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Last week we jump-started the oven with two days of cranberry recipes to appease the growing dissatisfaction of Mr. Darcy.

Our mission came to a standstill Wednesday when Christmas preparations took full attention.  For our Christmas dessert I had hoped to gain back the momentum with the recipe he’d asked for all along, Apple Cranberry Crisp, but the day ran away from us(as we made Chicken Crepes and steamed carrots with nutmeg) and we ended up with leftover coffee cake and ice cream.  The day after Christmas we lived off of our couch, leftover crepes, and the chocolate in our stockings(okay, apricots for the husband, do you see a fruit theme here?).

Today, Mr. Darcy simply didn’t rise from bed, so like the good wife that I am (ahem, ignoring the cranberry recipe neglect accusations), I made him a special breakfast: Apple Cranberry Baked Oatmeal. I’m finally starting to understand his love for cranberries in the same way he now, after 10 years, doesn’t turn his head at a few bites of cookie dough and brownie batter.  We’ve enlightened each other.

The recipe is from King Arthur’s Whole Grain Baking Cookbook.  It’s actually the same recipe as the Blueberry Baked Oatmeal posted in the spring, so I’ll just show you some pictures and mention how to make this variation, then you can head over to the original post for the details.

It’s best if the now awake husband is willing to clean the dirty dishes involved in making his special, surprise breakfast.

Oatmeal Cranberry Variation(see Blueberry Baked Oatmeal for complete recipe)

Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries(we used about 3/4 cup fresh, chopped cranberries) and replace blueberries with 1   1/ 2 cups of peeled, diced apple.  Replace 2 cups of the water with apple juice or cider.

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If Autumn were a pie it would have some of my favorite ingredients.

• 1 crisp autumn breeze
• 1 cup orange and yellow leaves(maple, preferably)
• 1 warm wool sweater, not too hot
• 3 children jumping in leaves
• 1 trip to the farmer’s market
• cinnamon to taste

Hmm, but how to serve that pie?  Well, we made one tonight that captures the feel of my whimsical fall pie.  We found it in our new favorite baking book, Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.  Already smitten with butternut squash, we felt more than willing to give this less common(okay, I’ve never heard of anything like it) pie a try.  We knew by the ingredients-the squash, pears, dried cranberries, orange zest-that it was going to be good.  But until we took the first bite………

Oh, sorry, I was still thinking about that first bite.

This pie is a beautiful thing.  I see the future of this pie on our table next fall, and then the fall after that, and then the fall after that….

Depths of Fall Butternut Squash Pie
recipe from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

• Pie Dough from book or store bought crust(such as pillsbury)
• 1  1/4 pounds(2 cups) cubed(1 inch), peeled butternut squash
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup moist, plump dried fruit, such as cranberries, raisins, or finely chopped diced apple or pears
• 1/2 cup(packed) light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Grated zest of 1/2 orange
• 2 tbs fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 tbs plain dry bread crumbs
• sugar, for dusting

To make piecrust-Follow directions in book, use your own recipe for double crust pie, or thaw store bought.

Getting Ready to Bake-

• Position rack in lower third of oven.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pre-cook the squash in a microwave or steamer until almost cooked through. Pat it dry and toss into a large bowl.

• Add the remaining ingredients.

• Then turn them gently with a large rubber spatula (and a four year old if you’ve got one) to blend.
• Let the filling sit for 5 min. or so to give the sugar time to melt, then gently mix again.

• Coat the pie plate with a little bit of butter or margarine and place the ingredients into the pie plate. Then level it out and set it aside.

• Lay your pie crust over the top, trim and pinch into shape. Then make four slits with a sharp knife on the top. We used a cookie cutter for a more creative touch on ours.

• Then lightly brush the pie crust with water and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juices from the pie bubble up through the slits in the center of the pie. Note: If the edges of your crust begin to brown before the pie is ready, cover the edges with foil leaving the center/top uncovered. This will prevent it from browning more and allow the rest of the pie to finish cooking.

• Serve with a little scoop of cinnamon ice cream and watch it disappear!

Notes: You might have noticed our version only used a top crust instead of a double.  We really liked it with the single, the crust didn’t overpower the amazing flavor of the filling.  Not finding an orange in the fridge, we used orange juice from the carton and skipped the zest.  Though the zest will be great next time, this worked in a pinch and no one refused their pie because of it.  If you don’t have an orange, but do have the rest of the ingredients, make the pie!

To make this pie dairy free, use a crust that is made with shortening, use dairy free margarine or cooking spray to coat the pan, and serve with dairy free ice cream.

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We’ve been on a summer ice cream kick lately. Having tried a few I can tell you that this recipe turned out heads-and-tails above any other we’ve tried to date. In fact I could safely say, and the entire family agreed, it was the best homemade ice cream we’ve ever tasted! Unlike other peach ice cream recipes where you have mostly vanilla ice cream with bits of peaches throughout, this was all peach, all the time.

The recipe comes from yet another summer discovery, a book called The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds (600 g) ripe peaches (about 4 large peaches)
1/2 cup (125 ml) water
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Peel the peaches, slice them in half, and remove the pits. Cut the peaches into chunks and cook them with the water in a medium, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, covered, stirring once or twice, until soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat, stir in the sugar, then cool to room temperature.

Purée the cooked peaches and any liquid in a blender or food processor with the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice until almost smooth but slightly chunky.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: if you accidentally purée the mixture too much and liquify all your peaches, you can quickly dice up one additional peach, heat it up with a tablespoon or two of water and add it in the what you’ve puréed. It might take you an additional 5 minutes.

If you decide to make this, please let us know how it turns out.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART (1 LITER)

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