more veggies, please!

hello, there! it's been a long time. summer has passed. we had copious ears of corn and are still eating lots of varieties of nightshade (it's almost halloween!). now that's it's cooling down, let's get back to cooking. 1 hr 10 minutes – serves 8 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt 4 large apples (if you can, choose 4 different kinds) 2 large eggs 3/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons dark rum 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8-inch springform pan (or use a nonstick pan) and put it on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. 2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in small bowl. 3. Peel the apples, cut them in half and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 1- to 2-inch chunks. 4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk un...

I eat this for dessert and breakfast, but you can really enjoy it at any time of day. 1 hr 15 min – serves 6 6-8 apples, peeled and cut into eighths 1 stick unsalted butter, softened ½ cup brown sugar juice of ½ lemon 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup old-fashioned oats, divided ½ cup white sugar ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt 1. Place rack in middle of oven, preheat oven to 425ºF. 2. Butter a baking dish and stir together apples, ½ cup brown sugar, lemon juice, cardamom and cinnamon. 3. Stir together ½ cup oats, white sugar, flour, salt. Blend in butter until incorporated. Add final ½ cup oats until the mixture clumps. 4. Spread over fruit and bake until juices are bubbling, topping is golden and apples are soft when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. modified from a Gourmet recipe

i sampled a really delicious rugelach from my friend's zabar's care package. this was not the forgotten, stale rolled cookie in the dusty cookie jar from your coffee shop. these were flaky, earthy, and mysteriously heart-warming. i scoured the internet to recreate the rugelach. taking some liberties, i came up with something that fits the aforementioned categories. until i find the zabar's recipe... 3 ½ hours—makes 48 cookies 8 ounces (1 pack) cream cheese, at room temperature 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature ¼ cup granulated sugar plus 8 tablespoons ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ¼ cup raisins or dried cranberries ½ cup chocolate chips 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped ½ cup apricot preserves 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash 1. If you are affluent, cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted w...

1 hour – makes 24 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped medium (optional) 1 ¼ cups (5 oz) plain cake flour ½ teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon baking powder 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into six pieces 2 ¼ cups (15 ¾ oz) sugar 4 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position; heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fold an 18-inch length of foil or parchment paper lengthwise to measure 8 inches wide. Cut a second sheet of foil to a 14-inch length. Fit the longer sheet lengthwise across the bottom of the greased pan, pushing it into the corners and up the sides of the pan (the overhang will help in removal of the baked brownies). Fit the second sheet in the pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. 2. If using nuts, spread the nuts evenly, on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to co...

I wanted to emulate my friend Peter Ekman, who had declared this summer the "Summer of Shakes." I declared this fall the "Fall of Pies." However, it has turned out to be more of a fall of tarts, mostly because I am not down with buying Crisco or lard to make the traditional American pie crust. What follows is what happened instead. 2 hours and 30 minutes – serves 8 Crust 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour 3/4 cup powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced 2 large egg yolks Blend flour, powdered sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and blend until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolks. Pulse until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap and chill at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD Dough for tart crust can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Filling 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 6 large Rome apples (about 2...

This dessert is inspired by the knafeh my aunt and uncle made the last time I was in Los Angeles. This is light and crunchy, tasty and aromatic. 1 hour and 15 minutes – serves 9 1/2 package of shredded phyllo dough* 1 stick butter, melted 1 lb Ricotta cheese 3 tbsp pine nuts 1 cup sugar zest of half a small orange 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place a rack in the middle of the oven. 2. Pull apart the phyllo in a bowl until all filaments are separated. 3. Add the melted butter (after letting cool a bit) and continue to shred the dough so that it does not clump together. After the butter is completely absorbed, separate the dough into two equal portions. 4. In a buttered pan, spread out half the dough evenly, but do not compress. 5. Make patties out of the Ricotta cheese and lay them to cover the first layer of dough in the pan. Note: you will have some left over. 6. Lay the second half of the dough on top of the cheese. Place the pan on the middle rack and ba...

2 hours – serves 6 This comforting compote should be served warm. I like it best with yogurt and slivered almonds. Yum! 4 apples, preferably on the tart side, peeled, cored and cut into sixths 3 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored and cut into sixths 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (more to taste) 1 cup apple juice A handful of golden raisins 3 tablespoons chopped candied ginger 2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 tablespoon whisky 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a baking dish large enough to accommodate all of the fruit. Fill a bowl with water, and add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. As you prepare the fruit, put it into the water. When all of the fruit is peeled and sliced, drain and toss with the remaining lemon juice in the baking dish. 2. Combine the apple juice, raisins, ginger, honey or agave syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and whisky in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, a...

2 hours – serves 8 flaky egg pastry 1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar ½ tsp salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces 1 large egg, cold, beaten caramelized apples 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 6 large Granny Smith apples (about 3 pounds), peeled, quartered and cored 1. for the pastry : Pulse the flour, confectioner’s sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients; process until the mixture resembles cornmeal, 7 to 12 seconds (you can also mix the butter in by rubbing the pieces between your fingertips, quickly). Turn the mixture into a medium bowl; add the egg and stir with a fork until little balls form. Press the balls together with the back of the fork, then gather the dough into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic, then flatten it into a 4-inch disk. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (...