The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (32 page)

NOTE:
In place of the pistachio garnish, you could slice any remaining lemons or limes into paper-thin rounds. Halve the rounds and arrange them in an

alternating, slightly overlapping border on top of the cake.

NO-BAKE LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH

WARM BLUEBERRY SAUCE

This cheesecake, which is a snap to assemble, is perfect for when you need a delicious dessert but
have little time for cooking. The crust, made with shortbread cookie crumbs, gets baked for less
than 10 minutes. A filling of cream cheese blended with purchased lemon curd (bound with
gelatin) is added. Then the cake goes straight to the refrigerator, bypassing the oven. At serving
time, the cheesecake is sliced and drizzled with warm blueberry sauce.

SERVES 8

CRUST

1
5-to 5.3-ounce package pure-butter shortbread cookies (see note)

FILLING

¼
cup half-and-half

1
packet (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin

24
ounces regular or reduced-fat (not nonfat) cream cheese at room temperature
1
cup purchased lemon curd

2
teaspoons grated lemon zest

Warm Blueberry Sauce
(page 337)

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
Process shortbread cookies in the bowl of a food processor until finely ground. Press into an 8-inch springform pan in an even layer on the bottom and about ¾ inch up the sides. Bake until crumbs are lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Cool completely.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Pour half-and-half into a small saucepan, and sprinkle gelatin over it. Let stand for 1 minute. Place saucepan over low heat and whisk constantly until gelatin dissolves, 1 to 2

minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip cream cheese until fluffy. Add lemon curd and beat until blended completely with cream cheese. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in lemon zest. Lower speed, pour in half-and-half mixture, and beat just until blended.

Pour batter into prepared crust and spread evenly with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely set, 4 hours or overnight.

To serve, bring cheesecake to room temperature for 45 minutes. Run a small knife around inside edges of pan, then remove sides from pan and transfer cake to a serving plate. Serve slices of cheesecake with Warm Blueberry Sauce.

NOTE:
Be sure to use pure-butter shortbread cookies. They contain enough butter so that you don’t need to add melted butter to the crumbs for the crust. I like Walker’s Shortbread Cookies, available in many groceries.

BLUEBERRY AND PEACH CRISP

Baked until the topping is golden brown and the fruit filling beneath is bubbling hot, this crisp,
which serves ten, is ideal for a crowd. The crisp can be baked ahead and reheated so there is no
last minute fuss.

SERVES 10

Butter for greasing baking dish

FRUIT FILLING

½
cup plus 2 tablespoons lightly packed light brown sugar

6
tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½
teaspoons ground cinnamon

½
teaspoon ground ginger

4
pounds ripe, but not mushy, peaches

3
cups fresh blueberries

STREUSEL TOPPING

¾
cup all-purpose flour

¾
cup lightly packed light brown sugar

½
teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⅓
cups pecans, coarsely chopped

9
tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced

1
quart Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
(page 292)
or best-quality vanilla ice cream (optional) Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a shallow, 3-quart, ovenproof baking dish.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl. Peel peaches, halve, and cut them into ½-inch-thick wedges. Add them and blueberries to the bowl with flour mixture. Toss well to coat. Spoon the mixture and any loose remaining seasonings into the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:
Mix together flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add pecans and butter and rub into dry ingredients using your fingertips until mixture resembles pea-sized clumps.

Scatter streusel mixture evenly over the fruit in the baking dish.

Bake the crisp until the fruit is tender and bubbling and the topping well browned, 35 to 40

minutes. Remove and cool 10 minutes. (The crisp can be prepared 3 to 4 hours ahead; leave at room temperature. Reheat in a preheated 350-degree F oven 15 minutes or longer before serving.) Serve each portion of the crisp with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.

NECTARINE ALMOND CRUMBLE

Sliced nectarines, sweetened and spiced, are topped with a crumbled mixture of butter and flour
mixed with oats, nuts, and sugar. When pulled from the oven, the warm and juicy fruit slices are
covered with a crisp, golden coating. The warm crumble is even better when garnished with
scoops of ice cream.

SERVES 6

Butter for greasing baking dish

FRUIT FILLING

2
pounds nectarines

1½
tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2
tablespoons sugar, plus more if needed

¼
teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼
teaspoon ground ginger

TOPPING

⅓
cup light brown sugar

⅓
cup all-purpose flour

⅓
cup quick or regular oatmeal

⅓
cup sliced almonds

3
tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced

Burnt-Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream
(page 291)
or best-quality vanilla ice cream (optional) Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a shallow, 2-quart, ovenproof baking dish.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Peel and halve nectarines, then cut into ½-inch-thick wedges. Place the slices in the prepared baking dish and drizzle with lemon juice. In a small bowl, mix together 2

tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and ginger and toss with the nectarine slices. Taste and, if needed, sprinkle with a little additional sugar.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:
Mix together sugar, flour, oatmeal, and almonds in a medium bowl. Add butter and rub into dry ingredients using your fingertips, until mixture resembles pea-sized clumps.

Pat mixture evenly over the fruit.

Bake until the fruit is tender and bubbling and the topping well browned, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. (The crumble can be prepared 3 to 4 hours ahead; leave uncovered at room temperature.

Reheat in a preheated 350-degree F oven to warm, 15 minutes or longer.)

Serve each portion of the crumble with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.

STOVERS’ BLUEBERRY BUCKLE

Blueberries are nestled into a rich cake batter and baked under a golden topping of butter, flour,
brown sugar, and cinnamon in this old-fashioned dessert. The contrast of textures–the soft
luscious cake with the juicy berries covered with the crisp streusel–is what makes this confection
so irresistible. The recipe came to me from Ohio cooking teacher and lawyer Steve Stover, whose
mother, Virginia, has served this buckle for over 50 years.

SERVES 6

BATTER

4
tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing baking dish
1
cup sifted all-purpose flour, divided

2
cups fresh blueberries

1
teaspoon baking powder

¼
teaspoon salt

½
cup sugar

1
large egg, beaten

½
teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓
cup whole milk

TOPPING

¾
cup light brown sugar

½
cup all-purpose flour

5
tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced

1
teaspoon ground cinnamon

1
pint Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
(page 292)
or best-quality vanilla ice cream (optional) Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish or a 9-inch square baking dish.

TO MAKE THE BATTER:
Toss 2 tablespoons of the flour with the blueberries in a bowl and reserve. Stir remaining flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until smooth, 2 to 3

minutes, stopping machine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in egg and vanilla and mix well to blend. Beat in half of the dry ingredients, then milk, and finally the remaining dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition.

Remove from mixer and gently fold in the floured blueberries. Scrape any flour remaining in the bowl into the batter. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:
Combine sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles pea-sized clumps. Scatter topping evenly over the batter.

Bake until topping is a rich golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove and cool 10 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

BETTY GORMAN’S RASPBERRY KUCHEN

This recipe was given to me many years ago by one of my students. Although called a kuchen,
which is a German yeast-raised cake filled with fruit or cheese, this version does not include a
yeasted batter. Instead, a rich pastry dough is baked in a springform pan, then spread with
raspberry jam and topped with meringue. Cut into wedges and garnished with fresh raspberries,
this dessert would make an attractive, yet simple, finale for any backyard meal.

SERVES 8

16
tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

½
cup confectioners’ sugar

1
cup sifted all-purpose flour

2
large eggs, separated

½
cup sugar

¼
teaspoon ground cinnamon

½
cup coarsely chopped pecans

1
12-ounce jar seedless raspberry jam

1
pint fresh raspberries

Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use some of the butter to lightly grease the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream remaining butter until smooth, 1 minute.

Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour and egg yolks and beat until ingredients are well blended, 1 to 2 minutes.

Spread and flatten dough evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake crust 15 minutes.

While crust is baking, prepare meringue. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks start to form. Increase speed to high and beat until whites start to expand and hold a shape. Gradually add sugar mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, until whites are stiff and glossy, 7 to 9 minutes. Remove meringue from mixer and fold in pecans. Set aside.

When crust has baked 15 minutes, remove from oven but retain oven temperature. Spread jam evenly over the warm crust. Then use spatula to spread meringue evenly over jam layer.

Return kuchen to oven and bake until meringue is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes more. Cool to room temperature. (Kuchen can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover loosely with foil and leave at cool room temperature.)

To serve, remove sides from pan. Place kuchen on a serving platter, and garnish top and sides with fresh raspberries and mint sprigs. Cut into 8 wedges.

CHILLED SUMMER CREAMS WITH FRESH

BERRIES

This rich dessert made with both heavy and sour creams is an indulgence, but the taste is so
luscious and the texture so velvety that it’s worth it. Plan on 15 minutes to assemble the chilled
creams, and then put them in the refrigerator several hours or, even better, overnight. Although
strawberries and blueberries are my favorite choices to pair with these snowy white creams,
raspberries work well, too.

SERVES 6

1
package (2½ teaspoons) unflavored gelatin

2½
cups heavy cream

1
cup sugar

2
cups regular (not reduced-fat or nonfat) sour cream

1
teaspoon vanilla extract

1½
to
2
pints (3 to 4 cups) fresh strawberries, sliced, or half strawberries and half blueberries, divided Mint leaves for garnish

Place gelatin in a small bowl and cover with ¼ cup cold water. Stir to dissolve. Set aside.

Combine heavy cream, sugar, and dissolved gelatin in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir until mixture is warm. Let cool to room temperature. Fold in sour cream and vanilla and 2/3

of the berries.

Divide the cream evenly among 6 medium to large wine glasses and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2

hours or more. (The creams can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the tops of wine glasses with plastic wrap if refrigerating overnight.)

To serve, ladle a few of the remaining berries on top of each chilled cream and garnish each serving with a mint sprig.

CREAMY LEMON PARFAITS WITH

RASPBERRIES

When you don’t have time to fuss over a dessert, this is a good recipe to call upon. Store-bought
lemon curd (enhanced with some extra lemon juice and zest) is combined with whipped cream and
raspberries. Served in large wine glasses with a garnish of fresh berries, these parfaits make a
distinctive presentation and look as if they took far more effort than what is required.