Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Blueberry Cinnamon Brown Betty

This is a classic summer dessert.  The recipe came from the July 1989 Cook’s Magazine, the precursor to Cook’s illustrated magazine.  It is credited to Marian Morash, author of the Victory Garden Cookbook. 

I make this with other fruit besides blueberries.  Feel free to substitute equal amounts of strawberries and rhubarb; apples; peaches; cherries; all are wonderful with the crumb topping.  You may need to add some sugar to the fruit if it is too sour. 

The topping may be made ahead and frozen, which really makes for a quick summer dessert.  Many times I make the full topping, use half and freeze half.

This feeds 10-12

Ingredients:

Topping:
  • ½ lb (2 sticks) melted unsalted butter
  • 2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
  • 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups packed (1 lb) brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Blueberries:
  • 3 ½ pints blueberries, rinsed and picked over
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca flour
  • 5 tablespoons lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)

Directions:

1.      Heat oven to 350 degrees
2.      Mix all topping ingredients in a large bowl, by hand or in a mixer with the paddle attachment.
3.      Mix blueberries, cornstarch, and lemon juice together in a separate bowl.
4.      Sprinkle 1/3 of topping over the bottom of a buttered 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
5.      Spread blueberries in an even layer on top.
6.      Sprinkle the remaining topping over the blueberries
7.      Bake for 40-60 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
8.      Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

9.      This may sit overnight at room temperature covered with plastic wrap.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

502Food Kentucky Derby Mini Pies

Derby time would not be complete without some version of this pie. I first made this recipe years ago in college in Florida (many, many years ago!!) and sold them to a woman hosting a Derby party. I used to make a whole pie, but I always ended up with leftover pie. I switched to mini pies and all the pies got eaten up. People clearly like bite sized mini pies much better than a slice, and an added benefit is that you don’t need a fork or plate!  These are especially good warm with a dollop of whipped cream. 


You will need a mini muffin pan and a 2 ½ inch round biscuit cutter to make the small pies.  A tablespoon sized scoop is useful as well. You can make a single 9 inch pie if desired. In that case, you will need only one pie crust. This will make about 48 mini pies. The recipe doubles easily and the pies freeze beautifully so they are great to do ahead.


Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (1 stick) melted unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 12 ounces mini chocolate chips
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped (toast at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes)
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 Pillsbury Ready Made Pie Crusts

Directions:

1.      Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2.      Mix the sugar, flour, melted butter and eggs together in a large bowl.



3.      Add the chocolate chips, nuts, bourbon, vanilla, and salt.

4.      Spread out pie crusts and cut out 2 ½ inch rounds.

5.      Press the rounds into the individual mini muffin cups.

6.      Scoop one tablespoon of the pie mixture into each cup.

7.      Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown (bake a whole pie for 45-60 minutes).