Grapefruit Meringue Pie/Tarts

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker or animal cracker (can do GF) crumbs (11 crackers?)
2 T sugar
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t salt
5 T unsalted butter

Filling
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 T grated grapefruit zest
1 1/4 cups fresh grapefruit juice (2 grapefruit)
1/2 cup water
4 egg yolks
4 T unsalted butter

Meringue
4 egg whites
1/4 t cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter for the crust. Combine crumbs, sugar, ginger, salt, and butter, and press into pie pan or muffin pan liners. Bake until set and light brown, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

Filling: Whisk cornstarch and water together until the cornstarch dissolves before heating. Combine the cornstarch solution, the sugar, and grapefruit juice together in a saucepan, whisking in the egg yolks one at a time over medium heat. Mix in the 4 T of butter and the zest as the filling begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Pour the filling into the crust(s), and chill for at least 1 hour for tarts and 3 hours for a pie.

Meringue: Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high until frothy, about 30 seconds. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue on high until the sugar is dissolved (slide some between your thumb & finger- if you feel granules, it is not yet dissolved) and stiff peaks form, 4+ minutes.

Spoon the meringue over the pie, swirling and maximizing the peaks. Using a broiler or kitchen torch, brown the meringues. If broiling, move the oven rack so the pie is 6 inches from the element. Watch carefully as it only takes 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool slowly.

Persimmon Muffins

3 cups fresh persimmon puree
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter or 1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
3 cups whole wheat flour (or GF flour for gluten free)
2 t baking soda
1/2 t nutmeg
2 t cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup walnuts
1 cup raisins or craisins

Make the puree by washing the persimmons, then remove the bad spots and slice the tops off using a sharp knife. Cut them in half horizontally, separating the top from the bottom, to find the seeds. After removing the seeds, use the chopping blade in a food processor to puree.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the puree and the butter or oil.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Stir these dry ingredients into the persimmon mixture. Do not over-mix! Stir in walnuts, raisins, or craisins if desired. The batter will be fairly stiff.

Coat each muffin cup with spray and spoon the batter in, filling the cups completely. Bake until they are golden brown, and the tops of the muffins bounce back when you press on them, 25-30 minutes. Rotate positions in oven if baking multiple trays at the same time. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Cool the tray on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing the muffins, and then cool another 20 minutes.

Makes 15 muffins.

Clafoutis

We made plum clafoutis from this recipe. It puffs up like the beginnings of Yorkshire pudding, but the thick egg mixture forms a custard, with the add-ins baked in. We used plums we had gotten at the farmer's market 3 weeks before, in desperate need of being eaten (wrinkly but otherwise good), for this one.

Plums
3 T fruit liqueur- we used pomegranate schnapps - the recipe calls for Vieille Prune de Perigord
6 eggs
1 t salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 375. Quarter the plums, and soak in the liqueur. While they are soaking, blend the eggs to frothy, add the cream, salt, sugar, and then sift the flour in. Use an immersion blender or electric mixer on high to blend.

Butter and flour the pan (select a pan size which will allow you to spread your plums in a single layer on the bottom). I will admit that the Pam flour product works really well for this. I swear they sweeten it, and it gives a nice crisp underside rather than a floury one. Place the plums in the pan carefully so as not to disturb the butter and flour and pour the liqueur over them. Pour the batter over the top. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and the custard has set.

Serve with powdered sugar sifted on top if desired.

I've seen a lot of recipes use milk rather than cream, making a thinner custard. The recipe linked above has a lot of ideas for variations on this- different fruits, liqueurs, custard versus cake, etc.

Update: we've made this with apple, and it was good, but not as good. I tried a sweet dessert wine in one. The overripe plums gave an amazing flavor to the 1st round. I would think that ripe or overripe stone fruits of any sort or berries would be amazing.

Pear Pie

2 Trader Joe's pie crusts, or pie crusts of your own making
5-6 pears
1/2 cup turbinado raw sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4-1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t cloves
1-2 T sweet wine (Riesling)

Prepare the pie crust. Preheat the oven to 350.

Cube the pears and mix with the dry ingredients. Pour the wine into the pie crust and add the pear mixture on top. Arrange the top crust however you like. Mine was supposed to be a lattice, but the crust was too defrosted, so it ended up being more of a modern cubist arrangement.

Bake until golden brown (well over an hour). Allow to cool at least to the point where it won't scorch your mouth. Eat with whipped cream and Mrs. Robinson's butterscotch caramel. Die.

Dutch Baby - German Apple Pancake

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat.)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup milk (I used soy milk.)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (I used salted butter.)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 
  
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar, divided (I left out the second 1/4cup.)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 large tart apple - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

1. In a large bowl, blend eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Gradually mix in milk, stirring constantly. Add vanilla, melted butter and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Let batter stand for 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. Melt butter in a 10 inch oven proof skillet, brushing butter up on the sides of the pan. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over the butter. Line the pan with apple slices. Sprinkle remaining sugar over apples. Place pan over medium-high heat until the mixture bubbles, then gently pour the batter mixture over the apples. (I sauteed the apples in the mixture, without the remaining sugar, until they started to soften.)
   
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake for 10 minutes. Slide pancake onto serving platter and cut into wedges.

Apricot Rosemary Jam

4 cups apricots
3 1/2 cups sugar
fresh sprigs of rosemary or 1 t dried rosemary
3 T water

1. Wash (well if pesticides used, or remove skins- cut X on base, blanch, and peel) apricots. Cut in half and remove pits.

2. Place rosemary in the 3 T water in a medium saucepan. If fresh, just place the sprigs in the water. If dried, wrap in cheesecloth, bandana, or other lightweight fabric that won't bleed. I used a clothespin to close the baggie, which made it easy to lift it in and out of the water. Essentially, you make rosemary tea. Place a plate in the freezer.

3. Once the water is nearing a boil, remove the rosemary, and add the apricots. Lower the heat to medium low, or low. Pour the sugar on top, and mix gently. Stir every 5 minutes until the jam thickens, and then stir constantly to avoid burning the bottom. To test to see if the jam is the proper consistency, drop a few good sized drops on the frozen plate. If the jam runs easily, it is still too syrupy.

4. Place in jars (makes 1-2 pints), and either refrigerate for rapid consumption or can to send to faraway people. Let's be honest, if it is for personal consumption, it will not last long enough to make canning worth it.

Note: Heather states that this is her favorite jam. This can also be made with peaches.

Queque de Arándanos/ Blueberry Bundt Cake (Monica's grandmother)

Ingredients:

2 tazas de harina/ 2 cups of flour (white or half white and half whole wheat)
2 tazas de asúcar/ 2 cups of sugar
100 gr. de margarina/ 100 gr. of butter
1 taza de leche/ 1 cup of milk
2 cucharaditas de polvos de hornear/ 2 teaspoons of baking powder
Ralladura de limón/ Lemon zest
3 huevos/ 3 eggs
Canela en polvo/ ground cinnamon
1 yogurt/ 1 yogurt (opcional/optional)
Blueberries

Preparación/ Cooking Instructions:

Mezclar, con la batidora, la mantequilla y el azúcar hasta que quede cremoso, agregar los 3 huevos, mezclar, agregar la harina, los polvos de hornear, la ralladura de limón, la canela y los arándanos. Mezclar todo y agregar la leche. Hornear en horno precalentado a una temperatura de 350 por 1 hora aproximadamente.

Mix the butter and the sugar until it's smooth. Add the 3 eggs and mix. Add the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, cinnamon and blueberries. Mix everything and add the milk. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes, approximately.

Note 1: In order to mix the butter and the sugar easily, you can put them in a bowl and place it in the oven while you're preheating it. By the time you take it out, it will be all melted and ready to mix with the rest of the ingredients.

Note 2: Blueberries are just one option for what you can make the queque with. You can also make it with sliced strawberries, with cranberries...or basically you can try whatever fruit you want!

Note 3: Don't use just whole wheat flour, that would make the queque too hard.

Note 4: The measurements on this recipe are approximates. Personally, I use the "eye-meter" :) which means that you add however much looks right...nobody has complained yet!

Banana Bread

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 9 x 5 loaf pan or 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans. Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Beat on medium 30 seconds, scraping side and bottom of bowl constantly. Pour into pans. Bake 55-65 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from pan. Attempt to cool thoroughly before slicing. Nancy likes to put marmalade in it; Andy hates it that way. Can’t taste the difference between oil and applesauce, but applesauce is moister.

Blueberry Scones

• 3 cups bisquick mix
• 2 T sugar
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 eggs

Glaze:

• 1 egg, well beaten
• 2 T sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all scone ingredients in order listed, hand mix just as long as needed in order to create dough, crushing the blueberries as little as possible. Spread into a circle on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the beaten egg on the dough, and sprinkle the sugar on. Bake at least 10-12 mins, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Fruit Salad

• Sour cream
• Cinnamon
• Fruit such as apple, banana, orange, melon, kiwi, grapes, strawberries, other berries.

Wash and cut fruit. Combine sour cream and cinnamon. Toss with fruit.

Apple Crisp

• 6 cups sliced apples
• 1 T lemon juice
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Place the apples in an 8 ½ round pan. Toss apples in lemon juice. In a medium mixing bowl, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over the apples. Cook on high for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the fruit is tender.

Christy's recommendation: This is also really good made with pears (when your parents unexpectedly drop by with pears from their CSA) and pumpkin pie spice.