Kasey Wilson: Homey fruit desserts for fall

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When pastry chef Bruno Feldeisen arrived in the U.S. from France in 1988, he had never heard of fruit crisps or cobblers. After a week exploring New York City, he stepped into a bookstore and found The American Baker by Jim Dodge.

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“It was a revelation to me,” says Feldeisen. “I was like ‘Wow, they have bakers in America!’ And right there were the recipes and inspiration for many desserts — all tasty with real soul.”

He learned how centuries of immigrants from Holland, Germany, Italy and other lands made North America a place of endless possibilities.

And he applies that knowledge in his charming book, Baking with Bruno: A French Baker’s North American Love Story.

You can use apples, peaches, apricots, plums, pitted cherries or a mixture of fruit for baked desserts. Add raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries or chopped candied ginger. The toppings can be varied by adding chopped hazelnuts, sliced almonds or sesame seeds or replace oats with granola.

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Warm Blueberry Crisp with Brown Sugar-Oats Streusel

The crunchy oats in this recipe add a unique texture when used as a topping on any pie or crumble. It’s also delicious on its own once baked. Adapted from Baking with Bruno: A French Baker’s North American Love Story.

Streusel Topping:

1 cup (250 mL) cake flour

¾ cup (180 mL) light brown sugar

½ cup (125 mL) rolled oats

1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt

1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda

1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon

2 tbsp (30 mL) ground coffee (optional)

¾ cup (180 mL) butter, cubed

Filling:

4 cups (1L) fresh or frozen blueberries

¼ cup (60 mL) orange juice

½ cup (125 mL) sugar

1/3 cup (80 mL) light brown sugar

2 tbsp (60 mL) cornstarch

1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F.

For the streusel, Place cake flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and coffee if using in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add vanilla. Add butter and mix on low speed until mixture is blended and has a sandy texture. (Streusel may be refrigerated in an airtight for up to 5 weeks.)

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For filling, combine orange juice, both sugars, cornstarch, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Add blueberries and gently toss until coated with ingredients. Transfer to an 8-inch pie plate and top evenly with streusel. Bake for 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender. Makes 4 servings.

Pear Crisp

12 pears (Bartletts are good), peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges

1 cup (250 mL) sugar

3/4 cup (175 mL) dry red wine or apple juice

1/2 cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup

2 tbsp (25 mL) fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp (25 mL) cornstarch

1 cup (250 mL) uncooked oatmeal

1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tbsp (15 mL) ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

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Preheat an oven to 350 ̊F.

In a large bowl, combine pears, granulated sugar, wine, maple syrup, lemon juice and cornstarch. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Using a fork, incorporate the butter into the mixture. It will be quite dry.

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and fill with the pears. Sprinkle the oatmeal mixture over the top, pressing gently to even it out. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and golden. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 12.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler

Food writer Johanna Burkhard uses this recipe for each fruit as it comes into season (frozen, unthawed fruit may be used). Heating the filling before adding the topping prevents the biscuit mixture from becoming soggy on the bottom.

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Filling:

4 cups (1 L) fresh or frozen chopped rhubarb

2 cups (500 mL) sliced strawberries

¾ cup (175 mL) sugar

2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch

1 tsp (5 mL) grated orange zest

Topping:

1 cup (250 mL) flour

¼ cup (50 mL) sugar plus more for sprinkling

1½ tsp (7 mL) baking powder

¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

¼ cup (50 mL) cold butter, cut into bits

1 tsp (1 mL) pure vanilla extract

½ cup (125 mL) milk

Preheat oven to 400F.

For the filling, place rhubarb and strawberries in 9-inch round or square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and orange zest. Sprinkle mixture over fruit and toss gently.

Bake filling for 20 to 25 minutes (30 minutes if using frozen fruit) or until hot and bubbles appear around edges.

Meanwhile, make the topping: Measure flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir vanilla into milk and add to dry ingredients all at once, stirring quickly to make a soft, sticky dough. Set aside.

As soon as you remove the filling from the oven, drop the topping mixture onto it in 8 large spoonfuls. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Return cobbler to oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes more, until top is golden and fruit is bubbly.

Makes 8 servings.

Kitchen Hack: Salvaging Overwhipped Cream

If you accidentally beat your cream too long and it begins to look curdled, try this trick: Gently fold unwhipped cream into the mixture 1 tablespoon at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.