Oh My. Berry Pie (I Mean Crisp).

What is better than a hot steaming berry crisp a la mode? Well, that's what I was trying to figure out when it occurred to me: nothing. Except maybe something nutty, something streusely... something that could absolutely be combined with my berry crisp to rock my sweet toothed world. 

To be perfectly honest, when I embarked on my inspired journey to the berry promised land, I had little direction and lots of hunger. I must say, however, that with my sense of adventure (and this recipe from tastefoodblog.com) as my guide, I think I may have found it.


The warm flavors of tart berry, smooth and nutty macadamia nuts, buttery streusel melting with creamy vanilla ice cream on my tongue made me forget all my worries, as well as all the turkey I'd eaten just minutes earlier.... and that is a success if I've ever had one.


4 BERRY CRISP WITH MACADAMIA NUT STREUSEL

Serves about 10

THE GOODS

For the topping:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour ($1.99)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar ($1.39)
1/4 cup granulated sugar ($1.99)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ($1.99)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg ($1.39)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut in 1/2″ cubes (4 sticks $2.99)
1/2 cup toasted, skinned and chopped macadamia nuts, can sub hazelnuts too ($6.99)
Optional: a pinch of ground ginger and/or allspice

For the filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar (see above)

2 lbs fresh mixed berries e.g. Trader Joe's berry medley, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries ($7.98)
About 6 oz. fresh cranberries ($1.99)

The Grand Total: $28.70 - kind of expensive if you have to buy everything, but hopefully you have some of the ingredients already. If you want to make it even cheaper, sub a different nut for the macadamias, or leave them out altogether.

THE WAY

First, make the topping. You can make it up to one day in advance and refridgerate it until you're ready to make the crisp. Toast the nuts for a few minutes (I did 4 minutes in the toaster oven) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep an eye on them; they burn quickly! While the nuts are cooling, mix the flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a medium bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingers until topping resembles coarse meal. Mix in the nuts.

Preheat oven to 375 F. (190 C.)

For the filling, slice the strawberries, but leave all the other berries whole. In a bowl, mix them all with 1/4 cup of sugar, then dump them into a glass dish -- either a round pie dish or a square/rectangular casserole dish work. Cover the filling evenly with the topping.

Bake until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 50 minutes. Remove and serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

Give Thanks for Shortbread and Cranberries

As Thanksgiving rolls around, I've been racking my brain, my books, and my Google--well, I guess it's not really my Google, is it?--for some brilliance and deliciousness. There are plenty of great recipes circulating around, but I wanted something that was easy, cheap, and didn't require me buying many things that I don't already have. Enter cranberry shortbread.

I found this simple, cheap, and yummy-looking recipe--which is originally from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours--on "Singleton in the Kitchen" and decided to give it a go. Literally the only thing I had to buy this grocery run was a bag of cranberries, which only ran me up $1.99. ...And it's healthy, right? I mean, there is fruit in it!

I really made only a few modifications to Singleton's recipe. I did not have an orange, so I used a lime instead, which I think added a nice complementary zing to the cranberries. I used about 1 cup (rather than 3/4 cup) of sugar, since she said people commented that hers was too tart. And I added cinnamon to the shortbread recipe, because I figured, "Hey, it's Thanksgiving. Why not?"

I hope you enjoy this around your Thanksgiving table as much as I have on my typical work potluck table.


CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD TARTLET

THE GOODS

For the Jam Filling:

1 large navel orange - I subbed 1 lime ($0.20)

about 1/4 cup of orange juice ($1.50)

1 12-ounce bag cranberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed) ($1.99)

About 1 cup sugar ($1.99)

For the Cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ($1.99)

1 teaspoon baking powder ($1.39)

Pinch of salt

1 stick plus 5 tablespoons (13 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature ($1)

1 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar  (see sugar above)

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk ($1.49 for a dozen, $0.12 for 1)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ($4.79 for a large bottle - could be free if you have it)

Optional: cinnamon (I added this; wasn't in the original recipe)

The Grand Total: $15.09 - but since most of this should be stuff you already have, it will probably be way less! All I had to buy are the cranberries.

THE WAY

To Make the Jam Filling:

Grate the zest of an orange into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slice off the peel, removing the white, cottony pith that sticks to the fruit, and slice between the membranes to release the orange segments. Cut the segments into 1/4-inch wide pieces and toss these into the pan. Working over a measuring cup, squeeze the juice from the membranes -- if you have 1/4 cup, great; if not, add enough additional orange juice (or water) to make 1/4 cup -- and pour it into the pan. 

Put the cranberries in the pan, stir in 3/4 cup of sugar, set the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until the cranberries pop and your spoon leaves tracks, about 5 minutes. Scrape the jam into a bowl and taste it -- if it's too tart, add more sugar to taste. Cool to room temperature. (The filling can be made up to 2 weeks ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)

 
To Make the Cake: 

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. 

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl (or a fork, if you're as low maintenance as I am), beat the butter on medium speed until soft and smooth. Add 1 cup of sugar and continue to beat until it dissolves into the butter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the egg and egg yolk and, beating until they too are absorbed. Beat in the vanilla.







Add the flour mixture, mixing only until it is incorporated; since this is a delicate dough, one that should not be over beaten, you might want to finish mixing in the flour by hand using a sturdy spatula. You'll have a thick dough, one that is quite malleable. 

Turn the dough out onto a smooth surface and gather it together in a ball, then divide in half and pat each half into a disk. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate them for 15 to 30 minutes. (At this point, the dough can be refrigerated overnight; set it out at room temperature for about 20 minutes before proceeding.)

Getting Ready to Bake:

While the dough is chilling, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan (preferably nonstick) and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. 

Work with one piece of dough at a time. For the bottom layer, either roll out the dough to size between two pieces of plastic wrap -- it's an easy enough dough to roll -- and lay it in the pan, or put the dough in the pan and press it lightly and evenly across the bottom with your fingertips. Spread the cranberry filling over the dough.

Unwrap the second piece of dough, but leave it on the plastic. Press and/or roll it until it is just the diameter of the pan. Carefully lift the dough and invert it on the filling, lift off the plastic and use your fingers to even it as necessary so that it covers the filling. Brush the top of the cake very lightly with water and sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top of the cake is lightly golden and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool for about 20 minutes, then run a blunt knife around the cake, remove the sides of the pan and let cool to room temperature.