Boozy stone fruit crisp

Fruit cobblers and crisps are my go-to dessert in the summer. They're quick and easy with fresh, local fruit taking center stage. My mom would always make peach cobbler from the peaches we'd buy from roadside stands on our way home from the beach as kids.

Last weekend a good friend had a surprise birthday party for her husband. She put me in charge of desserts, so I made this blueberry-peach cobbler and this cherry crisp. They were both a success, but the cherry lambic crisp was my favorite. I soaked the cherries in Cerise—a cherry fermented ale—instead of the lambic. The topping was perfect with its notes of cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon and orange.

Yesterday I realized my cherries, apricots, and peaches were in dire need of being eaten or made into something, so I decided to make a stone fruit crisp for a light dessert for two. I soaked the fruit with two tablespoons of bourbon. If you don't want it boozy (or aren't a bourbon fan), reduce to one tablespoon or omit altogether. I thought the bourbon worked perfectly with the maple syrup and spices.

I substituted coconut oil for the butter and maple syrup for the sugar to keep it wholesome and vegan-friendly. Feel free to use gluten free oats to make it a completely gluten free dessert. Yes, you must turn your oven on to make this dessert, but I think it's worth it. But if you're looking for a dessert that doesn't require baking, try Jacqui's raw tart instead. I won't hold it against you.

Boozy stone fruit crisp Serves two
Inspired by this recipe
2 cups stone fruit (peaches, cherries, apricots)
1-2 tbsp bourbon (like Bulleit)
1/4 c almonds, chopped
1/3 c oats
1 tbsp maple syrup
1.5 tbsp melted coconut oil
pinch of sea salt
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of cardamom

Preheat oven to 375. Slice the peaches and apricots, leaving their skin intact. Pit cherries and slice in half. Mix fruit in a bowl with bourbon. Stir and let sit for up to 30 minutes.

Mix almonds and oats in another bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Lightly oil two ramekins (our ramekins' have a diameter of about 3 inches, so they're fairly large). Fill with fruit and pour in the bourbon that collected at the bottom of the bowl. Scatter almond-oat mixture over the top.

Bake up to 30 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream and eat immediately. If you have leftovers, eat for breakfast the next morning with your cold brew coffee.

Orange pumpkin chocolate chip bread

I don't have a kitchen pantry. I have a long row of shelves above the counter instead. They're bright red and without doors. Someday we'll paint them grey, but for now they'll do. Since they're open and all of our dry goods—as well as bowls, glasses, and plates—are on display, I keep them organized. I can also keep tabs of the inventory pretty easily. But occasionally something gets pushed to the back, and I forget all about it. This happened a few weeks ago when I was moving things around, and spied a lonely can of pumpkin puree. I had purchased it with the intention of making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies last fall. (Someone in our house was addicted to the ones from Whole Foods.) I moved the can to the front of the shelf as a reminder to use it.

A few weeks passed by, and I got an inkling to make banana bread. I walked into the kitchen, looked at the fruit bowl on the counter, and realized we didn't have any bananas. Then I looked up and saw the pumpkin puree.

I quickly remembered a recipe I had bookmarked last November. I tinkered with it a bit, adding almonds instead of hazelnuts, orange juice and zest, as well as a few tablespoons of chocolate chips. I also added an apricot-date puree with a splash of maple syrup in place of the sugar. It tasted subtly of pumpkin, with deep orange and spice notes, and bits of dark chocolate. The cookie lover in the house even approved.

Give the apricot-date puree a try. It's so easy and an excellent replacement for sugar. Last fall in my chef classes, we made a date puree to sweeten granola. I loved the idea and made a note to try it again. I think it provided the perfect sweetness to this quick bread. Note: If substituting the puree for regular ol' sugar, you may need to increase the dry ingredients or decrease the wet ingredients, to get the right consistency for your dough or batter.

Apricot-date puree*

2/3 c dried dates & apricots, pitted

1/2 c warm water

Blend on high until smooth. 

Makes about 1 cup.

Orange pumpkin chocolate chip bread
1/2 c almonds or almond meal
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 c pumpkin puree
1/4 c coconut oil
1/2 c apricot-date puree*
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp orange zest
2 organic eggs
juice from 1/2 an orange
3 tbsp dark chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a loaf pan with coconut oil or butter. Line with parchment paper.

Toss almonds in food processor and blend until a fine meal. In a large mixing bowl, add the almond meal, whole wheat pastry flour, salt, soda, powder and spices. Sift or whisk together well. In a separate bowl, add the remaining ingredients, minus the chocolate. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

Pour into the oiled loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove and let cool before serving (unless you're impatient like me, and wanted a warm slice).

Enjoy as an afternoon snack with tea. I think this would make an excellent gift for a friend.

My weekend

I hope you all had a great weekend. It flew by. I can't believe its almost Tuesday. 

I bought more beets at the farmer's market as well as some of the most beautiful carrots I've ever seen. They were yellow, orange and purple. I cut the beets and carrots, and roasted them with coconut oil. Then I tossed them into a bowl of quinoa along with orange juice and green onion. Mmm.

I also picked up some vidalia onions. I roasted them in the oven with olive oil & balsamic. They would be delicious way to dress up a veggie burger.

Busy week for me, including a day trip to Chicago on Wednesday. But I'm excited to start reading this The Ayurvedic Cookbook. 

Have a great week. Eat your vegetables.