Bountiful Baskets

Just a quick post today - I'm trying to get organized around my house (so far, My House is winning).

We placed our first order with Bountiful Baskets last week - a local Food Co-Op. Look at all the fresh goodness that we picked up on Saturday. I've been busy baking and cooking all week using the wonderful seasonal ingredients.



This was the regular basket order (that's half fruit, and half veggies), Plus the Italian Pack and a Case of Cherries. Thanks Roma for cluing me in to this - took me awhile to get around to an order, but it won't be the last.

My hubby and Little K both have a Sweet Tooth (or 2), so I did some baking.



First there was a Peach Tart. This recipe is from Paula Dean. I used Strawberry Jam for the glaze because it's what I had in the fridge. Other than that small change - I followed the recipe as is (I know, hard to believe - right!).



I also made a small Peach Custard with the extra ingredients that didn't fit into the tart pan. It's basically the Peach Tart without the crust. I'm not a big custard fan, and really didn't think I would like it without the yummy butter crust, but it was really good. Smooth and Silky.

Next came a Rustic Apple Pie.



It's made the same as a regular Apple Pie, just without the pie plate. I roll out the crust and place it on a baking sheet lined with Silpat. Plop the apple mixture in the center of the crust and fold up the edges. I added a little crystallized sugar for sparkle and an egg wash for browning.



I make my pie crust in the food processor, so there is no floury mess all over the counter. I also pre-cook my apple slices (in this case, rough cut apple chunks). That way, the apples are assured to be soft and tender, the crust doesn't overbrown (waiting for the apples to cook), and I can keep the moisture under control - there is nothing worse than a watery Apple Pie. They are cooked in a saute pan with a little sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and flour. Quantities of each depend on your taste, and how "wet" you apples are.

Finally - we made a batch of Ratatouille using the Eggplant and other vegetables. Little K wasn't to thrilled about this recipe as we had just rented the Movie Ratatouille, and she was convinced there was more than just veggies in it.



I used a combination of several recipes. I don't think the traditional version is supposed to have mushrooms, but I had them available, so I added them. One of the recipes I saw used capers, so I included those as well.

Lots of other good stuff has been cooked up this week using our Bountiful Basket Harvest, not to mention what we ate fresh (carrots, grapes, melon, strawberries, cherries). The bananas got over ripe before we finished them, so I think they are headed into some Banana Nut Bread. I also have a freezer full of pitted cherries with plans for a pie and maybe some jam.

But first - I have to get back to conquering my house and all its disorganized belongings.