Laurie Pfalzer - Simple Fruit

My mom never put spices in her apple pie. Some might think this strangeno cinnamon in an apple pie? But her pies were legendary, made with her perfectly handled pie crust and Transparent apples from my grandmothers tree in south Seattle. The lucky recipients of her pies never missed the cinnamon. It was from her that I first learned to respect the integrity of the fruit, not overspicing or covering up the flavor of the local fruit we had just picked. Whether we had rhubarb from our backyard garden, Italian prunes from our tree in the backyard, or strawberries from the local patches, my mom let the fruit shine.

Baking has always been a large part of my life because I grew up in a home with fabulous homemade pies, cakes, and other baked goods and desserts. My mom always made it look easy, and I grew up baking at her side without any fears about making a mistake. It wasnt until I began to teach home cooks that I realized the challenges my students faced, not having grown up with a baking influence and trying to learn.

I didnt go the professional pastry route until my midthirties, and I feel this path has made all the difference to teaching home cooks. This unique view of baking and pastrylearning as a home cook and then a professional cookis what I bring to my students and to this book. You will find plenty of tips I learned in professional kitchenslike Salish Lodge and Spa and King Arthur Flour Bakerywhich I have adapted for the home cook, as well as tips Ive learned through ten years of teaching. My goal is to lead home cooks through these recipes with inspiration, vitality, and encouragement. I often see students worrying too much about whether theyll do it right rather than just getting in there and doing it. I want to help you feel confident and at ease baking and cooking with fruit, just as I try to do with my students.

In this book, you will find an array of fruit recipes, each utilizing a particular cooking technique, along with a handful of recipes using fresh fruit. Ive carefully paired the fruits with complementary flavors in the form of an herb, a spice, a liqueur, or possibly another fruit. Where appropriate, I offer suggestions for different flavor pairings or a substitute fruit. Each recipe enhances the inherent flavor of the fruit, most often through a cooking techniquepoaching, roasting, braising, baking, or sautingwhich transforms the fruit. There are many simple recipes in this book, including fruit desserts and other preparations that could serve as desserts on their own or as accompaniments for cake, ice cream, or your morning granola. A small group of recipes constructs more elaborate desserts to be savored for a special occasion or after a wonderful meal. And plenty of recipes can be used with many different fruits, so you will find these recipes multiseasonal and easily adaptable.

Eggs and dairy: Baking is a game of consistency, so try to stick with the same butter, eggs, and dairy productssuch as milk and heavy creamthat are consistent in quality, a good value, and always available.

Flour: In this book, I reference a few flour types, including the usual all-purpose flour. I have noted where white pastry flour may give you a more tender pastry or how using a whole grain flour enhances flavor and texture. The bottom line on flour in any baked good is that you will get your best result (tender cake or chewy bagels) by using the right flour for the right product. Before changing up flours, consider the protein content (which leads to gluten structure) so that you achieve the desired texture.