. Hearing the very same things I heard in days gone by.

One of the issues that still remains? What to bring for lunch.

When it was my kids I heard “baloney stinks.” Grilled cheese is “disgusting” when it’s cold. Soup spills when I open the plastic container.

These days everyones’ kids have similar likes and dislikes and there are new considerations such as rules about peanut butter and tree nuts.

One food item I knew would always be a winner is chicken nuggets, which are good hot or cold. Plain or dipped in ketchup or hummus. Add a few carrot sticks, a piece of fruit and a small bag of snack and it’s done.

It’s still true today. Most kids like chicken nuggets.

So that was and still is a good back to school lunch choice. Plus they are easy to make and you can make a lot of them and freeze them for future lunches.

Btw, there’s now a handy little device to help folks who go through the lunch planning thing: a new iOS App that was created and designed to help parents and kids plan lunch together for a week at a time (it also creates a shopping list for all the items you need). It was designed —ahem — by my daughter Gillian. But it’s not just me bragging. It’s received rave reviews in The New York Times and in-the-know tastemakers like Tina Roth Eisenberg (Swiss-Miss.com), nutritionists and pediatricians have also heaped it with praise.

Take a look at Gillian’s website www.lalalunchbox.com to read more about it. There’s a huge list of foods available for kids to choose from, but you can also customize items depending on your child’s specific tastes and needs (like allergy issues). 

Meantime, here’s a recipe for Chicken Nuggets. Btw, these make great hors d’oeuvre for grownups.

Chicken Nuggets

one pound boneless and skinless chicken breasts

1 large egg 

1 cup panko

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

vegetable oil for frying

Cut the chicken into about 18-20 (2-3 bite) pieces and put them in a large bowl. Add the egg and mix until the chicken pieces are uniformly coated. In a bowl, mix the panko, salt, paprika and garlic powder together. Dredge the chicken pieces in the panko, pressing to coat all surfaces. If you have time, set aside on a cake rack for 20-30 minutes to air dry. Heat 1/4-inch vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot enough to make a bread crumb sizzle, fry the nuggets a few at a time for about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Do not crowd the pan when frying the chicken. Makes 18-20 pieces. 

Peach Chutney

Whether you shop in an old time grocery store, a roadside stand or your town’s weekly farmer’s market, you’re going to see lots of peaches for the next couple of weeks. Oh, the glory of end-of-summer fruit, especially peaches! There’s so much out there that you can get in enough to eat out of hand but still have enough to “put by” for during the winter.

Like in peach pie or crisp/cobbler (freeze for up to 6 months) or chutney.

I’ve posted several recipes over the years for Peach ice cream, Peach pie, BBQ Sauce and Peach Crisp, and some others. All can be cooked and frozen and enjoyed in the depths of December.

So many of these and other recipes say “peel the peaches” and most don’t tell you how. Including mine.

So right here, in case you want to make any of those recipes I mentioned or the peach chutney I am posting here, are the how-tos of peeling peaches:

Wash the peaches (photo 1). Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the peaches (photo 2). Cook for 20 seconds. Drain under cold water. With the tip of a sharp knife, pierce the skin at the stem end and pull down the skin, which will come off easily (photo 3). When all the skin has been removed, cut the peach in hlf (photo 4), remove the pit and slice, chop, etc.

Peach Chutney

• 4 pounds ripe peaches, peeled and cut into slices
• 1-1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup dried currants
• 1 small red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed
• 1 ounce crystallized ginger, crushed
• 2 dried red chili peppers

Place the peach slices and cider vinegar into a saucepan and bring the ingredients to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, onion, raisins, currants and bell pepper. Stir to combine ingredients. Add the mustard seed, ginger and chili peppers. Cook mixture at a bare simmer for about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until the mixture is thick, stirring occasionally. Remove the chili peppers if desired. Pack into hot, sterilized jars according to manufacturer’s instructions, or refrigerate in tightly closed plastic containers. Keeps for about 2 months in the refrigerator.

Makes about 3 pints

Purple Plum Crisp

To me, small purple plums mean autumn. I always associate them with September, when the bins in the supermarkets fill with these and the first leaves on the trees begin to yellow out. When Rosh Hashanah is near and Jewish cooks everywhere in America are planning to bake a holiday Plum Cake.

There are plums all summer long of course. Red ones, black ones, green ones. But Italian prune plums, small and purple, are always the last, a harbinger that the season is about to change.

But it’s only August now! Is everything just rushing by for me?

Is it rushing by for you?

Or are these plums here early because of the weather?

Or maybe we’re just lucky.

Whatever the reason, I caught the first binful a few days ago and bought myself several pounds of these. They’re the best plums to bake with because they’re not as sweet as eating-out-of-hand kinds and besides, they are freestone, which means the pit comes out easily, so they’re a cinch to cook with. And, of course, you can do a whole lot with them beyond Plum Cake, although that recipe is always part of my fall repertoire.

Here’s my first recipe of the next season, a fragrant Plum Crisp. 

Purple Plum Crisp

• 2 pounds Italian prune plums
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons minute tapioca
• crust:
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup bran flakes or raisin bran flakes
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash and dry the plums, cut them in half and remove the pits. Slice the plums into smaller pieces. Mix the plums with the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and tapioca. Place the fruit mixture into a baking dish and set aside.

To make the crust: Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Crush the bran flakes slightly and put them in a bowl. Add the oats, nuts, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and toss ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the melted butter. Mix until the dry the ingredients are covered with the melted butter. Place the cereal mixture over the fruit. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown.

Makes 6-8 servings

Grilled Peach and Fig Melba with Yogurt, Honey, Nuts and Mint

By the time the end of August comes around I’ve spent the summer grilling everything there is to grill. Steak, burgers, fish and chicken. Vegetables too.

I live in Connecticut where the winters can be blowy, snowy and cold. And when that happens I am not going outside to cook. So I have to get it all in now before the next season starts.

But because I’ve grilled everything else throughout the summer, my last bit of outdoor cooking before the cover goes on for good (or at least 7 months) will include fruit. There’s so much terrific, ripe, flavorful, juicy fruit available now. I like to do all sorts of things with it, including scorching the surface on hot grids to give them some crispness and color. It also caramelizes the sugars deliciously.

Recently I decided to make a grilled version of one of my favorite desserts, Peach Melba. And, in addition, because fresh figs are absolutely gorgeous and perfect right now, I added some of those.

Grilled Peach and Fig Melba with Yogurt, Honey, Nuts and Mint

2 large ripe peaches

4 large fresh figs

3 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons sugar

5-6 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or toasted almonds

1-1/2 tablespoons chopped mint

Preheat an outdoor grill or oven broiler. Cut the peaches in half and remove and discard the pits. Cut the figs in half. Brush the peaches and figs with the melted butter. Dust with the all but 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Grill, cut side down, for 2 minutes. Turn the fruit over and grill for another 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove the fruit. Mash the raspberries with the remaining teaspoon sugar. Spoon the mashed berries evenly over 4 dessert plates. Place a half peach, cut side up, on each of the plates. Place two fig halves on each plate. Place equal quantities of yogurt in the centers of the peach halves. Drizzle with equal amounts of honey. Sprinkle with the nuts and mint.

Makes 4 servings.

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

I know it was Julia Child’s 100th birthday this week and she was an important person in my life. Although it was my Mom who taught me the basics, Julia taught me to take giant leaps beyond. I didn’t cook every recipe in her first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but I did make many of them. A boyfriend had given me that book — a treasured first edition — which is now gravy stained and coverless and signed by Julia herself on one of my favorite recipes (I met her when I took a cooking course along with several hundred other people like in some College 101 class).

So, Happy Birthday Julia.

But this week was also a friend’s birthday. A what you call “round number” birthday, so I invited her to my house, along with another friend, who recently celebrated that same round number birthday. We had a few hors d’oeuvre with a nice few glasses of wine, then grilled fish with Grilled Pineapple Salsa (and a few vegetables) for dinner.

SO healthy. We are all at that nice round number watch-what-you-eat age.

But dessert? Oh well. Why count calories when summer strawberries are out and you can eat Strawberry Shortcake?

Which is what I made instead of baking or buying a birthday cake.

Not a morsel was left on our plates.

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

2 pounds fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
orange, mango or papaya juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon peel
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash the berries and slice them into a bowl, sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons sugar and a few tablespoons of juice and set aside. In another bowl, mix the flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, baking powder and lemon peel. Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk together until well combined. Add the liquids to the flour mixture and mix until a soft dough forms. Roll or press the dough to 1/2-inch thick circle on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 8 circles with a cookie cutter. Place the circles on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until puffed and lightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Whip the cream with the remaining teaspoon sugar until the mixture stands in soft peaks. Cut the biscuits in half and place each bottom half on a serving dish. Place the berries and any accumulated juices on top. Pour some of the cream on top. Top with the remaining biscuit halves. Makes 8 servings.