Mixed Berry Crumble

I have a soft spot for neglected fruit. Slightly bruised, a little overripe, sitting quietly in the corner minding its own business. They might be a little imperfect. They might be a little flawed. They might not make the cover of any magazines. They might be just like me (and maybe you).
When I was last at the market, I spotted a small table full of all the overdue summer berries, looking for a good home. These were the leftovers. The unwanted ones. As if to prove my point, a smarmy woman walked by and remarked, "Oh, would you look at those. A mile past their expiration date if you ask me." Well, I wasn't asking her. And I bought them just the same.
Bruised fruit is absolutely perfect to make tarts, pies, and crumbles. When I made this crumble, I could hardly contain myself when they were baking in the oven. The fruit bubbled and boiled, filling the air with sweet scents. And these crumbles? They actually sung. The fruit crackled. It popped. It hissed with the glorious sounds of bubbling over. These crumbles are worth making for that and that alone.

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Fleur de Sel Chocolate Figs

When I went to the market last weekend, I saw ripe figs for the first time. Real figs. They look nothing like I imagined (though I am not sure what I was picturing in the first place). I bought them out of curiosity and in the spirit of experimentation.
My first introduction to figs was on a long drive with my good friend Natasha. We had stopped at a gas station to fill the tank and she made it her mission to choose the best road trip food, which, as it turns out, are fig newtons. We nibbled away half a package in no time, laughing and seeing how many we could stuff in our mouths at once. Growing up in the plains of the Midwest, fig newtons were as close as I was going to get to the real deal.

Now that I have the real deal in my hands, I wanted to find a way to showcase the fig in its whole, glorious form. This just might be it.

These fleur de sel chocolate figs are intensely dark and decadent. The sea salt and the sugars in the fig become two parts in a precarious balancing act, closely toeing the line between ever so sweet and salty. This is a moody fruit, liable to change its nature at a moment's notice.

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Maple Roasted Bananas with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

I have begun a lifelong love affair with maple syrup. It started with pancakes, gravitated towards desserts, and found its way to savory foods (maple syrup is just fantastic on asparagus). But today we aren't talking about pancakes or savory foods. We are talking desserts. And this one is certainly a doozie.

When I set out to make these maple roasted bananas, I had no idea of the surprises in store for me. When you start to invent your own recipes, a little surprise here and there is bound to happen (though you never anticipate it). It started out innocently enough, with beautifully cut bananas drowning in maple syrup and brown sugar. What can I say? I let my guard down. So I put them in the oven, set the timer, and started putting away ingredients. About 4 minutes in, I smelled burnt sugar and rushed to the oven. The bananas were perfectly fine, oh yes they were, and I let out a brief sigh of relief. But the extra sugar in the pan had decided to boil and burn something awful. So, being completely practical, I turned on the broiler to harden the sugar on the bananas.

The fire alarm forced me to stop my experiment.

My bananas turned out perfectly despite this. My pan may be charred black, but who can care about that when these gorgeous bananas are staring you in the face? Some sugary syrup had been spared, so I drizzled this over the roasted bananas and added a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream. Oh. My God. I ate more than my fair share and licked my plate clean. Licked it spotless.

The cinnamon whipped cream keeps the sugar in check, so it is not overwhelming. Both the maple syrup and banana flavors shine. I could gush longer about how good this is, but I think its better if you just find out for yourself, don't you?

(Don't worry, I adjusted and tested the recipe so your baking venture will be a little less exciting).

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