"Cobblers, Crumbles & Crisps"
August 19, 2010 - Volume 1, Issue 16
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cooking Classes at Love to Cook!
|
We have a great line-up of
classes underway! It's a great way to spend an evening or day! We
look forward to having you in our kitchen soon! Cooking classes make a great date night too! Get all of the details on our website's Cooking Class page or Click the Class Titles below.
Thursday, August 19 - Grinding All Your Grains in the Nutrimill - 6:30 p.m.- Adding whole grains to your diet is
easy with the Nutrimill Wheat Grinder. Easily grind fresh flour from
many types of grains to add a healthy flare to your baking. Joy
Ercanbrack will teach you everything you need to know to
successfully use and care for your wheat grinder along with an
introduction to using whole grains.
Saturday, August 21 - Fabulous French Cuisine - 11:00 a.m.- Ambre Rampton is a native of France
and grew up along-side her mother in the kitchen. There she learned to
make classic, fabulous French cuisine. Her passion for cooking has only
grown as she has gotten older. Come learn the secret to authentic
French cooking and techniques every cook should know!
Tuesday, August 24 - Handmade Pasta with Sauces from the Garden - 6:30 p.m.- At
the end of summer each year when there are plenty of fresh vegetables
available, nothing beats a wonderful bowl of pasta full of garden
veggies. Jenny Beykirch will demonstrate the techniques behind making
homemade pasta and using those delicious seasonal vegetables to make
wonderful sauces. Wednesday, August 25 - Hands On Whole Wheat Bread- 1:00 p.m.- Come
learn from our in-store instructor how to make delicious wheat bread
using freshly ground wheat flour. Instructor will also demonstrate how
to make our cinnamon/currant variation. Includes pan and one loaf of
bread to take home.
August 26th - Peach Perfection - Just in time for the peach season, Brandon Saunders
will share recipes that will have you making the most out of this
delicious stone fruit. Treat yourself to a little bit of heaven with
these perfect peach treats. Don't miss out on these wonderful recipes!
Saturday, August 28 - Getting to Know Your Bosch - 11:00 a.m.- Resident Chef, JaDene Denniston,
will share her knowledge and experience with the Bosch Mixer to get you
acquainted with your new mixer, or to discover new possibilities with
an old one! Tuesday, August 31 - Simple Weeknight Meals, Fast & Fresh - 6:30 p.m.- Aren't we always looking for new, quick meals that we can feed our families on a weeknight. Leah Nielsen has
some great recipes to share that are sure to be used often. These
meals are not only fast & tasty, but they're fresh. No more stops
for take-out on the way home! Thursday, September 2 - Irresistibly Gluten Free Baking - 6:30 p.m.- More
and more people have the need for gluten-free cooking. The biggest
challenge seeming to face those people is baking! Author of the
cookbook "Irresistibly Gluten Free", Christina Davis will tackle this
challenge in this wonderful class. Get ready to tackle the upcoming
holidays with these great recipes.
|
Fantastic Finales - Classic Fruit Desserts
| Generations of cooks before
us have been combining summer's fruit bounty with their culinary
imaginations; we've been left with a rich legacy of wonderful fruit
desserts. The names of the different concoctions are intriguing and
entertaining all by themselves! Make a few of these fruit and pastry
combinations and you'll discover distinct personality traits in each --
all worthy of a repeat performance.
|
Better Bakers
| Today's Le Creuset stoneware
bakers not only offer a beautiful variety of color, they have a sturdy
composition that makes them endlessly versatile in today's modern
kitchen.  Like Le
Creuset's classic enameled cast iron and enameled steel products, Le
Creuset stoneware is meant to last and become a classic heirloom in your
home.
Practicality -
Baking in stoneware provides even, steady heat to the food. Unlike metal
pans where the bottom and edges burn before the center is done,
stoneware absorbs and distributes heat more slowly at first and retains
heat longer after baking. The quality glaze of Le Creuset stoneware
provides a naturally non-stick surface.
Versatility - Le Creuset bakers feature All-in-One
versatility. Bake, slice, serve, and store all in one dish. Reheat your
dish in the oven or microwave the next day. The specially formulated
stoneware is tempered to perfection that allows it to perform at high
temperatures, up to 500°F, and store at 0°F freezing temperatures. The
bakers move easily between the refrigerator, freezer, oven, table,
microwave, broiler, and finally dishwasher.
Durability - Le Creuset's bakers are
further distinguished in quality by their durability assessed in several
ways. The firing and glazing processes create an "even" piece of
stoneware. This means that Le Creuset bakers are resistant to chipping
and scratching. The hard glaze refuses to stain, or absorb odors or
flavors. Together, these characteristics provide a safer cooking
scenario and easy clean-up routines.
Style -- A distinctive feature of all Le Creuset products
are the bold, beautiful colors of their glazes and enamels. Choose from
several sizes of bakers in the same hue, or mix-and-match your bakers
across a variety of colors. The classic glazes and smooth stylings of Le
Creuset bakers provide a graceful, ready-for-the-table presentation.
Each baking dish is styled with handles that are easy to grasp even with
thick hot pads or mitts; this allows for greater confidence when
transferring a finished dish from a hot oven.
Le Creuset, as a
company, has rich and colorful history. Begun in 1925, Le Creuset
started with their classic enamel-on-cast-iron French oven - a classic
still today.  This quintessential
pan was the result of an expert in iron casting and another expert in
enameling meeting and combining their talents. The company flourished
and became the standard in culinary tools. During WWII, the factory in
Northern France was co-opted by the German Wehrmacht for the making of
grenades. After the war, it was back to business and a renewed
flourishing of their enameled cast iron products. Le Creuset also
produces quality stoneware products, and enamel-on-steel products. The
first color, an orange known as "Flame," is still a classic. Other
distinctive Le Creuset colors include Kiwi, Caribbean, Cherry, Black
Onyx, Cobalt, Dijon, White, Dune, and two new colors, Lilac and Cassis. |
Smart Cobbler & Crisp Making Tips
| Tip #1:
 When transferring a frozen, filled baking dish to the oven, begin with a
cold oven and allow the dish to heat as the oven preheats. Lengthen
baking time to accommodate defrosting. Check the center of the fruit
dessert or casserole for doneness with an instant read thermometer.
Tip #2: For crumb toppings calling for
oats, choose regular oats. "Quick-cooking" oats may absorb the fruit
juices too quickly creating a mushy crumble instead of a crispy crumble.
Tip #3: Check your collection of hot
pads and oven mitts for holes or thin spots. Ensure kitchen safety with
potholders that protect but are not too thick or clumsy. New fabrics and
styles are available that provide insulation yet allow for greatest
dexterity when handling hot items.
Tip #4: At the risk of stating the
obvious, a scoop of a rich vanilla ice cream is the perfect
accompaniment to a fruit cobbler or crisp. The warm cobbler with the
cold ice cream is a great sensation along with the complementary
flavors.
 Tip #5:
Choose a baker for your cobbler or crisp that matches the volume of
your recipe. Fruits will release their juices and bubble up during
baking. Allow enough space at the top to avoid an oven spill.
Tip #6: For a presentation variation,
use individual ramekins or au gratin dishes to bake your fruit dessert.
Take care not to overfill and serve on a charger while still warm.
Tip #7: Le Creuset's enameled cast
iron French ovens will also turn out perfect cobblers and crisps. They
have the added advantage of being useful on the stovetop for making
slumps and grunts.
|
Q & A's
|  Q: Do I need to peel the fruits used in my desserts?
A: This
is a matter of personal preference and the quality of the fruit being
used. Tough skins will soften during baking. Most stone fruits, for
example, nectarines, plums, and apricots, will not require peeling. You
may wish to peel apples based on their variety, age, and your desired
results.
Q: The fruit dish was
delicious, now what's the best way to clean the baker?
 A: The sugar
in fruit can caramelize along the edges during baking potentially
challenging clean up. Simply fill the baker with water and allow to soak
for a while until any residue is softened. Unless glazed all over,
including the bottom, it's advisable not to fully immerse bakers in
water; just fill the inside when soaking.
Q: My baked fruit dessert was very runny and juicy when
finished. How can I get it to "set-up" better?
A: Fruits vary
in their water content and in their pectin content. Pectin is a natural
plant component that when released from the fruit causes the juices to
gel. Common fruits high in pectin include apples, plums, currants, and
citrus fruits, Low pectin fruits include apricots, blueberries,
cherries, peaches, strawberries. For low pectin fruits, add a tablespoon
of cornstarch to every 2-3 cups of prepared fruit.
Q: What is crazing?
A: Crazing,
in the context of ceramics, appears as a fine spider web of cracks on
the baking dish. Crazing represents cracks in the glaze and is
undesirable in several ways. Cracks in the glaze may hold food and not
clean well leading to an unsanitary condition. Crazing is often a
precursor to cracking of the entire piece of pottery. Choose quality
ceramics that resist crazing.
|
| Cookbook Review | Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles,
Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More by Cory Schreiber and
Julie Richardson, copyright © 2009. Published by Ten Speed Press, a
division of Random House, Inc. Photo credit: Sara Remington © 2009.
Available from http://www.tenspeed.com
A Gourmet Magazine Cook Book Club
Selection
James Beard award-winning chef, Cory
Schreiber, and
Portland's Baker & Spice,
Julie Richardson
 This charming book
showcases a year's worth of fruit deserts in every way imaginable.
Organized by season, the authors walk us from the orchard and berry
patches, to the oven, and on to the table. Whether a crisp or a crumble,
or a cobbler or slump, the recipes highlight fruits at their seasonal
best. Each recipe begins with an opening context that puts the dessert
into perspective while highlighting the accompanying pastry technique.
We are schooled toward success in achieving the right crumb or batter
consistency for each pastry type. The close-up photography is sumptuous
and mouth-watering. We were reminded of fruit desserts from our
grandmother's table and simultaneously treated to the latest trends in
fruit and pastry desserts. Overall, a delightful addition to our summer!
|
Three Classic Fruit Desserts
| Nectarine, Boysenberry and Almond
Crisp
View & Print
The toasted almonds
dancing on the top of this crisp were our favorite part of this summer
dessert. The deep purple of the berries dominated the color of the
crisp, but the dual flavors of the nectarines and berries paired
beautifully in flavor and taste. The author recommends baking this crisp
in a shallow baker to improve evaporation of these two very juicy
fruits.
 Apricot Raspberry
Cobbler
View & Print
Part cake and part
biscuit, the cobbler batter pushes its way up through a generous heaping
of apricots and raspberries. The result is a luscious collage of cake
and fruit in every spoonful. The fruit juices released during baking
form a perfect sauce for the cobbler. A scoop of vanilla ice cream would
fit nicely on top of this dessert.
 Double-Crusted Pluot
Crisp
View & Print
If
you can't get enough of the crispy topping on your fruit dessert, this
recipe is for you. There's a double dose of streusel, one on the bottom,
and one on the top, that vies for center stage in this crisp. While
pluots, (a plum and apricot cross), are featured in this version, nearly
any stone fruit or combination of fruits would be absolutely perfect
with this crust.
Reprinted
with permission from Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers,
Pandowdies, and More by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson,
copyright © 2009. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random
House, Inc. All rights reserved.
|
|
Skip the main course and jump
straight to a fruit cobbler or crisp dessert!
|
Chris Beykirch and All the Staff at Love to Cook! 1211 N. Main Street Logan, UT 84341 435-752-9220/888-GADGET9 www.luvtocook.com |
|
|
|
|
Fruits, with their natural
sweetness, are always an appropriate finish to a meal or the ideal
answer to a sweet craving. Add a bit of pastry to the fruit, and the
moment becomes even better! Classic fruit desserts such as cobblers,
crumbles, and crisps, are effortless preparations meant to be assembled
quickly without any fussiness. The results are simple and simply divine.
