Food: September 2003 Archives

Blackberry Nectarine Crisp
(Adapted from Rebecca Charles)
Time: 1 hour
7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups nectarines, pitted, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 3 large nectarines)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 heaping cup whole blackberries
Vanilla ice cream for serving.

1. Butter a 2-quart baking dish or six 8-ounce ramekins with 1 tablespoon butter. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, pulse flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt once or twice to mix. Cut remaining butter into small chunks, add to flour mixture and pulse a few more times, until mixture just
comes together into small crumbly clumps. Reserve.

2. In a large bowl, combine nectarines, granulated sugar and vanilla. Pour nectarines into baking dish or ramekins, scatter blackberries on top and sprinkle with the processed mixture. Bake 45 minutes, until bubbling. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 6 servings.

I have wanted to make a tea liquer for a while now. When I visited with Erik in July, I read through his book of recipes for cordials and liquers, just to get the principles down. I then bought two bottles of EverClear when I was in Oregon, in anticipation.
Last night I happened upon a recipe for Mate (accent over that 'e') cordial in the St. Blog's Cookbook. (it's from July 14,2003 - the blogspot archives are doing their usual). I followed that recipe using black tea leaves ( a blend of pekoe and darjeeling) at double the amount called for. I also boiled the water and poured it over the leaves first (in a corel teapot I have) and then poured on the EverClear after the leaves were cooled.
Tonight I finished the recipe and bottled it. Now for the hard part - waiting a month to try it! I may also try making a spiced chai kind of cordial.

Erik has been posting recipes for Tomato Grappatini, and my curiosity was piqued. Between the garden and the CSA, I have an abundance of tomatoes, and these are more for eating than canning. I plan to can the Roma tomatoes, but the beefsteaks and similar just don't can well.
So I decided to try to make a similar aperitif.

Bread Alert
describes a new way to prepare chocolate for eating.