Mark Boxshus - "Boscoe The Cookie Doctor"'s Page

I've loved apple crisp since I was a little kid, and that's a long time since I'm 6'5". Maybe it was the apples that triggered the tall gene, I'll never know for sure.  One thing I do know, is that I became fanatical about perfecting the balance between the sweet crunchy topping (YUM) and the tart, semi firm composition of the luscious apple filling. I didn't want the topping to be too crunchy or overly sweet, and I wanted the apple filling to be just a tad tart and not mushy or too hard. So after years of experimenting with apple varieties, sugar, flour and or oatmeal toppings, wiping out countless apple orchards and playing around with the tartness and mouth feel components, I came up with the following recipe. I found that Granny Smith apples were the perfect starting point. They were firm, tart and held up nicely under fire. A topping made with flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg seemed to marry nicely with the apples, and a touch of zest added a special touch that made for a very harmonious union.  This delicious dessert is simple to make, elegant enough for company and guaranteed to disappear. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or lots of home made whipped cream. It is also wonderful at room temperature or even cold. If I have it made up in my freezer, I often serve this dessert with home made apple crisp ice cream. Now that's really taking it over the top, but the extra effort is certainly well worth the accolades you'll get in return. The recipe for this yummy dessert follows, and I'll post the recipe for my apple crisp ice cream in the near future. Enjoy!

Like many good, hardcore practicing "chocoholics", I've been working hard to perfect my brownie recipe for several years. I've tried all kinds of unusual techniques, bowed to several superstitions, and reviewed hundreds of recipes that usually resulted in pretty good brownies, but nothing outstanding. In addition to a rich, decadent chocolate flavor, I wanted a texture that would be similar to a "light cakey torte".........slightly fudgy and chewy (it would NOT remove fillings or dentures) but with a cake like personality. In other words, it's like asking for Christmas Day in New England to be bright, sunny and high in the 70's, with a foot of fresh powdery "non melting" snow, sunset at 8:30 p.m. and Spring to follow immediately thereafter. Impossible......perhaps, but NOT in the brownie world! I discovered that replacing the all purpose flour with cake flour (thank you Cook's Illustrated) and placing the toasted nuts on top, as opposed to mixing them in, made a big difference in the mouth feel and taste department. My other inclusions seemed to work magic, and the local "brownie authorities" declared these "the best brownies known to mankind". Or as one friend so gleefully exclaimed..."This is a jolt of chocolate and java heaven." So get out the "chocolate liquor" and toss on an apron, these babies are really GOOD! 

We've had a cherry tree on our property for over a 100 years, and I had somehow forgotten about its existence this year until a swarm of birds started hovering above. This tree only produces fruit every other year, and last year I was laid up, so I'd pretty much forgotten all about it. I grabbed a bowl, hopped in the car (the tree is on a lot down below with "treacherous" stairs leading to it) and got there just in time.  The birds were already enjoying an all you can eat "cherry" buffet, and had NO intention of stopping until I arrived.  Quickly they scattered to other trees in the vicinity and watched as I started picking their lunch out from under them. After amassing about 6 cups of berries I returned to the kitchen to inspect my booty.....and the birds returned to the tree to continue with their lunch. I washed and pitted them, (I wound up with 4 cups) tossed them in about a cup of sugar and added 2 tablespoons of Kirschwasser.  Not sure what I was going to do with them, I vacuum packed them and put them in the freezer. Today I decided that a nice sour cherry coffee cake was in order, so the berries were defrosted, the Kitchen Aid was taken out of hibernation and I finally "got back to work". Yes, I've been terribly remiss with my postings, but trust me, I've been tied up helping a dear friend out  MUCH longer than I anticipated. I made a cherry filling out of them by placing the berries and all of their lovely juices in a sauce pan with two tablespoons of cornstarch and the zest of one orange.  I gently simmered the berry mixture until the juices thickened, and then stirred in two more teaspoons of Kirschwasser.  While the berries were cooling, I assembled the ingredients for the cake. The flavor of these sour cherries was reminiscent of hard sour cherry candy I enjoyed years ago as a kid, and made one of the most memorable cherry coffee cakes I've made to date. The sour flavor was tastefully pronounced without being overbearing, and everyone loved it. The birds finished off the tree in two days, so my stash of sour cherries is gone until 2010. But for those of you lucky enough to find some at your local market, my recipe follows below. Enjoy Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon GOOD vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Kirschwasser
Zest of one orange
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lb 5 oz of home made sour cherry pie filling, or 1-21 oz can of sour cherry pie filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons (generous) cinnamon
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, Kirschwasser and orange zest. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrap down sides and mix again for 1 minute at medium setting. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Add to butter mixture and blend until just combined. Spread half of the batter into a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Spread cherry filling evenly over batter. Cover cherry filling evenly with remaining half of batter. Mix together the sugars and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the coffee cake. Bake in 350 F oven for 65-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in pan.

Yesterday while prepping for my weekly "Pastry Meeting", this photo opportunity evolved when three things happened simultaneously....my camera was at the ready, I was cleaning and slicing beautiful strawberries and creative insanity stuck like a bolt of lightning.  Now, I'm NOT going to tell you what I thought of when I took this picture, but will let you know that the two roses in the picture were headed to the happy "hunting ground" after serving us long and well....{hint} The inspiration for this picture was then born, and the rest is history. Can YOU NAME THIS PHOTO? Send in your suggestions, comments or insanely creative captions.  The WINNER will receive two dozen of "Boscoe's Chocolate Chipster Cookies".  Put on those thinking caps!  Let the creative juices flow.......... 

As mentioned earlier, I've been a tad busy lately "Boscoe Is Back" and time to cook, bake and visit with you has been at a premium. Tonight was no exception, and after arriving home late due to a "speeding ticket"........it makes NO sense, and I'll explain later when I have the time to slow down...... I wanted something "I could "BITE" into, fast, easy and healthy without a fuss. As fast as you can say......"license and registration please" I cut up 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes and 6 medium carrots, then tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme. I then marinated 2 pounds of 3/4" sirloin strips with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, Worcestershire Sauce, minced garlic and a sprinkling of sea salt and coarse black pepper. I arranged the veggies single layer on a baking sheet and roasted them at 425 F for 45 minutes (or until nicely browned.) The steaks were no fuss at all, and cooked up quickly on my griddle skillet. This dinner was easy and breezy and didn't cost me a small fortune...........unlike my ride home! Enjoy it slowly.......