The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (85 page)

4.
Slide the crêpe onto an ovenproof plate; cover with foil, and transfer to the oven. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, coating the pan with more butter as needed.

5.
Fold each crêpe into quarters to form a triangle. To serve, arrange 3 crêpes on each plate; drizzle with lemon-caramel sauce and garnish with candied lemon slices.

lemon-caramel sauce

MAKES ABOUT 1¼ CUPS

The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Warm over gentle heat just before serving.

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon limoncello (Italian lemon-flavored liqueur; optional)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1.
Heat the sugar and ¼ cup water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is clear. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup comes to a boil, occasionally washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Let the syrup boil, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until dark amber.

2.
Remove from heat; whisk in the lemon juice, liqueur (if desired), butter, and 2 tablespoons water. (The caramel will steam and spatter.) Serve warm.

candied lemon slices

MAKES 1 DOZEN

The lemon slices can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.

1 large lemon

1 cup sugar

1.
Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, cut the lemon into 12 paper-thin slices; discard the seeds and ends of the rind.

2.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat, and add the lemon slices; stir until softened, about 1 minute. Drain, and immediately plunge the slices into the ice-water bath. Drain.

3.
Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium skillet, swirling to dissolve the sugar. When the liquid is clear and bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low. Add the lemon slices, arranging them in one layer with tongs. Simmer (do not let boil) until the rinds are translucent, about 1 hour.

4.
Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Let stand until ready to serve.

late summer fruits in rosé

SERVES 6

If you cannot find pluots, a plum-apricot hybrid, you can substitute more plums.

3 plums

3 pluots

½ bottle dry rosé (about 2 cups)

½ cup sugar

½ pint blackberries (about 1 cup)

½ pint raspberries (about 1
¹
/
₃
cups)

1.
Prepare an ice-water bath. Score an X on the bottom of each plum. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a simmer. Add the plums; cook until the skins begin to loosen at the X, about 1 minute (less if the fruit is very ripe). Transfer to the ice-water bath to cool. Remove the skins; discard. Halve each plum to remove the pit; cut each half into wedges. Repeat the process with the pluots.

2.
Whisk the wine, sugar, and 1 cup cold water in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the plums, pluots, and berries. Refrigerate 1 hour. Divide the mixture among 6 bowls, and serve.

vanilla-bean baked apples

MAKES 4

4 thick-skinned, mildly sweet apples, such as Rome Beauty

3 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted pecans, plus more for sprinkling

½ large vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved

¹
/
₈
teaspoon salt

1.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Using a cylindrical apple corer, core the apples three-quarters of the way down. Fit snugly in an ovenproof skillet or a loaf pan.

2.
Stir together the sugar, butter, nuts, vanilla seeds, and salt in a small bowl. Divide the sugar mixture among the apples (about 2 teaspoons each). Sprinkle with nuts. Bake until the apples are soft, about 1 hour. Serve warm with pan syrup spooned on top.

orange-lime mousse

SERVES 4

Homemade citrus curd—a mixture of eggs, sugar, butter, and orange and lime juices—adds tangy flavor to this mousse.

4 large egg yolks, plus 1 large whole egg

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup fresh orange juice

¼ cup fresh lime juice (2 to 3 limes)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 lime, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons

1 navel orange, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons

1.
Make the citrus curd. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Cook the egg yolks, egg, ¾ cup sugar, and juices in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly (be sure to reach the sides and bottom of the pan) until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.

2.
Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Set the pan in the ice-water bath; whisk until cool, about 5 minutes. Pass the curd through a sieve into a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until set, 30 to 45 minutes. Whisk the cream and 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form; refrigerate.

3.
Whisk one-third of the whipped cream into the curd. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. Divide among serving bowls; refrigerate until ready to serve. Dust with cinnamon; garnish with citrus.

individual fruit crisps with cinnamon-vanilla ice cream

SERVES 6

This recipe makes 3 peach and 3 cherry crisps. The ice cream is made by mixing cinnamon into store-bought vanilla ice cream and refreezing it. We call for fresh cherries, but frozen ones will work just as well; you’ll need to adjust amounts in step 3: Reduce the brown sugar to
¹
/
₃
cup and increase the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons.

2 pints vanilla ice cream, softened slightly

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 large peaches (about 1¼ pounds)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup packed dark-brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 cups sour cherries (about 14 ounces), pitted

½ cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

¼ cup granulated sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

½ cup sliced blanched almonds (1½ ounces), toasted

1.
Make the cinnamon-vanilla ice cream: Cover the bottom of an 8-inch-square baking dish with one-third of the ice cream; smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Repeat to make 2 more ice-cream layers, sprinkling each with ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until ready to use, at least 45 minutes.

2.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Cut a small, shallow X in the bottom of each peach. Blanch the peaches until the skins begin to loosen, about 30 seconds; drain. Peel and pit the peaches, and then cut into ¼-inch-thick wedges. Transfer to a bowl; toss with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ cup brown sugar, the ginger, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set aside.

3.
Put the cherries in a bowl; toss with ½ cup brown sugar and the remaining tablespoon lemon juice and cornstarch.

4.
Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, the remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, and the granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Blend in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in the almonds. Squeeze to form a crumbly topping.

5.
Fill 6 mini foil pie plates (each 4½ inches in diameter and 1¼ inches high) with fruit, 3 with cherry mixture and 3 with peach mixture. Transfer to rimmed baking sheets; divide the topping among the fruit pies. Bake until the juices are bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let the crisps cool slightly; serve warm with scoops of cinnamon-vanilla ice cream.

mango-pineapple buckle

SERVES 4

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for the baking dish

1 small or ½ medium pineapple (about 1¾ pounds), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Toss the pineapple, mangoes, and brown sugar together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.

2.
Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add the flour mixture; beat until just combined. Measure out 1 cup fruit mixture; fold the rest into the batter.

3.
Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish; sprinkle the reserved fruit over the top. Bake until golden on top and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Serve warm.

mango-papaya salad with mint

MAKES 5 SERVINGS

1 mango, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 papaya, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Stir together all the ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve, up to 2 days.

melon balls with moscato

SERVES 6

2 honeydew melons (6 pounds each), halved and seeded

2 tablespoons small tarragon leaves

1½ cups chilled Moscato or other sweet sparkling wine

With a melon baller, scoop out enough melon to measure 6 cups. Divide the melon among 6 dessert bowls. Sprinkle with tarragon, and pour ¼ cup Moscato over each serving. Serve immediately.

lemon, blackberry, and meringue parfait

SERVES 6

Swiss Meringue (Basics)

1 cup crème fraîche

Lemon Curd (Basics)

1 cup ripe blackberries

1 cup chilled heavy cream, whipped

1.
Preheat the oven to 200°F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with an Ateco #22 star tip; fill with meringue. Pipe 12 to 16 long swirly shapes onto one of the prepared sheets. Gently spread the remaining meringue ¾ inch thick onto the other.

2.
Bake 20 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 175°F; continue baking until the meringue is dry but still white, 35 minutes more, rotating the sheets halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Set aside the swirls; crumble the meringue sheet.

3.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the crème fraîche and 1 cup lemon curd; refrigerate.

4.
To assemble the parfaits, layer the crème fraîche mixture, crumbled meringue, and blackberries in serving glasses. Spoon some of the remaining ½ cup lemon curd into each glass. Top with whipped cream; garnish with meringue swirls. Serve immediately.

apricot-cherry bake

SERVES 8 TO 10

Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for the baking dish

3 pounds small ripe apricots (20 to 24), sliced into sixths

½ pound cherries, pitted (about 1¼ cups)

¹
/
₃
cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface

1 cup plus 4 teaspoons sugar

½ recipe Martha’s Perfect Pâte Brisée (Basics)

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, toss the fruit with the flour and 1 cup sugar. Place in the prepared baking dish.

2.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pâte brisée into a 12-inch round. Cut into 4 3-inch strips; then cut the strips crosswise into 3- or 4-inch pieces. Place over fruit mixture in a patchlike pattern. Refrigerate dough about 30 minutes.

3.
Lightly brush the dough with water, and sprinkle with remaining 4 teaspoons sugar. Transfer to oven; bake until crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool before serving.

poached pears with ginger

SERVES 4

These pears may be refrigerated in their cooking liquid overnight.

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons port or full-bodied red wine

3 cups water

¼ cup honey

1 piece (¾ inch) fresh ginger, peeled and cut crosswise into 6 slices

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and scraped

4 ripe, firm Bartlett or Comice pears

1.
Bring all the ingredients except the pears to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 minutes.

2.
Meanwhile, peel the pears and cut them in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out the core and seeds from each half, leaving the stems intact. Trim the fibrous strip from the center with a paring knife. Gently lower the pears into the pot. If they are not completely covered by liquid, lay a piece of parchment paper directly on the pears.