some Noisy Oven newspaper columns

This column ran on April 18, 2007 (many thanks again to all my newspaper readers):

Blognote: You can make your own puff pastry and freeze it. Spelling correction: tart to tarte, please mention any others. Here's the traditional recipe on the traditional site, which is totally delish: http://www.tarte-tatin.com/english/page/recette-en.html

Fantastic 40 minute Apple Tart

Have only 40 minutes and 4 ingredients? Have only 6 apples and company's coming? Need an easy recipe that doesn't require you to do a lot? Make this version of Tarte Tatin!
Note: This is not exactly Tarte Tatin, and someone who is into tradition will tell you so. In France, where the sisters Tatin invented the Tart, there is a club that dresses up and goes around enthroning people and giving them a scroll for making or appreciating the traditional, 101-year-old recipe (which uses, among other small differences from mine, a flaky or shortbread pie crust.) My favorite part is their banner, which has as one of its quarters a giant circle full of many Tarte Tatins...mmm. This recipe, though it will not get you enthroned as Chevalier-Compagnon des Lichonneux de Tarte Tatin, is lovely, elegant and delicious. It will be really appreciated.

1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed

1/2 stick butter, softened

1/2 c. white sugar

7-9 Gala apples (can use 6 if desperate), peeled, cored, and cut into eighths (one of those apple corers that cuts the apple into slices is handy for this)

cast iron skillet

Open package of frozen puff pastry to thaw -- take it right out of the wrapper and open the pastry out flat as much as possible. Peel, core, and cut apples into eighths.
Smear the butter over the whole bottom (inside) of a cast iron skillet -- it will seem like way too much but isn't! Sprinkle sugar on top, then arrange apples, in slightly overlapping pattern, on top of sugar. Put on low heat and let cook for 20 minutes -- do NOT stir. Do NOT burn. (If worrying about getting the apples too dark, turn off pan for a few minutes -- the heat in the cast iron pan will continue to cook the apples.) Juices will bubble and apples will turn golden brown.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Put thawed pastry on top of apples in skillet. Bake in oven until pastry is puffed and brown, about 20 minutes usually.
Cool 10 minutes, then flip out onto plate. Scrape out any extra juice or apples in pan and put in top. Eat warm. It's great!

Tips: My family prefers Gala apples, with mild taste and good texture, but you can use other types of apples or even other fruits. Softer fruits will be more tender. You may need to adjust cooking times for different apples or fruits -- just make sure they are cooked through and making a delicious golden brown sauce.
The apples alone can be served without crust (I call this "Caramelized Apples"), or with vanilla ice cream. Ice cream can also be served with the whole tart.
Pie crust, flaky or shortbread, can used instead of puff pastry, also. Follow either cooking directions on package or your own recipe, but check for doneness when cooking -- you may need to change how much cooking is needed. (Remember: bottom's on top while cooking, so this will be easy.)


Peanut Butter Brownies for Picnics
ran May 2007 in print

It's the time of year for picnics! Pack a nice lunch--cold meat or hard-boiled eggs, crusty bread, potato salad, tiny tomatoes, lemonade, thin watermelon slices--and peanut butter brownies!
If you don't like peanut butter, try using broken up candy bars that you like--even those with added ingredients that are unusual. I have known this recipe to be made with broken up milk chocolate and pretzel pieces.

5 squares Baker's unsweetened chocolate or Ghirardelli semi-sweet (if you like less dark)
1 stick butter plus 1 T. butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. mini peanut butter cups or broken-up peanut butter filled candy bar

Break or chop chocolate into 1-inch chunks. Microwave or melt chocolate with butter until just liquid. Chocolate doesn't always look melted even when it is--stir it a little to see. Cool chocolate and butter--until they are still liquid but not hot. Beat eggs and sugar together in a big bowl until lemon-colored, with a fork or whisk. Add cooled chocolate and butter (if you add them hot, they will cook the eggs in the bowl.) Add flour and stir until just combined. Stir in 3/4 cup of peanut butter cups or candy bar. Grease a glass pie pan and pour in the batter. Arrange remaining 1/4 c. of peanut butter cups or candy bar on top, making sure the pieces are half submerged. Cook at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until a knife inserted one inch from the edge comes out clean. Make sure you are not testing for doneness through a piece of melted peanut butter cup or candy bar. Cool in pan 10 -15 minutes. Stores well. Tastes great in the outdoors.

Falling in Chocolate
ran in print June 2007

A magnet on my fridge says, "Forget love, fall in chocolate." Okay, let's do it--or at least, let our desserts fall in chocolate. Anything is better dipped in chocolate--if you have no dessert, take potato chips, melt some cooking chocolate, dip the chips and voila! Store-bought cookies can be dipped in chocolate to become a partly homemade treat. Strawberries are classic. If you want the beautiful, slightly salty Chocolate Tears, dip lightly roasted cashews in this delicious chocolate coat.

Chocolate to coat:

2 squares Ghirardelli semi-sweet cooking chocolate (use the thin bars, much easier to melt)
1 t. butter

Break chocolate into pieces. Melt in microwave for about 25 seconds, completely stir together. May need to microwave for another 15 sec.
Chocolate bars that you eat may be used too, but they won't be as dark in flavor, which you may prefer.
It's traditional to cover about half of the cookie, cake, strawberry, other fruit, potato chip, etc. in the chocolate coat by dipping them or using a utensil you like to smear it on and then arrange them all nicely on a plate or dish. You may make fancy swirls and elaborate dips, but warning: you may end up splashed with chocolate. There are worse fates.
This chocolate coat/dip may also be used as fondue (although it's too thick for the fantastic chocolate fountain--it can be thinned with milk or more butter.)
This recipe may be doubled or tripled, etc., depending on how much you want. Microwave chocolate and butter in small batches or in a good pan on top of a very low flame on the stove top, because you really don't want to burn chocolate very much as it smells and tastes awful. With a little, very little, burn you can add a little salt, and finely chopped nuts if you're daring, and call it: Smoked Chocolate Fondue.

The Fastest Chocolate Fudge Recipe Ever

1/4 t. salt
12 oz. milk chocolate Ghirardelli chips
4 oz. Ghirardelli thin semi-sweet cooking chocolate, broken into quarters
4 1/2 T. butter
1 can (14 oz.) Eagle brand condensed milk--minus 1/4 c. (take 1/4 c. out of the 14 oz. and don't use it.)

Stir all ingredients together in a large glass bowl. Microwave for 1 min, 20 sec. (exactly on my microwave, check yours for the time needed for entirely melted, but just melted, chocolate). Stir when it comes out, should start thickening right away. Refrigerate. Try to let it solidify before you eat it, although of course it's great warm and melty. Excellent for emergency administration of fudge.
Make a Fast Rocky Road by cooling this two minutes after microwaving and stirring, and then stir in mini-marshmallows, chocolate chunks or chips, and nuts if you like them, preferably roasted and salted nuts. Then refrigerate.
This is best the first day. Be sure to wrap either version of the fudge tightly in wax paper or plastic after cooling as it dries out quickly.

Chocolate Covered Fudge

Make the Fastest Fudge Recipe Ever. Leave at least a few pieces to solidify, and cut into bonbon, candy-sized pieces. Coat them with slightly cooled chocolate coat using a spoon or knife. Cool. Enjoy. The tops of the bonbons may be decorated for gifts, company or fun with very fine small icing flowers or dots.