Black Cherry Hazelnut Crisp with Cinnamon Ice Cream

I'm trying to stay off narcotics long enough to type up something intelligible, and these moments of clear-headedness are being spent wondering why I thought I would be back to normal within 24 hours after surgery. 

For those of you who were around for Thirsty Friday, you know that I have just had my four sources of wisdom extracted from my mouth and I'm now a very numb, slightly swollen, wisdom-toothless lady.  However, wisdom teeth or no wisdom teeth, this lady still knows how to bake.  

I've been doing a lot of thinking while lying on the couch over the past couple days, and my brain keeps flashing with the obnoxious declaration, "ohmygoodness it's almost July!"  I cannot believe that we are saying goodbye to June already, but it seems as though it's time to break out the red white and blue nail polish and start lighting some fireworks. 

I love 4th of July, it's one of my favorite holidays.  My family has always been enthusiastic about the holiday and there are always way too many glow sticks and far too much cherry licorice, as there should be at any good party.

I always feel like this particular holiday, just as much as Thanksgiving, demands a pie.  It just seems like the proper American thing to do.  However, when I'm baking for a crowd, multiple pie crusts-making is often not so appealing.  Crisps however, are just as delicious and much faster than pies.  Seriously, this whole thing comes together in mere minutes.

You can also shove in some fancy hazelnuts to make that crumbly topping even more irresistible.  And heck, with all the time you're saving you probably have a few minutes to make some ice cream to serve alongside your crisp!

I interrupt this post to say that cherries might very possibly be my favorite fruit.  I honestly cannot get enough.  They are super sweet yet just tangy enough to make them incredibly addicting.  

Also, if we are at a picnic together, I'll probably put half of my pits on your plate to hide my cherry-addiction shame.  I do the same thing with watermelon rinds.  Sorry, not sorry... 

We begin with cherries. A whole lot of them.  A cherry pitter is not absolutely necessary but you'll be thankful for one after you've pitted your first pound by hand. Believe me.

Our cherries are tossed around a bit in some sugar, lemon juice, salt, and cornstarch for thickening.  

After the cherry filling has been assembled, we work on our crispy, crumbly topping.

Our crumbly topping is a no fuss combination of oats, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and hazelnuts.

Sprinkle liberally and then into the oven it goes!

While your crisp is baking, make a simple ice cream base with heavy cream, whole milk, cinnamon, egg yolks, and sugar.   This may be the best ice cream that I've ever made.  It seriously tastes exactly like a cinnamon roll smells.  Yes, it's heavenly, and you need it right now.

Also, it's Summer so we need quick and easy.  Normally, I allow my ice cream base to chill overnight, but the past few times I've wanted instant frozen gratification so I cooled my base in an ice bath.  The choice is yours.  

Your crisp is finished when the top is deep golden brown.  It's just as pretty as a pie and it only took one third of the time!

Oh, and if you are baking for a crowd, you can certainly double this recipe.  

4th of July, we are ready for you!

Look at that sweet, melting ice cream, and those perfectly plump cherries.  So good, so right.  

Happy July friends!

Sincerely, 

   Pedantic Foodie

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Black Cherry Hazelnut Crisp with Cinnamon Ice Cream 

serves 6 

for the cherry filling 

• 1 1/2 lbs black cherries, pitted 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• pinch of salt 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  

In a large bowl combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt; toss to thoroughly combine.  

Pour in the bottom of a 9-inch tart pan. 

for the crisp topping 

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 
• 1/2 cup raw hazelnuts, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

In a small bowl stir to combine oats, hazelnuts, sugar, and cinnamon.  Use the tips of your fingers to work the butter into the oat mixture.  Mix until crumbly.  The butter should be in pea-sized pieces.  

Sprinkle the oat mixture over the cherries evenly.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown.  Allow to cool 30 minutes before serving.  Enjoy! 

for the cinnamon ice cream 

• 1 cup whole milk 
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 5 egg yolks 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 

In a small saucepan combine milk, whipping cream, and cinnamon.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat and remove from heat.  Add vanilla extract. 

In a small bowl whisk to combine egg yolks and sugar.  Slowly stream half of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly.  Pour the tempered egg yolks into the saucepan and return to heat. 

Cook for about 5 minutes, until the mixture has thickened into a light custard, then remove from heat and place in an ice bath.  

Stir often, until the mixture has thoroughly chilled.  You may have to change out the water once or twice.

Churn your ice cream base in an ice cream maker according to your manufacturer’s instructions.  Transfer to a freezer safe container and chill until set.  Serve alongside warm cherry crisp.  Enjoy! 

Dutch Baby with Bananas & Cinnamon Caramel Sauce

Meeting friends for coffee is always a treat, but I must admit, I much prefer having my chats over coffee in the comfort of my own home.  

I love scurrying around fifteen minutes before my morning company arrives, arranging my almost-embarrassingly large collection of teas, and filling my favorite creamer and sugar set.  And, if I have been diligent, I will have woken up when my alarm beckoned me to and baked something indulgent for my friend to enjoy alongside his or her steaming cup of morning refreshment.

This is a Dutch baby and it is exactly what I would want to bake for a morning friend-date.  It's sweet, decadent, and, my favorite part, super quick and simple to pull together.  This is for the days when you don't really feel like waking up at 5:30am to bake cinnamon rolls.

A Dutch baby is essentially a large, risen, pancake.  It's faintly custard-like, and its puffy exterior makes it appear fancy, even though you just made it in the blender.

If you are like me, and you quickly get bored of flipping pancakes, a Dutch baby is an excellent alternative.

You could, of course, top your Dutch baby with whatever you like on your pancakes.  Fresh fruit, whipped cream, maple syrup, leftover buttercream? Yes, all of those would be excellent choices.  

For this recipe, I used sweet bananas and a simple cinnamon caramel sauce that kind of tastes like a churro.  I have to say, this is definitely my favorite Dutch baby topping. 

If I may make one demand, please, don't ever, ever, ever buy ready made caramel sauce.  It is tolerable at it's best and it is usually screaming of artificial butter flavoring.  It really has no place in my mind because, caramel sauce has to be one of the easiest sauces you can make. 

Truly, you do not even need a candy thermometer. 

Cream, butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and a dash of water quickly combine to create a rich, spicy, sticky sauce that could probably make cardboard taste good.  

Oh yes, this would definitely be good over ice cream - I like how you think. 

Hurry up and lick that caramel off your fingers, your guest is probably ringing the doorbell now.  

Let's host a cozy morning chat with someone we appreciate.  It is simple really, but it feels so luxurious and refreshing.  That may be partly due to the caramel sauce.  

Call your friend, preheat your oven, and make a pot of coffee.  Let's breakfast. 

Happy Wednesday friends! 

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie

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Dutch Baby with Bananas & Cinnamon Caramel Sauce 

serves 6 / recipe adapted from The Culinary Institute of America’s Baking at Home

for the Dutch baby

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted + plus extra for greasing
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
• 2 bananas, sliced 
• confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a cast iron skillet in the oven to heat while you prepare the batter.

Crack eggs into the base of your blender and pulse several times to beat. 

Sift to combine flour, sugar, and salt.  

With the blender on medium speed, add portions of the flour mixture and the whole milk in 3 separate additions, blending well after each.  

When a batter has formed, add melted butter, vanilla, and nutmeg.  Pulse to combine.  

Remove preheated skillet from the oven and grease liberally with butter.  Pour in batter and return to the oven.  Bake for 10 minutes at 450, without opening the oven, and then reduce heat to 350 and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the Dutch baby is puffy and the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan.  While the Dutch baby bakes, prepare the caramel sauce. 

for the cinnamon caramel 

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 2 tablespoons water 
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

In a small saucepan combine sugar, butter and water.  Place over medium heat and stir until the butter melts and the sugar begins to dissolve. 

Once the sugar has dissolved, increase heat to medium high and boil for 5-7 minutes or until deep golden in color. Swirl the pan occasionally but DO NOT stir or scape down the sides.  Once the color is correct remove from heat and add cream, vanilla, and nutmeg.  Work carefully as the caramel will splatter. Return the pan to the burner and stir until the caramel is smooth and homogenous.  

assembly 

When the Dutch baby is finished baking remove from oven and dust with confectioner’s sugar.  Arrange sliced bananas and drizzle with warm caramel sauce.  Slice and serve immediately.  Enjoy! 

{BURGER BASH WEEK} Caramelized Onion Hamburger Buns

Happy Wednesday friends! I hope you all have been following along with my Burger Bash but if not, so far we have made an incredibly refreshing Papaya Ginger Lemonade Spritzer and Caramelized Onion and Apple Jam.  Now it's time to make one of the most important burger components - the bun.

Let's talk about hamburger buns for a second.  I'm always heartbroken when an establishment brags about their ridiculously fancy burger and serves it on a subpar bun.  So many times I have been served an incredible burger on a completely inferior bun.  Why would you do that?  If you have something excellent, don't serve it inside a flat, soggy, flavorless wrapper.  Good hamburger buns are hard to come by, and unless you have a good bakery that offers them, I would suggest that you make your own.

It's easy, I promise.

I used Joy the Baker's recipe as my base and then changed things up just a tiny bit so that this bun would be the perfect addition to my Burger Bash burger.  

Our simple dough is made with both bread and all-purpose flours, giving these buns the perfect balance of chewiness and softness. 

Caramelized onions are folded in at the very end of the kneading process and the dough is left to rise for a bit.  Pour yourself a glass of sweet tea and read a magazine while you're waiting.  

Next, our dough is shaped into buns and then left to rise again. 

You should really divide this dough into eight even buns, but I got carried away and made twelve smaller buns.  Real life. 

After the buns have risen a second time they are brushed with egg wash, which is basically bronzer for baked goods, then sprinkled with salt and sesame seeds.  

Look at you!  You just made homemade, perfectly imperfect hamburger buns!

I love these buns because their flavor is truly present.  These buns are not just a vehicle to get the burger into our mouths, they are one of the many parts that make this burger something special.  They are soft, yet sturdy, and super easy to make.

Stay tuned for more Burger Bash fun!  

Sincerely,

  Pedantic Foodie 

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Caramelized Onion Burger Buns 

recipe adapted from Joy the Baker / makes 8 burger buns 

for the caramelized onions 

• 1 1/2 cups diced onions, about 1 1/2 onions 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1 teaspoon salt 

In a small frying pan melt butter over medium high heat.  Add onions and salt and cook, stirring often for 15-20 minutes, until deep golden brown and caramelized.  Allow to cool completely.  

for the buns 

• 1 cup warm water 
• 3 tablespoons warm whole milk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
• 3 cups bread flour 
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt + extra for topping
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water 
• sesame seeds

In the work bowl of your stand mixer combine warm water, milk, granulated sugar, and yeast.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes.  The yeast will be foamy and frothy.  

In a large bowl whisk to combine flours and salt.  Using the tips of your fingers, work softened butter into the flour mixture.  The flour will be slightly crumbly, like the beginnings of a pie dough.  

Add dry ingredients to the yeast mixture in the stand mixer and mix on low speed using the dough hook attachment.  When the ingredients are thoroughly combined, increase speed to medium and knead for 10 minutes.  During the last minute, add cooled, caramelized onions. The dough will be somewhat sticky, but not overly so.  

Turn the dough out unto a floured surface and shape into a ball.  Place the dough in a large bowl greased with nonstick spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Place in a warm place and allow to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease lightly with nonstick spray.  Turn the risen dough out unto a floured surface and divide into eight equal pieces.  Roll each piece of dough into a round ball and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Cover the buns loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1 hour.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

In a small bowl prepare egg wash by whisking egg with 1 teaspoon water.  Brush the tops of the risen buns with egg wash and sprinkle with salt and sesame seeds.  

Bake the buns for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. 

Allow to cool before slicing and serving.  

Enjoy!