Apple Crisp

Let the Kit-tastrophe continue! No, no, no... that name won't work. Kit and Caboodle? Kitting Around? Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat Blog?!

Eh, whatever, we'll figure it out together.

This week's featured food kit is McCutcheon's Apple Crisp Mix. My parents picked it up for me from Delicious Orchards--famed for its pies, turnovers, and apple cider doughnuts, among other things. It's got a great reputation for baked goods, so I was willing to bet that this would be a winner.

Ingredients:

1/2 Package of McCutcheon's Apple Crisp Mix

2 Large Apples

4 Tablespoons of Butter

Steps/Analysis:

First things first: you'll have to peel and slice the apples. At the supermarket, I chose braeburn because (1) they looked ripe and (2) they were on special, which is all the reason I've ever needed to buy anything.

I sliced them about 1/8 of an inch thick and dumped them into a round baking dish that's been greased up with some butter. (In the interest of complete discretion, McCutcheon's recommends a pie dish, but I don't currently own one.)

Next, melt four tablespoons of butter in the microwave and add the McCutcheon's mix. Stir until delightful little clumps of crisp topping form.

Spread the topping over the prepared apples and remove to a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Serving/Notes:

As we all know, there's only one thing to do with warm apple crisp . . . smother it in vanilla ice cream and consume!

Overall, I was pretty satisfied with this product. I found it to be a little dry, but perhaps that's because I'm used to syrupy-soaked, restaurant-purchased crisps. The topping had a chewy, oatmeal-like texture.

Thanksgiving Adventures: Pumpkin Pie

Let's talk Turkey Day. Since I'm currently living about 6 1/2 hours away from family and am at the whim of my graduate school's academic calendar, it was up to me to make Thanksgiving happen this year.



It wasn't all bad, though. My lady and I hunkered down in the kitchen and kept up a steady intake of beer and wine to aid in the cooking process. In fact, everything turned out really well and a real-deal, grown-up Thanksgiving was had.



Don't believe me? Check out the photographic evidence below.



Yum. Makes me hungry all over again just looking at it.

Clearly, this spread is just too much to catalog in a single blog post, so I'm going to parcel it out over the next week or two. Start taking notes for next year, folks. I'm starting this series of posts off with dessert, because I'm an adult and can have dessert first if I want to, damn it!

Here is my pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:
1 Frozen Pie Crust (Deep)
1 15 Ounce Can of Pumpkin
1 12 Ounce Can of Evaporated Milk
3/4 Cup of Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
3/4 Teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Eggs



Steps/Analysis: Start off by preheating your oven to 425 degrees.

Next, in a small bowl, mix the sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin pie spice, for those of you who don't know (which included me until just a couple days before Thanksgiving), is a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. It smells like the holiday season in a canister--it's a beautiful thing.








In the largest bowl you own, crack and beat the two eggs. Slowly stir in the canned pumpkin and the mixed dry ingredients.

Work in the evaporated milk in small installments, thoroughly incorporating each one before adding in the next. Take your time with it because this is your pie filling, for better or worse.

Pour the filling into the pie crust. Hopefully, you trusted me and bought the deep variety. Otherwise, you'll have half a bowl of pumpkin soup to deal with.

Carefully slide the pie into the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. Once that goes off, you'll want to back down the oven temperature to 350 degrees and let it bake for another 40-50 minutes.

I say 40-50 minutes, but, really, the only way to know when the pumpkin pie is done is if you can insert a knife into its center and pull it out clean as a whistle. When you've attained that state, let the pie cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Serving/Notes:

I actually baked this pie the day before Thanksgiving in preparation for the big day. I cooled the pie, as noted above, then covered it with aluminum foil and popped it in the refrigerator. I think this is probably the way to go to guarantee solid, un-runny pie contents.

When you are ready to serve, there's only one way to go: topped off with loads of whipped cream. Otherwise, enjoy the cool, creamy, pumpkin-y finish to your meal.

Yogurt Parfaits

Looking for an easy dessert to impress your significant other? How about a sweet, nutritious breakfast to start your day off on the right foot?

Perhaps you need one recipe that can solve both dilemmas. Impossible, you say? Bah! The B.A. Gourmet doesn't know the meaning of the word. Behold! The Yogurt Parfait!

Ingredients:

1 Single-Serving Container of Yogurt

1/2 of a Banana

2-4 Strawberries

1 Granola Bar

Steps/Analysis:

Since I was serving two people, I doubled up on this recipe, selecting Strawberry and Pina Colada flavored yogurt. You can pick just about any variety you like, but try to keep it simple since you'll be adding other sweet and chunky elements.

First and foremost, stir your yogurt thoroughly to get it to a smooth texture.

Pour approximately one third of the yogurt container into a small bowl or coffee mug. Slice the banana into small pieces and layer on top of the yogurt foundation.

Next, add the second third of your yogurt. On top of this level, add chopped strawberries.

Before unwrapping the granola bar, bash it a few times against the counter top. Don't be afraid to let out all of your aggression from the day. Take a hammer to the bar, if you like. The idea is to create small crumbs. You could also just buy loose granola to accomplish the same thing, but that's hardly as much fun.

Pour half of the granola crumbs over the strawberries and cover that up with the last of the yogurt.

Give the top a dusting of granola particles and enjoy the fruits of your labor (cue rim shot).

Serving/Notes:

If you follow these instructions, you're good to go as is. Of course, I imagine there are all kinds of interesting and delectable variations. Off the top of my head, I can picture chocolate chips, raspberries, blueberries, jam, graham crackers, chocolate syrup. Just make sure that your additions make sense with the flavor of yogurt you've purchased.

Choco-Berry Mousse Torte

Inspired by my lady's return to the Northeast, I decided to try my hand at a second dessert (since my Johnny Rotten Cake had turned out so well). I actually found this recipe on a full page add in a magazine. Reading the ingredient list below will give you a pretty good idea of what the advertisement was for.

This is a great no-bake dessert. It takes a little time and effort to put together, but the end result is disproportionately more elegant than the amount of work involved. You'll get a few 'Oohs' and 'Ahhs' from this one, I promise.

Ingredients:
1 Tub of Cool Whip

1 Box Jell-O Instant Chocolate Pudding

1 Package of Cream Cheese

2 Cups and 2 Tablespoons of Milk

3 Squares of Semi-Sweet Baker's Chocolate

Nilla Wafers

Strawberries

Steps/Analysis:

The torte requires that you build it upside down. I'll give you a few moments to mull that over...

Back? Great. It's important to have a handle on this, conceptually, as you follow these instructions. It'll all make sense in a few minutes.

First, find a circular cake pan, roughly 9 inches in diameter. A pie plate will do in a pinch. Line the bottom with plastic wrap and stand Nilla wafers on their edges around the edge, leaning them against the wall (rounded side facing out) of the pan/plate/Frisbee/whatever.

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of milk, half of the tub of Cool Whip (defrosted, of course), and the dry pudding mix. Stir until uniformly smooth.

In a separate bowl, break up 2 squares of baker's chocolate and microwave for a minute or so. At the end of the cycle, stir the chocolate and repeat until it is completely melted. Once a gooey, chocolate mess is accomplished, add it to the quasi-pudding you just created and stir to combine.

Note: In my first attempt, I microwaved the chocolate and attempted to add the cold ingredients to its bowl, rather than the other way around. Don't do that. Just don't. If you do, the melted chocolate will seize up and become a grainy, quicksand-like reservoir in the bottom of the bowl and you'll have to start over. Heed my words!

Slowly pour the contents of the thoroughly mixed bowl of pudding goodness into your pan. Be patient so you don't disturb the retaining wall of Nilla wafers.

Hopefully, you've let your cream cheese sit around for a while and soften. Dump that into a new bowl, with the sugar, and the 2 tablespoons of milk you have in reserve. Stir to combine and carefully spread over the top of the pan. Then, press a layer of Nilla wafers into it. You want the flat bottoms facing up (You do remember that the top of this thing is actually the bottom, right?).

Cover the whole kit and caboodle with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least 4 hours. I let mine go overnight.

When you come back to the torte, remove the top layer of plastic and place a large plate or serving platter upside-down on top of the pan. Clamp your hands on each side and flip the whole thing. Coax the dessert out by pulling on the exposed plastic wrap, if necessary.

Top the torte with the remaining Whip Cream and a layer of sliced strawberries. Finally, take a cheese grater to the last square of chocolate and give it a good dusting of chocolate snow flakes.

Serving/Notes:

The pictures say it all, don't they? This is a great summer dessert - chocolaty and rich, but not overly heavy. The Nilla wafers soak up a lot of moisture and make a really tender makeshift crust. Delicious!

B.A. Gourmet's First Dessert: Johnny Rotten Cake

One of the unexpected benefits of starting this blog is that friends, relatives, and acquaintances (once aware of its existence) have started to send me their own recipes to try. That's one of the great things about cooking, in my opinion, the fact that it tends to draw people together. Even if you only look as far as family, I'm sure there are a few recipes lurking around that have been passed down through the years. All you have to do to tap into them as a resource is express a little interest. More often than not, people are more than happy to share their food, stories, and opinions with you. Case in point, me!

Today's recipe actually comes from one of my previous professors, the very talented writer, instructor, and baker Jane Satterfield. If you have any interest in the genres of poetry or memoir, you'd do well to look her books up. They come highly recommended.

Several weeks ago, Jane sent me a recipe Johnny Rotten Cake, so named by her family after the expression "Eat this lovely sponge; not that rotten cake," meaning save your appetite for something special. The following recipe may be better known as Wacky or Three Hole Cake (the reason for that will be clear soon) and is a popular southern dessert.

Johnny Rotten Cake is very much in line with the spirit of The B.A. Gourmet; it's simple to make and requires very little preparation/cooking time.

Ingredients:

3 Cups of Flour

2 Cups of Sugar

1/2 Cup of Good Quality Cocoa

2/3 Cup of Oil

2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

2 Cups of Water

Additional Icing Ingredients-

1 Cup of Chocolate Chips

1/2 Stick of Butter

Steps/Analysis:

To my surprise, all of these ingredients were already in my pantry. If you live with someone who does even a little baking, you probably do too, so take a look around before you go grocery shopping.

Pour all of the dry ingredients in a 9x13 inch baking pan. (That's right, no mixing bowls required!) The recipe I was given states that you do not need to prep the pan at all. Because this was my first dessert attempt, though, I decided to take out some insurance by rubbing it down with a little Crisco and dusting it with flour.

(Note: I actually ended up using half milk chocolate cocoa and half dark chocolate cocoa. That was not by design, though. The ran out of milk chocolate and didn't notice the different labels until I had already started pouring the dark chocolate. I'm a fan of dark chocolate anyway, so I continued onward. The end product did not suffer as a result of the combination.)

Use a spoon or your fingers to make three holes in the resulting mound (hence the cake's formal name) and pour the wet ingredients into them. If the vinegar makes contact with the baking soda, there will be a little foaming (a la the classic science fair volcano project), but there shouldn't be enough of either ingredient to overflow the baking pan.

Carefully mix the ingredients until a mostly uniform consistency is achieved. Then, place the pan in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. You'll know it's done when you can insert a sharp knife or tooth pick into the center and it comes out clean.

Allow to cool and ice if desired. For the icing, place the chocolate chips and butter (cut into chunks) in a microwave-safe bowl and zap it for a minute or until you can stir it up into an icing consistency. Spread it over the cake and let it set up.

Serving/Notes:

This is a great recipe. It's economical, adaptable, and easy to pull off. The cake comes out pleasantly dense and moist. It's not overly sweet by itself, though, so the icing is a good idea. I definitely plan on making this again and look forward to trying out all kinds of interesting variations. Thanks, Jane!