Basil - Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese

Blueberry Clafouti

Ginger Rum Soufflé with Coconut Crème Anglaise

Pear and White Chocolate Mousse

Summer Fruit Crisp

Basil - Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese

Basil - Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese

Basil - Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese 

Ingredients
For 2 pies
10 to 12 large Granny Smith apples
(5 to 6 pounds sliced)
4 oz. Sweet butter
1 c. sugar
1 teasp. Kosher salt
1 c. chopped basil tightly packed (2 oz.)
1 c. golden raisins
1/8 teasp. Grated nutmeg
3/4 c. all purpose flour
8 oz. Grated cheddar cheese
egg wash - 1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Sour cream for garnish
 

Preparation

Peel and core apples. Melt butter in a large sauté pan and cook apples until tender. Place apples, sugar, salt, basil, raisins, nutmeg and flour in a large bowl. Mix well until flour is absorbed. Let cool to room temperature.

Divide dough into 4 pieces, 2 for the bottom and 2 for the tops. Roll out the bottoms and line 9 inch pie pans. Divide cooked apples into the two pie pans. Top with cheddar cheese and the remaining pie dough reserved for the top. Brush with egg wash. Bake in a 375°F preheated oven for 45 minutes until crust is nicely browned. Serve slices with sour cream.

Pâté Brisee
Ingredients:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound chilled butter

1 egg
1 1/2 cups ice water
 

Technique
Mix flour with salt and sugar. Dice butter into small cubes, cut into flour mixture until butter is pea – sized. Beat egg into ice water and add water – egg mixture a little at a time to flour mixture. Blend until a ball forms. Do not over mix. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Blueberry Clafouti

Blueberry Clafouti

Blueberry Clafouti

Ingredients

4 eggs
2 c. milk
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tblsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teasp. salt
2 c. blueberries
2 tblsp. butter
 

Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and milk together, then gradually stir in the flour, cinnamon, 3/4 cup of the confectioners sugar and the salt. Beat until smooth. Gently fold in the blueberries. Butter a 12-inch flan dish or 6 - 8 ounce ramekins. Add batter to the bake ware.
Bake until golden brown and set, about 45 minutes.

Let cool and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup confectioners sugar and serve with whipped cream.

Ginger Rum Soufflé with Coconut Crème Anglaise

Ginger Rum Soufflé with Coconut Crème Anglaise

Ginger Rum Soufflé with Coconut Crème Anglaise

Ingredients
3 tblsp. butter
3 tblsp. flour
1/2 c. milk
1/4 oz. peeled finely chopped fresh ginger (1 tablsp.)
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons corn starch
3/4 c. sugar
2 tblsp. Dark Rum
6 egg whites beaten until soft peaks form
 

Technique
In a small saucepan melt butter and add flour. Whisk in the milk and add ginger, Cook while stirring until thickened. Pour mixture in to a bowl and add yolks, sugar and corn starch. Stir until smooth. Fold in the egg whites. Pour mixture in to 4 - 8 ounce buttered soufflé molds that has been dusted with powdered sugar. Bake at 425° F for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately. Dust with powdered sugar serve on a plate with the coconut crème anglaise and garnish with a sprinkle of toasted sweetened coconut.

Yield 4 – 8 oz. souffles

Pear and White Chocolate Mousse

Pear and White Chocolate Mousse

Pear and White Chocolate Mousse 

Ingredients
1 lb. of pears (after peeling and seeding)
1 c. sugar
1 c. water

6 sheets of gelatin
(If using granulated gelatin: 6 sheets = 1 ½ packets of gelatin or 1 ½ tblsp. Granulated gelatin is dissolved in ½ cup cold water)
8 oz. white chocolate chips
1/4 c sugar
1 oz pear liquore or brandy

4 c cream whipped

8 to 10 chocolate cups or wine glasses
 

Method
Peel and seed firm pears like Anjou or Bosc. Then quarter. In a saucepot add water and sugar, cover and simmer until tender. If using a softer, sweeter pear cut the sugar and cooking time in half. Drain and puree the warm pears. (You could save the poaching liquid for sweetening ice tea).
 

Place the pureed pears in a double boiler or stainless bowl over simmering water
If using sheets of gelatin soften by placing it into cold water for 2 minutes. Squeeze as much water out of the gelatin as possible. If using granulated gelatin, dissolve in cold water and add it to the puree and heat until it is totally dissolved. Add the white chocolate chips and sugar to the puree, heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Transfer the puree and chocolate to a large mixing bowl and add the liquor then set aside to cool. Now whip cream to a stiff peak. When puree is cool but not set fold in the whipped cream.
Scoop, with an ice cream scooper, or pipe, using a pastry bag, about 4 oz. of the mixture into wine glasses or chocolate cups. Chill. Serve with poached pear halves and strawberry or raspberry sauce.
Chocolate cups may be purchase at many fine chocolatiers or easily made.

Recipe may make between 8 and 12 portions depending on size of your guests’ appetites.
 

How to make a chocolate cup:
Melt firm milk chocolate bars is a stainless steel bowl over simmering water. Remove from heat and let the chocolate come down to room temperature. Blow up small round balloons to the size of a baseball. Dip balloons into the melted chocolate up to the equator of the balloon. Place chocolate coated balloon in the fridge on a tray covered with waxed paper. Cool each balloon for 10 minutes. Repeat dipping in chocolate. Cool again thoroughly. Poke a hole in the balloon with a pin and gently remove balloon.

Summer Fruit Crisp

Summer Fruit Crisp

by Chef Ron Ottobre

Fruit mixture
7 cups mixed fruit (good combinations are apples and dried fruit; raspberries, peaches, raspberries and plums; or apples and blueberries)
1 cup toasted almonds, ground in processor
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon
and sugar to taste

Technique
Sprinkle fruit with sugar, add juice of lemon and cornstarch. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Let the mixture set until the fruit melds into a compote. Place fruit in a greased 8 by 12 inch baking pan. Add enough juice to cover just the bottom of the pan.
Spread ground almonds on top of the fruit. This seals the bottom layer so that the topping isn’t moistened by the fruit.

Topping
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter

Technique
Add butter to the flour, oats and sugar. Mix until the dough holds together. Sprinkle topping onto the fruit.

Bake at 350° F until the juice bubbles and is thickened and the crust browns, about 40 minutes.

Yield 8 large portions