Back-to-School Raspberry Bars

It's true, I haven't been in school in five years. A working girl doesn't know from summer vacation, and there's no annual school supplies shopping spree at Staples anymore. I miss summer break, and, like any school supplies nerd, I miss those colored sticky tabs I used to use to mark key pages in my textbooks. After five years in the workforce, I've somehow managed to wean myself off the small thrills of being a student (even the discounts at JCrew, which I'd love just about now). But there's one school-time habit that's still going strong, one that I imagine will continue for years to come. At the profession-steeped age of 27, I'm still making myself back-to-school snacks.

Yes, friends. I may have replaced my classroom desk with a cubicle (glamorous, I know), but that doesn't mean my weakness for school snacks has suddenly disappeared. A good fruit bar or a handful of tamari almonds or a fruit bar makes the day go by faster. When the fruit bar consists of toasty oats, pecans, and homemade jam? All the better.

I feel like I say this every week, but I have Karen DeMasco to thank for this recipe. Her book, The Craft of Baking, is the force behind many of the great things I've baked this year -- from those cheesy scones to that lovely blueberry tart and the strawberry tart, too. These raspberry bars were yet another hit. They've got loads of that oat-nut-butter-sugar combo that makes crumbles and crisps so good. Only here, the stuff is on bottom and top, sandwiching a thick layer of raspberry jam. Am I saying they're good for you? No, I'm not. Not all snacks need be healthy. Or, if you must, call it a casual, unfussy dessert. It's really good, and it's been the bright spot of the last 5 or 6 days at the office.

If you've gone back to school, make a batch of these for the next week of classes. If you're back at the daily grind, make a batch of these for those dreary moments at work. If you're hangin' out with the kids, working from home or on location, or whatever, make a batch of these, or three. They're great, always. All the time.

Back-to-School Raspberry Bars

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan 1 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Spread the chopped pecans in a pie plate and toast for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the rolled oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and pecans. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the melted butter until the oat mixture is thoroughly combined.

Press two-thirds of the oat mixture in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared baking pan and top with the raspberry preserves. Sprinkle the preserves with the remaining oat mixture.

Bake the bars for about 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until the top is golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the granola bars cool completely, about 3 hours. Cut into squares and serve.

Peach Blackberry Buckle

Hello, friends! I'm back from California, my tote fully stocked with edible goodies and pictures galore. I'll be spending some time this weekend sorting through the 1,171 pictures I took for highlights beautiful or mouthwatering enough to share with you all. My fuel for the picture-perusing is a generous helping of this crisp, and while the post on NorCal technically should come first, this can't wait.

Within hours of landing in DC, I was at the supermarket, loading up on groceries. They say you shouldn't shop while hungry. Not only was I ravenous, I was desperate to get back in the kitchen: having spent the weekend before our trip in New York, and the 3 days before that emptying out our fridge in preparation for the time away, I hadn't cooked in nearly 2 weeks. Needless to say, I left the grocery store armed with more groceries than one gal can reasonably carry.

Among my haul was a bag of peaches so juicy and ripe, they practically begged to be eaten. A couple came with me as a work snack, but the weekend rolled around, the farmers' market had gorgeous, jewel-like blackberries on special, and before you knew it, a plan was hatched for peach blackberry crumble. Also? The weather in DC right now is the winter of summer -- a mere 80 degrees! -- which means our house is cool enough that the oven may be turned on without igniting a (literal?metaphorical?) fire. Halleluyah.

Sweet, supple peaches and tart, bursting blackberries are meant for each other, whether in pie, in ice cream, or here, in a humble buckle. The topping can be made in countless different ways; I like adding oats (when we have them in the house) for a more rustic texture, and some chopped nuts in the filling can have the same effect. As long as you adhere to the basic ratio of dry ingredients to sugar to butter, you can vary the recipe as you like. In this version, I used some ground almonds in place of oats, and I added chopped pistachios for texture.

Small secret: I didn't have quite enough peaches, so I used 2 frozen apricots in place of the peach I lacked. It won't shock you that the result was, you know, delicious. The whole point of the buckle/crumble/crisp family is to not sweat the details. It's summer, people. Don't we sweat enough already?

If anyone's looking for me, tell them I'll be sitting cross-legged on the couch, computer on my lap, with a bowl of this buckle in one hand and a deep spoon in the other. Popeye needs his spinach, and I need my buckle. Vaca pictures coming soon.

Peach Blackberry Buckle

2 1/2 lbs. peaches, halved, pitted, and sliced 1 pint blackberries, rinsed 3 tablespoons flour 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 to 1 cup flour, depending on other additions Add any of the following to the flour, for a total of 1 1/4 cups dry ingredients:

1/2 cup oats 1/2 cup almond flour 1/4 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350.

In medium bowl, mix fruit, 3 tablespoons flour, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until combined. Set aside.

In separate bowl, combine butter, salt, remaining sugar and flour, and other ingredients you wish to add, and use a fork to mash together until butter is fully incorporated. If you're being nitpicky, you can mix the dry ingredients first and then add the butter, so everything is evenly distributed. I'd rather chance it; this is summer, prime time to be lazy.

Pour fruit and accumulated juices into a wide shallow serving dish (8x13 pan, 8, 9, or 10-inch round pan, or 8x8 square pan all work). Sprinkle crumb topping over fruit. Bake for 50 minutes, until juices are bubbling and topping is golden brown. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving; this is important because it lets the juices settle and thicken, so you won't wind up with peach-blackberry soup (appealing as that sounds). Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Apricot Basil Ice Cream

Admittedly, it all started with apricot curd. I know, I know...more curd? You must think I've gone mad. But consider the humble apricot, whose thrilling tang and sultry sweetness lies pretty much dormant until cooked. Rhubarb is much the same, and you'll remember how that turned out - so can you blame me for trying again? No, you can't. And let me tell you, that apricot curd was really, really good.

But then it got really, really hot in DC. When it's 100 degrees out with 99% humidity, it's hard to rationalize making anything but cold soup and ice cream. So I turned back to my humble apricots, wondering if I could turn them into something sweet, tangy, and frozen.

I did so with the help of my summer partner in crime, the ice cream king himself, David Lebovitz. Of course, David has an apricot ice cream recipe. But his is eggless, and after tasting that amazing curd, I knew I wanted my ice cream be similarly rich and yolky. I figured with all that richness, I'd need some contrast, so I decided to add in some basil. From there, things sort of figured themselves out. Now there's apricot basil ice cream in the freezer, and it's taking my every ounce of self control not to polish it off right now. You know wha.....

Um...

...Oops.

Apricot Basil Ice Cream

1/2 cup water 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 10 small basil leaves (use the plant's inner leaves, which have a more delicate flavor); if using larger leaves, use only 5 1 pound fresh apricots (I needed 9 sizable fruits) 1 cup heavy cream 2 egg yolks juice of a small lemon wedge

In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer water, sugar, and basil leaves until sugar melts and basil goes limp, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let sugar-water mixture steep 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, halve the apricots by slicing along their dimple all the way around. Remove the pits, which should slip out easily. Slice each half into 2 or 3 pieces. By now the basil mixture should be finished; remove basil leaves, pressing against the side of the pan with the back of the spoon to coax all the flavor out of them. Discard basil.

Transfer apricot pieces into saucepan containing basil-infused syrup. Return heat to medium, and cook until apricot pieces are soft and tender, about 8 minutes. Set pan aside and bring to room temperature.

If you have a hand blender, use it to puree the apricot mixture right in the pan until smooth. Alternatively, puree apricots in blender or food processor. Transfer apricot mixture to bowl of double boiler or, if you don't have one, transfer apricot mixture to a metal bowl, and add egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Set bowl over a small saucepan with a couple inches of water in it, turn heat to medium, and begin heating apricot mixture over water, stirring thoroughly and often. After about 7 minutes over the simmering water, apricot mixture should begin to thicken. It will only thicken slightly, never getting as viscous as creme anglaise or pudding. The whole thing should be done after 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in lemon juice.

Pour cream into large bowl and set strainer over the bowl. Pour apricot custard through strainer into cream. Press on any solids left behind, then discard. Stir custard and cream together until they turn a uniform shade of light orange. Chill thoroughly.

Process ice cream in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Brownie Buttons

When I was a kid, my mom and I baked brownies about once a week. My mom had her homemade recipes, which of course are excellent -- but as a kid, all I ever wanted was Duncan Hines. I would always make sure I was on my best behavior throughout, so that when we were done, I could take my spoon to the mixing bowl and lick it spotless. Duncan still has a special spot in my heart, but when I'm craving brownies these days, I turn to these. They're a more grown-up, sophisticated version of the classic treat. Rest assured, they'll quiet even the strongest of brownie cravings.

Other times, I want a nibble, an after-school snack of a brownie that's just big enough and chocolatey enough to take the edge off my hunger and stave my appetite till dinner. That's when these brownie buttons come in oh-so-handy. I can see the parents and babysitters sitting up straight in their chair: bring your kids one or two of these buttons, and I doubt they'll give you a hard time for the rest of the evening. Ok, maybe just the babysitters will get off that easy -- but I know I'd have liked to have these to give to those kids I used to sit for. Not that they weren't wonderful. But pop a brownie in those little hands, and I can only imagine the little angels they'd have become!

Brownie Buttons adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours makes 12-16, depending on size

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces 2.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Butter two mini-muffin tins and place on a baking sheet

In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt.

Melt butter, chocolate, and brown sugar in small saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly to ensure that chocolate doesn't burn. When mixture is smooth, remove from heat and cool 2 minutes.

Stir vanilla and egg into chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Then add flour mixture and stir just until it disappears into the chocolate. The batter will be smooth and glossy.

Spoon batter into muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake 14 minutes; then transfer pans to racks to cool for 2-3 minutes before releasing the brownies from the tins, using a dull knife if necessary.