Dessert | Pear & Apple Crisp

Do you guys ever get too much sleep? I know it sounds silly, but I think I've gotten so used to sleeping lightly and being woken up by traffic and city noise that I rarely get truly deep sleep anymore. I live in a pretty central area of the city and for as much as I love my apartment and location, the one thing I would change would be the noise. It might sound like I'm exaggerating but my apartment is basically next to a freeway off-ramp so the noise is 24 hours a day and will often include semi trucks gearing up for a big uphill climb which can result in my entire building shaking to the point that you think "the big earthquake" has arrived. In short, it's terrifying and makes for a pretty poor night sleep.

It's not until you visit somewhere quiet that you realize just how bad your situation actually is/can be. This week I had the opportunity to have a 2 night staycation (aka house-sitting) in San Francisco with my best friends Henry and Taylor. Sleeping in a totally quiet space and in an incredibly comfortable king size bed makes for a remarkably relaxing experience! Who knew!?

Amongst wining and dining in our "new" neighborhood we found time to just zone out and relax to our favorite HGTV and Food Network programs, including The Barefoot Contessa (my personal favorite). With my mind and body totally relaxed I figured it would be a great time to make a beautiful dinner for Ryan and I. In the episode I watched, I caught a glimpse of Ina Garten's pear, apple & cranberry crisp, a hearty dessert that seemed just perfect for this time of year. I'm happy to say that Ina and her crisp did not disappoint. The original recipe included cranberries but I honestly didn't miss them.

PEAR & APPLE CRISP  |  Recipe inspired by Ina Garten: The Barefoot Contessa

2 pounds ripe Bosc pears (4 pears)
2 pounds firm Macoun apples (6 apples)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1  |  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel and core the pears and apples and cut them into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and toss with the cranberries, zests, juices, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour mixture into ramekins. 

2  |  Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

3  |  Place the baking dish on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.

Dessert | Vanilla & Nutmet Pot de Creme

I had a real day off to myself. No freelance projects to catch up on. No chores to finish. Just a day to relax and walk a little bit slower then I normally would. I figured it was a good opportunity to get some early morning sunshine and run a few errands so I could take advantage of the afternoon light and photograph a recipe I've been wanting to try out. You see, my kitchen is located in the back of our house and only gets morning light; and seeing how I work 5 days a week, it makes it nearly impossible to ever cook during the day. Most of my food posts are photographed in the evening when I get home from work, making it nearly impossible to photograph without setting up a huge lighting system. I know that my pictures aren't the best they could be, but I'm working on it.

This mind-blowing dessert comes from Not Without Salt, a great blog out of Seattle. Of the dessert, they say, "This softly spiced custard is reminiscent of egg nog and is destined to become a new holiday tradition. It is lightly sweet, cool and creamy and can easily be transformed into Nutmeg Creme Brulee with the addition of a torched sugar crust."

VANILLA & NUTMEG POT DE CREME  |  Recipe inspired by Not Without Salt

2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
6 yolks
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

1  |  Pre-heat your oven to 320°F. In a medium sauce pan add the cream, vanilla seeds and bean, and the nutmeg. Bring to a simmer then turn off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes.

2  |  In a medium bowl add the yolks, salt, and sugar. Whisk until lightened and well combined. Bring the cream back up to a simmer. Turn off the heat and slowly add hot cream to the yolk mixture, stirring while pouring.

3  |  Strain this mixture with a fine mesh sieve to remove vanilla bean and unwanted egg bits. Pour this into four oven-safe ramekins. Place these in a larger baking dish (I use a cake pan). Place this into the pre-heated oven then pour water into the baking dish holding the ramekins. Bake for 30-45 minutes until the center of the custards still jiggle slightly when gently shaken. Start checking at 30 minutes then check every 5 minutes or so, until done. The custards will continue to set once out of the oven.

4  |  Let cool slightly then place them in the fridge to set – about 2 hours. Just before serving sprinkle with a bit more freshly ground nutmeg and a pinch of sugar.

Do not be deceived by the thin crust on top. The second your spoon goes into this light and creamy custard... there are no words! It's just that good, and definitely something I will make throughout Autumn and Winter.