Peach and Apple Cobbler

We were going through the stand freezer and found two bags of peaches that had been frozen a few years ago. Michelle had a recipe on her phone from the old Bell telephone Bell’s Best cookbook for a fruit cobbler.

She did make a few changes from the recipe in the cookbook, so check out them below. Because some of the peaches were freezer burned, we made up for the loss with applesauce. At my suggestion, she also added some Peach Schnapps to up the peach flavor.

Michelle also pre-thickened the fruit sauce as the cobbler cooks too quickly to do it all in the pan. I advise you to place the pan over a baking sheet in case it overflows.

Peach Cobbler

1 pint frozen or 2 cans peaches, sliced
1 ½ cups unsweetened apple sauce
3/4 cup sugar
8 ounces apple juice plus all the peach juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Peachtree Peach Schnapps (I use DeKuyper), optional
2 cups self rising flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup milk

Butter a 9 x 13 pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put fruit, sugar, apple sauce, apple juice plus liquid from peaches and cinnamon into a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until sugar is dissolved. Place in the butter and melt completely. Cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and pour in Peach Schnapps, if using. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Whisk together flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Shake the buttermilk well and stir it and the milk in until smooth. Pour batter evenly over fruit mixture. Batter will sink to begin with but then rises after cooking.

Bake for 25-35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serve hot or cold with lots of vanilla ice cream.

Cranberry Sauce Bran Muffins

Michelle has been a huge help lately, so I wanted to make her something nice. She is a fan of bran muffins so I decided to use some of the cranberry relish leftover from the holidays and some Kellogg’s All Bran Cereal.

The result is moist, flavorful and delicious enough for Dad to eat one and reach for a second. High praise indeed!

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups Kellogg’s All-Bran Original cereal
1 cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup cranberry relish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together cereal and milk. Let stand for 5 minutes or until cereal is softened. Mix in egg and oil; beat well. Stir in cranberry relish. Add flour mixture, stirring only until combined.

Spoon batter into muffin tins, that have either been well buttered or lined with muffin papers. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned and firm to the touch. Serve warm.

These may be frozen and thawed in the fridge.

Flan de Satsuma

Michelle and I wanted to do something different with the extra bag of satsumas my sister brought to me. I collected about a tablespoon of zest and we went looking for a recipe that could take it all. I’ve done a panna cotta recipe but we decided to leave Italy and head to Spain.

We found a flan de naranja recipe that we decided to make with our satsumas. Michelle put everything together and came up with a lovely caramelized satsuma sauce and cream custard sweetened with more satsuma juice.

Such a light, delicate flavor and smooth as silk. A lovely dessert for when you don’t want a hugely sugary snack.

Caramel Sauce
½ cup satsuma juice
½ cup granulated sugar

Custard
1 tablespoon satsuma zest
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ cup satsuma juice
2 cups heavy cream
3 large eggs
¼ cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the sauce ingredients into a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir the boiling mixture constantly and reduce until it is thickened and darkened to a rich brownish color. This will take at least 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and spoon into 6 large ramekins. Do not let the sauce sit in the pan as it hardens quickly.

Add the zest, satsuma juice and cream to a large saucepan over medium heat. Scald the cream mixture and then remove from heat. Whisk the eggs into a medium mixing bowl along with the remaining sugar. Temper the eggs with a small amount of the hot cream mixture and continue until everything is in one bowl and the sugar has dissolved. Strain the mixture back into the mixing bowl, using a fine strainer or cheesecloth. Ladle the mixture into the prepared ramekins.

Place ramekins into a 9×13 pan and pour into water to come about halfway up the sides. Bake uncovered in the water bath for 45 minutes to an hour. Custard is done with a knife comes out clean when inserted midway between the center and the edge.

Carefully remove ramekins from the water bath and let cool on the counter for at least 20 minutes before moving to the refrigerator to chill completely, at least 1 hour or overnight. When ready to unmold, run a knife around the edge of the ramekin. Place a plate over the ramekin and then invert. Tap the bottom of the ramekin and mutter magic words so that the flan slides out onto the plate and is surrounded by the sauce. If that doesn’t work, prod the flan out with a knife and tap harder!

¡Buen provecho!

Cranberry Apple Satsuma Relish

I wasn’t in the mood to make either a Waldorf salad or cranberry sauce this year when I remembered a relish I had a couple of years ago. It was bright with fruit flavors especially cranberries making it qualify as a Thanksgiving side dish.

That one was made with oranges and still can for those who don’t live in places where satsumas are common. Otherwise, using a satsuma or tangerine gives it a lovely flavor..

Delicious! Sweet and tart enough to wake up any tastebuds that are falling asleep from the tryptophan in the turkey.

Cranberry Satsuma Relish

12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
2 satsumas
1 Granny Smith apple
½ cup granulated sugar

Wash the fruit.

Pulse the cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Remove to a mixing bowl.

Zest one satsuma and juice it (you need ¼ cup juice). Cut the other satsuma into quarters and remove any seeds. Pulse in the food processor until finely chopped. Place in the mixing bowl with the cranberries.

Core the apple and cut into quarters. Pulse in the food processor until finely chopped. Place in the mixing bowl with the cranberries.

Sprinkle over the sugar and mix well. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight (can be made up to 3 days ahead). Serve with turkey in place of cranberry sauce.

Any leftovers can be spooned over oatmeal for breakfast or, even, placed with bananas, yogurt in a blender for a superfood smoothie.

Fudgy Chocolate Cherry Cookies

I had an opened bag of dried cherries that was slowly petrifying. I wanted to make something that would bring them back to life but I also wanted chocolate.

I could have replumped the cherries using steam or a double boiler (something I typically do for raisins before adding them to Oatmeal Raisin Cookies) but I wanted to add some flavor. I had a bottle of Cortas Orange Blossom Water that was ideal as cherries, oranges and chocolate go so well together.

The result was chewy cherries in a rich fudgy chocolate cookie with a delicate perfume of orange. Some pecans for nuttiness and the cookies were super delicious!

Fudgey Chocolate Cherry Cookies

1 ½ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Orange Blossom Water (I used Cortas)
1 stick unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 large egg
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate morsels
½ cup pecans, chopped

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. with the racks in the upper and lower middle positions.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, stir together the cherries and orange blossom water to flavor and plump up the dried cherries. Microwave uncovered on high until the cherries for 30 seconds to a minute. Stir and set aside. The cherries will slowly absorb the liquid.

In a double boiler over low heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped chocolate and the cocoa. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool until barely warm to the touch.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the egg and both sugars until combined. With the mixer running on low, add the vanilla, then slowly pour in the chocolate-butter mixture. Beat on medium until well mixed, scraping down the bowl once or twice. With the mixer running on low, add the dry ingredients, then mix just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, the pecans and the cherries along with any remaining liquid until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide the dough into large spoonfuls and roll each portion into a ball with your hands. Place the balls on baking sheets, spacing them evenly. Bake until slightly cracked on top and the edges feel firm, 14 to 16 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets about halfway through. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container.

Soda Bread Blueberry Muffins

I like the flavor of soda bread but I didn’t want to make a loaf. These muffins still have the flavor profile of soda bread but can be individually frozen. I used the King Arthur Flour recipe as my stepping off point but I didn’t have whole wheat flour, currents or caraway seeds. Michelle loves blueberries, so I converted the recipe to give her a happy treat for the holiday.

It is St. Patrick’s Day, so I topped them with a sprinkle of green sparkling sugar! The added sweet was more of a bonus for me but these are delicious muffins that are super quick to make.

2 ¼ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup blueberries
1 large egg
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Lightly butter a muffin pan, or line it with baking cups. This recipe makes at least 12 muffins, more if your blueberries are on the large size.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add the blueberries and stir to cover them with the flour mixture. This will keep them from sinking in the batter. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, and butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl the with dry ingredients. Gently combine the dry and wet ingredients just until everything is evenly moistened and there is no loose flour. Be careful not to over mix.

Spoon the thick batter into the baking cups. Bake muffins for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then move the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Lemon Cream Tarts

I love lemon curd but wanted to do something a little different than my standard lemon pie. I used as a stepping off point a copy of the Tartine Bakery’s Lemon Cream recipe that I clipped from a newspaper almost 20 years ago.

Because there is so much whisking involved to get the lemon cream, I cheated on the pie crust. Instead of making my own, I used frozen tart shells from Dutch Ann. To pre-bake the pie shells: thaw and prick bottom and sides of shells with a fork and bake at 350 degrees F, 12 to 14 minutes.

Pure lemon flavor. I ended up eating what didn’t get baked into tarts with a spoon. It makes a delicious lemon pudding on its own.

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

8 tartlet shells (I used Dutch Ann Frozen Tart Shells), pre-baked

Combine the lemon juice, whole eggs, yolk, sugar, and salt in the top of a double boiler set over low heat and prepare to stir for a while. Try not to leave the egg yolks and sugar for more than a moment or two without stirring; the sugar will cook the yolks. Whisk until the mixture becomes very thick and registers 180 degrees F on a thermometer. This will take at least 15 minutes. It is thick enough when the whisk leaves a trail through the curd.

Remove the bowl from over the water and let cool for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time to release the heat.

Meanwhile, cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces. When the cream is ready, pour it into a blender. With the blender running, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, blending after each addition until incorporated before adding the next piece. The cream will be pale yellow and opaque and quite thick.

Pour the lemon cream into the pre-baked pie shells and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Store any remaining lemon cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Cherry Scones

I’ve posted my recipe for Chocolate Cherry Sourdough Scones but, as I left my starter at home this trip, I needed to make my original version for breakfast New Year’s Eve.

The recipe makes 8 beautiful, large scones. You could do an egg wash on them but I like the melted butter.

They are moist and well flavored with the bittersweet chocolate and cherries. By roughly chopping the chips and cherries, you make sure there is a bit of each in every bite.

So very delicious!

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) chilled butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips, roughly chopped
1 egg
½ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons melted butter
8 tablespoons sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add cherries and mix well.

Whisk together egg, milk and vanilla. Make a well in center of mixture and pour in milk mixture. Add this to the flour mixture and mix. Add in the chocolate chips and mix until just combined.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. With your hands, shape into a loose ball. Cut the dough ball in half. Flatten each half into a round about 6 to 8 inches and cut into 4 wedges. Place wedges on a baking sheet, being sure to separate each wedge so there is at least an inch between wedges. Generously brush with melted butter and sprinkle each scone with about a teaspoon of the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm.

To freeze baked scones, let them cool completely and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze up to 3 months. When ready to eat, let thaw at room temperature or in the fridge overnight. Heat them up in the microwave for about 30 seconds to eat them warm.

Satsuma Margarita

I have plenty of satsuma’s from our trip to Southern Orchards so for Taco Tuesday, I decided to make satsuma margaritas. A major ingredient in margaritas is an orange flavored liquor like Triple Sec, Cointreau or, my favorite, Gran Marnier. Added with the intense flavor of the satsuma and it makes one irresistible cocktail.

Sweet and tart and very refreshing!

1 ½ ounces Tequila Reposado (I used Cazadores)
2 ounces satsuma juice
1 ounce orange liquor like Triple Sec or Gran Marnier
1 ounce lime juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar, optional

Peel and separate the segments from a satsuma. Rub one segment along the rim of each glass and dip the edge into flake salt. Drop another segment into each glass with some ice.

Put the tequila, satsuma juice, orange liquor and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with several pieces of ice and shake until ice cold. Taste for sweetness and add agave nectar as necessary. Strain into the prepared glasses.

Balance a final satsuma segment along the rim and serve.

Satsuma Fortuna Cocktail

Michelle and I went by a U-pick satsuma orchard outside of Mobile, Alabama just a little ways off I-10. For $20 you got use of a clippers, a red wagon and could fill a 5 gallon bucket with the citrus from the trees of Southern Orchards (they also ship for those out of area) .

For those who don’t know, satsumas are a type of mandarin orange that grows in the South but is a more cold tolerant, so it grows outside of the citrus areas of Florida. They are quite sweet – especially if you can hold off harvesting until after the first freeze.

Once we got to my house, we juiced our haul. Aren’t they just gorgeous?

I drank nearly a quart as we were juicing! I reserved some of the liquid sunshine for Michelle to make a satsuma cheesecake and some of the juice I froze to drink through the coming long, dark winter. What wasn’t already reserved, we used to make a cocktail that is sort-of a love child of a Bahama Mama and a Pina Colada.

Who wouldn’t be fortunate to have parents like that? It is very refreshing and those who don’t have satsumas can also make it with orange juice.

4 ounces pineapple juice
4 ounces satsuma juice
3 ounces cream of coconut
2 ounces spiced rum
2 ounces light rum
1 cup ice

Place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Pour into festive glasses to serve. Makes 2 strong drinks – feel free to reduce the alcohol.