makes one 9” skillet cake
 
For the custard sauce-
 
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
½ cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped with paring knife
 
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and salt. In a medium saucepan, bring milk, heavy cream and sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Transfer the milk/cream/egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook,, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from the heat and strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer. Whisk in the vanilla bean seeds. Set the bowl of custard over a large bowl filled with ice and water, stirring occasionally until cool. Remove from over the ice bath, cover the custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
 
For the crumb-
 
1 cup white-whole wheat flour
½ cup + 2 tablespoons rolled oats
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. cardamom
¼ tsp. kosher salt
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon, cool unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (cut the butter and let it sit out to soften slightly)
⅓ cup sliced almonds (or the nuts of your choice)
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugars, ginger, cardamom and salt. Add the butter pieces, rubbing the mixture together with your fingers until it becomes crumbly with some large chunks. Add the nuts and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least half an hour.  
 
For the cake-
 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 large egg
½ cup buttermilk
¾ pound rhubarb, leaves removed, rinsed, stems cut into ½” pieces
¼ pound strawberries, lightly rinsed, stems removed, cut into quarters
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch cast iron skillet.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Combine orange zest with sugar, rubbing the zest into the sugar with your fingers to release the orange oil. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg. Add half of the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients, beating on low until the batter is smooth. Fold in the rhubarb, strawberries, and vanilla. Pour the batter into the cast iron skillet and top with the crumb.
 
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick tests clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Allow the cake to cool for several hours before serving with the custard sauce. Any leftover cake can be covered with plastic wrap and remain at room temperature for up to two days. Cover and refrigerate any leftover custard sauce.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

​adapted from Michelle Wojtowicz and The Big Sur Bakery
Makes 12 three inch scones
 
For the fruit: (You will need 1 cup total of Meyer lemon slices and kumquat slices)
1 medium Meyer lemon, rinsed, ends removed, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced, seeds removed (to yield ½ cup)
½ cup thinly sliced kumquats, (rinsed, seeds removed)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
 
In a medium bowl, toss the lemon slices and kumquat slices with the sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and set on the counter to macerate for at least two hours or up to several hours, until they soften and give off some liquid. When ready to assemble the scones, transfer the fruit to a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and strain off the liquid; you can save the liquid for beverages, if you wish. Line a small baking sheet with a paper towel and spread the fruit out in a single layer on the towel lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet with the fruit into the freezer while you prepare the scones.
 
For the scone dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup fine cornmeal
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest (Meyer or Eureka)
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1 tablespoon vanilla
¾ cup buttermilk

egg wash and coarse sanding sugar (see below)
 
In a small bowl, whisk together the vanilla and buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, lemon and orange zests, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Place the flour/butter mixture in the freezer for 15 minutes. Retrieve the bowl from the freezer; make a well in the center of the flour/butter mixture and drizzle in the vanilla/buttermilk, tossing with a fork until you have a shaggy dough. Gently fold the frozen lemon/kumquat slices into the dough.
 
Line one half sheet baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust a 3” biscuit cutter with flour. For each 3” scone, you will need 3 oz. of dough; lightly pack the dough inside the biscuit cutter, smooth the top so it is flat, then slide the dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough; you will have a total of 12 scones. Cover the scones with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for two hours or overnight.

To Bake the Scones:

Prepare an egg wash made from 1 whole egg whisked together with 1 tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. Have some coarse sanding sugar on hand for sprinkling.
 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer six of the scones directly from the freezer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 18-20 minutes, just until golden around the edges. You can bake off the second round of scones or wrap the frozen scones in plastic wrap, slide them into a ziploc bag and keep frozen; I’ve kept them frozen for a month and they baked up beautifully. Serve the scones warm with your choice of butter, cream, or marmalade. Wrap any leftovers.

​serves 6-8
 
for the pastry-  (this makes a generous amount; usually enough for a mini galette made out of the scraps)
3 cups all-purpose or white/whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1½ sticks (6 oz.) cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces
¾ cup ice cold water + 1 teaspoon vinegar
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and parmesan cheese. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Drizzle in the ice water/vinegar, tossing the mixture with a fork until it just holds together. Gather the dough into a disc, flatten it slightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out.
 
for the filling-

¾ cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh herbs, finely chopped (basil/thyme/chives/rosemary- any/all)
3-4 heirloom tomatoes, about 1½ pounds, rinsed, cored, sliced ¼” thick, drained on double thickness of paper towels
1 cup fresh cut corn kernels
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving
herbs to garnish
 
egg wash made from 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
 
To assemble-
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Retrieve the pastry dough from the refrigerator. Roll out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper into an oblong about 16” long by 12” wide and ⅛” thick. Spread the ricotta cheese evenly over the center of the dough, leaving a 1½” border. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the herbs over the ricotta. Cover the ricotta with the tomato slices, letting the tomatoes overlap slightly. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of herbs and the corn kernels.  Fold the outer ½” of dough over itself to form an even edge, pleating as you go. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate the galette for 20 minutes. Brush the edge of the galette with egg wash. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until golden, about 45 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Cool the galette for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with additional parmesan and herbs. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. 
 
 

​(adapted from Aunt Chick’s Pies)
makes one 10” pie
​
one 10” classic pie shell, frozen then blind-baked* (see the recipe index)
 
*Note- (The first thing I do when making this pie is to taste the blueberries. If they are very tart, I use the full amount of sugar; if they are sweet, I reduce the sugar by 1-2 tablespoons so you can really taste the lemon and the berries. To blind-bake the pie shell, line the frozen, unbaked shell with parchment paper and dried beans then place it on a baking sheet.  Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and beans, prick the bottom of the pie shell with a fork so it doesn’t puff up, and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes until the bottom of the pie shell is golden and no longer raw. Set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.)
 
For the filling-
 
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons cornmeal
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
pinch of kosher salt
4 oz. (one stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten with a whisk
2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed, picked over for stems, dried on paper towels
 
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, place the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar. Whisk in the cornmeal, flour and salt until combined. Gradually add the melted/cooled butter, whisking until incorporated then add the buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon juice, whisking until smooth.  Add the beaten eggs to the mix, stirring until well blended. Scatter the blueberries over the bottom of the pie shell. Slowly pour the buttermilk mixture over the berries; they will float to the top. Carefully transfer the pie to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35-40 minutes, covering the edges of the pie with strips of aluminum foil half way through baking. Bake until the edges are set, the top is golden and puffs slightly, and the middle of the pie jiggles a bit. It will continue to set as it cools. (You can also judge for doneness by using a small paring knife to see if it tests ‘clean’ in the middle.) Transfer to a rack and cool for several hours before slicing. Any leftovers should be covered and refrigerated.
 

Makes six doughnuts
(Depending on the size of the peaches, the finished pastries will range between 3½” and 4” each)
 
For the bourbon peaches-
6 ripe but firm, small donut peaches, rinsed, patted dry
1½ cups of your favorite bourbon (I used Woodford Reserve)
 
Infuse the peaches by placing them in a large, clean glass jar. Pour the bourbon over the peaches, then seal the jar with a tight fitting lid. Place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, turning the jar halfway through. Remove the peaches from the bourbon, place them in a clean container with a lid and refrigerate. Transfer the bourbon to a small saucepan and cook over low heat until reduced by half. Some of the reduced bourbon will flavor the custard cream filling. The remainder can be served with the doughnuts or reserved for cocktails.
 
For the pastry dough-

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
½ cup ice water combined with 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
 
egg wash made from one egg beaten with two teaspoons milk or cream
 
Place the ice water/vinegar in the refrigerator. Place the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Retrieve the ice water/vinegar from the fridge. Gradually add the liquid to the flour/butter mixture, using a fork to incorporate the liquid; the dough should just barely hold together. Gather the dough together and shape it into two discs; flatten them slightly. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, preferably overnight. Working with one disc of dough at a time, roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface or sheet of parchment paper to about ⅛” thickness. Use a 4½” cutter to cut out a total of 12 circles of dough. (Scraps can be wrapped and frozen.) Place the circles on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. (If you don’t have a 4½” cutter, you can use a half pint plastic container turned upside down, as a cutter.)
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
 
When ready to bake the doughnuts, line a half sheet baking pan with parchment paper. Retrieve the peaches from the refrigerator. Use a small biscuit cutter (either 1¼” or 1½” in diameter) to remove the peach pits. Place one peach on one circle of dough, drape a second circle of dough over the peach and use your fingers to join the two circles together, smoothing the sides. Set the dough wrapped peaches on the baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to help the dough hold its shape in the oven.
 
Bake on the bottom shelf of the preheated 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the peaches are tender (but not overly soft) and the pastry golden. Set aside on a rack to cool completely before filling and glazing.
 
For the custard cream filling-
(adapted from Stella Notte)
 
1 large egg
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
¼ cup sugar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoons bourbon reduction (reserved from peaches)
 
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cornstarch until smooth. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream (or half and half). Place the rest of the heavy cream (or half and half) in a heavy bottomed saucepan along with the sugar and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add 2 tablespoons of the hot mixture to the egg/cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly. Return the heavy cream (or half and half) to a boil, add the egg mixture and whisk constantly, (getting into the corners of the pan) until the mixture becomes quite thick. Remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Whisk in the butter, the vanilla, and the bourbon reduction. Cover the custard cream with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Cool, then refrigerate.
 
For the peach glaze-

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tablespoons peach puree from 1 small ripe peach, washed, peeled, pit removed, and puréed
sprinkles to garnish
 
Place confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons peach puree; the glaze should be smooth and not too runny.
 
To assemble-
 
Place the cold custard cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Use an offset spatula to gently remove the doughnuts from the baking sheet. Carefully turn them over onto a sheet of parchment paper. Poke a small hole into the bottom of each doughnut, then fill each doughnut with some of the custard cream. Carefully turn the doughnuts back over so they are right side up.  Place them on a cooling or icing rack set over a sheet of parchment. Use an offset spatula to glaze each doughnut then garnish with sprinkles. Refrigerate until serving. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. 
​

adapted from SAVEUR
makes six

Note: Combining white-whole wheat flour with full strength whole wheat and cornmeal makes for a pastry that is hearty, not heavy. I used the leftover scraps for cut-outs. Hand pies have a bad reputation for unfolding in the oven, exposing their fruity selves. It’s always a good idea to refrigerate or freeze the unbaked pies before baking; at the very least for 30 minutes, better still overnight and baked fresh in the morning.
 
For the pastry-

1½ cups white-whole wheat flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup finely ground cornmeal
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 oz. (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces
¼ cup ice cold water + 1 teaspoon orange juice (you may not use all of this)
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the white-whole wheat flour, the whole wheat flour, the cornmeal, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter using your fingers or a bench scraper until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle in the ice water/orange juice 1 tablespoon at a time using just enough to create a shaggy dough. Gather the dough together into two equal pieces, shaping each to form a rough rectangle. Flatten slightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out. 
 
When ready to roll the pastry, lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll into a 12” x 14” rectangle, about 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut three rectangles, measuring 4” x 6” out of each portion of dough. You will have 6 rectangles (and extra dough scraps for cut-outs.) Cut twelve 1”x 5” strips from the scraps and your choice of decorative cut-outs. Cover the pastry rectangles, the strips, and the cut-outs with plastic wrap or parchment, and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
 
For the filling-

3 medium nectarines, rinsed, halved, pitted, cut into ¾” chunks (2 cups)
½ cup blueberries, rinsed, picked over for stems
2 teaspoons orange juice
2 tablespoons mild honey
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
 
egg wash made from 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon cream or milk
coarse sugar for sanding
 
In a large bowl, combine the nectarines, blueberries, orange juice, honey, nutmeg, cornstarch, vanilla, and orange zest. Use a rubber spatula to turn the mixture making sure the cornstarch is completely incorporated.
 
Retrieve the pastry rectangles from the refrigerator. Working with one piece at a time, place a pastry rectangle on a parchment lined half-sheet baking sheet. Place 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each rectangle. Brush the outer edges of the rectangle with a little bit of egg wash. Place two 1”strips of dough across each pastry, creating an “X” then turn the long sides in, then the short sides, tucking the edges of the “X” inside each pie. Create a sturdy ½” border to hug the filling. Use your fingers to create a thick crimp around each filled pastry. Continue until all 6 rectangles are filled and edges folded. Brush the pies with egg wash, add the cut-outs and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate (or freeze) for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 10 minutes; move the baking sheet to the middle rack of the oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the fruit bubbles. (Oven time will depend upon how long the pies were refrigerated/frozen before baking.) Leftovers will keep covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.