Whately Inn, Whately, Massachusetts

• The Whately Inn is a delightful restaurant in a colonial farmhouse setting. The dinners include a soup or salad, and a dessert which seems to be a more European concept these days. The lemon lush dessert was delicious and a perfect way to end the meal. Definitely stop by when you’re in the area!
• 93 Chestnut Plain Rd

• Whately, MA 01093

• 413-665-3044
• 
  

Striped Bass and Bluefish

There's nothing quite like freshly caught fish! And what a bumper catch it was, they were caught in the morning in the waters off Galilee, Rhode Island, and in the frying pan later that afternoon ready for supper. I cooked up some striped bass with fresh tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, green pepper, oregano, olive oil and garlic. It was so fresh and flavorful, and went just perfectly with a nice glass of red wine.
I must say the striped bass and bluefish fillets looked just gorgeous as I cleaned them in the sink, all sparkly and sequined. How can it get better than this?

Apple Coconut Crumble

Filling:

2-3 cups apples, cored, peeled and roughly chopped
1/3 C brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
1/2 C butter, chilled
1 C brown sugar
3/4 C flour
3/4 C oats
1/3 C organic unsweetened coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350º.

To make the filling:
Gently cook the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon on medium heat for about 20 minutes or so, until the apples have softened and are half-cooked. Pour the apples into a lightly buttered casserole dish or into an oval Le Creuset baking dish. Set aside while you make the topping.

To make the topping:
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, except for the butter.
Grate the chilled butter and add it to the dry ingredients. Rub the mixture until it resembles large breadcrumbs. 
Sprinkle the topping over the apple mixture and bake for about 45 minutes. If the topping is getting too dark cover with a piece of foil for the last few minutes of the cooking time.

The coconut in this crumble is just absolutely delicious. I don't think I'm ever going to make another crumble without adding coconut. Enjoy!

Bela Restaurant, Northampton, Massachusetts

 

I recently ate at Bela in Northampton. It came with great reviews, and my friends have been raving about it for years. I had a vegetable medley with seitan. The vegetables were super fresh and steaming hot, and the portion was very generous. Next time I visit though, I will try one of their daily specials that sounded a bit spicy, as this dish wasn't really spiced at all. The jewel of the evening was Bela's famous key lime pie. This was absolutely scrumptious, and so delicious in fact that I had to put my fork down between bites to make sure I didn't inhale it in one go! Next time I go I might skip supper and have two portions of pie instead.

68 Masonic Street,

Northampton, MA 01060

413-585-8011

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, part 2

I have become totally obsessed with strawberry rhubarb pies this summer. I think I've made about six or so! They're quick to make, super tasty, and a hit with everyone.

This recipe was given to me by a good friend who has been testing and tweaking it for years. I don't think you can get any better than this!

Filling:

2 C rhubarb, washed and cut into 1 1/2" chunks

2 C (about 1 lb) strawberries, washed and halved

2 T minute tapioca

2 eggs, well-beaten

3 T flour

1 1/2 C light brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pastry  (Fannie Farmer recipe):

2 C flour, sifted

2/3 C butter, chilled, grated
1/4 C ice water, or more as needed

1/4 tsp salt

Butter/sugar glaze:

1 T butter, melted

1/2 tsp cinnamon mixed with 1/2 tsp sugar 

Mix the chopped fruit gently together in a large bowl, and add the other filling ingredients. Set aside while you make the pastry.

Make the pastry (or use store-bought, but it's so quick to make from scratch why bother?):

Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the grated butter, then rub it in until you have a breadcrumb texture. Add add the ice water bit by bit, to make a dough. 

Pull it together so that it makes a ball, and then cut in half. Roll the first ball out so that it's slightly larger than your pie dish. Carefully lie the pastry in a ten inch pie dish taking care not to stretch it, and allow to chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

After the pastry has chilled pour in the fruit mixture and top off with the second half of the rolled-out pastry. If I have any extra little bits of pastry I like to decorate the top of the pie, before adding a few little steam vents and crimping the sides!

Brush on the melted butter, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes at 425 degrees, and then reduce the heat to 350 and cook for another 30 minutes until the pie has browned. If the pastry begins to brown too quickly you can always add a little foil to protect it.

This pie is superb with vanilla ice-cream or with a big dollop of whipped cream. In fact I've had it with ice-cream and whipped cream together, and that might just be the best of both worlds! Let me know what you think!