Fall Has Flung

As I kick and scream at the thought of summer being over, the one saving grace is the return of perhaps my favorite dessert: apple crisp. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the fall, wearing my new boots, and the damn foliage that people travel so far to see. But that first dip in temperature each season makes my heart hurt.

To console myself and my first weekend not spent at Crane’s Beach, I went fruit picking with the lovely Katie and Danielle. We drove out to the Shelburn Farm in Stow, where both apples and peaches were available for picking. I’ve lived in MA for 25 years and did not know up until this point that peaches grew in this state; for the first time my commitment to the film ‘A League of Their Own’ has lead me astray.  Of course, we also sampled the freshly fried cider donuts covered in cinnamon sugar as well, and I’d suggest the mini road trip for those alone.

The breathtaking Ms. Shea

After picking a peck of both Peaches and Cortland apples, I realized I had WAY too much fruit for my two person apartment.  Katie showed us how to make peach jam, which was awesome, except I realized I don’t know what I’d eat the peach jam with. Instead, I found this recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker (bitch stole my name) for Peach Crumb Bars:

Peach Crumb Bars, Sorry forgot to take a pic post-cutting

They were pretty simple and went like hotcakes at work. I will say that the fresh peaches made the bottom a bit mushy, so I’d suggest using about 2/3 the base for the bottom. I also think some toasted slivered almonds would make a great addition to the top and would contrast nicely with the soft peaches.

Saturday night, Reggie and I tackled apple crisp. He has the amazing ability to peel an apple in one strand, which cut down on prep time quite a bit. The crisp was delicious, and we did some serious damage to the pan that evening. 

Slaughtered Apple Crisp

Sunday I also decided to tackle baguettes once again (given last week’s debacle in class). The dough was super tough (we used a kitchen aid to mix in class) and I seriously think I may have bruised my hands kneading/punching the dough (is that possible?). After folding the baguettes, I forgot the crucial step of rolling them out. Hence, the funky shape. But amazingly they tasted pretty good! I also played around with the washes-you can see the different between the water (crustier bread) and the egg yolk/milk combo (darker color, but softer crust).  I also still had some issues with the scoring; maybe a year from now I’ll be able to make a loaf of bread.

As I continue to warn my retail clients about upcoming seasonality (Christimas is coming? Sales go up? No shit, Sherlock!) I can’t help think about my own upcoming gifts. Given the amount I baked this weekend, you can all feel free to buy my gift certificates to Lane Bryant this Christmas season.