Apple Pear Crisp, Holiday Shows, Winter Sale!

We've had a breath between summer and winter Compass Rose Design shows and have been enjoying settling into the winter weather. A quick announcement - we finally made enough spoon rings to list - I made my first a couple years ago and now they are finally available in our shop.  We'll also have them at our Holiday Open Studio.

Autumn and winter conjure many memories of baking Dutch deserts with my mom. We would buy fruit by the flat from Jelich Ranch, one of the last working fruit farms in San Mateo County until the resurgence of organic farming.  Mr. Jelich was a larger than life old school farmer and a man who refused to sell land his orchards to developers as Silicon Valley took root. We'd pull up to the fruit stand in my mom's old deisel and honk the horn to announce our arrival- old school local commerce. I remember Mr. Jelich - and the vintage crate stickers and occasional risqué vintage pinup on the wall of the old fruit sand. There is nothing better than a fig or apple or pear freshly cut open by Mr. Jelich - a secret handful of berries - just for you. But these times are passed, and what remains is recipes and memories. Here's an old clipping with the great man himself just as I remember him.

Winter baking is about family and memory. Warm smells of appelkoek (apple cake) and pear tart conjure images of warmth, motherlove, home and hearth. It has long been a dream of mine to have fruit trees, and we finally do. My favorite is the apple and asian pear - each branch grows a different variety thanks to the art of grafting. Though I'd love to bake up a tray of tarts, apple crisp is another classic favorite - all the sentimental enjoyment at a fraction of the effort!

Apple/Pear Crisp Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 5 cups apples (or mix of Asian pear and apple)
• squeeze of lemon (or lime)
• touch of citrus zest for top (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Peel and slice apples and pears. Sprinkle with citrus juice and cinnamon. Mix other ingredients and sprinkle on top of apples in greased 8x8x2 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 40-55 minutes or until top is slightly browned and carmelized.

The recipe is super simple and has lots of wiggle room!

 

I didn't have a lemon to squeeze on the apples and pears to keep them from oxidizing, so I just used some lime. Then I added a bit of lime zest to the top - just a touch for a delightful and subtle zing.

 

Quick and easy to make and SO delicious!!

I did a mix of asian pears and apples and it was amazing!!! Delicious to behold!


WINTER SALE!
20% off until 11/18/12 with secret code: SNOW20 at www.compassrosedesignjewelry.com 

Winter Events

Bazaar Bizaare Holiday Show
December 1 & 2, 2012, 11am-6pm
Concourse Exhibition Center EAST HALL
620 Seventh St., San Francisco, Ca.

Trunk Show at 416 Gallery
w/ Kingmond Young Photography
December 6, 2012
416 Cortland, San Francisco, Ca.

Compass Rose Design Holiday Open Studios
December 8 & 9, 2012, 10am - 6pm
San Anselmo, Ca.
email for directions

Nightlife at the Academy
December 13, 2012, 6-10pm
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, Ca.

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