Fruit Crisp

I cobbled this together after experimenting with two different pie recipes in James Beard's American Cookery. It leaves a nice leeway for playing with various fruits and spices. I have used it for various fruit crisps featuring in turn, apples, peaches, and blueberries.

Fruit Crisp

Fruit Filling:
4-5 cups of apples, peaches, berries, or other fruit, peeled and diced if necessary
2 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or other spice to coordinate with crisp topping)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients and pile into a buttered pie pan.

Crisp Topping:
1/2 cup butter (melt)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon or 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or other spices

Combine all ingredients together well and crumble over top of fruit filling.

Bake 30-40 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven. (Note: be prepared to test fruit to see if it needs to bake longer. Apples, obviously, will take longer than soft fruit like peaches. You may need to bake as long as an hour to be sure the fruit in the middle is cooked.

Strawberry-rhubarb sorbet

My orange kitchen pal, Pumpkin, has can-opener radar. Apparently, this heightened sense of hearing is common to all felines when it comes to tuna cans being opened.

Here he is demanding his share of the tuna in the can I've just opened. What you can't see in this picture is his partner in crime, my golden retriever, Kona. She's on the floor waiting for her share of the bounty. Kona gets the tuna-flavored water from the can, and Pumpkin licks the flakes of tuna left in the can. Open a can of anything and they both appear like clockwork waiting for what they hope is tuna. In this case, their vigilence paid off.



My vigilence in trying to find the cause of my recurring candida infections may be paying off too. Chronic candida infections are linked to low stomach acid which I have had for years. Put that together with multiple rounds of antibiotics given to me over the course of years and no wonder I have stomach problems.

My low stomach acid is probably the result of taking tons of antacids and other over-the-counter stomach remedies back when I didn't know what was wrong with my stomach. I got little help from doctors who also gave me acid inhibitors. This is quite common as the symptoms of low stomach acid are pretty much the same as those of too much stomach acid.

An estimated 80 percent of individuals with food allergies/sensitivities probably have low stomach acid. Low stomach acid becomes more prevalent as we age. The probability of having this digestive issue is 40 percent by age 40 and 50 percent by age 60. Individuals with low stomach acid are the target for many health problems because they are not absorbing the necessary vitamins and minerals.

I'm hoping I'm on the right track for curing my candida problems now that I've added HCL-pepsin supplements as well as the L-glutamine for repairing my digestive tract. Maybe some day I'll actually be able to eat a real dessert. Did somebody say dessert?

Strawberry-rhubarb sorbet is my latest effort to appease my sweet tooth. It was so good I decided to add a rhubarb plant to my garden. You also can make this sorbet with straight rhubard for a lower carb version and it still takes good!

Strawberry-rhubarb sorbet

Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings

1. 5 stalks of rhubarb diced and steamed until tender
2. 1 cup of frozen unsweetened strawberries
3. 1/4 cup lemon juice
4. liquid stevia to taste

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Place in the freezer until somewhat firm.
3. Note: Omit the strawberries for a lower carb version.

Something I Really Like* - Tasty

Truly a delicious potato chip, worth the extra money. Just enough salt, zipped (or is it zapped?) with just enough pepper on hand-made potato chips. One bag per week for the household makes sure we appreciate these savory bits.

If you have a few extra bucks, then it is worth picking up a package of their most recent limited edition.

Hoochey mama, that's a zesty chip! You can read the story behind the flavor here.

Thank you Zapp's!

*Something I really like is one of Dr. Gemma's regular segments on her podcast, which I thought I'd try to adapt as I have so much I'd like to share that I never can get to it. One bite at a time ... maybe I can do it.

Two Summer Adult Cooking Classes at The Culinary Table Grandview

#1 Italian Alfresco Dinner Party      July 15th 6:30pm

Everything tastes better when you eat it outdoors, and no one enjoys dining alfresco quite as much as the Italians. At the first sign of warm weather, and until the evenings turn cool, Italians savor delightful food and wine while watching the world go by. Bring the flavors of Italy into your own backyard with this special menu designed for eating outdoors with family and friends.

• Bruschetta with Marinated Fresh Mozzarella
• Angel Hair Pasta with Homemade Pesto
• Grilled Seafood Skewers with Lemon
• Asparagus with Prosciutto

$45/per person
Register On-line


#2 Japanese Dinner Party      July 29th 6:30pm

Travel to Japan, an exotic and exciting country with a unique and timeless cuisine. The Japanese honor the natural flavors and textures of fresh seasonal ingredients. Every dish is artfully prepared, combining flavor with beauty, and tradition with modernity. Have a blast while learning to create simple and elegant food that is naturally good for you.

• Edamame
• Dynamite Sushi Rolls
• Chicken and Shiitake Gyoza with Ginger Dipping Sauce
• Miso-Marinated Seabass

$55/per person
Register on-line

Culinary Kids Cooking Summer Classes: On-line Sign-up Available

Click here to register on-line today!

Reviewing Dallas Food: Fireside Pies and Tiramisu from Cheesecake Royale Bakery

Pulled from my birthday celebration post for those who don't read my main blog:

Tiramisu from Cheesecake Royale
Tom came home half an hour early, having left work an hour early to drive to the other side of White Rock Lake to Cheesecake Royale where, which despite what you might expect from the bakery's name, he was picking up "the best tiramisu in Dallas."

You might think they would mention this on their website, but no. They are evidently hoping that the fact they even produce tiramisu will also be the best kept secret in Dallas. Anyway, it is truly amazing as is evidenced by the fact that we had it over ten years ago at an acquaintance's home who I no longer even recall by name. Wow. This bakery uses all fresh ingredients and starts from scratch each day. It shows. Delicious, creamy, not too sweet, and dripping a bit of fresh espresso from the lady fingers. So very good. So very much also as they sell it in a large plastic pan that is about 9x13".

Fireside Pies
Then we grabbed Kirsten (a college friend of Hannah's who is staying with us for a few weeks as she has begun working after graduating but needs to save up some deposit/rent money) and went to Fireside Pies on Henderson. I'd been curious about the quality of their pizza since they mention a wood burning oven and hand stretched dough.

Hoochy mama, that's good pizza! They definitely encourage communal dining as diners are advised that pizzas are good to share between two to three people, as are the salads (which are gigantic). We tried Jimmy's Spicy Italian Sausage Pizza (with Scamorza & Roasted Red Onions) and the Peta Pie (Sonoma Goat Cheese, Balsamic Mustard Portobellas, Arugula, Roasted Red Peppers, Roasted Pinon Nuts & Charred Tomato Vinaigrette). Both were delicious with thin, oven baked crust and perfectly balanced flavor. The sausage pizza was definitely spicy while the Peta Pizza almost seemed as if it came with salad atop it which made it a bit difficult to eat but the balsamic element shone through and made the trouble worth it. We were all full with four pieces total left over. Tom and I indulged in an Italian beer on tap which was a flavorful lager that complemented the pizza perfectly.

Truly Amazing Use of Flash ... And Food

And then there was salsa is something that you really need to see at the home site to appreciate. It's short. Enjoy this land of luscious tomato trees, spicy jalapeño cacti and canopies of fresh cilantro where anything is possible.