Rustic Pear and Walnut Crostata

I haven't had too much time to bake in the past few days. Work has been hectic and I haven't been getting home until 9 or 10 at night... and well, by then I've spent the entire day in the kitchen and I have no desire to step into mine. That said, when I realized I had signed up for the GYCO "pear challenge" I was dead set on making something simple. Sometimes the simplest recipes can turn out to be the best, and this is definitely one of them. You can call it a galette if you prefer, but since I'm Italian I'll stick with crostata, they're basically the same thing. A pie dough filled with fruits (usually stone fruits, pears or apples) folded into a "nest," brushed with egg and covered in turbinado sugar. Sounds delicious, right?! Not only did it smell amazing while it was baking, but it tasted amazing too! We served ours up with homemade whipped cream (only because we didn't have any vanilla ice cream on hand) and it was gone in a matter of minutes. I hope you'll give this recipe a try- it's a keeper!

Pear and Walnut Crostata

Ingredients

5-6 Bosc pears, skin removed and sliced thinly (or Bartlett if you prefer)

4 tbsp. butter

½ c. sugar

¼ c. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp. lemon zest

¼ c. chopped walnuts

For the pie dough:

1½ c. all-purpose flour

4 tbsp. butter, cold and cut in 1/2" cubes

¾ tsp. salt

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

4-6 tbsp. ice water

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp. turbinado sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place rack in the center of the oven (this will help prevent the top of the crostata from burning).

2. To make the dough, in a medium size bowl, combine flour and salt, whisk together. Add the cold cubed butter, using a pastry blender, cut for 1 minute (you don't want the butter to get too small). Gradually add the vinegar, then add one tablespoon of ice water at a time, using your hands to combine the mixture as you add (you might not need all of the water, you just want it to barely hold together). Place the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and cover tightly. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes (while you prep the other ingredients).

3. Meanwhile in a large skillet over medium-low heat, add butter. When butter has melted add pears, cook for 5-8 minutes or until they become slightly soft. Remove from skillet and place into a large bowl. Toss with sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon zest and walnuts- set aside.

4. Roll out pie dough into a 9" circle (the edges don't have to be smooth). Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Place the pear mixture into the center leaving about 2" of edge around the mixture. To fold, bring up the edges and pinch 5-6 times to help "get rid" of excess dough. Pat firmly around the mixture.

5. Brush the pie dough edges with the egg, then sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Place in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the crust is crisp and the pears are tender. Remove and allow to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Stephen + Natalie | Makes approximately 8 servings

Cranberry-Orange Marmalade Muffins

 I'll be honest with you all, when I found out that the new GYCO challenge from White Lights on Wednesday and Four Marrs and One Venus was all about cranberries, I was a little nervous. Cranberries aren't really my thing. In fact I can't even remember the last time I ate something with cranberries in it. But since I don't like to turn down a challenge, I decided to do a little research and try out a muffin recipe. I feel like you can't go wrong with muffins, they're just one of those things you can't mess up. So I adapted a recipe, whipped it up and popped a pan into the oven. I was a bit nervous about the wet looking texture of them, but once they cooled and I glazed them, they turned out just fine! These muffins have a subtle orange flavor to them with flecks of zest and peel from the marmalade. The cranberries add a pop of tartness and zing. They're perfect for the season and will definitely brighten up your day!

Cranberry-Orange Marmalade Muffins
Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. + 2 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. (½ stick) butter, melted
2 eggs
¼ c. sour cream, room temperature
¾ c. whole milk, room temperature
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Zest of 1 orange
2 tsp. orange extract
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
¼ c. orange marmalade (I used Smucker's)
1½ c. fresh cranberries

Orange juice glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. orange juice
½ tsp. orange zest (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or line two muffin tins. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter, sugar, sour cream, and milk. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla bean paste, orange extract, and orange zest. Add one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
4. Remove bowl from stand and gently fold in marmalade and cranberries, do not over-mix. Scoop batter into prepared pans filling each ¾ of the way full (be careful not to overfill). Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the tops and edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping in glaze (about 20 minutes).
5. While muffins are cooling, prepare the glaze by combining the orange juice, powdered sugar and zest in a small bowl. Whisk to combine or until the mixture is smooth and no powdered sugar lumps remain. Dip each cooled muffin into the glaze, keeping them upside down and swirling them to remove any excess glaze (this will prevent them from dripping). Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Adapted from Back In The Day Bakery, Cranberry-Orange Muffins | Makes approximately 16 muffins

Peanut Butter Chunky Monkey Ice Cream

A couple of weeks ago I signed up for the Get Your Chef On Challenge over at White Lights on Wendesday. Since participating in the Unique Sweet Challenge I've discovered that I really enjoy doing these sorts of things, especially when you get to see all of the yummy treats everyone else has made! This month's secret ingredient was peanut butter, Jenn couldn't have picked it any better. I love peanut butter almost to the point of obsession. It's incredibly versatile and can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. Of course I immediately wanted to make ice cream. I've been dying to make peanut butter ice cream so this was the perfect opportunity. Since I had some spotted bananas lying around, I decided to make it Peanut Butter Chunky Monkey Ice Cream. I started off by slicing the banana, tossing it in butter and brown sugar, and baking it for about 40 minutes. I chopped it up and transferred it to the freezer to chill. Then I made a simple no-cook base. You just put everything in a blender and give it a go.

Once it's nice and smooth you add a pinch of salt and some vanilla. Then mix for another minute or two. 

Since the base is already cold, there's no need to chill it. Just pour it into your ice cream maker (I use the KitchenAid attachment) and start churning! Meanwhile chop your walnuts, measure out your chocolate chips and get that peanut butter ripple going. I like to microwave it in a small bowl and whisk it over an ice bath to cool it down.

Once the ice cream has finished churning (25-30 minutes) fold in the bananas, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Pour the ice cream into a freezer safe container and layer it with the peanut butter swirl. Toss it in the freezer and let it set up for about 3-4 hours... I know, but you really do have to wait! Once it has set up, scoop and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chunky Monkey Ice Cream

Ingredients

¾ c. sugar

2⅔ c. half & half

¾ c. smooth peanut butter

½ tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

⅓ c. chopped walnuts

½ c. mini chocolate chips

For the roasted bananas:

1 banana

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. butter

For the peanut butter swirl:

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. corn syrup

¼ c. half & half

¼ c. smooth peanut butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line one baking sheet with foil. Cut banana into slices and toss in a bowl with melted butter and brown sugar. Spread banana slices on sheet and bake for approximately 40  minutes. Remove from oven and chop into small chunks. Place in a freezer safe container and freeze until needed.

2. Assemble blender. Pour half & half into blender. Then add peanut butter and sugar. Blend for 2-3 minutes or until mixture is smooth and creamy. Add salt and vanilla, blend for an additional minute.

3. Pour mixture into ice cream maker. Churn according to manufacturers instructions (about 25-30 minutes). Meanwhile prepare the peanut butter swirl by combining ingredients in a small microwaveable bowl. Heat for 1 minute on high. Place over an ice bath and whisk until cool. Set aside. 

4. Chop walnuts and measure out chocolate chips. Remove bananas from freezer. Once mixture has churned, remove bowl and fold in bananas, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Pour ⅓ of the mixture into a freezer safe container. Drizzle peanut butter over top. Continue repeating these steps until all of the ice cream and peanut butter has been layered. Place in freezer and chill for 3-4 hours before serving.

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop, Peanut Butter Ice Cream | Makes approximately 6-8 Servings