Honey Baked Apples

Anyone who ever saw Nancy Reagan shouldn't be surprised to hear she paid attention to what she and President Reagan ate.  She knew the importance of fiber, built menus around chicken and fish, and insisted on plenty of vegetables and fruits.  

Honey Baked Apples not only met many of Mrs. Reagan's nutritional guidelines, they also allowed The President to indulge in dessert.

What's In It:

6 medium to large apples (Fuji, Rome, and Granny Smith are good choices)

3 tbs. raisins (You may use golden if you like, but dark raisins are preferred)

3 tbs. chopped walnuts

1/3 c. honey + more for drizzling (Local honey is always best)

1 tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice (1/2 lemon usually yeilds 2 tbs.)

1 c. water

Cinnamon stick

Ground cinnamon

How To Make It:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray shallow, medium baking dish with cooking spray.

Core apples, peel top 1/3 and place in prepared dish.

Mix nuts and raisins and stuff into apples, dividing mixture equally between them.

In small saucepan, combine water and honey.  Add cinnamon stick and bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Remove cinnamon stick and pour mixture over stuffed apples.

Cover dish, tightly, with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. (Every 15 minutes or so, spoon juices in pan over apples to baste)

Allow to cool 5 minutes.

Drizzle tops of apples with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon just before serving.

Gingered Pear with Cranberry Crisp

Were it not for peanut butter, I would always prefer pears to apples.  Pears don't really get along with peanut butter, not the way apples do, and I do love an apple smeared with peanut butter.  On the other hand, ginger doesn't compliment apples as nicely as it does pears...I guess that makes them even.  Another benefit to using pears in this recipe is their texture.  They cook up a little softer than apples, providing a nice contrast to the firmer texture of the cranberries.  Warm and spicy, this is a perfect winter-time dessert.  Oh!  And, don't forget the vanilla ice cream!

What's In It:
Filling:
3 tbs. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 lbs. pears, peeled and cut into thin slices (Go with Bartlett pears and choose fruit that is still firm)
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. almond extract
Topping:
1/4 c. sliced almonds (slivered almonds do not work as well)
1/3 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 tbs.unsalted butter, cut into cubes

How To Make It:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 8x11 baking pan with cooking spray.
Filling:
Mix flour, sugar, ginger, and cinnamon in large bowl.
Add fruit, lemon juice, and almond extract.
Mix gently until fruit is evenly coated. (Take care not to break pear pieces)
Pour fruit mixture into prepared baking pan.
Topping:
Place almonds, flour, sugar, and spices in food processor and pulse for 1 minute. (Almonds should be finely ground.)
Add butter and pulse for a minute more.  (Mixture will be loose and crumbly)
Spread topping evenly over fruit mixture.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned.
Cool before serving.

Fruit Pizza: The Quintessential Summertime Dessert

She was the boss, so we'd have eaten, and praised, whatever she brought.  To our great delight, she brought Fruit Pizza.  I can still taste my first bite.  Since then I"ve made it several times and have never had so much as a sugar-cookie crumb leftover.

Fruit Pizza is the quintessential summer dessert, because it's beauty and texture is limited only by your imagination!  Experiment with the fruit, but stick to the main recipe.  The preserves are crucial to both taste and presentation.

This dessert does not keep well...but this won't be a problem.

What's in it:
1 18-oz pkg. of refrigerated sugar cookie dough, room temperature (Save your money.  For this application, the store brand works just as well.)
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese at room temperature(Store brand, again)
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract(Avoid imitations)
Choose several of the following, or experiment!  Fresh blueberries, bananas(sliced), mandarin orange sections, seedless grapes(halved), strawberries(halved), kiwi(peeled, and sliced thin), blackberries, peaches(sliced), apricots(sliced).  I don't recommend apples, lemons, or limes...
1/2 c. orange, peach, or apricot preserves(I usually use apricot, but orange rind does add something)
1 tbl. water

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Press cookie dough onto ungreased 14-inch pizza pan, covering completely and evenly.  Bake 12 minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and cool.

While the crust is baking, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl.  Spread over cooled crust.  Arrange fruit over cream cheese layer in a over-lapping circular pattern.

In a small saucepan over very low heat, make a glaze by heating preserves with water.  Pour glaze, evenly, over fruit, taking care to cover fruit that could turn dark(think peaches and bananas!)  Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Makes 8 to 10 servings, depending on the size of the slice.







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