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Favorite Cookbooks
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Classic Home Desserts
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by Richard Sax (Chapters Publishing, 1994)
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"These are the desserts made at home by mothers and grandmothers rather than by professional pastry chefs," wrote author and master chef Richard Sax. "Those included are only the best in each category—the things you can bring to your table with confidence, knowing they will be eaten to the last crumb."
If you could have only one baking book, this might be the one to pick. It’s not just that my very own grandmother’s recipe for crumb cake is in this book (Richard kindly called it Quintessential Crumb Cake). There are 349 other recipes here that could keep you busy in the kitchen for years, trying them all, repeating your favorites, and perhaps tucking your own family recipes into the back. Richard Sax would like that. This talented cook, who suffered an untimely death a few years ago, had the gift of appreciation for real food made by real people and presented with love. Here is a tiny sampling of the treasury of recipes in the book.
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Recipes:
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Marie’s Brown Rice Pudding with Maple Syrup
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2-1/2 cups cooked short- or long-grain brown rice
4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup heavy cream
Combine the cooked rice with milk and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, lower heat, and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup and simmer, stirring for 15 minutes longer. Stir in the vanilla. (Recipe can be prepared ahead up to this point.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Soak the raisins in hot water for 10 minutes; drain. Generously butter an 8" square Pyrex baking dish or a deep 9" pie pan. Stir the drained raisins into the rice mixture, transfer to the baking dish, and smooth the top. Drizzle the cream evenly over the top to coat the entire surface. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Bake until the cream is bubbly and browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or chilled. Serves 6 to 8.
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Apple Mush
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Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, beaten
Fruit:
4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced 1/4" thick
fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut in pieces
For topping, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. Stir in the egg until the mixture forms a smooth dough. (It will be stiff.) Set aside for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Butter a 9" pie pan.
For fruit, toss the apples with the lemon juice. Combine the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place about 1/3 of the apples in the pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture, and dot with 1/3 of the butter. Make two more layers in the same way, mounding the apples in the center. With your fingers, break off tablespoon-size dabs of the topping mixture and scatter them over the apples.
Place the pie pan on a baking sheet or foil and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 350°F and continue baking until the topping is nicely browned and the apples are soft, about 45 minutes longer. Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if you like. Serves 6.
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Lemon Icebox Crumbles
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1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups flour, sifted
grated zest of 2 lemons
3/4 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
lemon juice or cold water, if needed
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, flour, and lemon zest with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture is crumbly. Add the sugar and egg yolks. With floured fingertips, quickly and gently work the mixture into a smooth dough, gathering it together in the bowl. If the mixture is too dry to cohere, add a few drops of lemon juice or cold water. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm (about 30 minutes).
Preheat oven to 350°F. Break off small pieces of dough and roll each into a 1" ball. Place about 2" apart on greased cookie sheets. Flatten in a crisscross pattern with the back of a fork. Bake until pale gold, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 24 cookies.
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Buttermilk Silk Pie
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1 unbaked pie shell for a 9" pie
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 large whole egg
3 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Fit the dough into a 9" pie pan, using the overhang to make a high fluted border. Chill the pie shell while you preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the pie shell for 8 to 10 minutes, gently pricking any air bubbles with a fork. Cool the pie shell but leave the oven on. Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolks, melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, and salt and mix well. Pour the filling into the partially baked pie crust. Bake until the surface is pale golden and the custard is set but still slightly wobbly in the center (about 40 minutes). Do not overbake. Cool to room temperature on a rack and serve. Serves about 8.
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