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!

Margaritas

This is one of those super refreshing summer cocktails with a kick! It's quite potent though so feel free to add a splash of orange juice to dilute it if it tastes too strong!
1 thin slice jalapeno
1/3 C fresh lime juice 
1 tsp extra fine sugar
2 C tequila
1 C Grand Marnier
1 C orange juice (optional)
Mix all the ingredients together in a blender. Pour into a pitcher over ice, and chill for an hour or so before serving with ice in salt rimmed glasses. 

This margarta looks wonderful garnished with some celery sticks and with a twist of lime.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

There's nothing quite like a strawberry rhubarb pie. It's not quite as sophisticated as the French raspberry tart, or as traditional as American apple pie, but there's something so fresh and rustic about this combination, that it really deserves a special status.
A good friend of mine gave me his personal recipe, which he has fine-tuned for several years. Unfortunately I was sworn to total secrecy, so I'm not able to share the recipe with you, but here are some photos to help you taste the flavors and hopefully share a little of the joy that I experienced!