Home Made Fruit and Nut Crisps

 These delightful crackers are amazing with good aged cheddar!

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey, warmed

1/2 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

then add one (or mix and match fruit and nuts) of the options below:

Option 1 : 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries and 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Option 2: 1 cup dried cherries and 1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Options 3: 1 cup dried apricots and 1/2 cup hazelnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Grease 2 8" x 4" loaf pans. (you can also use a smaller size pan)

3. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, baking soda, and salt. 

4. Add the buttermilk brown sugar, and honey, stirring until combined. 

5. Add the seeds, rosemary, and desired add on options and stir until blended.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown in color and springy to the touch. 

7. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack. 

8. The bread is easiest to slice when it has cooled completely. Transfer cooled loaves to a freezer-safe container and freeze solid, several hours or over night. If you're planning to freeze the loaves for longer than a day, they can be stored up to 3 months, wrap them in foil before freezing. 

9. When ready to bake into crisps, preheat the over to 300 degrees F.  

10. Using a serrated knife, slice the loaves as thin as possible - 1/8 " if possible - and place the slices in a single payer on a parchment paper covered sheet. 

11. Bake for about 15 minutes, flip them over, and bake for another 15 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. The edges should be curled slightly. Don't fret if they are still soft in the center, they will crisp as they cool. 

12. Store in an airtight container or serve immediately. 

Yield = about 8 dozen crackers.

Cottage cheese and Fruit

 This is an oldy. Apparently, clabbered milk is an ancient form of fermentation. It is also a form of wild fermentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Put 2 quarts rich clabbered milk into a cheese cloth bag and hang to drip. when whey has drained put curds in a bowl and stir until creamy. Beat whites 4 eggs stiff with enough sugar to sweeten well. Mix 1/2 cup thick cream into curds and fold in beaten whites of eggs. Pile fresh fruit in center of dish and surround with mixture. "

Brandied Fruit

 

" Take equal quantities of ripe and sound fruit (apricots, peaces, or plums) and prick them several times with a fork through to the stones. Put sugar in lined vessel - 1 lb sugar to 1 lb fruit - a pour in a small quantity of water, just enough to be absorbed by the sugar. Place over fire until small transparent bubbles rise to the top. Put mixed fruits into the syrup and simmer gently until they begin to soften. Leave them in the syrup until cold or until the following day. Take out and place on sieve to drain. Boil syrup until somewhat thickened and reduced. When cold mix with an equal quantity of pale brandy. Place fruit in jars or glasses and pout syrup over them and serve."

Chilled Baked Fruit with Sour Cream

This is another recipe lacking amounts or specifics.  

3 pounds any fruit

Process

 "Take any fruit and bake in a covered glass dish with orange and lemon slices, brown sugar and honey or both, and 1 cup water to 3 pounds fruit. For pears, mux red wine with the water. Before putting in the oven, bring to a boil on top of the stove. Serve very cold, topped with sour cream. "

Fruit leather

We picked 20.5 pounds of blueberries so far this summer and with the encouragement of my midwife friend Abby I made leather last night and I am sold! I am already saving my pennies so I can buy the industrial dehydrator from Cabellas!

 

















Until the time comes that I can afford it, I will have to live vicariously through the graces of a friend. Thanks Abby! Here comes the tricky part though as Abby needed to walk me through it because she is the kind of genius that does things in her head and hates following recipes. I am only able to do that after I have made it once or twice and THEN I can tinker. Because of this, Abby walked me through the entire process up until the dehydrating part, because then it is just an aspect of time. Through this process, I have cobbled together a list of ingredients but the amounts are entirely NON-SPECIFIC because you truly can not F up fruit leather.

Ingredients

lots and lots of Berries (any kind will work but blueberries are the best and strawberries make a different type even though I used a pint in this leather.)
1 orange
the zest of the orange
a dash lemon juice
a pinch of salt
a couple table spoons maple syrup
1 TB cinnamon
1 TB nutmeg
a small amount of ground cloves (careful as this concentrates over time)
1 tsp dried ginger - to taste so be moderate
1 TB Vanilla
a dehydrator
parchment paper

Directions

1. Fill pot with Berries


























2. Add the Juice of a large orange
 

 

3. Macerate the berries as you bring it to a slow boil over a low heat.
Let it soften up and get nice and happy.

4. Start adding your spices

5. Bring to a boil and stir requently.  Let it get nice and hot and happy and bubble away.  over medium heat at a rolling simmer.


6. As it thickens let it cool down a bit and then turn off for 30 minutes. Stir periodically until it stops steaming when you stir. During this time, get the dehydrator shelves ready and cut parchment paper to size to cover the shelves. Here's Abby helping.


7. In batches, run the berries through quick bursts in the blender. You want a think chunky mixture as it binds together better in making leather. This was my first round and it was a bit too thin.

































8. Pour a generous circle of mixture of center of parchment paper covered tray and smooth out with a rubber spatula until it is spread into a uniform shaped layer.

9. When layer is even and covers the paper like the picture above, put shelve into the dehydrator and continue with the remaining berry mixture.



















Leather dries in the dehydrator until dry when it no longer is tacky/sticks to your finger when touched.

Here are a few picture of me having my hand in it.

10. The final step is to cut the parchment paper into equal long strip and roll the leather fruit side in into roll ups and store in a plastic bag in a refridgerator until gone and it is time to make some more!

Breakfast Baby aka Dutch Baby aka Vermont Baby

It's maple syrup season so you better make one of these yummy breakfast treats! This FABULOUS breakfast recipe feeds 4 to 6 people, so is perfect for a family of 5. If you have a large amount to feed, make 2! It's  easy and takes little prep time. If you need to make 2, don't double the recipe, just make two different babies. I bake mine into a deep casserole pan or a 9x12 baking pan. 

Ingredients
1 stick butter
6 eggs separated
1.5 cups flour
1.5 cups milk
lots of grated nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
pinch of salt
2 cups blueberries (or raspberries)
maple syrup

Process:

1. Preheat OVEN 425 degrees.
2. Put butter in large pan (9 x 12 or a deep casserole pan or baking dish, and melt in oven.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (mix-master users - if you end up meranging them it will still work).
4. Mix egg yolks, milk, flour, nutmeg, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. GENTLY fold in egg whites.
5. Pour batter in pan of melted butter. Arrange fruit on top.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes - when brown on top and center is not liquid.
7. It is VERY hot - give a few minutes to cool
8. You may dust with powdered sugar if you wish.
9. Cut into squares and remove from pan with a spatula. Serve with real maple syrup.

SORBET!!!

We are churning out multiple batches of Sorbet this weekend.

Strawberry. Locally grown at Gillespie Farms.
Blueberry. Frozen last fall from MOFGA and the Common Ground Country Fair.
Blackberry. Raspberry. Grown outside right in front of my house.
Any combination of the above flavors.
Here is a blueberry sorbet, individually portion, and deeply frozen in our upright freezer.















I do so love our ice cream maker. It is so handy.

Here it is wearing its fruit fly repellent hat.



























Today's flavor: Cherry Peach. YUM!





















We are using a modified version of the Strawberry Sorbet Recipe from the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Book.
The recipe makes about a dozen 3 ounce cups, even if one is just a partial for the cook (bottom center).












Ingredients
1/2 pound frozen fruit, or fresh berries refrigerated, hulled/sliced/mashed (we throw it in the food processor)
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of a lemon
1/4 honey (or corn syrup)
2 cups cold water

Directions
1. Combine fruit, sugar, honey and lemon juice in food processor and blend.
2. Pour contents into the frozen drum of your ice cream maker and follow the makers instructions.
3. When finished, pour into 3 ounce cups, and deep freeze in a freezer.

Yield = about 1 dozen 3 ounce servings.

Chocolate Fondue

Compliments of William Sonoma. This, accompanied by a mimosa, made the perfect brunch today. It's important to maintain moderately low heat (no more than 120°F) under your fondue pot so the chocolate stays melted and just warm to the touch. Too much heat can ruin the chocolate. And make sure that the chafing pot is dry, as water will make your chocolate seize.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 pound cake, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 pints strawberries, rinsed and hulled

Directions:

1. Fill the fondue pot with 2 cups warm water and place the pot on the stand. Fill the fuel burner with oil according to the manufacturer's instructions and set it on the stand.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the cream until steam begins to rise, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and stir until melted, smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and stir until blended. Pour the chocolate sauce into the porcelain insert and place the insert in the fondue pot. Set the splatter guard on the top.
3. Set the fondue pot on the table and light the fuel burner, following the manufacturers instructions. Serve with pound cake, strawberries and individually marked fondue forks for dipping.

• Serves 6.
  Adapted from The Fondue Cookbook, (Hamlyn, 1999).

Chilled Baked Fruit with Sour Cream

I know when Mom used sour cream as a dessert topping, she would pep it up a bit with a sprinkle of cinnamon or a dash of orange or vanilla extract.

Chilled Baked Fruit with Sour Cream

Ingredients
Fruit - in large cubes
sliced orange
sliced lemon
brown sugar
honey
water

Process:

• Take any fruit and back in a covered glass dish with orange and lemon slices, brown sugar, and honey.
• Add 1 cup water for every 3 pounds fruit.
  
• For pears, mix red wine with the water
• Before putting in over bring to a boil on the stove.
  
• Bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes
• Chill thoroughly before serving.
  
• Serve very cold, topped with sour cream.