Apple Fruit Leather, Cheddar Apple Scones and Chocolate Pear Scones

We went apple picking last weekend and I've tried to use up our bounty of apples in a few ways. First, I made an applesauce flavored with a dash of cinnamon and a glug of rosewater - yum! And true to her contrary toddler self, Elena refused to eat any of it even though she normally loves applesauce. So it languished in the fridge for a few days until I stumbled upon a ridiculously easy fruit leather recipe from Karen Solomon's book, "Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It." Elena is currently enamored with fruit leather (we call them "flat raisins" at home) so I figured the way to get her to eat the applesauce would be to turn it into fruit leather. I was right!


This recipe requires minimal effort but it takes a long time to cook. But it's worth it.

Apple Fruit Leather
-Take 3 cups of applesauce or apple butter (we only had 2 cups of applesauce left and it created a very thin fruit leather. Three cups would definitely be preferable in the future)
-Spread evenly on a rimmed, parchment-lined baking sheet

-According to Solomon's directions, the apples should cook at 150 F for 5-7 hours. Since our oven does not go that low, I set it to 170 F and propped the oven door open by inserting a wooden spoon handle into the door.
-After about 5 hours,  or when the fruit leather is sticky (but not wet), carefully peel up the edges, flip it, and cook for another 30 minutes

-Slice into strips with a pair of kitchen scissors and enjoy. 

Since we still had an abundance of apples left over, as well as a bag of tiny pears from the CSA, I turned to one of my favorite scone recipes from Smitten Kitchen to use up some more produce. I used the recipe below, and simply swapped out apples for pears and then cheese for semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (which I preferred over Deb's suggestion of using chocolate chunks) to make the pear scones. I was planning to freeze the dough and then bake as-needed when I wanted a snack, but instead I cooked up both batches and brought the scones to a playdate at the park with Elena's friends from school and their parents. They were the perfect accompaniment to a gorgeous fall morning, with a cup of coffee in hand.

Apple and Cheddar Scones
Lightly tweaked from Smitten Kitchen (ditto for the Pear and Chocolate scones)

Makes 10 scones

2-3 firm tart apples (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons for sprinkling
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional for egg wash
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Heaping 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375 °F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and core apples, then cut them into small bite-sized pieces. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them until they take on a little color and feel dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. They will be about half-baked. Let them cool completely. 

Sift or whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, along with cooled apple chunks, cheese, cream and one egg. Sprinkle flour mixture over the top and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix.

Generously flour your counter top and place the scone dough on top of it. Sprinkle with flour. With your hands, shape the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick, 6-inch circle. Cut circle into 10 wedges. Transfer them to a baking sheet that has been lined with a fresh sheet of parchment paper. 

Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle them with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

As Deb at Smitten Kitchen advises: Scones are best the day they are baked. However, they can be made ahead of time and stored unbaked in the freezer until you need them. Simply brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle them with sugar, and bake them still frozen for just a couple extra minutes. This way they are always freshly baked when you want them. These scones were passable on day two and terrible on day three.

Clearly, I need to work on my food photography. 

Cape Gooseberry Coffee Cake

Our CSA provides many wonderful fruits and vegetables throughout the year and sometimes we receive something unusual that stumps me. In last week's box, that "something" was a pint of cape gooseberries (aka ground cherries). They had appeared in a few boxes last fall and I tried making muffins and a chutney with them, to little success. This time around I stumbled on a coffee cake recipe featuring gooseberries and thought it was worth a try. The result? It was delicious! I altered the recipe found here. 

I made this cake on Sunday night and it is still fresh-tasting three days later. This is a great snack that will last through the work week and if we receive any more gooseberry pints I will definitely make it again.

Cape Gooseberry Coffee Cake

Yields: 1 - 9" Cake

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter, cubed
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup buttermilk (or regular milk soured with lemon juice or vinegar)
1 large egg
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (or 1 pint) cape gooseberries, husks removed
1 cup chopped nuts (I used a mix of sliced almonds and roasted pistachios, but pecans or walnuts would also be tasty)
½ cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour a 9" cake pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter with two table knives until butter is combined with flour and is the size of small peas. Remove 1 cup of flour & butter mixture into a second bowl and set aside (you'll use it for your topping later).

Add in baking powder and soda to base flour mixture and whisk gently (or sift before hand). Add buttermilk, egg and vanilla and stir until mixture is combined.

Pour flour mixture into prepared pan. Scatter gooseberries over the top. Next, add nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon to your small bowl of flour that is set aside. Stir and sprinkle over the top. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out crumby, but clean.