Summer fresh fruit is the best, but sometimes a grandchild is reluctant to try some new fruit no matter how much we grandmas might try to entice them to do so. This Grandma has found that the best way to get grandchildren to try new fruits is to bake a dessert with the fruit. My grandchildren already turn to me and say that they know they must try something fifteen times with me. I read somewhere that it takes fifteen “tastes” to develop a taste for a new food.
When I saw this Apricot, Cherry, and Graham Cracker Crumble recipe by Chris Morocco on a bon appetit twitter in June 2015, I first looked for the number of ingredients, as this Grandma looks for a simple recipe with few ingredients when baking with grandchildren. Then I looked at how long it was estimated to take to put together. Fifteen minutes is just perfect.
Our grandchildren will get an opportunity to try fresh apricot. They ate the baby food by the jar, but it is a challenge to get them to try this orange colored fruit. Tying it with graham crackers, which they still love, makes it a hit. Cherries are not as hard to get a grandchild to try, but it may mean buying a jar of the sweet maraschino cherries they love to nibble on as we make the recipe with real fresh cherries. Remember to cover counters and floors with old towels for easy cleanup.
Fruit recipes are great opportunities to teach grandchildren how to select fruit. For example, smell a cantaloupe to see if it smells sweet. Take the grandchild to the supermarket to buy the fruit. Here is how to select apricots from Wikihow.
“Select for colour and firmness. Choose apricots that are firm to touch, plump in appearance and possess a deep orange or yellow/orange colour. A red tinge is also often present. Look for fruit that is unblemished, as apricots bruise easily. Although squishier, bruised apricots are ideal for use in sauces, moisture and flavor addition in baked goods etc. So, if you can get them at a bargain price, don’t overlook them.” Since we are using them to bake with, we can looks for squishier. Grandchildren will love that word.
Then we learn more about how to ripen and store them: “Ripen immature apricots in a paper bag. If you cannot buy apricots that are ripe enough, use a paper bag to help ripen them. Fold the bag over and keep this bag at room temperature until the apricots have softened a little. Keep out of direct light and the apricots should ripen within 2 – 3 days. Unripened apricots can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. Store apricots in a refrigerator. You can place apricots into a sealed container and refrigerate them for up to one week. Be sure that they are ripened first, as they will not ripen in the refrigerated environment.”
Here is how to select cherries.
“Look for cherries that have firm and glossy skin. There should be no blemishes on the fruit. They should feel hard and have a darker tinge (the depth of which will be dependent on their variety). Look for bright green stems. These are a good indicator of cherry health and freshness.” This Grandma did not know to look at the stems. Then we learn more about how to ripen and store them: “Keep cherries for a very short time at room temperature, for longer refrigerated or frozen. Keep at room temperature. These will only be good for up to 2 days. If cherries are to be eaten from a bowl left out at room temperature, be sure to wash and dry all cherries so that people can take them without worrying whether or not they are already washed. Replace every day. Place in the refrigerator. Keep cherries in a plastic bag. They will stay fresh for 3-5 days, or even up to two weeks. If you have a lot of cherries, divide between smaller bags to prevent bruising. Do not wash before placing in the fridge (this will encourage deterioration); do so prior to eating instead.”
There is so much we can teach the grandchildren without really teaching. Thinking about a vanilla bean, I found out on the internet that a single vanilla bean is hard to find and may cost about $9! That is a teaching moment, especially when we now can teach about vanilla extract and substitution to save money. According to google, “As far as conversions go, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract is equal to one 2-inch piece of vanilla bean, so 1 typical vanilla bean will equal 3 teaspoons extract.” Now we can look for a single vanilla bean at the supermarket (mostly found at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods or Costco, according to the internet) and compare the cost of vanilla extract. For your information, look at a picture of a vanilla bean on line and show the grandchild. It looks like a string bean. Then anticipate the next question. What is the difference between a vanilla bean and vanilla extract? Here is the answer for you and how to select each.
“Many people rely on good old-fashioned vanilla extract for their baking needs largely because it’s easy to find and relatively affordable. Vanilla extract is made by macerating vanilla beans in a mixture of alcohol and water. When purchasing a bottle, avoid the imitation versions as they they tend to have a weaker, often tinny aftertaste. Splurge for the real stuff here.”
“Speaking of splurges, vanilla beans, while on the pricier side, are the ultimate in flavoring and scenting baked goods. Vanilla beans consist of an almost waxy dark brown pod filled with thousands of little brown flavorful specks. When purchasing them, you want to make sure the beans are plump and smooth, never dry. They should smell highly fragrant and have a slight shine to them. The big perk to using vanilla beans is the way the thousands of little black dots fleck throughout your batter. For lighter, fluffier desserts like white cakes, cupcakes, or muffins I’ll always use a vanilla bean because the flavor is so intense and the visual component of being able to see the little black specks in the finished product is always satisfying.”
If you are like me, I had to look up what macerating is. According to Wikipedia, “In food preparation, maceration is softening or breaking into pieces using a liquid. Raw, dried or preserved fruit or vegetables are soaked in a liquid to soften the food and/or absorb the flavor of the liquid into the food.” Now we have a new vocabulary word that we learn along with the grandchild.
The recipe calls for the seeds inside the vanilla bean, so I think we can avoid the necessity of macerating. Who knew a vanilla bean had seeds. I would go through the exercise of learning about the differences, but to make things easy, use vanilla extract. Many times when making recipes with grandchildren, I leave out the nuts.
Here is the recipe:
Apricot, Cherry, And Graham Cracker Crumble
Ingredients
2½ pounds apricots, halved, pitted 10 ounces fresh sweet cherries, pitted (about 2 cups) 2 tablespoons cornstarch 4 tablespoons light brown sugar, divided Kosher salt ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise 4 graham crackers, finely crushed 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature 1/3 cup unsalted, roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°. Combine apricots, cherries, cornstarch, 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; reserve pod for another use. Toss to combine and transfer to a shallow 1½-qt. baking dish.
Combine crackers, butter, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Work butter into crackers with your fingers until mixture comes together. Add nuts and remaining 2 Tbsp. brown sugar and work in with your fingers until combined. Scatter over fruit.
Bake crumble until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 35-45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
It is not bad in calories either, at 270. This Grandma might even taste a piece too.
Joy,
Mema
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