ROASTED HONEY-GLAZED
APPLES
As a dessert, serve with whipped cream
(or ice cream) and/or pound cake if
desired (may also be used as a garnish
for chicken or turkey).
4 large Golden Delicious apples
4 large Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup honey, melted
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
D
High Holidays: Desserts.
essert. The finale. The sweet ending.
Call it what you will. No matter that
we're often full to capacity after each
High Holiday dinner, somehow there's always a
wee bit of room for something sweet.
While honey cake is the traditional ending
for a Rosh Hashanah meal, this year — since
it's still so summertime — we feel more like
serving August desserts than September
sweets.
So, while apples are always on the menu, we
offer peaches, plums and cherries as well.
For a bit of tradition, there's still a stru-
del, which feels much like rugelach, for that
homey, autumn touch.
Of course, fresh-cut fruits and berries are
always appropriate at any table, but with all
these fruity desserts, you really don't need it.
Save them for the Yom Kippur break-the-fast!
Need more honey at your table? Try driz-
zling melted honey over any of these sweets
just before serving, or use honey as the sweet-
ener in the fillings or toppings. n
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a
glass or ceramic baking dish with non-
stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Peel and core the apples, and cut them
into 1/2-inch chunks. Toss them with
the melted honey, lemon juice and cin-
namon.
Arrange the apples in the baking dish,
and roast for 40 minutes (turning once
or twice during cooking). Remove from
heat, cover and cool to warm.
Gently stir the apples again, and serve
warm or at room temperature.
Makes 8 servings.
CHERRY SHORTCAKES WITH
FRESH APRICOT SAUCE
PEACH CROSTATA
This is a version of pie, but much simpler
to make because the fruit is piled in on the
crust and the crust is folded over the fruit,
leaving a large circle of the fruit exposed.
It's rustic and satisfying.
Crust:
1% cup all-purpose flour
Y2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter or
margarine, cut into pieces
% tsp. salt
2-3 Tbsp. ice water
Filling:
6 cups thin peach wedges, peeled or
unpeeled
2 Tbsp. peach jam or preserves, melt-
ed in the microwave
2 Tbsp. sugar (or more, if the peaches
are not very sweet)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Egg wash:
1 egg
1 Tbsp. water
Garnish:
3 Tbsp. sugar
whipped cream (optional)
Make crust: Combine flour, butter and salt
in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse
to combine. Note that the flour mixture
will still include tiny pieces of the butter.
With the motor running, add water,
a drop at a time, until a crumbly (not
smooth) dough is formed. (Alternatively,
60
August 22 • 2013
put ingredients into a medium-sized bowl,
and break up the butter into the flour
with your fingers or a pastry blender. Add
water a bit at a time to the bowl, and stir
with a fork or your fingers until a crumbly
dough is formed.) You may not need all of
the water.
Remove the dough to a lightly floured
surface, and knead for about 30 seconds.
Form into a ball, flatten slightly, wrap in
plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Place rack in the middle position in the
oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a
baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the dough ball on a lightly
floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll
the dough into a large circle (it does
not have to be a perfect circle, and the
edges of the circle should be uneven to
maintain the rustic look of the crostata).
Transfer to the baking sheet.
Combine the filling ingredients in a large
bowl, and toss well. Pile the peaches on the
crust, leaving about 2 inches of the crust
edge unfilled for folding. Fold the dough
edges over the filling, and overlap it in a
circular pattern (the uneven appearance is
part of the charm of this rustic crostata).
Make egg wash: Combine egg and water
in a bowl, and mix with a fork. Brush the
egg wash over the exposed pastry. Sprinkle
sugar over the egg wash.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until the crust is
golden. Serve warm or at room tempera-
ture, cut into wedges, with fresh whipped
cream if desired.
Makes 8 servings.
PFLAUMEN KUCHEN
This old-fashioned dessert is actually
considered a "coffee cake:'
% cup (1% stick) unsalted butter,
room temperature
1Y2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1Y2 cup all-purpose flour
1Y2 tsp. baking powder
1 Y2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
5-7 large plums, halved, pitted and
cut into eighths
Topping:
1 tsp. cinnamon
% cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place butter and sugar in large bowl,
and mix well until creamy. Beat in the
eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking
powder and cinnamon, and beat until
well combined. Spread batter into a 9- x
13-inch baking pan or equivalent (like
a 9-inch springform pan) that's been
sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Arrange plums over the batter, pressing
in slightly. Sprinkle the kuchen with
cinnamon and sugar.
Place the kuchen in the center of the
oven, and bake 60-70 minutes or until the
top is golden and the batter is set. Cool,
and serve warm or at room temperature
cut into squares.
Serves 12-16.
Shortcakes:
1% cup all-purpose flour
% cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
% tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. ('/2 stick) butter, cut into
pieces
1 cup whipping cream (not
whipped)
finely grated peel or zest of 1 orange
Cherry filling:
6 cups pitted fresh cherries
1 cup sugar, or to taste
% cup water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. orange juice
3 Tbsp. kirsch or other cherry
liqueur (optional)
Apricot sauce:
'/2 cup water
2 lbs. apricots or peaches
(unpeeled), halved and pitted
1 cup sugar, or to taste
3 Tbsp. apricot brandy or schnapps
(optional)
Make shortcakes: Preheat oven to 375
degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-
stick cooking spray, or line with parch-
ment paper. Set aside.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder
and salt in the bowl of a food processor,
and pulse to mix. Add remaining short-
cake ingredients, and pulse until just
combined.