Whole-Wheat Apple Crisp

• 6 medium tart apples (such as Pink Lady or Gala), peeled, sliced
• ½ cup (packed) dark brown sugar, divided
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
• ¾ cup old-fashioned oats
• ⅓ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt 

Preheat oven to 350°. Toss apples, ¼ cup brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp. butter in a 2-qt. baking dish.


 

Toss oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, and remaining 4 Tbsp. butter in a small bowl until evenly mixed and no dry spots remain (it should be very wet and form into clumps when pressed together). Sprinkle oat mixture over apples and bake until topping is golden brown (it will crisp as it cools) and filling is juicy and bubbling, 50–60 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes to let juices set. Serve topped with scoops of ice cream.
 

 

Do Ahead: Crisp can be baked 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat before serving.

 

Serves 8.

 

VERDICT:  So easy, so delicious.  I love the melted butter in the topping, and I love the whole wheat flour.  It feels a little healthy, even.   I used rye flour, since it was only 1/3 c., and it worked out fine.  Keep! 

Mushroom Bouguignon

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (save the stems for another use) (you can use cremini instead, as well)
• 1/2 carrot, finely diced
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup full-bodied red wine
• 2 cups beef or vegetable broth (beef broth is traditional but vegetable to make it vegetarian; it works with either)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
• Egg noodles, for serving
• Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)

Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.

Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

Serves 4.

VERDICT:  I wanted to use up a little red wine, and this sounded good.  (Also, I had a mysterious half-bag of pearl onions in the freezer.)  It's a nice winter-y, but still vegetarian dish.  I served it over polenta instead of egg noodles.  Keep.

Lemony Barley Salad with Kale

• 1 cup pearled barley (about 8 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 6 ounces kale, stems discarded and leaves torn into small pieces (4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon (optional)

n a medium saucepan, cook the barley in salted boiling water until al dente, 30 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over low heat, stirring, until lightly golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
 
In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the currants and shallot and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the shallot is golden, about 3 minutes. Scrape into the barley and add the pine nuts.

In a food processor, pulse two-thirds of the kale with the lemon juice until chopped. With the machine on, slowly drizzle in the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil until smooth. Season with salt. Scrape the pesto into the barley. Add the preserved lemon, if using, and the remaining kale leaves, season with salt and toss well. Serve.

Serves 4.

VERDICT:  Good!  I didn't use the preserved lemon, and in future, I'd leave out the raw kale leaves as well, but the pesto, barley, pine nuts, and currents all went really nicely together in a kind of unusual way.  A nice work lunch.  Keep.

Purple Plum Torte

• 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder (the aluminum-free kind, if you can find it)
• Large pinch of salt
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar plus 1 to 2 tablespoon (depending on sweetness of plums)
• 1/2 cup (115 grams or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 12 smallish purple Italian purple plums, halved and pitted
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon or tablespoon ground cinnamon (either one apparently works)

Heat oven to 350°F. Sift or whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color. Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the bowl, then the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan (but if you’re worried, you can always lightly coat it first with butter or a nonstick spray) and smooth the top. Arrange the plums, skin side up, all over the batter, covering it. Sprinkle the top with lemon juice, then cinnamon, then remaining sugar.
Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into a center part of the cake comes out free of batter (but of course not plum juice), about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on rack.

Once cool, if you can stand it, and I highly recommend trying, leave it covered at room temperature overnight as this cake is even better on the second day.

VERDICT:  I made this to use some plums from Therese.  It is apparently a well-know plum cake recipe from the NYT, via Smitten Kitchen.  I don't think it was better the second day, but it was quite good the first.   Keep.

Butternut Squash Bread Pudding

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 1/2pounds butternut squash (about half a medium squash)—peeled, seeded, and cut into 1⁄2" pieces
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3/4 pound soft French or Italian bread, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 7 1⁄2 cups)
• 1/2 pound Gruyère, grated (2 cups)

Heat oven to 375° F. Oil a 2 ½- to 3-quart baking dish.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the squash, season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cook, tossing frequently, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Stir in the sage. Let cool for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the bread, cheese, and squash mixture and toss to coat.

Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake until golden brown and set, 55 to 60 minutes.

Serves 8; 411 calories.

VERDICT: I made this to use some Kikuna squash Therese grew in her garden.  Coopers didn't have Gruyère, so I used Swiss.  The only French/Italian bread they had was Pepperidge Farms brown-and-serve, so I used that.  And it turned out great!  Easy and apparently fail-proof.  Also good when you can only chew with half of your teeth. Keep.