Blueberry Crisp

Posted by Johana



The best way to enjoy summer is to make a dessert made from fruit. While I tricked myself into believing this blueberry crisp was healthy (it is!), I was busy getting my fill of Vitamin C to really care. Desserts containing fruits never used to entice me, being the chocolate fiend that I am, but working on my children's literature final project forced me to actually try a recipe. I was working on a cookbook and I thought this blueberry crisp would be a great match for the classic children's book Blueberries for Sal. Does anyone else remember the story of Sal "helping" her mother by picking blueberries and encountering a bear cub? Ah, youth.


The ingredients and preparation for this dessert is simple and straightforward. Let's just say, and I am not saying this lightly, it is incredibly good. I made it at midnight in a 9x9 baking dish, and by 7AM the next morning, the glass baking dish was scraped clean by my tendency to "have a little more." Still not convinced? Imagine warm, sweet and bubbling caramelized blueberries with a sprinkle of a buttery sugar crumb on top AND on top of that, icy cold and creamy vanilla ice cream. Told ya.




Blueberry Crisp


1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup and 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

vanilla ice cream (not really optional)

whipped cream (ditto)


1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

2. Combine the flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture and blend with a fork until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

3. Sprinkle lemon juice over the berries and mix. Combine 1/4 cup of sugar and cornstarch and sprinkle over berries and lightly toss to coat.

4. Spoon berries into a 8x8 pan coated with butter or cooking spray. Sprinkle crumb mixture over berries.

5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.

6. Serve with a scoop of ice cream or with whipped cream



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Sour & Sweet: Lemon Tea Bread

Posted by Johana

One of the good things about this bread is the glaze, which leaves the top part incredibly moist and sweet. Yum!


Last month was the final goodbye for my internship at Good Housekeeping Institute. Feeling nostalgic, I flipped open the Good Housekeeping Cookbook and naturally went over to the back where the desserts, fruits, and quick breads were listed. Thumbing through the pages, I was looking for a quick and simple recipe to try. I adore cookbooks, and before allowing it to grace my bookshelf, I have to make something from it. I just can't help it, I get so excited! People read comics, I read cookbooks for fun. Scanning the pages, I immediately picked the lemon tea bread. After my initial success with lemon bars (recipe and post coming soon!), I have been searching for the next lemon recipe to satisfy my mouth with some sour pucker-punch.







Lemon Tea Bread

Bread
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
8 ounces (1 container) of sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, melted
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Glaze
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5 metal loaf pan and dust with flour.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk sugar and eggs until blended. Add to this mixture sour cream, butter, lemon peel, and lemon juice and stir until incorporated. Combine the wet ingredients to flour mixture and fold until blended and no streaks of flour remain.
3. Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake for approximately 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack.
4. For the glaze: Stir together sugar and lemon juice. Using a skewer, poke holes in the hot bread and brush bread with glaze. Cool bread completely in pan.


This bread is just honest, simple and good. As the name implies, it goes great with tea.


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Death By Nutella: Nutella Fudge Crumble

Posted by Johana





First, I would like to thank my friend Fanny for getting me an industrial sized Nutella tub. That is true friendship. Lugging it back home, I mused on what I could possibly do with all 26.5 ounces of nutty chocolate love. My solution was bookmarked on my computer, a recipe for Nutella fudge crumble. If you intend to make this, it is a serious commitment to Nutella. This thick, fudgy, crunchy topped oatmeal treat can only be washed down with a cold glass of milk. I suggest small servings to refrain from drowning in a Nutella overload (not like it would be such a bad thing...).



Nutella Fudge Crumble
adapted from eatmycakenow

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter
10-13 ounces Nutella (approximately one tub)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8x8 baking pan.
2. Mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add melted butter to the mixture. Divide the dough in half.
3. Taking one half of the dough, gently press dough to the bottom of the baking pan, making the first layer.
4. Pour Nutella over the first layer of dough. While I wrote one tub of Nutella, it depends on how thick of a Nutella layer you prefer. This is a very sweet dessert so I would recommend around 8 ounces, which would make it more of a bar cookie instead. Add more or less if you wish.
5. Gently crumble the remaining dough over Nutella.
6. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the oatmeal topping is golden. Do not overbake unless you like a crunchy crust and topping. I must admit, it tastes much better when it isn't so granola-esque. Cool for approximately one hour before cutting.




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