Harvest Fruits

Fall is here, as of today, and so it’s time to change up our dessert choices. The peaches and berries have pretty much given out, but apples and pears are in full swing so it’s time to think about apple pies, pumpkin pies, pear tarts, and assorted crisps and betties. I also think fall and winter are the best time for desserts like buttermilk pie and sweet potato pie (which I like better than pumpkin pie anyway). And what better way to celebrat the advent of fall than with a collection of desserts?

Pear/Raisin Pie: I found this recipe at Epicurious and it was distinctly odd
— mainly because it looked like it would be good but I couldn’t figure out what it would taste like just by reading the recipe. Orange marmalade and vanilla extract? I just had to give it a shot. It’s not the prettiest pie crust I ever made (that’s my fault) But the pie was great!

Dutch Apple Pie: The fruit season comes to a close with the reds, greens, yellows, and golds of apples and pears. The fruit reflects the colors of the hillside and it’s flavors of sweet and tart somehow reflect the fluctuating temperatures, the lows and highs, of the fall. This recipe is fairly standard but does include a secret (not so secret anymore, I guess) ingredient.

Buttermilk Pie with Lemon/Mint Sauce: A few years ago I had lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Miss Bobo’s is no longer a boarding house although it is a lovely old two-story ante-bellum mansion that began life as a hotel before becoming a boarding house in 1908. There were three or four desserts available and I tried the only one I’d never had: Buttermilk Pie.

Pumpkin Pie: Although my mother taught all her children to cook, I don’t recall anything of my siblings’ efforts — with one exception. When Loren was 11 or 12 he decided one Halloween to make pumpkin pie from the Jack-o-Lantern. I’ve no idea what prompted him. And I vaguely recall my mother trying to talk him out of it (at 11 he’d have needed a lot of help). But he was determined. I don’t recall the results of his efforts either, but I suspect that given the fact that it wasn’t a cooking pumpkin it wasn’t very good. This one is.

Spiced Apple Cake: I almost never make cakes — perhaps once a year if that. But several years ago a friend invited me to his annual 42nd birthday party (42 is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything) and I decided to bake a cake. I found this one at William-Sonoma and it turned out every bit as good — and good looking — as it sounded. Hmm, I should probably make it again.

Sweet Potato Pie: I got this recipe from the Lees Bros. Southern Cookbook. As I commented in my review of it they look more like New York Jews or Bostonian Episcopalians than Southern Bubbas. But the boys are indeed Southern and this recipe for Sweet Potato pie with it’s slightly tart back-taste is the best sweet potato pie I’ve ever had.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | dessert

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