I was looking forward to this trip; we have never been on a river cruise before. The flight to Budapest was long and tiring a full 32 hours of travel counting the layover times.

We were met at the airport by red-shirted Viking representatives. Until this time I had not much of an idea how many river cruise brands there are. Our little old Viking Sky turned out to be one of the older ships on the river. New boats are more and more “glitzy” looking more like the modern floating hotels on ocean cruises.

The staff on the Sky is friendly and helpful, and seem to quickly know the 150 or so passengers by name.

Of course, my main interest is the food of the various area we are visiting.

In further posts I hope to be able to download some of the photos I’ve taken and describe more fully the experience on a river cruise.

These are great old fashioned American desserts, especially perfect for late summer and early fall when the “soft fruits” are abundant, berries, peaches, plums, apricots and cherries. Admittedly, few of them are grown here in the Northland, but they do become available, often by the case.  Supermarket ads feature them, and we love eating them fresh, out of hand, and baked into our favorite desserts.

Because the different kinds of desserts hail from different parts of the country they can be totally confusing! Everybody understands the idea of “pies” but we are unfamiliar with some of the other traditional American desserts.

To try to define the difference between a cobbler, clafouti, a crisp and a crumble, you can have a lot of fun! Well, in a knock-down, drag-out argument we might as well discuss the whole category and it kind of breaks down to fruit that is baked with a topping.

A “Cobbler” is a spoon pie, more like a fruit stew topped with dumplings on top. The dish got its name because lumps of cooked dough resemble cobblestones. The topping usually has the consistency of baking powder biscuit dough which might be a soft dropped onto the fruit by the spoonful or a stiff dough that rolled out and cut into shapes, placed on top of the fruit before baking .

A “Clafouti” is a French cobbler, originally from the Limousin region of  France, and is made with fruit (usually cherries) on the bottom, a custard, and a soft batter-crust baked on top.

A “Crisp” is fruit placed into a deep dish and topped with a sweetened, butter-rich crumb or streusel topping before baking.

A “Crumble” is a British dessert in which raw fruit is topped with a crumbly pastry, sometimes made with bread or cake crumbs and baked.  A crumble may not be as rich as a crisp.

To add to the confusion, there is a “Betty” which is a baked pudding made of layers of spiced and sugared fruit, topped with buttered bread crumbs, while a “Grunt”  is a spoon pie, with biscuit dough on top of stewed fruit, that is steamed, not baked. “Pandowdy” is a one-crusted pie, with fruit on the bottom and a rolled crust on top, which after baking is broken up (or “dowdied”) to allow the juices to come through. A “Slump” is a spoon pie, including cooked or uncooked fruit topped with biscuit dough or piecrust, which can be either baked or steamed, and turned upside down before serving.

What all of these desserts have in common is that they start with the fresh fruits of late summer and are baked or steamed with a topping. They are all usually served with whipped cream or ice cream.

So here, I will offer a basic recipe that you can make into a Cobbler, Clafouti, Crisp or a Crumble by following the variations. I’ve tried to simplify the procedure as much as possible so that you can use any combination of fruits you desire as long as they are the “soft fruits of late summer.”

FALL FRUIT DESSERTS

Basic Fruit mixture:

3 cups peeled sliced fresh peaches or nectarines

1 cup blueberries

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1. Mix the peaches and blueberries together. Melt the butter in a 1 to 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Mix the sugar an flour and sprinkle over the fruit.

2. Add the topping (see below) of your choice and bake according to the directions.

For Peach and Blueberry Cobbler:

Basic Fruit Mixture, see above

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup butter

1/4  cup milk

1. Mix the basic fruit mixture as given above and set aside. Preheat oven to 350*F. Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the butter and blend until a crumbly mixture results. Stir in the milk until a stiff dough results.

2. Turn out onto a work surface and sprinkle with flour.  Pat or roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Using a round biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or a straight edged knife, cut the dough into biscuits.  Place on the fruit mixture.

3.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and biscuits are lightly browned.

For Peach and Blueberry Clafouti:

Basic Fruit Mixture, see above

1/4 cup sugar (reserve 1 Tbsp. to dust baking dish)

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1. Mix the basic fruit mixture as given above and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 350*F. In a blender, combine the sugar, milk, cream, eggs, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth and add the flour. Blend again, scraping the sides until the flour is all mixed in.

2. Butter a 9-inch pie pan or 1-1/2-quart casserole and dust with the reserved 1 tablespoon sugar. Pour in half the batter and arrange the fruit mixture on top. Pour the remaining batter over the top.

3. Bake until the top puffs and starts to turn golden-brown, about 45 minutes.

For a Peach and Blueberry Crisp

Basic Fruit Mixture, see above

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 tablespoons soft butter

1. Mix the basic fruit mixture as given above and spread into a buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole. Preheat the oven to 350*F.

2.  In a bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, an butter.  Sprinkle over the fruit mixture.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling and fruit I fork tender.

For a Peach and Blueberry Crumble

Basic Fruit Mixture, see above

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut up

1. Mix the basic fruit mixture a given above and spread mixture into a buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole or pie pan. Sprinkle with the grated lemon zest.

2. Preheat the oven to 350*F. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned, crisp, and juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Friends often come out to learn how to find them. Not difficult, if you know the rules. Chanterelles are golden in color, and have ridge-like gills that go from the cap down the stem without a break. They can be confused with another mushroom that doesn’t have the gills or have gills that have a thick ring just under the cap.

Here’s a photo of a bunch we just harvested the other day:

Our favorite way, and the simplest way, too, to eat them is simply after cleaning, cut them into pieces about 1 inch or so. Toss them with flour and fry them in butter with fresh sage that is abundant in the herb garden about this time of year. Wonderful as an appetizer! Another favorite is Chanterelle soup.

Extra mushrooms can be cleaned and frozen. I freeze them in a single layer, then pile them into zip-lock bags. They keep for 2 to 3 months, if we haven’t eaten them already!

Chantrelles Sauteed with fresh Sage in Butter

3 to 4 cups fresh chantrelles, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 to 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Pinch each of ground cumin and coriander

4 tablespoons butter

A large handful of fresh sage leaves

1. In a bowl, toss the chanterelles with the flour, cumin and coriander.

2. In a saute pan, heat the butter and sage leaves. Add the floured chanterelles and toss with the butter and sage, over medium heat, and stir and fry until the mushrooms are browned and slightly shrunken.  They taste the best when slightly crisp, not mushy.

3. Serve hot. Goes well with a chilled Chardonnay.

After a long and hard winter, nothing makes my mouth water more than the wafting aroma of something cooking on the grill.  Almost anything can be cooked on the grill. Of course, there are the traditional things – burgers, chicken, sausages, hot dogs, steak, kebabs, and seafood. But grilled appetizers, crispy bruschetta, grilled and stuffed vegetables, fruits and grilled pizza really add variety to cooking al fresco.

I’ve had fun lately with themed menus. Of course, that’s nothing new, but I have been aware that we need to be eating lower on the food chain.  That means less meat, more veggies and whole grains. At first one would think that dinner from the grill would dictate a meal centered on meat – but it isn’t necessarily so.

Think Portobello mushrooms instead of burgers – or along with burgers to please everyone. Grilled eggplant, slabs of feta cheese, tofu, and another all-vegetable patty called “Quorn” – which I haven’t seen yet are vegetarian choices.  Tofu and Quorn, because they are rather bland benefit from strong marinades like tandoori or spicy curry mixtures. Make sure you use the extra-firm tofu to avoid it falling apart and make sure you dry it by compressing slices between sheets of paper towels. Cut into cubes you can make tasty kebabs by adding vegetables such as tiny onions, peppers and mushrooms. Serve them in pita breads or over cooked rice or couscous.

Asparagus, sliced zucchini, halved sweet peppers and sweet potatoes cook well on the barbecue,too. Brush with olive oil and grill for about five minutes. If you find they get singed without cooking properly, wrap in foil first, cook and then unwrap them and finish off on the grill for that authentic barbecue flavor.

Eggplant wraps -  grilled slices can be rolled around a number of tasty fillings such as goat’s cheese and herbs. Or wrap a cooked eggplant slice around a chunk of cheese, secure with a toothpicks and pop back onto the grill for a couple of minutes.

Walking around the streets in India, we noticed corn on the cob, being barbecued, then brushed with oil or ghee and sprinkled with ground cumin and coarse salt.

You can use the same marinades on your veggies as on your meat dishes. Sweetcorn, for instance, will be delicious basted with a sweet honey or maple sauce dressing, or a lemon or lime and butter coating that you may be using on some fish. Again, just make sure that you keep the dressing you use for meet or fish separate from that you use to brush on any vegetarian barbecue dishes.

So, here I am offering marinades that you can use on vegetables as well as on chicken breasts, fish, or meat cuts.

Tandoori Marinade

I like this aromatic, spicy, marinade, adapted from Wolfgang Puck. Use it on chicken breasts or lamb chops. It’s especially delicious on salmon or shrimp.  The “tandoori” is a cylindrical cooking vessel used for cooking and baking in the Middle East and India. In India a mixture of spices is often referred to as a “chutney.”

1 teaspoon each paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, ground cumin,             ground ginger, and ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.

2. Place the meat or fish into the marinade and refrigerate at least 6 hours. The marinade is sufficient for 1 pound of salmon filets.

3. If using marinade on vegetables, make another batch of the marinade, eliminating the yogurt and brush mixture over the vegetables while grilling.

Yucatan Marinade

This is great for chicken, fish, or vegetables such as zucchini, bell peppers and eggplant. You can make it a day ahead of time. Keep it covered and refrigerated.

1/4 cup orange juce

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup ancho chili powder (or use regular chili powder)

2 tablespoons hot chili powder

1/4 cup paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne (more or less, according to your taste)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive or canola oil

1. Combine the orange, lime, and lemon juice in a blender; add the chili powders, paprika, cayenne, pepper and salt and process for 30 seconds.

2. With the motor going, slowly add the oil and process until mixture is emulsified.

Cinnamon Chili Marinade

Use this marinade on duck breasts, chicken breasts or tender beef cuts.  Also, use this marinade for halved tomatoes or thinly sliced (raw) sweet potatoes. Serve  the sliced cooked meat or vegetables Southwestern style wrapped in a wheat tortilla.

2 tablespoons ground white pepper

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons ground ginger

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/2 cup peanut oil

3 tablespoons ground fennel seed

1 tablespoon canned chipotles

2 tablespoons ancho chili power or regular chili powder

1. Measure all of the ingredients into a saucepan; place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat immediately.

2. For duck, chicken or other meats, marinate, refrigerated for 8 hours.  For vegetables, brush before and during grilling.

These are great old fashioned American desserts, especially perfect for late summer and early fall when the “soft fruits” are abundant, berries, peaches, plums, apricots and cherries. Admittedly, few of them are grown here in the Northland, but they do become available, often by the case.  Supermarket ads feature them, and we love eating them fresh, out of hand, and baked into our favorite desserts.

Because the different kinds of desserts hail from different parts of the country they can be totally confusing! Everybody understands the idea of “pies” but we are unfamiliar with some of the other traditional American desserts.

To try to define the difference between a cobbler, clafouti, a crisp and a crumble, you can have a lot of fun! Well, in a knock-down, drag-out argument we might as well discuss the whole category and it kind of breaks down to fruit that is baked with a topping.

A “Cobbler” is a spoon pie, more like a fruit stew topped with dumplings on top. The dish got its name because lumps of cooked dough resemble cobblestones. The topping usually has the consistency of baking powder biscuit dough which might be a soft dropped onto the fruit by the spoonful or a stiff dough that rolled out and cut into shapes, placed on top of the fruit before baking .

A “Clafouti” is a French cobbler, originally from the Limousin region of  France, and is made with fruit (usually cherries) on the bottom, a custard, and a soft batter-crust baked on top.

A “Crisp” is fruit placed into a deep dish and topped with a sweetened, butter-rich crumb or streusel topping before baking.

A “Crumble” is a British dessert in which raw fruit is topped with a crumbly pastry, sometimes made with bread or cake crumbs and baked.  A crumble may not be as rich as a crisp.

To add to the confusion, there is a “Betty” which is a baked pudding made of layers of spiced and sugared fruit, topped with buttered bread crumbs, while a “Grunt”  is a spoon pie, with biscuit dough on top of stewed fruit, that is steamed, not baked. “Pandowdy” is a one-crusted pie, with fruit on the bottom and a rolled crust on top, which after baking is broken up (or “dowdied”) to allow the juices to come through. A “Slump” is a spoon pie, including cooked or uncooked fruit topped with biscuit dough or piecrust, which can be either baked or steamed, and turned upside down before serving.

What all of these desserts have in common is that they start with the fresh fruits of late summer and are baked or steamed with a topping. They are all usually served with whipped cream or ice cream.

So here, I will offer a basic recipe that you can make into a Cobbler, Clafouti, Crisp or a Crumble by following the variations. I’ve tried to simplify the procedure as much as possible so that you can use any combination of fruits you desire as long as they are the “soft fruits of late summer.”

FALL FRUIT DESSERTS

This basic recipe serves four but it is easily multiplied. To identify the different desserts in the photo, from left to right, Peach and Blueberry Cobbler, Peach and Blueberry Clafouti, Peach and Blueberry Crisp, Peach and Blueberry Crumble.

Basic Fruit mixture:

3 cups peeled sliced fresh peaches or nectarines

1 cup blueberries

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1. Mix the peaches and blueberries together. Melt the butter in a 1 to 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Mix the sugar an flour and sprinkle over the fruit.

2. Add the topping (see below) of your choice and bake according to the directions.

For Peach and Blueberry Cobbler:

Basic Fruit Mixture, see above

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup butter

1/4  cup milk

1. Mix the basic fruit mixture as given above and set aside. Preheat oven to 350*F. Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the butter and blend until a crumbly mixture results. Stir in the milk until a stiff dough results.

2. Turn out onto a work surface and sprinkle with flour.  Pat or roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Using a round biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or a straight edged knife, cut the dough into biscuits.  Place on the fruit mixture.

3.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and biscuits are lightly browned.

For Peach and Blueberry Clafouti:

Basic Fruit Mixture, see above

1/4 cup sugar (reserve 1 Tbsp. to dust baking dish)

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1. Mix the basic fruit mixture as given above and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 350*F. In a blender, combine the sugar, milk, cream, eggs, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth and add the flour. Blend again, scraping the sides until the flour is all mixed in.

2. Butter a 9-inch pie pan or 1-1/2-quart casserole and dust with the reserved 1 tablespoon sugar. Pour in half the batter and arrange the fruit mixture on top. Pour the remaining batter over the top.

3. Bake until the top puffs and starts to turn golden-brown, about 45 minutes.

For a Peach and Blueberry Crisp

Basic Fruit Mixture, see above

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 tablespoons soft butter

1. Mix the basic fruit mixture as given above and spread into a buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole. Preheat the oven to 350*F.

2.  In a bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, an butter.  Sprinkle over the fruit mixture.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling and fruit I fork tender.

For a Peach and Blueberry Crumble

Basic Fruit Mixture, see above

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut up

1. Mix the basic fruit mixture a given above and spread mixture into a buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole or pie pan. Sprinkle with the grated lemon zest.

2. Preheat the oven to 350*F. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned, crisp, and juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.