Harvest on Hudson

As a child, growing up in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, I was familiar with a steady, yearlong rainy season. Aside from the short summer, maybe two weeks in the beginning of August when the temperature would reach the high 70’s, the seasons were not marked by any discernible landscape change. Moving to the Central Coast of California as a teenager my weather simply improved by an average of 25-30 degrees with still no distinction of actualizing the seasons. Fast forward to now... a change of locale as drastic as West Coast to East Coast, and the New York weather will not disappoint me when it comes to experiencing the seasons.

In an attempt at seeing the leaves changing, a friend and I rented a car and headed up the Hudson. Guided only by our trusty iPhones, we followed the river until our attention was grabbed by an open space just outside the Hudson River Museum. The parking lot lined with a glowing, warm palette of foliage overlooking the water set ablaze by a scorching sunset.

Our excursion continued up the watercourse leading us to the fantastically inviting dining room of Harvest on Hudson, a grandiose space in Mediterranean style that allows for large family gatherings as well as relaxed mingling by the bar. We were in the mood for a little ‘nosh and ‘tail so we laid claim to a comfy settee and began to quiz our wonderfully accommodating server to the details of the menu. Starting with a taste test of a couple of wines featured, my friend and I actually ended up choosing the wine the other had requested. A flavorful 2009 Rosé, Sables d’Azur, (Côtes de Provence, France with a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault) surprised me with an aroma of bubblegum (which anyone close to me will attest I have a nostalgic affection for). Furthering the exploratory theme for the day we sampled and shared from the menu a variety of dishes that tempted us. A simmering offering of Brick Oven Baked Garlic Shrimp, the house made Pork Sausage with Broccoli Rabe and Sweet Peppers, a perfectly pounded "Sashimi Style" Tuna with Lemon, Olive Oil and Sea Salt and a lusciously hearty serving of Risotto with Granny Smith Apple & Frisee flavored with Harvest garden thyme, marjoram and grated parmesan. Every nibble more scrumptious than the last!

Berry Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

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I’m a FAN of tasty pastry with my morning cappuccino. It doesn’t need to be a sticky sweet, gooey donut (not that I don’t crave that from time to time too); but a flavorful spicy, crumb cake is perfect with a rich creamy strong cup of coffee. 

A few years ago, in an attempt to make my morning treat a touch healthier, I started incorporating whole wheat flour into my pastry baking. It was a simple step with no noticeable taste difference and a nod to the much touted whole grain movement. 

My Berry Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping can be made with any type of berry you can gets your hands on which makes it a go-to any time of the year. It’s wonderfully summery with fresh raspberries or makes a cozy, holiday treat when tossing in re-plumped, dried cranberries around Christmas time.

Berry Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

Crumb Topping~

½ cup Whole Wheat Flour

¼ cup Sugar

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Cake~

1 Egg

1 cup Milk

¼ cup Unsalted Butter, melted

½ cup Sugar

2½ teaspoons Baking Powder

½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Ground Mace (optional)

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup Fresh, Frozen or Re-plumped Dried Berries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform cake pan with cooking spray.

To make topping, in a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Blend in the butter, using fingertips or a pastry blender, until the mixture is crumbly, set aside.

To make the cake, in a large bowl, beat together the egg, milk and butter. Add the sugar, baking powder, salt and mace; blend well. Gradually add the flours in two batches, beat until just blended. Gently fold in the berries.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle with the crumb topping. Bake until a wood toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.

For flavor variation use any type of berry; blueberries, raspberries or dried cranberries with the zest and juice of one orange (blood orange when in season). 

To re-plump dried berries: warm a small bowl of water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, remove from the microwave and toss in the measured amount of dried berries. Allow the berries to sit for about 5 minutes and drain.

An Apple a Day...

It’s that time of year, bring on the apples!

Find your favorite, most juicy and delicious variety and take advantage of this bounty. For me, snacking on a Honey Crisp or Jazz apple takes care of any craving I have for a sweet treat and gets me closer to that recommended nine (yes, I said 9!) fruits and vegetables a day.

Feeling creative? Bring that fresh picked delight to your kitchen and brainstorm ways to incorporate it into your go-to salad, perhaps a tiny dice whisked into a vinaigrette, or feeling really adventurous? How about a Crabmeat, Apple, and Mango Salad? Looking for a heartier dish, something to bring to the table that can sit center stage next to a perfectly prepared pork chop, try this Apple, Potato, and Onion Gratin.

But let’s face it...our first instinct is dessert! And call it what you want, Apple Pie, Tart, Tarte Tartin, Cobbler, Crostata...they all bring comfort and scrumptiousness to any day.

Creating such a dessert might seem intimidating, making the perfect dough, rolling it to just the right thickness, then do you go with a more rustic presentation allowing the beautiful filling to shine on it’s own or use that extra touch of arranging the meticulously thin slices just-so for a classic look. Don’t stress! Food, especially dessert is meant to be enjoyed and to make you feel good. Take the time to play in the kitchen and I can think of no better recipe to relax and have fun with than whatever your version of pie is.

My play day featured an Apple and Cranberry Tart. With all my ingredients gathered and my mind set on just that creation I was a little disappointed to find my official “tart” pan has not arrived from California yet (How was that not in the priority boxes?). Nonetheless, a “tart” was made. Using a spectacularly simple recipe recently learned at FCI, except I added a my own twist by tossing in a handful of cranberries, my dessert was a success.

Still want to roll that perfect thickness of dough? Get yourself an Adjustable Rolling Pin from JosephJoseph, I love mine.

Apple Tart

Crust~

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup (or more) ice water

Filling~amounts determined by the size of your pan

3-5 apples (Granny Smith)

1-4 Tablespoons of water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 lemon

1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Finish~

2-3 apples (Golden Delicious)

1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

For crust~

Blend flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in processor. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1/4 cup ice water to processor and pulse until moist clumps form, sprinkle with more ice water if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. 

Roll out dough on floured work surface to approximately 3 inches larger than your tart pan, about 1/8” thick. Brush off excess flour and transfer to pan. Gently fill in the corners of the pan with the dough and create a side edge about 1/4-1/2” above pan walls or to desired finish. Chill crust while preparing filling.

For Filling~

Peel, core and chop the apples into 1” cubes. (Rub the apple with sliced lemon if necessary while cutting to prevent browning.) Combine the apples, water and sugar in a pan over medium high heat. Cover the pan with a parchment paper lid cut to the size of the pan with a whole in the middle. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until soft and resembling chunky applesauce. Add more water if needed throughout cooking. If adding the dried cranberries do so in the last minute of cooking, stirring in the berries allowing them to absorb some of the juices. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

For Finish~

Preheat oven to 350° F. Pour filling into prepared crust, spreading to form an even surface filling to 3/4 full. Peel, core and thinly slice the topping apples to desired thickness either by hand or with a mandolin for precise consistency. (Rub the apple with sliced lemon if necessary while cutting to prevent browning.) Carefully arrange the apple slices covering the filling completely since the slices will shrink slightly during baking. Brush the apples with the melted butter.

Bake for about an hour. The apples should be soft and browned slightly on the edges.