The Big Book of Backyard Cooking (33 page)

SERVES 6

1½
cups heavy cream

2
11-ounce jars lemon curd (see notes)

2½
tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2
tablespoons grated lemon zest

3
cups (about 1½ pints) fresh raspberries, divided (see notes)

6
fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Using an electric mixer, whip cream on medium-high speed in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Mix together lemon curd, lemon juice, and lemon zest in another large bowl. Fold in whipped cream, and then 2 cups of the raspberries.

Divide lemon mixture among 6 large wine glasses. Cover and chill until parfaits are cold, at least 30 minutes or longer. (Parfaits can be made 1 day ahead. Keep covered and refrigerated.) To serve, sprinkle remaining raspberries on top of the parfaits and garnish with mint sprigs.

NOTES:
Robertson’s lemon curd is widely available and works well in this recipe.

:
You could substitute hulled, sliced strawberries or fresh blueberries for the raspberries.

STRAWBERRIES DUSTED WITH CARDAMOM

SUGAR

Strawberries always taste good sprinkled with a little sugar. But try splashing the berries first in
some Grand Marnier, then dusting them with sugar combined with ground cardamom for a more
interesting dessert. The enticing hint of cardamom and the orange scent of the liqueur complement
strawberries beautifully.

SERVES 6

½
cup sugar

½
teaspoon ground cardamom (see note)

4
tablespoons Grand Marnier

4
pints fresh strawberries, hulled

Mint sprigs for garnish

Combine sugar and cardamom in a small bowl and set aside. (Cardamom sugar can be made 2 to 3 days ahead. Cover and leave at room temperature.)

At serving time, pour Grand Marnier into a large bowl. Add strawberries and toss to coat well.

Spread half the cardamom sugar on a dinner plate and roll half the berries in sugar to coat well.

Divide berries among 3 wide-mouthed wine glasses or goblets. Coat remaining berries with cardamom sugar and place in 3 more glasses. Pour any remaining Grand Marnier in mixing bowl over berries in glasses. Garnish each serving with a mint sprig.

NOTE:
Ground cardamom can vary in its aroma and taste. A new bottle of the spice will usually be extremely fragrant and very intense in flavor, while an

opened bottle that has been on the shelf for a while might not be as aromatic.

Taste the cardamom sugar and before using it, add more cardamom in very small

quantities if needed.

A strawberry, on average, contains about 200 tiny seeds.

GINGER SHORTCAKES WITH PEACHES

These flaky shortcakes owe their distinctive taste to dried and candied ginger, both of which are
used to season the dough. The warm biscuits, sliced and filled with fresh peaches, are served with
dollops of sweetened whipped cream.

SERVES 6

SHORTCAKES

2
cups all-purpose flour

¼
cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

2
tablespoons sugar

2½
teaspoons baking powder

1
teaspoon ground ginger

¾
teaspoon salt

6
tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced

¾
cup half-and-half

PEACHES AND CREAM

2
pounds ripe yellow peaches (see note)

1
large lemon

2
to
3
teaspoons granulated sugar

1½
cups heavy cream

¼
cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for garnish

Mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Have ready an ungreased baking sheet.

TO MAKE THE SHORTCAKES:
Whisk together flour, crystallized ginger, sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter, and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until mixture resembles pea-sized clumps. Add half-and-half and stir gently, just until all dry ingredients are moistened and blended. Do not overmix. With floured hands, gather the dough into a ball and lightly knead it about 8 to 10 times against the sides of the bowl, just to incorporate any loose bits of dough.

On a floured work surface, roll out dough into a ¾-inch-thick circle and using a 3-inch-round cutter, cut out 6 pieces. Gather dough scraps together and roll again to get an additional 1 to 2 rounds (these will not be quite as picture perfect as the earlier ones). Place rounds on the baking sheet with several inches between each, and bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. (The shortcakes can be prepared 4 to 5 hours ahead. Cool, place in an airtight container, and leave at room temperature.)

TO MAKE THE PEACHES AND CREAM:
When ready to serve, peel and halve peaches lengthwise.

Cut into ½-inch slices and place in a bowl. Grate the lemon to get ¼ teaspoon zest and set aside, then juice the lemon to yield 2 teaspoons. Sprinkle lemon juice and granulated sugar over peaches and toss to mix.

Using an electric mixer, whip cream on medium-high speed in a large bowl just until soft peaks form, then beat in confectioners’ sugar and lemon zest. Split and lightly toast 6 of the shortcakes.

(Save extras for snacking.) Place bottoms on 6 dessert plates and divide and mound peaches on top of them. Ladle ½ cup whipped cream on top of each and cover with shortcake tops. Dust shortcakes with confectioners’ sugar, and garnish each with a mint sprig, if desired. Serve immediately.

NOTE:
You can substitute 1 to 1½ quarts strawberries. Hull and halve them.

Season with sugar and lemon to taste.

Plant City, Florida, produced a strawberry shortcake that weighed 6,000 pounds and
made the
Guinness Book of World Records
in 1999.

What could be more comforting than a plate of sweet nibbles and scoops of homemade ice cream to end a delicious outdoor meal or to star in an afternoon tea party? Cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and those little bars and squares with luscious toppings are what I think of as little pick-ups. Even though they are decadently rich, we can eat them without guilt because they are mere mouthfuls.

In this chapter, you’ll find a dozens of recipes for both sweet bites and ice-cream confections. You can opt for serving the little pick-ups and the ice creams separately, since they can easily stand on their own as a finale to a meal. But you can also have fun pairing a cookie or a cupcake with an ice cream or sorbet for an extra-special ending.

Chocolate figures prominently in many of these confections. Chocolate Chip Maple Pecan Cookies (made with extra-rich dark chocolate), Chocolate Heaven Cookies so grand that they needed a celestial name, Mini Chocolate Almond Cupcakes, Chocolate Mint Brownies, and Chocolate Cardamom Ice Cream should satisfy your cravings.

If Americans were to compose a list of their favorite warm-weather desserts, there’s no doubt ice creams would be right up there at the top. Two vanilla ice creams get new spins. One is made with “burnt,” or caramelized, sugar, which provides a fresh dimension of flavor, while another is prepared with crème fraîche. A crunchy almond praline powder permeates one variety, while coconut milk adds its distinctive taste to another home-churned creation.

Strawberry, grapefruit, and banana lend their assertive flavors to refreshing sorbets. Other creations include sundaes and a memorable ice-cream sandwich. And, if you don’t have an ice cream maker, you might want to consider getting one of the new, modestly priced electric models that make ice-cream making a breeze.

CHOCOLATE CHIP MAPLE PECAN COOKIES

It was in London that I came upon this version of the all-American cookie. On a visit to England’s
capital, I stopped by the bakery at Clarke’s Restaurant, a favorite culinary haunt of mine, and
picked up a package of chocolate chip maple pecan cookies. One bite and I was addicted! I called
the owner, Sally Clarke, who was willing to share the ingredients and a few tips about assembling
the dough. The secret to these sublime cookies lies in using high-quality dark bittersweet
chocolate in place of chips, in baking with unbleached flour, which produces a darker-crusted
cookie, and in adding maple syrup for a special sweet accent.

MAKES 20 COOKIES

1½
cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1½
teaspoons baking powder

¾
teaspoon baking soda

¾
teaspoon salt

5
ounces best-quality dark bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (see note)
12
tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and diced

¾
cup sugar

2½
tablespoons pure maple syrup

1
cup chopped pecans, plus about 20 pecan halves for garnish

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil and set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

Place chocolate on a work surface and chop finely with a sharp knife.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in maple syrup, then reduce speed to low, and gradually add sifted dry ingredients, beating to combine. Mixture will be somewhat lumpy, rather than smooth. If necessary, stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

Remove from mixer and stir in chopped chocolate and chopped pecans with a wooden spoon.

Gather the dough into a mass and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30

minutes to chill and firm dough.

Divide dough in half. Pinch off 10 pieces (about 2 to 2½ tablespoons each) from half and roll each into a golf-ball shape. Place balls on 1 of the baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches around each. Flatten balls with your fingers so they are about ½ inch thick and then press a pecan in the center of each. Repeat with remaining dough to fill second baking sheet.

Put 1 baking sheet in refrigerator. Place the other in preheated oven and bake until cookies are brown around the edges, about 14 minutes. Remove and cool 3 minutes on baking sheet, then remove cookies with a spatula and cool completely on a rack. Bake second sheet of cookies in same way and cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. (Cookies can be prepared 5 days ahead.)
NOTE:
A dark, high-quality chocolate with 70% cocoa works best in this

recipe. Callebaut, Valrhona, or Scharffen Berger are good brands and are

available in some supermarkets and in specialty food stores.

Massachusetts is the home of the chocolate chip cookie (also known as the Toll House
cookie), created in 1930 at the Toll House Restaurant near Whitman, Massachusetts, by
Ruth Graves Wakefield.

CHUNKY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Made with both peanut butter and coarsely chopped peanuts, these golden cookies are moist and
have a delectably crunchy texture. It takes only a few minutes to assemble and bake these cookies,
which will keep well for several days when stored in an airtight container.

MAKES 36 TO 40 COOKIES

1½
cups all-purpose flour

½
teaspoon baking soda

¼
teaspoon salt

8
tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

½
cup smooth peanut butter

½
cup sugar

½
cup lightly packed light brown sugar

1
large egg, lightly beaten

½
teaspoon vanilla extract

½
cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Arrange an oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready 2 large ungreased baking sheets.

Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl and set aside.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and peanut butter together until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add both sugars, beating until dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat just to incorporate. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until flour is blended into the dough, 1 minute or less. Remove and stir in chopped peanuts.

Form dough into balls that are 1 inch in diameter. Place balls 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. With the tines of a fork, press down on each, making a criss-cross pattern and flattening the cookies so they are about 1¾ inches round.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are browned around the edges, 9 to 11 minutes. Halfway during baking, reverse the sheet front to back so that cookies brown evenly. Cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. (Cookies can be prepared 3 days ahead.)