fruit-filled coffee cake.

Our freezer has turned into an arctic tundra where things go to die.  

I have the habit of throwing things in there haphazardly and then 3 months later while I am frantically searching for something I vaguely remember throwing in there, un-earthing a whole other world of items I had completely forgotten about. Homemade pesto, sausage, berries - the list goes on.  

I've spent the last couple of weeks making attempts to use what I have - to try and really get creative in the kitchen and instead of getting new things, to shop from my own cabinets and to do more with what I have.  It isn't always easy.  We are trained to constantly want new.  But, I am proud of my resourcefulness - it's forcing me to think differently.

And freezer clean-out isn't such a bad thing when it means cake! Coffee Cake nestled with berries you've had stored in your freezer for months just waiting for their time to shine.  This is one serious coffee cake with (in my opinion) the perfect ratio of tender cake to tart fruit to crunchy crumb.  It's a classic cake and one that will be on repeat this summer.  

Fruit-Filled Coffee Cake 

Recipe adapted from Lootie and Doof

The original recipe called for fresh sour cherries and while I have plans to make such a version this summer when cherries return to the market, this also works insanely well with just about any fruit.  My version was made with a combination of raspberries and cherries – but I think blueberries would be killer as well.  Rhubarb would also be grand (note to self must make rhubarb version next).    

For the topping

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for dish

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dish

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For the cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk

2 ½ cups fresh sour cherries, blueberries, raspberries, or some combination of fruit (frozen also works incredibly well)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch round baking dish,  dust with flour, tap out excess.

In a medium bowl, stir together butter, flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon, ginger, and almond extract. Set topping aside.

Whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and spices in a medium bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla and almond extract.

Working in alternating batches, add flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just combined. Pour into prepared dish, and smooth with an offset spatula. Dot top with fruit, and sprinkle with crumb topping.

Bake until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool before cutting.  

brown butter apple crunch crumble.

I know nothing is more American (and more fall) than apple pie but I am here to present my case for the apple crumble (or apple crisp if you are so inclined to call it that).  

Apple pie is great.  But pie is a pain in the butt to make.  Make the crust, chill the crust, roll the crust, chill the crust again, par-bake the crust....you get the point, it's exhausting. (Though sometimes its therapeutic and other times it's a wonderfully necessary evil.)  

But! If you get rid of the crust you get rid of 90% of the work! This is why when it's a lazy rainy Sunday and I want apple deliciousness without all the work I turn to the wonders of the apple crisp to fulfill all my cravings. 

This is the apple crisp of my dreams. Layers of thinly sliced apples tossed in cinnamon and ginger (and a splash of bourbon for good measure because why not?) are nestled under a generous layer of crisp topping (without the crust you want a nice thick layer of crumble).  The crumble is dreamy - oats, walnuts, spices galore, and a little bit of maple syrup (because a little bit of maple syrup belongs in every fall dessert) are tossed with brown butter to make the most heavenly topping for that spiced sea of apples (I went crazy and incorporated 4 different varieties).  It's epic, it's fall, and it's insanely easy. What's not to love?  

Bronwn Butter Apple Crunch Crumble

Recipe adopted from the NYTimes

For the filling

2 pounds apples, peeled and thinly sliced 

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 tablespoon bourbon 

For the crumble topping

1 stick of butter 

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt.  

½ cup finely chopped walnuts (or the nuts of your choice!)

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  

Brown your butter: Melt butter in a small/medium saucepan over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Keep your eyes on it; it burns very quickly after it browns and the very second that you turn around to do something else.  Remove from heat and set aside

To prepare filling, toss apple with sugar, cinnamon, and bourbon.  Set aside.

To make the topping, in a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flours, sugar, maple syrup, spices and salt.  Stir in butter and nuts.  Coarse crumbs will form. 

Pour filling into a 9 inch square or round pan.  Using your fingers form mixture into ¼ inch to ½ inch crumbs and spread over fruit.  Bake until filling bubbles and topping is light golden, about 55 minutes.  Let cool slightly. 

sautéed peach french toast.

My favorite breakfast is scrambled eggs with goat cheese and chives (and lots of black pepper) and a side of toast with butter and jam.  The boy in my life prefers French toast.  Lots and lots of pieces of custardy French toast. (He loves it so much that it would be his last meal on earth!)  I’ll leave it that we agree to disagree on the perfect breakfast.  (I will admit that I enjoy finishing my own breakfast with a bite of his French toast, nothing like ending on a sweet note.)

When Tyler saw there was leftover buttermilk bread from the BLT sandwich it made his eyes lit up with the thought of fluffy homemade French toast.  Considering the number of dishes I made while bread and cookie making I figured he deserved it.  I made a custardy base of milk and eggs and added in a generous amount of cinnamon and ginger so each slice would have a good amount of spice.  I thinly sliced some peaches and mixed them with some sugar, cinnamon, and ginger and sautéed them in a little butter.  I thought they would be a nice surprise in between the layers of rich bread.  I cooked the French toast until it was nice and golden brown on each side, topped each slice with some peaches, and then drizzled the whole thing with maple syrup.  It was a breakfast that made him happy (and I loved finishing my eggs with several bites of French toast!).

Sautéed Peach French Toast

Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything

Serves 1 generously but it can serve 2

The type of bread you use is very important when making French toast.  I personally prefer a light and fluffy bread. Challah or Brioche is my personal favorite.  You also want to slice you bread the night before and leave it to dry out, helps the bread hold up to the custard much better the next day!  This would also be good with any variety of fruits; I’ve made it with apples before and had equally delicious results. 

For the French toast

1 Egg

½ cup milk (I used buttermilk since I had extra on hand but regular milk works)

Dash of salt

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon butter (or more as needed)

4 slices of bread

For the peaches

1 large peach, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon butter

For the peaches:  In a large bowl combine the peaches, cinnamon, ginger, and sugar.  Set asise.  In a pan heat the butter, once melted add the peaches to the pan and cook stirring occasionally until the peaches are soft and just beginning to carmelize.  Place peaches on a plate and set aside.

For the French toast: Beat egg in a large bowl and the stir in the milk, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.  Pre heat your skilled on medium heat with melted butter.  Dip bread in slices in custard and shake off excess.  Place slices of bread into the pan.  Cook until browned on each side, turning as necessary.  When cooked through, transfer to a plate.  Top each slice with ¼ of the peaches.  Repeat with remaining slices of bread. Drizzle with maple syrup. 

mixed berry crunch crumble.

Our fridge and countertops are bursting with blackberries, apricots, peaches, and blueberries (and about three different types of homemade jam..it’s turned into an obsession).  I feel like the inside of our apartment is beginning to look like a Parisian fruit market (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).  But after eating all the fruit as it is for the past few weeks straight, I’ve looked to turn transform it into something more - starting with the baskets of blueberries. 

Blueberries and I have a love affair.  There is no chopping involved when cooking with blueberries you can wash them and then use them as you please which makes them one of the easiest fruits to use.  I love loading them up in muffins and pancakes and mixing them into yogurt and granola parfaits.  But my utmost favorite way to eat them is in a blueberry crumble.  The blueberries get mixed with a little sugar and lemon juice and then topped with the crunchiest and most spice filled crumble topping ever.  The whole thing gets baked up until the blueberries burst and the top is golden brown.  It’s probably the simplest dessert ever (or in my case breakfast) and it exudes summer perfection.

Mixed Berry Crunch Crumble

Recipe adopted from the NYTimes

This recipie is beautiful because its so adaptable.  I used walnuts and blueberries in this weeks version, but I’ve also used strawberries and almonds.   This crumble topping also works equally well over stone fruits so keep in your file, you’ll find you go back to it a lot!

For the filling

8 cups mixed fresh berries

2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, depending on the sweetness of the berries

½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Juice of half a lemon

For the crumble topping

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger (I increased it to ¾ teaspoon, I love ginger with fruit!)

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup melted butter

½ cup finely chopped walnuts (or the nuts of your choice!)

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  To prepare filling, toss fruit with sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Set aside.

To make the topping, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, spices and salt.  Stir in butter and nuts.  Coarse crumbs will form. 

Pour filling into a 9 inch square or round pan.  Using your fingers form mixture into ¼ inch to ½ inch crumbs and spread over fruit.  Bake until filling bubbles and topping is light golden, about 55 minutes.  Let cool slightly.