Heavenly harvest

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This article was published 03/10/2017 (2984 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fall really is the best time of year. You summer people can keep your flip-flops and Popsicles. I want suede boots and hot casseroles.

I also want to enjoy all the foods that are in season — fresh corn, apples, zucchini, tomatoes and more. Ken Haedrich thinks the same way (I can’t be sure about the suede boots). He’s released a new book for fall bakers that will have you tying on an apron and pulling on oven mitts.

The Harvest Baker by Ken Haedrich (Storey Publishing, $29.95) is chock full of hearty harvest — and totally “servable” — recipes for this Thanksgiving weekend.

“Harvest baking is such a natural and simple approach to baking, with so many possibilities,” Haedrich says. “Farm stands, farmers’ markets and supermarkets have all the raw materials you need.”

Haedrich says beautiful, earthy ingredients get him into the kitchen.

“The soul of my cooking — and the inspiration for The Harvest Baker — is the intersection of my passion for baking and my love of fresh produce,” he says.

“I’ve never been drawn to fancy decorated cakes or French pastry, but if it involves a bread, pizza, cake, muffin, biscuit or pie made with something from the farm or garden, then I’m headed to the kitchen.”

When trying out the cookbook, follow your heart.

“Readers should take the same approach to using the book as I took to writing it: start with what you love,” Haedrich says.

“If pizza and flatbreads are your thing, check out those sections, but if you’re crazy about tomatoes, like me, go there — and do not miss the wonderful collection of tomato pies — some of my favourites in the book.

“As much as possible, bake with what’s in season.”

Many farmers’ markets are still open, so you can get the farm-fresh goodies you need for these recipes, which have been excerpted from The Harvest Baker by Ken Haedrich. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.

 

Corn-off-the-Cob Sour Cream Cornbread

Makes one 9-inch by 5-inch loaf

Ingredients

• Butter and cornmeal for loaf pan
• 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) corn kernels, preferably freshly cut (about 3 medium ears)
• 175 ml (3/4 cups) yellow cornmeal
• 150 ml (2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) sugar
• 5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) baking soda
• 3 ml (3/4 tsp) salt
• 175 ml (3/4 cup) sour cream
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
• 125 ml (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and partially cooled
• 1 large egg

Put the corn kernels in a medium saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil gently for 5 minutes. Drain the corn and set it aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Butter a 23-cm by 12-cm (9-inch by 5-inch) loaf pan, and dust it with cornmeal.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk well to mix.

Combine the sour cream, milk, melted butter and egg in a separate bowl. Whisk until evenly blended. Make a well in the dry mixture and add the liquid mixture and corn. Stir well with a wooden spoon until evenly mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake on the middle oven rack for 40 to 45 minutes, until the bread is light golden and feels slightly springy when you press on the top. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool the bread in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat slices in the microwave or wrapped in foil and placed in a 300 F (150 C) oven for 10 minutes.

 

Chocolate Sour Cream Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Glaze

• Butter for the pan
• 750 ml (3 cups) grated zucchini (about 2 smallish ones)
• 3 ml (3/4 tsp) salt, plus more for salting the zucchini
• 625 ml (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 150 ml (2/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 ml (1 tsp) baking soda
• 3 ml (1/2 tsp) baking powder
• 400 ml (1 2/3 cups) sugar
• 125 ml (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil or light olive oil
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 6 ml (1 1/4 tsp) vanilla extract
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
• Chocolate Glaze (see below)

 

Put the grated zucchini in a colander placed over a large bowl. Salt it lightly, tossing gently to mix. Set aside for 30 minutes to drain.

Preheat the oven to 325 F (170 C). Butter a 22-by-22-cm (9-by-9-inch) cake pan.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and 3 ml (3/4 tsp) salt into a bowl.

Combine the sugar, butter, oil, eggs and vanilla in another large bowl. Using an electric mixer (handheld is fine), beat the ingredients on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until well blended. Add one-third of the dry mixture to the liquid and blend it in on low speed. Beat in half of the sour cream, followed by another third of the dry mixture, the rest of the sour cream and the remaining dry mixture. The batter will start to get heavier late in the mixing; you may want to do the last bit of mixing with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

Lift the zucchini out of the colander and give it a gentle squeeze, but don’t squeeze out all the moisture. Add the zucchini to the batter and fold it in with a rubber spatula until evenly mixed. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth with a spoon.

Bake the cake on the middle oven rack for 60 to 70 minutes, until a tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and cool thoroughly.

When the cake has cooled, prepare the glaze, re-warming it if it has firmed up. When it has thickened slightly but is still thin enough to pour easily, slowly pour it over the cake, tilting the cake to spread it around. Cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

 

Chocolate Glaze

• 150 ml (3/4 cups) heavy cream
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract or 5 ml (1 tsp) powdered instant espresso or coffee
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) semisweet chocolate chips

Bring the cream to a near boil in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla or espresso powder. Immediately add the chocolate chips. Tilt the pan this way and that so the hot cream runs over them. Set the pan aside for 5 minutes, then stir the mixture briefly to start smoothing it out.

Let the mixture rest for another 2 to 3 minutes, then whisk briefly, until smooth. The glaze will be a little runny at first, perfect for drizzling. For slightly thicker coverage, let the glaze cool slightly before spreading it. If the sauce cools and starts to thicken and you need to re-warm it to thin it out, heat it gently in a saucepan. You can also reheat it in a microwavable container, but proceed carefully so you don’t burn the chocolate — microwave no more than 15 seconds at a time, stirring between each round.

 

Savory Asparagus, Ham, and Brie Pudding

Makes about 8 servings

• Butter for the casserole dish
• 1.5 litres (6 cups) leftover cubed yeast bread (not sweet bread)
• 250 g (1/2 lb) fresh asparagus
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 large eggs
• 500 ml (2 cups) half-and-half cream
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard
• 5 ml (1 tsp) fresh thyme or 1 to 2 ml (1/4 to 1/2 tsp) dried thyme
• 3 ml (3/4 tsp) salt
• 1 to 2 ml (1/4 to 1/2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• 170-250 g (6-8 oz) Brie cheese, cut into small chunks (leave the rind on)
• 250 ml (1 cup) grated sharp cheddar or fontina cheese
• 250 ml (1 cup) diced cooked ham or smoked sausage

 

Butter a medium-sized shallow casserole dish. Spread the cubed bread out in the casserole dish while you’re doing your prep, to help dry it out.

Peel the lower third of each asparagus spear with a vegetable peeler or a paring knife. Cut off the tender tips and slice the remainder of the spears into 2.5-cm (1-inch) sections. (If you’d rather not use the lower sections, you’ll need about a pound of asparagus.)

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring often. Add the asparagus tips and chopped spears along with the garlic and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the asparagus is not quite tender. Remove from the heat.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Add the half-and-half, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Whisk well.

Spoon the cooked vegetables evenly over the bread, then distribute the Brie, cheddar and ham over that. Whisk the custard briefly and pour it slowly over everything. Using a large spoon, gently press on the solids so they’re submerged by the custard. Cover the dish loosely with foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours; overnight is fine.

When you’re ready to bake the pudding, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Remove the foil from the dish and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. When the pudding is done, it will have puffed nicely and the surface will be golden brown. To check the centre, carefully — so you don’t leave a big crater — dig into it with a spoon or butter knife and see how it looks. It should not be soupy or look like there’s a lot of uncooked custard. Transfer the pudding to a cooling rack and cool briefly before serving.

Twitter: @WendyKinginWpg