Aspen, Bears & Bread

We have just returned from Aspen and the raw beauty that makes Colorado so special. The fall foliage was in its full glory. Surprisingly, after all of the time I have spent either living or visiting Colorado, I’ve never experienced Autumn in the high country.

I was in state of awe at the sensational gorgeousness that welcomed us as we drove over the Continental Divide and made our way through the spectacularly colored Vail Valley.

We arrived in Aspen as the sun was setting so we caught a only a glimpse of the beauty that awaited us.

We awoke to a brilliant sight of the mountains covered in the brightest shades of yellow, gold, red and green. Really, it took my breath away.

We went for a hike at Hunter’s Creek and biked along the Rio Grande trail.

There were bears in trees all over town, seemingly uninterested in all of the onlookers, instead, paying attention to the trees overflowing with crabapples that they were gobbling up as fast as they could.

It was a magical visit for sure. Romanic as it always is to be in the mountains with the wood fireplace burning as the first snow of the season was dusting the tops the high peaks.

Before we left for Aspen, I made the simplest, no knead bread recipe ever.

This was hands down the best loaf of bread I have ever made and while the dough needs to sit for 12-18 hours, if you mix the dough in the evening, it will be ready to shape, rise and bake in the morning.

The recipe was published by the NY Times in 2006 and you can find the archive here.

Enjoy!

A Cool Fall Morning and a Chili Cheese Omelet, Charlie's Style

There is a little restaurant in Newport Beach, California, right at the bottom of the Newport Pier that serves up one of the meanest breakfasts that can be found. Charlie's Chili, a Newport Beach landmark, serves breakfast all day to local surfers and tourist alike.

We don't have a Charlie's Chili here in Colorado but I do have a killer chili recipe which I made the other night, so I decided to treat my husband to the omelet that made Charlie's famous, a chili cheese omelet.

Using 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of milk whisked together for the egg mixture, I slowly cooked a thin omelet on one side. I then layered about a heaping 1/4 cup of heated chili on one half of the omelet, sprinkled the chili with grated colby jack cheese, fresh chopped cilantro and a few sliced scallions.

I then folded the omelet in half and slid it onto a plate, garnishing it with a bit more cheese, cilantro, scallions, sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of smokey paprika.

All that was missing was the salty breeze and the sound of the crashing waves.

Crumbles + Plums = Plumble

"Plumble" is the name my husband gave this cake. A sour cream coffee cake with a layer of moist plums in the middle and a cinnamon crumble topping. It is sooo good!

I've made it here in a 9 inch spring form pan which makes it easy to remove. I also like to make individual tea cakes using jumbo tulip cupcake wrappers (makes 12), either way, scrumptious!

For the crumbs

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cups flour
1/4 cup almond flour

For the cake:
2/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cup almond flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.
3 tablespoons cornstarch for dusting the plums
4-5 medium to large plums, sliced into 8-10 wedges each depending on the size of the plum

Preheat oven to 335 degrees.

Grease a round 9-inch spring form pan.

To make crumbs:

In a large bowl using a fork, mix the sugars, cinnamon and salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add flours with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will become thick dough. Set aside.

To prepare cake:

In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk, almond extract and vanilla. Using a food processor, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and the sour cream mixture and pulse a number of times until the flour is combined. Scoop out about 1 1/2 cups batter and set aside. Spread the remaining batter into the bottom of the cake pan.

Toss the sliced plum wedges with the cornstarch and then spread the plums over the batter in the pan. Spoon the set-aside batter over the plums and spread it over the plums.

Don’t worry about covering all of the plums, as it isn’t necessary. Next, using your fingers, break the crumble topping mixture into big crumbs and sprinkle over cake.

Bake cake for 55 to 65 minutes (cover with foil and continue to bake if it begins to get too brown on top). Cool completely before serving. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar if desired.

8 to 10 servings.

The Misunderstood Fig and the Sweet Tart

Not everyone is a fan of the fig, but I love them and I think a lot of people just don't know what to do with them. True, they are delicious eaten fresh on their own or simply cut and served on a cracker or bread with blue cheese, but for me, when these beauties are baked is when the best of what they have to offer is released.

These little fig tarts are as gorgeous as they are delicious to eat. Made with an almond custard and finished with a drizzle of honey, they make a lovely dessert to share with guests or to munch down anytime!

FALL FIG TART

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks) cut into small pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
3-6 tablespoons cold water

In a food processor, pulse the flour, butter and salt until it resembles a coarse meal (you should be able to feel small pieces of butter when you rub the mixture between two fingers). Drizzle in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, just until it holds together. Divide the dough into 10 balls, wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and chill for 30 minutes to an hour.

Roll each ball out to a 6 inch circle and carefully press into tart tins and then cut the excess off of the edges. Lightly prick the bottom of the tarts with fork and place in the freezer for ten minutes. Carefully, line the filled tart tins with parchment and fill with weights, beans or rice.

Bake in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully remove parchment and weights and then continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the crust begins to get a pale golden hue to it. Remove from oven and cool while you prepare the custard.

For the Almond Cream:

2 cups almond meal (almond flour)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons whole milk or half & half
1 teaspoon almond extract

With an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on a medium speed until well combined. Add almond meal and almond extract and beat until thoroughly mixed. Add the salt, eggs and milk or half & half and mix until light and fluffy.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

You will also need:
18-20 figs, quartered lengthwise (I used black figs here)
1 cup apricot jam
Honey to drizzle

To assemble:

Place the partially baked shells on a sheet pan. Divide both the apricot jam and the almond custard amongst the tart shells, first spreading the jam on the bottom of the shell and then layering the custard on top of the jam. Then place the quartered figs, cut side up, in the tart shells, pressing them lightly into the custard.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the custard is puffed and golden brown.

Drizzle with honey and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Charlotte's Organic Peach Cobbler

Summer may be coming to an end in a matter of weeks, but the last of those amazingly delicious tree ripened peaches are still available at many of the farmers markets and stores. Here in Colorado we were able to pick up of a flat of organic Palisade peaches at our local farmers market.

After a long hike in the mountains, we came home and treated ourselves to a healthy dinner, and then Ric's mother made this insanely good peach cobbler with the organic peaches. How could we resist? This recipe is simple and utterly divine.

All of the ingredients that we used to make this were organic. Obviously, you can make it with non-organic ingredients, but in my house, you will only find organic.

CHARLOTTE'S ORGANIC PEACH COBBLER

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the filling:

10 ripe organic yellow peaches
2 tablespoons organic all-purpose flour
1/2 cup organic sugar

Pit the peaches and cut each one into 8 wedges. Place them in a large bowl and toss with the flour and sugar.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (I used a couple of small cast iron pans which worked well). Place peaches in the baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

For the crust:

7 tablespoons of organic unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup organic sugar
2 organic large eggs
1 teaspoon organic vanilla
1 cup organic all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

While the peaches are baking, cream together the butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until light and creamy, approximately 2 minutes. Add the flour baking powder and salt and mix until combined.

Remove the cooked peaches from the oven and place four dollops of the topping over the peaches, then spread evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Return the cobbler to the oven and bake for 1 hour.

Baking note:
Check on the cobbler after it has baked for 30 minutes. If it is browning too quickly, cover with foil and then continue to bake for the full hour.

10-12 servings.

Serve with a scoop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!