Strawberry and Rhubarb Crisp

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Every year at this time, rhubarb and strawberries flood the produce aisles of our local markets. Having been around the block a time or two, I know its way too early for local crops and yet I waffle and finally succumb. Thoughts of pies and crisps weaken my resolve and these imported villains find their way to my basket, despite my better angels and personal commitment to local produce. I blame the Silver Fox, who loves the combination and begins to lobby for a pie or crisp as soon as he sees the two paired in the stores. I have several recipes for pies and crisps and the crisp I'm featuring today is one of my favorites. It's really simple to make and differs from others in its class because it uses a copious amount of orange zest. The finished crisp has a bright sweet and tart flavor that's hard to resist. The fruit and vegetable base comes from a pie recipe developed for Cook's Illustrated, while the streusel, which originally came from bits and pieces of other recipes, has finally become my own. This is very straight forward recipe that I think you'll enjoy. Here's how the crisp is made.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crisp...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
Filling
3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
3 cups fresh rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3–4 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Streusel Topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
Pinch of salt
1 stick (4-oz.) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) To make filling: Toss fruit with sugar, orange zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt and tapioca. Let stand for 15 minutes.
3) To make topping: Combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, nuts, oatmeal and butter in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly.
4) Transfer filling to a 2 quart casserole or deep-dish pie pan. Dot with small pieces of butter. Sprinkle streusel topping over mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, or until top is brown and crisp. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream Yield: 6 servings.








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You might also enjoy these recipes:
Rhubarb Streusel Cake - Angie's Recipes
Rhubarb Oatmeal Cake - The Red Spoon
Rhubarb Tarts - Almond Corner
Rhubarb Pineapple and Ginger Crumble - Farmersgirl Kitchen
Strawberry Rhubarb Fool - Sugar Crafter
Rhubarb Polenta Cake - Eggs, Cream and Honey
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie - Hummingbird Appetite
Rhubarb and Vanilla Crumble - Technicolor Kitchen
Rhubarb Spice Cake - Sugar High
Rhubarb Crumble Ice Cream - Deb Cooks

Parmesan Tortilla Crisps

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We thought they could. We thought they would. They didn't. The victory that once seemed certain, eluded them that day. Our team, the Ducks, lost the BCS championship last Monday and it would be true, though sad to say, "There was no joy in Mudville" on that cold dark winter day. Some take such loss in measured stride while others turn away and it was then I learnt a lesson hard, to share with you today. Never, never, never say, "It's just a game" to a grieving sports enthusiast. Your sanity and ancestry will be questioned. Fortunately, there was food to help make things right. I know you have a score of snacks to serve with drinks on game days. I'd like you to consider just one more. The recipe for these crisps was developed by Giada De Laurentis and you might want to give it a try. They are good, inexpensive and very easy to make. They can be made up to two days before serving in they are kept in airtight containers at room temperature. I doubt you'll have to worry about leftovers. Here's the recipe.

Parmesan Tortilla Chips...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Whisk oil, oregano, and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat just until warm. Set aside for 15 minutes. Brush oil mixture over both sides of tortillas. Stack tortillas and cut them into 1/2 to 3/4-inch wide strips. Arrange strips in a single layer over the baking sheets. Sprinkle cheese and salt over strips. Bake until strips are golden brown and crisp, about 12 minutes. Yield: 5 to 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Baked Tortilla Chips - In Flora's Kitchen
Pizza Bites - Cookbook Confessions
Rosemary Parmesan Coins - Stylish Cuisine
Sweet Spiced Nuts - Around My Family Table
Festive Feta Dip - My Kitchen Adventures
Sweet and Spicy Candied Pecans - Baking Bites

Moravian Spice Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our Christmas celebration begins the day after Thanksgiving with the making of at least one dessert or treat to be served during the Christmas holidays. That first dessert is usually a cake that requires aging, but we've also been known to make cookies that fall into a category we call "keepers". A "keeper" in our parlance is a treat that will not stale before the official holiday begins. Moravian Spice Cookies fall into that category. When I was a child we called these glass cookies, not because of their appearance, but because they were so thin they'd shatter if you dropped them on the floor. They were brought to the United States by members of the Moravian church who settled in colonial American communities established by church elders in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The highly spiced cookies are flavored with molasses and are arguably the world's thinnest cookie. When properly rolled, a one inch stack will contain 16 cookies. I still haven't mastered that challenge, though I continue to try. Over the years, I've made some changes to the original recipe to accommodate the tastes of family and friends. Not everyone appreciates the bold taste of full-flavored molasses and dark brown sugar, so, while the dark versions are more authentic, I prefer to use light molasses and brown sugar. The cookies are simple to make and they are wonderful keepers. Be forewarned that the dough must be refrigerated before it can be rolled, so you'll have to plan your time accordingly. Here's the recipe.

Moravian Spice Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup molasses, light or dark

Directions:
1) Whisk flour, salt, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2) Using an electric mixer, cream butter in a small bowl. Add sugar and molasses and mix until combined.
3) Slowly add flour mixture and beat just until smooth.
4) Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours. Dough will keep several days if refrigerated.
5) Move a rack to upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Set aside.
6) Divide dough into 4 parts. Work with 1/4 of dough at a time, keeping the rest refrigerated. Roll dough on a well-floured surface until it is paper thin - 1/16th of an inch thick. Work quickly because dough will become sticky and unworkable if out too long. Cut with a 2-3/4-inch round cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to prepared cookie sheet.
7) Bake until cookies darken slightly, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining portions of dough. Scraps can be reserved and rerolled following refrigeration. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container. Yield: 48 cookies.

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

Cran-Apple Crisp - Cranberry Coast - Pink Saturday

Sunset on the Cranberry Coast in the state of Washington.



Harvesting cranberries.







The flavors I most associate with fall are those of apple, pumpkin and cranberry. I'm especially fond of apples and cranberries and love the way they compliment each other in desserts. This is, hands down, my favorite crisp and it's the cranberries that set it apart from its competitors. I knew a bit about cranberries and how they were grown but my knowledge was superficial. I wanted to learn more. Fortunately, I live in an area where they are raised. If you hop in a car and drive along the coast on US 101 you'll come to an alternate loop that takes you to Gray's Harbor and the Cranberry Peninsula. The peninsula was settled by Finnish farmers who found the conditions they needed to grow cranberries here. The soil was an acid peat, fresh water was plentiful and the growing season extended from April to November. The berries grow on low vines in layered beds called bogs or marshes and where no natural bogs existed they could still be built. The topography was conducive to commercial farming of cranberries. They proceeded to build bogs and started a cranberry industry in the area. As is often the case in these communities, there is a harvest festival each year. It includes a bog tour and a cook-off. The event is nicely done and great fun for first-timers. It's the type of event I search out and enjoy. I have a very strange bucket list and, fortunately, a husband with a sense of humor. I know you'll love this crisp. Give it a try.

Cran-Apple Crisp...from the kitchen of One Perfect bite

Ingredients:
5 large Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Crumb Topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 granulated sugar
1/3 cup light or golden brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch pan or 8 1-cup pyrex ramekins with nonstick spray.
2) Combine apples, cranberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Transfer to a baking pan or individual ramekins. Set aside.
3) To make topping, combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, oats and nuts in a large bowl. Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle topping over cran-apple mixture.
4) Bake until berries are juicy and topping is lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Accompany with ice cream or whipped cream if desired. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.


They post is being linked to Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.