A Cook & Garden, Together In The Pacific Northwest
Here we have the ultimate late summer dessert. The one where you hide pieces of it in various places around the house, then excuse yourself for some lame reason, seek it out and go dig in. There are currently two pieces in our refrigerator and they will soon mysteriously disappear. That’s just the way it is with this dessert. You take a bite. Then another. Then add a scoop of ice cream, and another. With that warning in place, I say let’s get moving on making some just for you.
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Last summer, some readers asked if I thought I could make up a peach cake recipe. It’s been banging around in my mind since then and now that we are in the middle of peach season, it seemed like a good idea to try and put one together. First of all, it had to be a solid enough batter to stand up to a peach, and that presents a challenge. Peaches are both heavy and juicy, which can spell disaster for a wimpy cake batter that can’t take the weight or the added moisture. Turns out I didn’t need to look any farther than my own family tree…Grandma Vanderzanden to the rescue! I dug out her old Rhubarb Cake recipe, made a few tweaks here and there, and ended up with a firm, moist cake that has plenty of peaches and a topping that is buttery, sweet, and has just a touch of cinnamon. Whew!!! And since this is peach season, I figured tossing in a quick, no churn, soft serve peach ice cream might be a good match up for the cake. This ice cream is loaded with fruit and has just the right amount of sweetness. It also has no fat, so if you freeze it and unthaw, it tastes more like a granita than an ice cream. I’m not complaining…either way is pretty good if you ask me.
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For the most part, this recipe comes via my mom, otherwise known as Neeners. When we were kids, she used to bake her version (which was topped with canned blueberry pie filling and topped with Coolwhip), in her trusty square Corningware baking dish. We all pounced upon it and devoured it as soon as she would let us anywhere near it. This version has the same graham cracker crust and the same idea of a creamy cheesecake filling, but then I veered into a homemade blackberry topping and said ‘so long’ to the Coolwhip because it seems just fine the way it is. It bakes up perfectly in a 13×9 inch baking dish, so if you don’t happen to have one of those vintage Corningware dishes running around, no problem.
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I have fond childhood memories of hot summer days, awaiting the neighborhood ice cream truck. I don’t remember the driver’s name, but I thought he was ancient (but since I was 8, he could have been 25), wore a white jacket and hat, and drove a little red convertible around the neighborhood, blaring out some musical tune that could be heard for blocks, drove our parents crazy, and hypnotized all of us into running toward it at full speed. He arrived with a cooler that was fully loaded with as many ice cream treats a kid could imagine, which made it hard to decide what to choose. I’m sure many an ice cream bar was melted with all us hanging over the side of his car, staring into the cooler, and mired in indecision. One year, I was fully entrenched in my Drumstick phase, but when I discovered the Creamsicle the following summer, everything else fell away. I still can’t resist that combination of creamy vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet, so dreamt up this super easy cremesicle pie. It can stay happy as a clam in your freezer for a couple of weeks or more, waiting for you to get the urge for a treat, and is nice to have for drop-in company. The crust is crumbled waffle cones, held together with melted butter and a little sugar. Then all that’s left to do is grab a couple of containers of ice cream and start layering. The crust is not baked in advance, so the whole thing comes together in a few minutes. I swear I can hear that little ice cream truck tune every time I grab a slice.
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They say the best recipes are those passed down from family and friends, and this recipe proves it. I made a new friend, Sandy, at the gym this year. We often find ourselves in the locker room or hot tub at the same time (preparing for a grueling workout ha ha), and the conversation often turns to recipes. Sandy is one of those perpetually happy people, is friendly and kind to everyone, and always has a big smile on her face. She also has incredible recipe ideas. One day, she described a Strawberry Rhubarb pie with an oatmeal crust, and I was hooked. I love pie but am not the biggest pie crust fan, so I was drawn to that idea like a magnet. This recipe originated from one in Family Circle Magazine from 1982. Sandy added strawberries to the original, and I made a couple of small changes myself, and that’s what cooking is all about. Love somebody’s idea, then get busy and make it your own by adding your own touches. I intend to make it every chance I get.
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Do you ever have an idea pop into your head that just will not leave you alone? It happens to me more than I would care to admit, but my latest little visitor was the concept of a dessert with lime. The coming of warmer weather makes me think about refreshing and cool desserts, and one that would welcome you with open arms after a spicy barbecue supper. Here is the result of my ponderings: a no-bake (except for the crust, but that’s just ten minutes), smooth, creamy, and refreshing icebox pie, that is brimming with fresh lime juice and lime zest. The creamy interior is set off by a crisp crust made of graham crackers and toasted coconut. Here’s a dessert you can whip up with little effort, and it can sit there in the refrigerator, happy as a clam, for a couple of days until you’re ready to serve. I personally have not been able to wait nearly that long, but it’s good to know if the opportunity presents itself. PS: this recipe is really not made with key limes, but you can use them if you want to. It seems like every other recipe out there that makes a pie like this with regular limes calls it a key lime pie, so I decided not to rock the recipe search engine boat.
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I love boysenberries and found myself with quite a few bags in the freezer after an overzealous picking session last summer. Since I also happen to love coffeecake, this seemed to be a fine answer to my dilemma. The solution to the aforementioned dilemma was this easy as can be boysenberry coffee cake, brimming with berry goodness. The bottom layer is the rich and buttery cake base. Next there are frozen berries of course, since that was the point of this whole exercise to begin with, but also generous dollops of boysenberry jam in the center to pump up the berry flavor and add to the moistness of the cake. The streusel topping is lots of brown sugar and plenty of oatmeal for a nice crunch. This recipe should work with any type of blackberry, so if you have marionberries or other variety of blackberries laying around, go for it!! This cake is so addictive I had to hide it from my husband… OK, he hid it from me…but I found it.
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Easter will be here before we know it, and itseems to me that one of the best ways to celebrate is with carrot cake – this is because I love to eat them and look for any excuse to do so. Here you have not just any ordinary carrot cake recipe – it is my mother’s, otherwise known as Neeners. I think it’s the best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten. Don’t tell her that – I’ll never hear the end of it. She has had this recipe since time began, and so I had to attempt to decipher it from her well worn, hand written copy. This was not easy. I had to call her…”Neeners, your recipe says ‘one half of a medium sized can of pineapple’. What is a medium sized can? Is it the size of, oh, let’s say a can of chili beans you would buy at the store?” …..silence…. And then “Go for it. I don’t think it’s possible to kill this cake”. Lucky, it worked. And if you know me well enough by now, you will also know that it is impossible for me to leave a recipe alone – I have to fiddle with it. In this case, I left the cake alone, but added some caramelized fresh pineapple to top things off. This whole business is super easy to make, so how about we get this thing done?
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During fall and winter months, I always seem to have a batch of these roasted pears cooling their heels in the refrigerator. Drop in friends or family? No problem – I just grab a few of these beauties, slightly sweetened and topped with cinnamon sugar and go to town. In the mood for something a little savory? Add a roasted pear to your favorite salad greens, add some roasted hazelnuts and dried cranberries, some big chunks of blue cheese, and you are all set. Thinking more about sweets? Warm up a few in the oven or microwave if you want, put a couple on each plate, add a couple of scoops of your favorite ice cream, and some cookie crumbs or caramel sauce if you have any laying around and you’re set. They last in the refrigerator for at least a week – as if you will have to worry about that.
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I will admit that this recipe took three tries before it hit the mark. The first attempt was OK but lacked fresh apple flavor. With the second attempt I added so much fresh apple for flavor that the end result was more like a brick than a bread, and the only person who would consider eating it was my mother, Neeners. Back to the drawing board, and pulled the reins in a little on the fresh apple element. Now we had ourselves a moist applesauce bread with just enough fresh apple kick. Never satisfied, it seems, I figured what’s the harm in roasting some apple slices and piling them right on top of each slice? All that was well and good, but it needed a finishing touch – enter the best and easiest caramel sauce you’ve ever made. Drizzle it or drench it over the whole works – up to you. I, for one, drench. Happiness on a plate.
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