Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [411]
Add ½ cup shredded (or “desiccated”) unsweetened coconut with the peaches.
Add ¼ cup sliced almonds with the peaches.
Mixed Berry Pandowdy: In step 2, omit the peach filling. Instead, mix together 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blackberries, 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries, ½ pint (1 cup) fresh raspberries, 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Pour into the prepared pan and continue with the recipe.
Warmed Cream
Here’s a great topping for almost any fresh fruit dessert.
Makes about 1 cup
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Warm the cream in a small saucepan set over low heat until a few puffs of steam rise from its surface. Stir in the sugar and vanilla, then pour over individual servings of the pandowdy (or other fresh fruit pies, cobblers, or crisps).
Apple Cranberry Slump
A slump has a heavy, wet topping that slumps into the filling as it bakes. Makes 8 servings
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for greasing the baking dish
2 pounds tart apples, such as Pippin, Rome Beauty, or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
8 ounces fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1¼ cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)
Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch square or 10-inch round baking dish; set aside.
Mix the apples, cranberries, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly in the pan.
Whisk the remaining 1 cup flour, the remaining ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a second large bowl. Whisk in the milk and melted butter until fairly smooth. Pour this mixture evenly over the apple filling in the pan without worrying about getting it exactly to the corners and the edges.
Bake until the filling is bubbling and the crust is browned and puffed, about 45 minutes.
To cool: Set on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving (dish it up with a large spoon).
To store: Once fully cooled, the dish can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Variations: Substitute pears for the apples.
Substitute 1 pound rhubarb, peeled and thinly sliced, for the cranberries; increase the sugar with the fruit to 1 cup.
Substitute blueberries for the cranberries; decrease the sugar with the fruit to ½ cup.
Pear Walnut Ginger Brown Betty
A betty is fruit layered with buttered bread crumbs. You must use fresh bread crumbs; dried crumbs will be inedible. Although apples are traditional for this dish, pears make a juicy and fragrant dessert, one waiting for frozen yogurt or ice cream on the side. Makes about 10 servings
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for greasing the baking dish
5 cups fresh bread crumbs (see Note)
1 cup finely ground walnut pieces
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
3 pounds ripe pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
½ cup granulated sugar
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 13 × 9-inch baking dish; set aside.
Toss the bread crumbs, ground walnuts, melted butter, brown sugar, ginger, and salt in a large bowl.
Spread a third of the bread crumb mixture evenly over the prepared pan. Top with half the pear slices, distributing them evenly. Sprinkle ¼ cup granulated sugar over the pear slices. Cover them with half the remaining bread crumb mixture. Lay the remaining pear slices evenly across the baking dish and sprinkle them with the remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar. Cover these slices again with the remaining bread crumb mixture.
Bake until the juices are bubbling and the bread crumbs on