Bon Appetit Desserts (115 page)

BISCUITS
: Whisk flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk crème fraîche, vanilla, and lime peel in small bowl. Add crème fraîche mixture to dry ingredients; stir with fork just until dough begins to come together. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead just until dough holds together, about 6 turns. Gather dough into round; pat out to ½-inch thickness. Using 3-inch-diameter biscuit cutter or cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out dough rounds. Gather dough scraps together; pat out to ½-inch thickness and cut out more rounds for 6 biscuits total. Transfer rounds to rimmed baking sheet; brush tops lightly with milk, then sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Place skillet with cherries in bottom third of oven; place baking sheet with biscuits in top third of oven. Bake until cherries are bubbling and biscuits are golden, about 17 minutes.

Divide warm cherries among 6 bowls; top each with 1 biscuit and serve.

Pear Cobbler with Dried Blueberries and Stone-Ground Corn Biscuits

Dried blueberries and apple juice add understated sweetness to the filling. If you have a sweet tooth, increase the sugar by 1 or 2 tablespoons. Medium-grind stone-ground cornmeal adds an appetizing texture to the biscuits. It can be found at many supermarkets and at natural foods stores.
8 to 10 servings

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

⅔ cup medium-grind stone-ground cornmeal

¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

⅔ cup chilled heavy whipping cream

6 pounds firm but ripe Seckel, Taylor’s Gold, or Bosc pears, peeled, cored, cut into ½- to ¾-inch pieces (about 12 cups)

1 cup apple juice

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon (scant) coarse kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced

1½ cups dried wild blueberries

Vanilla ice cream

BISCUITS
: Whisk flour, cornmeal, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and coarse salt in large bowl. Add chilled butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cream; stir just until moistened. Gather dough together; form into 8-inch-long log. Cut log crosswise into eight 1-inch-thick rounds. Spread remaining 3 tablespoons sugar on plate. Dip 1 cut side of each biscuit into melted butter, then dip buttered side in sugar. Place biscuits, sugared side up, on platter; sprinkle any remaining sugar over top. Cover and chill.

FILLING
: Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13×9×2-inch glass baking dish. Place pears, apple juice, lemon juice, cornstarch, coarse salt, and nutmeg in large bowl; toss to coat. Let stand 10 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Transfer pear filling to prepared dish. Dot with diced butter. Cover dish with foil. Bake until pears are almost tender, about 50 minutes. Remove dish from oven; stir dried blueberries into pear filling. Place biscuits atop filling. Continue to bake cobbler uncovered until filling is bubbling thickly, biscuits are pale golden, and tester inserted into biscuits comes out clean, about 35 minutes longer (biscuits may look cracked). Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

Blackberry Cobblers with Ginger-Cardamom Biscuits

Cardamom lends exotic intrigue to this classic American summer dessert. This recipe can be prepared as one big cobbler, using a 13×9-inch oval baking dish or a 2-quart baking dish and arranging the biscuits over the filling.
Makes 6

6 cups blackberries

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

4 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon salt

1 3-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

⅔ cup chilled heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

Additional heavy whipping cream

FILLING
: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter six 1¼ -cup ramekins, custard cups, or baking dishes. Toss blackberries, sugar, flour, and lemon juice in large bowl to blend. Let stand while preparing biscuits, tossing occasionally.

BISCUITS
: Whisk flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in another large bowl. Using small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into flour mixture (reserve bean for another use). Add butter; using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Stir ⅔ cup cream and ginger in glass measuring cup to blend. Pour cream mixture over flour mixture and stir with fork just until dough forms. Gather dough into ball; transfer to lightly floured work surface. Pat out dough to ⅓-inch-thick round. Using floured 3-inch-diameter cutter, cut out rounds for biscuits. Gather dough scraps; press out to ⅓-inch thickness and cut out additional rounds for 6 biscuits total.

Spoon filling into prepared dishes, dividing evenly. Top each with a biscuit. Brush biscuits lightly with cream; sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon sugar. Place cobblers on rimmed baking sheet and bake until filling bubbles thickly, tester inserted into center of biscuits comes out clean, and tops of biscuits are golden brown and firm all over, about 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and serve.

Pear and Maple Crumble

This easy crumble is sure to become a staple in your fall and winter dessert lineup: You just toss it together and it yields seemingly magical results. Sweet, floral Anjou pears are ideal for the filling, but Bartlett pears would be fine as a substitute. Typically, crumbles are served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, but in this case, the subtle tang of sour cream perfectly balances the sweetness of the brown sugar in the topping and the pure maple syrup in the filling.
6 to 8 servings

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup walnuts

⅔ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

3½ pounds firm but ripe Anjou pears, peeled, quartered, cored, cut into ½-inch cubes

⅔ cup pure maple syrup

½ cup raisins

2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger

Sour cream

TOPPING
: Combine flour, walnuts, brown sugar, and butter in processor. Using on/off turns, process until walnuts are coarsely chopped and small moist clumps form. Transfer topping to medium bowl. Cover and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

FILLING
: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Place pears, maple syrup, raisins, flour, lemon juice, and ginger in large bowl; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Transfer pear mixture to 13×9×2-inch baking dish; sprinkle topping over. Bake crumble until pears are tender, juices bubble thickly, and topping is golden and crisp, about 30 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Serve warm with sour cream.

Individual Rhubarb and Orange Crumbles

Crumbles are traditional English desserts that have a sweet, streusel-like topping over a warm, bubbling mixture of sweetened fruit. They can be prepared with almost any fruit, but this springtime rendition features rhubarb accented with orange zest and juice and includes almonds in the topping for extra crunch.
Makes 6

⅔ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup whole almonds

5 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

⅔ cup chopped toasted almonds

8 cups ½-inch pieces trimmed fresh rhubarb (about 2 pounds)

½ cup orange juice

6 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel

1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour

Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream

TOPPING
: Combine flour, whole almonds, and both sugars in processor. Using on/off turns, blend mixture until almonds are finely ground. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until moist clumps form. Transfer to medium bowl. Mix in chopped toasted almonds.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

FILLING
: Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine rhubarb, orange juice, 5 tablespoons sugar, and orange peel in heavy large saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Cook until rhubarb is tender but still intact, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer rhubarb to large bowl, leaving excess juices in saucepan. Blend flour and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl; whisk into juices in saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Return rhubarb to saucepan; toss to coat. Divide warm rhubarb mixture evenly among six 1¼-cup custard cups.

Sprinkle topping over filling in each cup, dividing equally. Bake crumbles until topping is deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on rack 15 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.