Cinnamon Almond Crunch {Recipe}

 

Growing up as the oldest of four girls, I remember my mother cooking for nutrition and the efficient use of her time and food budget. We ate well, and mostly from scratch, but meals were not complicated. We rarely ate dessert and when we did, it was almost always homemade.

That's why summertime pool snacks were always a huge treat. Mom would buy sugared cereal especially for this purpose, the only time we ever ate Fruity Pebbles or Lucky Charms or Cinnamon Toast Crunch, my favorite. She'd send us off on our bikes with towels and a box of cereal.

Looking back, I realize what a brilliant coup this was - snacks from the snack bar used cash she didn't want us carrying around and weren't filling. Cereal was undoubtedly cheaper, a little more nutritionally balanced, and still satisfied our desire for a treat.

Fast forward to my birthday this fall. The idea was to have ice cream sundaes for dessert and my mom asked my sister Heather, a pastry chef, to make a nutty topping. She tossed together these simple baked almonds. The sugary, crisp nuts made me start snacking like I was back at the pool with my hands in a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Beyond an awesome part of a sundae, Cinnamon Almond Crunch makes a lovely gluten-free bit of crunch on top of a pudding, fool, or crisp. Add a pile to a fruit and cheese appetizer. I like eating them right out of the jar.

Cinnamon Almond Crunch Makes: 1 quart Time: 1 hour

1 egg white 8 ounces blanched, slivered almonds 1/3 cup sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Whip egg white in a large bowl just until fluffy. 2. Fold in almonds until they are evenly coated. 3. Stir in sugar, salt, and cinnamon until almonds are well coated. 4. Spread in an even layer on a parchment- or silpat-lined cookie sheet. 5. Bake at 250 degrees F for 30-45 minutes or until almonds are slightly browned and the sugar is crisp. 6. Cool at room temperature. Store in an air-tight container for up to two weeks. Keep away from curious cats.

Chewy, Soft, Honey-Sweetened Butter Caramels With NO Corn Syrup

Maybe you are snowed in with a little extra cream from holiday baking. Or you want to master the art of candy making. Perhaps you want to impress someone with the most delightful sweet bite at the end of a meal. Maybe you have some fantastic honey to highlight. I adapted this recipe because I had excess expiring Snowville cream I couldn't let go to waste. Caramels sounded good but I could find precious few recipes without corn syrup. I'm not rabidly against corn syrup but I don't choose to keep it around the house. I also wanted to practice candy-making. I am inconsistent because I typically become distracted with another chore or are trying to manage too many things in the kitchen at one time.

I started by making butter by hand to use up more of the cream. I waited patiently while sugar and butter roiled on the stove until the exact right temperature. I even remembered to let the hot sugar cool before tasting - no burnt tongue!

The results were worth the effort. These caramels are soft and chewy but not pull-your-fillings-out sticky. They smell floral from the honey and surround the taste buds with richness. Whatever your reason, you will not be sorry after you spend an evening cooking caramels.

Soft Caramels adapted from Chez Pim Makes: 40-50 1 1/2 inch squares Time: 30-50 minutes

1  1/2 cups granulated cane sugar 1/2 cup honey 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup sweet cream butter (make by shaking approximately 2 cups room-temperature cream in a quart jar and skimming butter from buttermilk or use unsalted butter) 1 generous pinch salt 1/4 cup finely chopped chocolate (optional) parchment paper

1. Mix sugar and honey in a heavy-bottomed pot. Heat over medium until the mixture is melting, swirling the pan to stir without using a utensil. Continue to cook until the sugars have caramelized to a deep brown.

2. Meanwhile, in another heavy-bottomed pot, slowly heat cream to a simmer.

3. Whisk butter in small pieces into the sugar and honey. When it is totally incorporated, whisk in the cream and salt as well.

4. Cook over medium heat until the mixture measures 255F with a candy thermometer. Do not stir. This may take up to 15 minutes of boiling - be patient and keep cool water nearby in case you accidentally touch a splatter.

5. Meanwhile, line a cookie sheet or baking dish with parchment paper.

6. When the candy reaches 255F, pour onto the parchment-lined pan. If using chocolate, sprinkle over the top after 10 minutes of cooling.

7. Allow the caramel to cool completely. Cut with a serrated steak knife and wrap in parchment squares or layer between parchment paper in a covered container. Consume within 7 days for best texture.

Sassafras Bakery's Delectable Crumble Topping

Lately I have been in a pie rut. My crusts have been tougher than I like and I suspected it had something to do with my switch to making pie crust with 100% butter fat. Compared to shortening, butter is arguably more healthy (because it contains healthy acids and vitamins) and easy to buy or make from local cream. I also much prefer the flavor of a butter crust to anything else. I could switch to lard and have made and used lard on occasion, but it isn't something I have on hand all the time.

I finally solved the butter crust riddle when I tested my theory that a thicker crust would correct butter fat's tendency toward toughness. The cranberry apple pie pictured above has a double crust recipe rolled thickly. The resulting crust is tender yet holds up to a fairly wet filling. It was neither mushy nor unyielding to a knife.

What placed my pie in the realm of perfection, however, is all in the topping. AJ of Sassafras Bakery generously shared her recipe with me on Twitter. Once I tested it, I asked for permission to publish for you and she agreed. Meet AJ and learn more secrets at her Buttercream-Decorated Sugar Cookies class December 1 and/or Art of Pie class December 8 at Franklin Park Conservatory.

I made AJ's crumble with Hawaiian macadamia nuts and smothered it on top of cranberries and apples because those are the ingredients I had on hand. I know I'll try it with other nuts and fruits as the seasons turn - I can almost taste a pear pie with pecan crumble topping and peach with walnut. Play with this recipe and let me know what combinations you love! Sassafras Bakery's Delectable Crumble Topping Makes: Topping for 1 9-inch pie Time: 10 minutes preparation, 30-45 minutes cooking

2/3 cup raw nuts (macadamia, walnuts, pecans suggested) 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter 1/2 cup white granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup all-purpose flour

1. In a small saute pan, roast nuts over medium heat. Stir frequently and watch/smell carefully. As soon as nuts are slightly browned and smelling nutty, remove from heat. 2. Meanwhile, melt butter over low heat in a small sauce pan. 3. When butter is melted, add remaining ingredients and stir. Remove from heat. 4. Add nuts and stir to combine. 5. Spoon or use hands to place topping over a single-crust fruit-filled pie. You may not have complete coverage and that's ok. 6. Place a round of aluminium foil just smaller than the top of the pie on top to prevent burning. Remove foil five to ten minutes before cooking is complete to brown the top. 7. Allow to cool at least one hour before slicing.

Roasted Peach Boats + Yagoot Giveaway {Recipe}

Peaches in the summertime, apples in the fall, if I can't have you all the time, I won't have none at all. - Gillian Welch, Back In Time It's the height of peach season and my family is going through a peck a week. That's fifteen pounds of peaches!

We each eat several fresh peaches daily, I canned nine pints, and we cook them into pie and cobbler. Wanting a lighter dessert for a recent meal, I created these roasted peach boats.

Oven roasting peaches concentrates their flavor and reduces the flesh to a smooth, scoopable texture. Scoring the peel before cooking helps the skin break easily with the edge of a spoon. The small bowl holds a dallop of freshly whipped cream, portion of crunchy granola, or in this case, a scoop of Yagoot frozen yogurt.

Yagoot asked me to create a recipe with their new Yagoot@Home line of frozen yogurt. Filled with live active yogurt cultures, Yagoot is a tangy and low fat alternative to ice cream. Pints of seasonal flavors are available in their shops in Cincinnati and Columbus.

Yagoot Gift Card Giveaway

Yagoot is offering two twenty dollar gift cards for readers of Hounds in the Kitchen to try their yogurt. If you want a chance to win, simply leave a comment with your favorite frozen yogurt topping or serving idea.

Roasted Peach Boats

Makes: 2 Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 1 fresh Ohio peach (I am loving the Branstool Orchard peaches this year.) 2 teaspoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method: 1. Cut peaches in half and remove pit. 2. Score a shallow 'X' on the rounded outside of each half. 3. Place scored side down in a oven-safe roasting pan. 4. Sprinkle flesh with brown sugar and cinnamon. 5. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until peach is soft. 6. Allow to cool for five minutes. Top with whipped cream, granola, frozen yogurt, or ice cream.

NB: You can make a big batch of roasted peaches at once, cool, and store them in the fridge for up to four days. Bring them to room temperature or reheat before serving.

Music video for the song lyric above:

Giveaway details: Two $20 gift cards will be awarded at random to two separate commenters. Prize ERV – $20. Prize is provided and delivered by Yagoot; Entrants agree to not hold Rachel Tayse Baillieul or Hounds in the Kitchen liable for the prize. Entry open to US resident adults 18 years of age and older. Entries as comments on this site will be accepted from 2 pm EST Tuesday August 7, 2012 – 2 pm EST Wednesday August 15, 2012. Two winners will be chosen on Wednesday August 15, 2012 by random.org and notified via email. In the event that a winner does not respond within 48 hours, new winner(s) will be selected.

Disclosure: Yagoot provided me with gift cards to cover the ingredients of creating a recipe using their yogurt. All opinions are my own.

Win Friends With Eton Mess {Recipe}

For the past year, we have been dining with friends every Friday night. Alternating hosting with being guests, we compete not with each other but for the great dining experiences enjoyed together. Highlights have included a low country crawfish boil, the $5 Julia Child dinner, 18-hour braised pork, and the kid favorite, chicken and waffles. Recently our friends served us Eton Mess. Neither Alex nor I were familiar with this layered dessert of crunchy meringue, sweetened whipped cream and fresh fruit. Upon a single taste we agreed that this dessert is perfection.

Eton Mess is a play of textures with simple, familiar flavors. The dessert is easy to make ahead and plate for individual servings as dinner comes to a close.

As the very name suggest sloppiness, it is perfect for a child to make. For our version, Lil picked the berries, piped the meringue, and dipped the chocolate strawberry garnish. I whipped the cream, but only because Lil was too busy playing. That component, too, is easy for the beginning cook.

Homer Simpson said "You don't win friends with salad." I add the positive "You win friends with dessert," especially if your friend happens to be this adorable two-year-old.

Eton Mess Serves: 8 (with a few meringues left over) Time: 20 minutes prep, 2 hours cooking and cooling, 10 minutes plating

meringues: 2 egg whites (reserve yolks for mayonnaise, hollandaise, or another recipe) 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

cream: 1/2 cup whipping cream 2 teaspoons powdered or granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 cups fresh strawberries, washed and sliced

8 chocolate-dipped strawberries (optional garnish)

for the meringues: 1. Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in a large clean bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. 2. Beat with a rotary mixer or whip until foamy, about two minutes. Increase the speed and continue beating. 3. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, fully incorporating each addition until the egg white are smooth again. 4. Continue beating until whites are very stiff. Then whip in the vanilla. 5. Transfer meringue to a piping bag or gallon ziploc bag, pressing mixture to release any air bubbles. 6. Using a one-inch round tip or a one-inch cut in the corner of the bag, pipe the meringue onto a cookie tray covered with a silicone mat or parchment in two- to three-inch rounds. 7. Bake meringue in a preheated 275 degrees F oven for 45 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 250 degress F and continue cooking until meringues are lightly brown and hard to the touch. Turn off the stove but leave cookie sheet in the oven with the door closed until cool.

for the whipped cream: 1. Place 1/2 cup whipping cream in a large clean bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. 2. Using a whisk or whip attachment, slowly whisk the cream. 3. After it becomes foamy, increase the speed a little. 4. Slowly add sugar until fully incorporated. 5. Continue to whip just until the cream stiffens into solid peaks. Whipping too long will end up with butter and buttermilk, so watch this closely. 6. Stir in vanilla extract.

assembly: 1. Select clear glass cups or goblets, one for each guest. 2. Fill the bottom with 2-3 crushed meringues. 3. Layer on 1/4 cup of sliced strawberries. 4. Top with a dallop of whipped cream. 5. Layer on more meringues, berries, and cream. 6. Top with a chocolate-dipped strawberry, if desired. 7. Serve immediately.

Here's the Simpsons reference:

Added to Simple Lives Thursday #96.

When Life Hands You Meyer Lemons, Candy Them {Recipe}

After sipping my homemade limoncello last week, I decided I hadn't had enough of this season's Meyer lemons. I ordered another half dozen from Green B.E.A.N. delivery. When I opened my box I found not six but eighteen petite yellow lemons. I immediately contacted customer service and offered to return them. The quick response: "We can't take them back, can you use them?"

Oh can I? When life hands me Meyer lemons, I feel very lucky indeed.

I started with candied Meyer lemons. I spent 30 minutes focused with a sharp knife slicing thin strips of lemon and picking out the seeds.

Then I simmered them in sugar syrup until the rind turned translucent, enjoying the sweet summery scent as it wafted through the house. Finally, I moved the slices to a drying rack to drain the excess syrup.

Unlike the failure of a lemon meringue pie, candied lemons are a delight. I could see using them as a translucent garnish for nearly any dessert, chopping them into scones, or slipping the sweet slices in between cake layers.

But to be honest, I doubt they will make their way into any recipe at our house. We are eating a sticky slice or two with herbal tea in the afternoon and as a snack after dinner. The bright, bitter intense flavor adds moments of light to our days.

Candied Lemon (or Grapefruit)

2 cups sugar 2 cups water 3 lemons, sliced thinly and quartered, seeds removed 1 cup sugar (optional)

1. Simmer sugar and water over low heat in a wide non-reactive skillet until sugar is dissolved and a syrup forms. 2. Layer fruit slices in syrup. Cook at a low simmer until peels are translucent, 45-90 minutes. 3. Remove candy from syrup and drain on a cooling rack. Optionally, roll in more sugar before syrup dries. 4. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Added to Hearth & Soul Blog Hop.

Apple Crisp {Ratio Recipe}

Apples are abundant in our house after our trip to Lawrence Orchards. When the oven was on for family dinner roasted potatoes last night, I couldn't help but whip up an apple crisp. I use a simple crumble topping ratio that is adaptable to the ingredients I have on hand and needs of my guests. I can use white flour, white sugar and butter for a traditional crisp. More often I choose oats, whole wheat flour and unrefined sugar for a healthier crunch. Coconut oil or vegetable shortening work when you are out of butter or want to avoid dairy.

I spice unsweetened apples (a variety of types works best) with freshly ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. You could use pears or plums if you have them and change up the spices to your taste. The topping is intentionally un-spiced because I like to let the fruit flavors shine through the crisp.

For the pictured pie pan of eight medium sized sliced apples, I used one cup flour and oats as my measure. For a 13x9 inch pan, I would use twice that amount.

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Apple Crisp Ratio Recipe

1 part flour, oats, or a mix 1/2 part sugar (white, brown, or turbinado) 1/2 tsp salt per cup flour 1/3 part solid fat (butter, coconut oil, or vegetable shortening)

1. Stir together flour, sweetener, and salt in a mixing bowl.

2. Cut fat into mix until no distinct pieces remain.

3. Spread evenly over a pan of sliced and spiced baking fruit.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until fruit is soft and topping browned.

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  Added to Simple Lives Thursday.

Peanut Butter Pie for a Guy I Will Never Know

I wasn't going to make Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey. I heard about his sudden death via the twitter account of his food writer wife, Jennifer Perillo. The story touched me and I hugged my husband and daughter more tightly than usual that day.

When Jennifer urged readers to make peanut butter pie and think of Mikey today, Friday, I still wasn't going to make it. I didn't know the family and definitely don't need another dessert in my diet.

But the recipes from food friends started appearing. My taste buds watered at all the various interpretations of peanut butter pie.

I looked a little more seriously at the recipe. I didn't have everything called for in Jennifer's recipe, but I had most ingredients, enough to make it work.

So after Lil's bedtime, I whipped together peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar and more. I served Alex dessert. We toasted a guy we can never know but whose memory is inspiring home cooks around the world to enjoy dessert with their loved ones tonight.

We should all be remembered so well.