This week’s collection of recipes is intended for cooks who are caught short at a gathering of family or friends because they mistakenly believe the false adage that people lose their appetites in summer.
It is true that in the heat of summer, some people do eat less food some of the time. But when the temperature isn’t pushing 100 degrees, when the dining room air-conditioning is functioning or a fresh breeze is blowing across a porch, patio or picnic grove, most people of my acquaintance eat pretty normally.
That doesn’t mean they’ll say they’re still hungry straight out. Sometimes you can’t tell until they realize that the small scoop of chicken salad atop a pile of bean sprouts with a garnish of tender basil leaves was it. At that point, a mournful expression appears on their faces, and a few of them-mostly the younger ones-may ask if there are any potato chips. You, in turn, wish you could call on the Kitchen Genie to produce some tasty treat that would leave them content and smiling.
The crucial word here is “treat.” We all know that the true treat of summer is perfectly ripe, fresh local fruit. If you have access to some, serve it. You must, however, realize that for the unsatiated, fruit by itself-or even with cream and sugar-won’t turn frowns to grins. For that to happen, the fruit needs to be combined with or served alongside something substantial.
Ice cream will do the trick, especially when it is accompanied by some cookies or a slice of poundcake. Another upbeat conclusion to dinner is a homey, old-fashioned dessert such as a cobbler or a crisp. In the morning the introduction of a coffeecake to a sparsely laid breakfast table can work wonders on cloudy dispositions. The appearance of a basket of muffins at brunch is no less effective.
But in my home, the aforementioned Kitchen Genie can come to the rescue only if some human has done some buying or baking beforehand.
Here, for those who choose to bake, are several simple recipes-all using fruit-that will make the genie look pretty good. The nicely citric lemon-cake muffins are a Sunday brunch tradition at the Cypress Club in San Francisco. My sister came upon the delicious coffeecake recipe but doesn’t remember where. The cobbler comes from Jeanne Voltz and Caroline Stuart’s excellent new volume, “The Florida Cookbook,” and it’s back to San Francisco for Bradley Ogden’s apricot-and-ginger crisp. The fragrant tangerine compote is a twist on the theme-something to enliven a presentation of plain cake or cookies.
CYPRESS CLUB’S LEMON-CAKE MUFFINS
About 18 muffins
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Grated or chopped peel of 1 lemon (optional garniture)
1. Melt butter and set aside. Beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar until light. Mix buttermilk, lemon juice and zest together and add to creamed mixture.
2. Whip egg whites to a soft peak and slowly add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, whipping to a stiff peak. Stir flour, baking powder and salt into the egg-yolk mixture. Fold in butter and then egg whites. Pour into buttered muffin cups and, if desired, sprinkle some lemon peel atop each one. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
CRANBERRY COFFEECAKE
10 to 12 servings
For the cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 can (16 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
For the frosting:
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
Lemon juice to taste
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream margarine, add sugar, then unbeaten eggs, one at a time. Combine baking powder, soda, salt and flour. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Add optional almond extract.
2. Grease a 10-inch tube pan. Pour in half the batter, then half the cranberry sauce. Top with remaining batter and then add remaining sauce. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and place on a cookie rack. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out the cake onto the rack.
3. Combine confectioners’ sugar, water and lemon juice. Frost cake while it is still warm.
STRAWBERRY COBBLER
Six servings
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 cups strawberries, washed, capped and large ones cut in half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Stir over moderate heat until the mixture thickens. Add the berries and cook until thick and tinted pink throughout, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and lemon juice.
2. Put the butter in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet and place in the oven until the butter is melted, tilting the pan once or twice so butter covers the bottom evenly. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the flour, the remaining 1 cup sugar, baking powder and the milk. Mix well and pour into the melted butter, gently spreading the batter to cover the bottom of the pan. Pour the berry mixture over the batter, but do not stir. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 1 hour, or until lightly browned on top. The crust will rise to the top as it bakes. Serve warm.
-From “The Florida Cookbook” (Knopf), by Jeanne Voltz and Caroline Stuart
TANGERINE POTPOURRI
Two servings
2 tangerines
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
2 or 3 grinds white pepper from a mill
1/4 cup Meletti (Italian anisette liqueur)
10 mint leaves, shredded
1. Peel tangerines and divide into sections. In a bowl, combine five-spice powder, pepper and liqueur. Stir, then add tangerine sections. Chill until 15 minutes before serving.
2. Portion sections into 2 dishes and garnish with shredded mint.
Note: For a twist, fold the mint into whipped cream or plain yogurt and spoon atop the fruit.
BRADLEY OGDEN’S APRICOT-AND-GINGER CRISP
Four servings
For the fruit filling:
1/3 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 1/2 pounds fresh apricots (approximately 5 cups pitted and halved)
For the topping:
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
4 scoops vanilla or cinnamon ice cream (optional topping)
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the fruit filling. In a medium bowl, combine the light-brown sugar, flour, ginger, cinnamon and zest. Add the apricots and toss gently until they are lightly coated. Set aside.
2. Prepare the topping: Combine flour, dark-brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and ground ginger in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Place the apricots in an 8-by-10-inch baking dish, cover evenly with the topping and bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until the fruit is soft and the topping is crisp. Serve warm. If desired, top each portion with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.
-From “Bradley Ogden’s Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner” (Random House)
