Cooking for Two (39 page)

S
PICED
F
RUIT
C
OMPOTE
makes
2 generous servings

S
piced fruit compote: it’s a dessert right out of grandmother’s kitchen. Unfortunately, when we were kids, it often turned into raisin-and-prune sludge, made in cauldron-sized batches. Here, we’ve cut down the recipe and updated it with dried red plums, pears, and nectarines. It’s sweet, perfumey, and very comforting on a cold winter night—or great for breakfast on a summer morning. The dried fruits used here are available in bulk at most gourmet markets and health food stores.

1.
Whisk the water and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, and anise pod. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the dried plums, pears, and nectarines. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the dried fruit is quite soft.

2.
Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Discard the spices. Serve at once; or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Serve this compote in bowls with cookies on the side, if you wish, as well as

a dollop of sweetened whipped cream

a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt

a scoop of vanilla ice cream

a small round of soft goat cheese

a spoonful of crème fraîche

a spoonful of plain yogurt

C
OCONUT
C
REPES WITH
T
ROPICAL
F
RUIT
S
AUCE
makes
6 small crepes

A
lthough these lightly sweetened crepes are easy to make, they’re quite chic, studded with coconut and served with a sauce of puréed kiwi and passion fruit. Baby pineapples are available in some markets; look for a fruit that is very aromatic without any soft spots. If you can’t find one, substitute an 8-ounce can of pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup), drained.

1.
To make the sauce, purée the peeled kiwi fruit in a food processor, a mini food processor, or a wide-bottom blender. You may need to add 1 or 2 teaspoons water if you’re using a blender. Pour this purée into a small bowl and mix with the chopped pineapple.

2.
Cut the passion fruit open and scrape the seeds into the puréed kiwi fruit. Stir in the sugar and lime juice; continue stirring until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. The recipe can be made ahead of time up to this point. Store the sauce, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

3.
To make the crepes, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. In a separate medium bowl, beat the coconut milk, milk, and egg, egg substitute, or quail eggs until frothy and uniform, using either a whisk or an electric mixer at medium speed. Then beat the coconut milk mixture into the prepared flour mixture, either by hand with a whisk or with the electric mixer; beat just until smooth, about 1 minute by hand or 30 seconds with an electric mixer. Stir in the shredded coconut.

4.
Heat a 10-inch skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the butter and swirl the skillet so the melted butter completely coats the bottom. Pour a scant ¼ cup batter into the skillet; shake the skillet vigorously so that the batter spreads out over the entire surface. Cook for 1 minute, just until set. Flip the crepe with a nonstick heat-safe spatula or a heat-safe rubber spatula, then cook for 1 more minute, or until lightly browned. Transfer the crepe to a serving plate and repeat with the remaining batter until 6 crepes are made, placing 3 on each plate. (You can keep them warm in a 250°F oven, if you wish.) You may need to add more butter to the pan, depending on how well seasoned it is, and how sticky the batter has gotten. Add butter in 1-teaspoon increments, swirling it around the pan to coat as necessary.

5.
To serve, either spoon some of the sauce into a crepe and fold it closed over the sauce, or roll the coconut crepes into tubes and pour the sauce over them.

A cake for two? Why not? With small pans, you can turn out a couple of small cheesecakes or single-serving carrot cakes with even less trouble than required by their larger kin. A dab of icing or a scoop of ice cream—and you’re done. Best of all, you can indulge tonight without staring at the cake on the counter for the rest of the week.

B
ROWNIES
makes
2 brownies

B
rownies may be the quintessential American treat. We should know, having written the ultimate book on them! But before the modern conveniences of larger ovens and baking pans, brownies were made in individual tins. So in some senses, we’ve returned them to their roots by making them in two small 1-cup ceramic ramekins. Don’t use paper pastry shells or springform pans—they’re too wide to be successful. The narrower ramekins make dense, fudgy brownies. (For outlets to buy ramekins, see the Source Guide, page 269.)

l.
until smooth, using a wooden spoon or a whisk; set aside.

2.
Beat the brown sugar, pasteurized egg substitute or quail eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl until fluffy and pale brown, about 3 minutes with a whisk or 2 minutes with an electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture; continue beating until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour,
the baking powder, and salt, just until combined. Do not beat with an electric mixer at this stage. Divide this mixture between the two prepared ramekins.

3.
Bake for about 22 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool on a wire rack in the ramekins, then unmold to serve. When completely cooled, the brownies can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

R
ASPBERRY
A
LMOND
C
HEESECAKE
makes
2 individual-serving cheesecakes