Pure Comfort, part II

As promised, this is our adventure of cooking on a wet and rainy day.

My sister and I would solder away in the pool house, realize we needed a break from sheer frustration, and dodge the rain drops to the main house.

We were met by a cozy fire in the kitchen and the smell of Portabello Mushroom Lasagna being made.

You see, there was a new cookbook in the house by The Barefoot Contessa. YUM.

By 2 o'clock we both said, "forget soldering for now." It was way too cozy in the kitchen.

I volunteered to make the dessert and we picked out the Pear, Apple and Cranberry Crisp from the cookbook. Can you say serious yum?

Here is the recipe:

4 bosc pears

6 Macoun Apples (no idea what these are, I used Fuji)

3/4 c. Cranberries

1 tsp. each orange and lemon zest.

2Tbs. each lemon and orange juice

1/2 c. sugar

14 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

12 tsp. nutmeg

Cut fruit into large chunks

Put into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.

Toss well to coat.

I used a nutmeg zester for the first time for the orange and the lemon. Fabulous.

It is now on my Christmas List.

Much better than using a cheese grater.

Put this mixture into a 9x12 baking dish.

Then combine:

11/2 c. flour

3/4 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. white sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 c. old fashioned oatmeal

2 sticks cold butter, diced.( I know, I know-but it's to die for.)

Mix dry ingredients and add butter. Either cut in with a pastry blender or put into a Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix until you have large crumbs. 

My sister can't eat oats, so we replaced it with a high-fiber cereal flake and it worked really, really well.

I just crunched it all up and threw it into the mix.

Pour flour mixture onto fruit and cover completely.

Place 9x12 dish on a large piece of foil or a pan to catch any drips from the cooked fruit.

Bake at 350 degrees  for 50 minutes, or until brown on top.

I have heard from people in this household that this makes a yummy breakfast.

Or a nice afternoon snack with a cup of coffee.

It was good for dessert, too.

So...

We threw together a salad, complete with pomegranate seeds,

lit the candles,

sat by the fire,

and ate our way through the best meal I have had in a long, long time!

If I didn't have to come home and take care of Brenna, I'm not really sure when I would have come home!!! So when I did, I made the dessert again the first night I was back. 

It helped a little.