Pear and Cranberry Gingersnap Crumble

Today marks one week to the signal of the beginning of the Christmas season. Black Friday. Black Friday starts at midnight for some stores in my area. I, for one, have never been a fan of black Friday. I might have gone this year, with stores opening at midnight, because I can do late night shopping trips. I don't think I will ever, ever, get up at three or four in the morning to go shopping. I would get up at three or four in the morning to bake, or something along those lines, but never to shop. I am not much of a shopper. I am a 'get in there, get it, and get out of there' kind of girl. My dad, on the other hand, is a shopper. What ever shopping gene is out there he got double and I got none. It used to make me crazy. I felt like there was no sense in looking at all of said item, if a perfectly good one was sitting right in front of me.
That said, I am looking forward to the baking I will be doing next week, especially since my mom and I are hosting our annual holiday boutique starting on black Friday. I will be furnishing hungry shoppers with biscotti, scones, savory breads, pumpkin loaves, and apple turnovers. Now that gets me excited.
I wanted to share a little treat I discovered over at my new favorite blog. I have made a very few small changes in the recipe, here it is in its entirety.

I made this for a little get together we had a few weeks ago, after I read about it on her blog. I fell in love instantly, and a star was born. We had quite a bit left over, so I got to enjoy it again and again. I also had to hold the food for over an hour and it held up quite well. This is absolutley perfect for a potluck or any similar get together you have coming up over the next week, or just make one and bring it to a neighbor or friend who doesn't have family around for the holidays.

I served mine with vanilla bean ice cream, the author suggests using freshly whipped cream.

Topping1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 cup gingersnap crumbs ( about 16 storebought cookies)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon  salt
Pinch of  pepper
1/2 cup ( 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Filling2 pounds (about 4 to 5) large ripe pears (I used Anjou) peeled, halved, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cups dried sweetened cranberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Put cranberries in a bowl with 1 cup of water for about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, gingersnap crumbs, ginger and salt. Stir in the melted butter until large crumbs form.
Drain the cranberries.
In a 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish, mix the pears, cranberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together then toss it with the fruit mixture in the pan.
Sprinkle the gingersnap crumble over the fruit. Place in the oven and bake it for about 45 minutes, until the crumble is a shade darker and you see juices bubbling through the crumbs.

It's That Time of Year...

Since fall is approaching, I decided it's about time I began making scones again. I am not talking about that piece of cardboard that hides under a thin layer of icing trying to pass itself off as a scone, commonly found at Starbucks coffee shops.
These scones are amazing. Extremely tender with a wide variety of spices and dried fruits you can add in to create any scone you choose. I love to make them as a fall treat. If you leave out the special additions and skip the sugar these are quick and delicious biscuits that are wonderful paired with spicy sausage gravy for breakfast, or as a southern side with dinner.
The variations are amazing. Lemon-poppy seed and dried cranberry-orange are some of my favorites. The sky's the limit when it comes to these breakfast treats. You could substitute 1/4 cup of the flour for cocoa powder and drizzle them with ganache. Make apple cinnamon, sour cherry and orange, lemon-blueberry, dried apricots with toasted hazelnuts or toffee chip (mmmm!). A few simple ingredients and you have a delicious partner for coffee on a lovely fall day.
One scone that is a particular favorite of mine is the gingerbread scone. There is a delicious topping you can use made from apples, but I don't ever usually bother with it. I just drizzle the top with powdered sugar icing, or make a cream cheese frosting (see below). They are also divine when slathered with butter. They cook for 14-17  minutes in the oven and they come together in a snap in the food processor-how easy can it get?

Also, here is a little tip: If you don't have buttermilk (I highly recommend keeping a quart or half gallon of the cheap stuff in your fridge for amazing baked goods and presoaking chicken and onion rings before frying) but if you don't, microwave 1 cup milk for about 30 seconds until it is lukewarm. Stir in 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Works like a charm.

Basic Scones
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold  butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F and position and oven rack in the center. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a thin silicone mat. Place the flour 1/4 cup sugar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of the food processor and process for 10 seconds to blend well. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse 5 times at 1-second intervals, or until the butter is cut into medium pieces. Add your extras now.
 Pour in the buttermilk and pulse another 20 times, or until the dough holds together in large, thick clumps. Use a spatula to scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently squeeze or knead the clumps together until they form a cohesive dough.
If the dough seems sticky, lightly dust your work surface with flour. Pat the dough in a circle about 1 inch thick and roughly 7 inches in diameter. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 equal wedges and transfer to a prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
If you would like too, brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. If you make a drizzle this step is definitely not necessary. Bake for 14-17 minutes, until firm to the touch and golden brown. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Extras
1/2 cup dried sour cherries and finely grated zest of one orange
1/2 cup dried cranberries and finely grated zest of one orange
1/2 blueberries and finely grated zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon poppy seeds and finely grated zest of one lemon
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots and 1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries and 1 tsp finely grated ginger

For gingerbread scones: substitute sugar for 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves to the flour mixture. decrease buttermilk to 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp, and add 2 tablespoons light unsulfered molasses.

Cream Cheese Drizzle
Blend:
4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup of milk, plus more as needed to achieve desired consistency