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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

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.

10 comments :

  1. Oh, Lynn,
    That sounds like such a wonderful, cozy time. I am so glad you got a break and got to visit your sister but I wish you could have stayed longer :-( I hope we both have the courage to get back to soldering. It is such a great skill...and very frustrating to perfect. Or even hit average, in my case. I thought you were doing some really good work!
    Love,
    Suz

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  2. My husband would LOVE that dessert. He loves pears more than any other fruit. This looks so delicious.

    And I use the trusty old cheese grater too. Maybe I should put a nutmeg grater on my list.

    Nah...
    I don't cook enough anyway.

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  3. What a perfect day! I think I am going to have to swipe all those recipes for myself!

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  4. I LOVE your blog design. But, of course I knew I would... my sweet friend Susie did it for you. ADORABLE! I loved the post about the time spent with your sister. And I'm going to try that dessert receipe. Sounded YUMMY! Thanks for sharing. Charlene

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  5. MacIntosh apples...did you use fuji at home??? If so, I know you loved it. We cooked it again this week and will do it again this weekend when M's daughter comes to town. I LOVED the picture of the salad!! So fresh and crisp. Well, I loved all of the pics, but that one sang to me. Still eating pom seeds in salads. And ate the first batch of pomegranate sorbet tonight. YUM! Maybe people want the recipe to that? 12oz fresh pomegranate juice, simple syrup (1cup water and 1/4c sugar), a tiny but of tangerine zest. Combine all, and pour into Cuisinart ice cream maker. Eat right away or freeze for a more solid sorbet (my preference). When are you coming back????

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  6. What a wonderful day. I can feel the fire and smell all those worderful ingredients you cooked with!
    Debbie

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  7. Sounds like you had a wonderful time with your sister. Your soldering adventures look like lots of fun. Your recipes look great. I'll have to give them a try.

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  8. Oh how nice! I want a sister, too! So far, whatever recipe you've posted and I made, it turned out great, so I'm going to try this one, too. I won't put sugar, though, so I can eat it.

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  9. M happy to see all the wonderful pictures...and fun to see how someone else views the weekend and life at our house. :-)She looked quite happy reading your blogs.

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  10. This looks like the most cozy, wonderful day, Lynn! The food...I would have loved to share it!

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