Dayrecipe Food Community

Long ago on our honeymoon, we stayed at the Connaught Hotel in London, a
bastion of comfortable English tradition. They served what I considered then,
and still do, the finest of fruit crumbles. It was served very hot and had a
thick golden crumb topping that was baked on top of perfectly cooked and
sweetened fruit. Although the crumb topping was crisp on top, it remained
pleasantly soft in the middle.

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• fruit filling
• 6 cups peeled and cored apples chopped into 1/2-to 3/4-inch pieces (about 6
  large apples)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juicecrumble topping (makes about 3 cups crumbs)
• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsaltedbutter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS Prepare the Filling
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the apples in a glass or ceramic baking container with a 2 1/2-quart
capacity. Either an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish or a 9 1/2- to 10-inch
diameter round pie dish, both with 1 3/4- to 2-inch high sides, works well.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the sugar
mixture and lemon juice over the apples. Stir the mixture to combine the
ingredients, spreading them in an even layer in the baking dish. Set aside.

Mix the Topping
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and use a large spoonto stir
them together. Add the butter pieces, stirring to coat them with the flour.
Rub the butter pieces and flour between your thumb and fingertips or cut them
together with a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form that are about 1/2 to
3/4 inch in size, there is no loose flour, and the mixture looks pale yellow
rather than white. Spread the crumbs evenly over the apple mixture.

Bake and Serve the Crumble
Bake about 40 minutes until the crumbtopping is golden but with a few spots
of light brown, and the apples are tender when tested with a toothpick. Let
the crumble cool about 15 minutes before serving. Spoon the warm crumble onto
individual plates and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
The crumble can be baked a day ahead, cooled, covered, and stored at room
temperature. Warm it, uncovered, in a preheated 250°F oven for 15
minutes.

This recipe was developed from a banana muffin that had a similar crumbly
top. When I saw Stephan eat the top and pick out the banana chunks, I
realized a new dessert would be healthier, moister, and better appreciated. I
was right, but be sure to serve this very warm and don’t use very old,
overripe bananas — the taste becomes a little intense for children. Mash and
freeze such overripe bananas in a plastic container for a banana bread or
other similar confections.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

equipment: 9- by 13-inch baking pan

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Have children grease a 9- by 13-inch
baking dish.

Let the kids help you slice the bananas in half lengthwise with a table
knife. Place the bananas cut side down in the prepared baking dish.

Have the children place the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Using
a table knife, have the kids help you cut up the cold butter into little
pieces and add them to the bowl. With clean hands, have the children work the
butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Then spread the
crumble mixture over the bananas in an even layer, pressing down slightly.

Place the dish in the oven and bake until the crumble gets firm but not
mushy and has turned golden in color, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve very warm.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

Makes 4 hors d’oeuvre servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 6to 8 drained bottled whole green peperoncini
• 1/2cup mayonnaise
• 1lb cleaned squid, preferably small
• 6to 7 cups vegetable oil
• 3/4cup rice flour*special equipment:a deep-fat thermometer

DIRECTIONS Halve peperoncini and discard stems and seeds. Rinse and pat dry, then mince enough to measure 1/4 cup. Stir into mayonnaise in a small bowl.

Rinse squid under cold running water and lightly pat dry between paper towels, leaving some moisture so rice flour will stick. Leave tentacles whole and cut bodies (including flaps, if attached) crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide rings, then reserve separately on paper towels.

Heat 2 inches oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot (4 inches deep; preferably cast-iron) over high heat until it registers 390°F on thermometer.

Preheat oven to 200°F.

While oil is heating, whisk together flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a shallow bowl. Have ready a medium-mesh sieve in another shallow bowl.

Dredge a small handful of squid rings in flour mixture, tossing to coat well. Transfer to sieve and shake over other bowl to remove excess flour. Return excess flour to first bowl.

Fry floured rings in oil, stirring to separate, until golden, about 1 minute, then transfer with a slotted spoon to dry paper towels to drain, arranging in 1 layer.

Coat and fry remaining rings in about 3 more batches in same manner, returning oil to 390°F between batches. Transfer fried and drained rings to a shallow baking pan in 1 layer and keep warm, uncovered, in middle of oven.

Coat and fry tentacles in 2 or 3 batches until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes per batch, returning oil to 390°F between batches and transferring as fried to paper towels, then to baking pan.

Serve with peperoncini mayonnaise for dipping.

*Available in the Latino section of many supermarkets, natural foods stores, Kalustyan’s (800-352-3451), and The Baker’s Catalogue (800-827-6836).

Makes 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• ice cream
• 1 1/4cups (about 6 ounces) frozen blackberries
• 1 1/2cups sugar
• 1tablespoon plus 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1tablespoon light corn syrup1 3/4cups whipping cream
• 1 1/4cups whole milk
• 1vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 8large egg yolks
• 2 1/2teaspoons grated lemon peelblackberry sauce
• 2cups (10 ounces) blackberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
• 1/3cup sugar
• 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS For ice cream:
Boil berries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and corn syrup in small saucepan over medium-high heat until thick, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Strain berry mixture into small bowl, pressing on solids; chill syrup.

Meanwhile, combine cream, milk, and 1/2 cup sugar in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring mixture to simmer. Remove from heat. Whisk egg yolks and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Whisk in remaining 2/3 cup lemon juice and lemon peel. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until custard thickens enough to coat back of spoon (do not boil), about 12 minutes. Strain custard into clean large bowl. Set bowl of custard over large bowl of ice water. Stir custard until cold. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Immediately spoon half of ice cream into 9×5x3-inch loaf pan. Spoon half of blackberry syrup atop ice cream in pan. Spoon remaining ice cream atop blackberry syrup. Top ice cream with remaining blackberry syrup. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.

For blackberry sauce:
Combine blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice in medium bowl. Let stand until sugar dissolves and juices form, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Scoop ice cream into dessert bowls. Serve ice cream with blackberry sauce.

Both easy and inexpensive, tuna-noodle casserole stretched proteins and carbohydrates to the limits and fed at least a generation of American kids very well. Canned tuna will never go away, but fresh tuna has joined it as a culinary staple, and it stars in this deconstructed version of the classic. All the elements that make tuna casserole so appealing and comforting are here, just slightly rearranged. And there’s no need to serve this on a cafeteria tray: It’s good enough for your best china.

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS