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.

Dish | Basil Pesto

My schedule has been off lately. I've been busy with work/freelance and mini vacations and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon. I've barely been able to cook - which is driving me nuts - even though I have a pretty great list of ideas and projects written down just waiting to be checked off. I got out of work around 9 last night and the idea of making anything felt like a nightmare so I figured, "What's easy?" The answer: Basil Pesto!

Pesto can be used for so many things! It's great on pizzas or use it as a dip or sauce for different breads and pasta dishes. I was able to get everything I needed to make pesto linguine at the corner store on my walk home from work. Doesn't get any easier then that.

BASIL PESTO

4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (almonds or walnuts work too)
2 garlic cloves, with the skin on
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1  |  In a medium size skillet, roast garlic cloves with the skin still on over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the pine nuts and cook until golden; 2-3 minutes. Be sure to watch these guys carefully as they tend to burn quickly. Remove skillet from heat and let cool completely.

2  |  Place the basil in a food processor (highly recommended) or a mortar and pestle. Add the garlic, making sure you peel it first, then the pine nuts. At this point you can add the olive oil and lemon juice and pulsate the food processor in intervals of 5-10 seconds until everything starts to smooth out and blend together. If it's still too chunky you can add small amounts of olive oil to break it down.

3  |  Add the parmesan cheese. Give it one last good blend then add salt and pepper to taste. It's done!

From here you can add it to anything you want. I boiled up some linguine, gave it all a good toss and served it with a hunk of baguette on the side. Simple and delicious food at it's best.

Dessert | Blueberry & Cream Tarts

This is another shout out to Sara Morris at Sprouted Kitchen! These little gems are ridiculously delicious! I've already eaten 2 of them in the last hour.

BLUEBERRY & CREAM TARTS  |  Recipe inspired by Sara Morris at Sprouted Kitchen

1 8-oz. Sheet Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed
1 Egg, beaten
6 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons honey, divided
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
Zest of one large lemon
1 cup fresh blueberries
Lemon zest and powdered sugar for garnish, optional

1  |  Preheat oven to 375°F.′Unfold the the puff pastry and roll over it with a rolling pin about three time, just to thin it a bit.

2  |  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie cutter or top of a mason jar, gently cut out circles and put them on the parchment.

3  |  Using a paring knife, score a 1/4” thick circle border inside each tart cut out. Brush the outer edge with the beaten egg and sprinkle each with a bit of sugar (1 Tbsp. between all of them). Bake on middle rack until golden and puffed, about 14+/- minutes.

4  |  In the meantime,mix the cream cheese, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons honey until fully mixed and a bit fluffy. Put it in the fridge.

5  |  Remove the tarts, rescore the circle and press down gently on the middle part to flatten. Allow them to cool about 5 minutes.

6  |  Dollop about 1 tablespoon of the creamy mixture in the middle of each tart. Put the blueberries in a bowl. Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon honey in the microwave for 15 seconds to loosen it, pour over the berries along with the last tablespoon of lemon juice and toss to coat. Pile a hefty spoonful of berries on top of the creamy mixture. Serve at room temperature. *Garnish with fresh lemon zest and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if you please.

Dish | Risotto with Shrimp & Asparagus

What a perfect day yesterday turned out to be. It's June-Gloom around here - or "2nd winter" - and I was craving some sunshine. If it's cold in San Francisco you can usually count on it being warm everywhere else. I spent the afternoon at Stinson Beach with Henry and Alyssa. Stinson is roughly 30 minutes north of San Francisco and it's a picture-perfect little beach town nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by hills and wildflowers. Warm weather, good friends, and the breeze on the beach inspired me to make this comforting dish for dinner.

RISOTTO WITH SHRIMP & ASPARAGUS

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped thyme


1  |  Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add asparagus and simmer, uncovered, until just tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking, then drain. Keep broth at a bare simmer, covered.

2  |  Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed.

3  |  Stir in 1/2 cup broth mixture and briskly simmer, stirring frequently, until absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is creamy and tender but still al dente, about 18 minutes.

4  |  Stir in shrimp and cook until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in asparagus, zest, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, parmesan, parsley, and pepper to taste.