When I think of applesauce, pictures pop up in my mind. The first, as a kid when dessert was always on the menu for weeknight suppers. In the spring, a more or less steady supply of stewed rhubarb, then summer's succession of fresh berries, peaches and when summer turned to fall, applesauce. If there was nothing else, the rounded white Leonard door opened to a bowl of applesauce. It was one of the first things I learned to cook - so simple: peeled apples, a splash of water, some heat, a little elbow grease with the potato masher and a touch of sugar or honey for sweetness. 

The second applesauce image comes from a visit to a boyfriend's family home near Pittsburg in the US. The boyfriend loved applesauce - only for breakfast. During the visit, after I'd been OKed by his family, his mother took me to the chest freezer to show me the quarts of applesauce -frozen in the fall, ready for when the golden boy came home from college, yearning for his applesauce breakfast. As I remember, it went with strips of crisp bacon, and I may have imagined this part, cinnamon toast. On reflection, this was Mom passing the applesauce baton onto me, future wife and cook. The guy's long gone from my life, and but not his applesauce.

Move the kitchen up to the 70s when Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking was a best seller, and all the rage - the first time round. The book inspired the introduction of Charlotte aux Pommes (Apple Charlotte) and Tarte aux Pommes (Apple Tart)  to my entertaining dessert repertoire. Simply put, a charlotte is a moulded dessert, in the case of apples, a rich thickened applesauce surrounded by butter crisped strips of bread, baked, turned out and eaten with lightly whipped cream. The Tart features artfully arranged and glazed  apple slices over applesauce simmered to a lustrous deep golden apple "marmalade". A far cry from a humble  bowl of applesauce, well beyond the companion to cinnamon toast and bacon, these desserts are  the "haut" of the applesauce world. 

So why, in the 21st century would anyone take a perfectly good apple and bother to make applesauce? Is it frugality? What was thrifty eating now has the cachet of  local and seasonal. Apples are not expensive, especially at markets and roadside stands. Applesauce is simple to make - a good introduction for kids interested in cooking. Best of all, different varieties of apples make different tasting applesauce - and you don't get that out of a jar in the supermarket!  You can sweeten as you like and according to the sweetness of the apples - not much for Gala, a touch more for Cortland or Northern Spy. And applesauce is a delightful ingredient, adding the essence of a crisp fall day to muffins, quickbread loaves, puddings, and as they say, much more...see below. 

Very Simple Applesauce

This template recipe yields about 4 cups (1 L) applesauce - enough to enjoy for a few suppers and breakfasts. Double or quadruple the amount if you want to freeze or preserve some in jars for cold times. While cinnamon is almost wedded to apples and sauce, I recommend making the sauce without so you can enjoy the clean taste of the apples. You can always add cinnamon or a grate of nutmeg to the sauce at serving time.

10 cups (2.5 L) peeled, cored and sliced apples (7 large apples or 3 lb/1.5 kg)

1 cup (250 mL) water

1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar, optional

. In a medium-large saucepan, bring the apples and water to a simmer over medium heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 20 minutes. 

. Mash with a potato masher or fork for chunky sauce, or for silky smoothness, press through a food mill or puree using an immersion blender or stand blender.

. Taste, adding sugar if desired.

. Makes about 4 cups (1 L) applesauce.

Microwave Applesauce: Pack the apples with the water into a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave uncovered on high for 12 minutes, stirring twice; let stand for 2 minutes. Mash as desired.

Rosy Pink Applesauce: If you're making sauce with red apples such as Cortland, McIntosh, Spartan or Empire, wash the apples thoroughly and leave the skins on when you're coring and slicing the apples. Press the cooked sauce through a food mill or sieve to remove the skins - but not the colour they've added to the sauce. Or puree the cooked sauce in a food processor or blender so the skins become part of the sauce.

Slow Cooker Applesauce

This nicely tarted up applesauce comes from the brand new Canadian Living/The Slow Cooker Collection, Transcontinental Books, $22.95. But again, nothing could be simpler than putting the ingredients in the slow cooker and buzzing off for a few hours of fun...work or errands. 

8 cups (2L) sliced peeled and cored apples

1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar

1/4 cup (50 mL) apple cider or juice

1 strip lemon rind

2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice

Pinch each cinnamon and nutmeg, optional

. In slow cooker, gently toss together the apples, sugar, cider, lemon rind and juice.

. Cover and cook on low until apples are tender and break down, about 6 to 8 hours. Discard lemon rind.

. Using an immersion blender or potato masher, puree or mash apples to the desired texture. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, if using. (Make-ahead: Let cool. Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.)

. Makes 4 cups (1 L)

Preserving Applesauce

. Freezing Applesauce: The simplest way is to pack cooled applesauce into freezer containers, bags or rigid. Mark "applesauce" on the container, the date of production and the amount. I don't know about you, but it's so easy to forget what's in the containers. (The freezer seems to wave a wand of sameness over the containers.)You will bless yourself when you go to look for the applesauce and can find it easily. Pack it away in amounts that suit your household needs, especially if you're planning to use the sauce as an ingredient.

. Canning Applesauce: To preserve in jars (funny how the word canning is still  used even though jars have replaced cans for home preserving), pack piping hot applesauce into hot preserving 1 or 2 cup  250 or 500 mL) jars leaving 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) headspace. Seal with new discs you've softened for a few minutes in hot water, and bands tightened until resistance is met, then to fingertip tightness. Place in the rack of a boiling water canner about 2/3 full of very hot water. Add boiling water if necessary to cover the jars by 1-inch (2.5 cm). Cover and bring to the boil; boil for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and uncover until boiling subsides. Using canning tongs, lift out and set on a rack to cool for a day. Check that the seals have flipped downward before storing in a cool dark spot.Refrigerate and eat up any that haven't sealed properly within a week. If you respect the headspace, new lids and good preserving jars rules, all your jars should seal properly. 

What To Do With Applesauce

. Eat it for breakfast, either half and half with plain or vanilla yogurt, or to top a bowl of oatmeal or granola. Spoon over pancakes.

. Treat it as a snack for after school with cinnamon toast.

. Spoon applesauce into bowls and top with frozen vanilla yogurt for a quickie weeknight dessert.

. Pack it for lunch - for adults and kids in a reusable container.

. Serve it with latkes for Hannukah.

. Moisten and flavour stuffing - add a cup of thick applesauce to stuffing for a turkey, alongside, of course, the usual onions, celery, herbs and cubed bread.

. Make Apple Fool,  a 5-minute mini dessert:  If your smooth applesauce is unsweetened, or only somewhat sweet, stir in 1 to 2 tbsp. (15 to 30 mL) liquid honey into a cup of applesauce. Whip 3/4 cup (175 mL) 35% cream. Layer applesauce and cream in demi-tasse cups or small glasses, finishing with cream. Dust with cinnamon or nutmeg, or top with toasted sliced almonds. Makes 3 to 4 desserts.

. Count on applesauce to go with grilled pork chops, lusty sausages, crispy roast pork loin and tenderloin. Delicious with goose and duck too.

. Mix into pureed rutabaga to temper the rutabaga's bitter edge.  Or stir into pureed parsnips or sweet potatoes to add another dimension to the vegetable. 

. Preserve applesauce either processed in jars (see above) or in plastic freezer containers in handy 1 cup (250 mL) amounts. Then you have applesauce handy for Applesauce Raisin Loaf, Applesauce Muffins and much more. Even a fancy French Charlotte.

Glazed Applesauce Loaf

The recipe is slightly adapted from Judith Comfort and Katherine Chute's Apples, Apples, Apples published by Doubleday in 1986 - still one of the best books on the fruit. 

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1-3/4 cups (425 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda

1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt, ground cinnamon and nutmeg

1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cloves

1 cup (250 mL) applesauce, unsweetened preferred

1/2 cup (125 mL) walnut halves, chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) raisins or dried cranberries

Glaze:

1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar

1 tbsp (15 mL) apple juice or milk

. Line a 9 -x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan with parchment paper - 2 layers are best, or grease; set aside.

. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until well blended and light. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each.

. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with 1 addition of the applesauce.  

. When the last addition of the dry ingredients is almost incorporated, sprinkle the surface with the walnuts and raisins. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.

. Scrape into the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly. Tap the pan lightly on the counter. 

. Bake in the centre of a 350°F (180°C) oven until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. 

. Let cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a rack, using a second rack or a small rimless baking sheet to turn the loaf upright and to slide it back onto the rack, top up. 

. Glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the icing sugar and juice. For a clear glaze,  brush the glaze over the loaf while the loaf is warm , or for an opaque glaze, drizzle over a cool loaf. 

. Makes about 10 to 12 slices. 

Make-ahead Tip: The loaf freezes well thoroughly cooled and without the glaze. Freeze either the entire loaf, sections or slices that suit your household's needs. Wrap the pieces using quality plastic wrap and enclose in a freezer container or bag. The loaf also stores well at room temperature. Wrap or enclose in an airtight container, sneaking the odd little slice to test for mellowness and keeping qualities. 

Applesauce Muffins

This is an easy bake recipe, ideal for kids interested in helping make school lunches or make-ahead breakfast items.

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar

2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda

1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon, optional

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1 large egg 

1 cup (250 mL) applesauce, unsweetened preferred

1/3 cup (75 mL) canola oil

1/2 cup (125 mL) diced peeled and cored apple

1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped walnut halves

Cinnamon Crunch Topping:

4 tsp (20 mL) granulated sugar

1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon

. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or grease; set aside.

. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda , cinnamon, if using, and salt.

. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, applesauce and oil. Pour over the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the diced apple and walnuts over the wet ingredients and with a wooden spoon, swiftly and neatly stir the ingredients until just blended.

. Scoop into the prepared muffin tins.

. . Cinnamon Crunch Topping: Stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Spoon a generous 1/4 tsp (1 mL) over each scoop of muffin batter.

. Bake in the centre of a 375°F (190°C) oven until domed, firm to the touch and fragrant, about 20 minutes.

. Let cool in pans on rack for about 5 minutes; remove from pans to cool on a rack. (Make-ahead: Let cool; store in airtight container for up to 3 days. Or wrap in quality plastic wrap, then enclose in a freezer container. Freeze for up to 2 weeks.)

. Makes 12 muffins. 

Ketchup aux Fruits

In Quebec, one of the most beloved relishes is Ketchup aux Fruits. Not smooth nor nearly as red as commercial burger-topping ketchup, Ketchup aux Fruits is more like chili sauce - only with late summer fruits in partnership with tomatoes. It's the sauce every grandmother made, each with her own little variation on the tomato, peach, pear, apple, celery and onion theme.

Ketchup aux Fruits is not the only artisanal fruit product at the market in Quebec City.

Just how a relish that calls for peaches, not a commercial crop in Quebec, came to be so much part of a Quebec culinary repertoire is a mystery. But how good it tastes with tourtiere is no mystery - it's sweet and tangy, with a touch of spice providing a perfect foil to rich pastry and meaty filling.

The other place where Ketchup aux Fruits or Fruit Chili Sauce is a tradition is southern Ontario, a part of the country where peaches from the Niagara are an every summer experience. In both places, visible chunks of fruit are part of the relish's charm. Given that recipes for Fruit Chili Sauce have been being published for decades, it's no surprise to now find this bicultural bilingual recipe shared across Canada.

Here's the recipe that make me think of the jars in my grandmother's fruit cellar on a farm near Mitchell Ontario. The Quebec counterpart may have included celery for texture, possibly using white vinegar and brown sugar. Some even fiddled with the fruit, using plums to replace some of the peaches.  But it all ended up as Ketchup aux Fruits or a good Fruit Chili Sauce.

Ketchup aux Fruits (Fruit Chili Sauce)

8 cup (2 L) peeled chopped ripe tomatoes

2-1/2 cups (625 mL) peeled diced onions

2 cups (500 mL) peeled, pitted and diced peaches or pitted diced  nectarines

2 cups (500 mL) peeled cored and diced pears or apples

3/4 cup (175 mL) seeded diced sweet red pepper

2 cups (500 mL) cider vinegar

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) granulated sugar

2 tsp (10 mL) salt, regular or sea salt

1/4 cup (50 mL) mixed pickling spice

.  In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, stir together the tomatoes, onions, peaches, pears and sweet pepper. Stir in the vinegar, granulated sugar and salt. Tie the mixed pickling spice in a 6-inch (25 cm) double thickness square of cheesecloth. Nestle in the pan. 

. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until thick, the chunks are tender and the liquid is no longer watery, about 1-1/2 hours. Remove the spice bag, pressing its juices back into the pan. 

A wide relatively shallow Dutch oven is perfect for cooking relishes, especially it it's like this one with a thick cast aluminum pad under its bottom.

This is a satisfying thickness. The Ketchup aux Fruits (Fruit Chili Sauce) has boiled down to about two-thirds of its initial volume.

. Pour into prepared 1-cup or 2-cup (250 or 500 mL) preserving jars, leaving 1/2-inch (2 cm) headspace. Seal with prepared discs, and bands. Boil in boiling water canner for 20 minutes. (See Canning Basics below). 

. Makes about 9 cups (2.25 L) Ketchup aux Fruits (Fruit Chili Sauce).

Canning Basics: 

. Ensure that you have enough preserving jars in perfect condition. Wash, rinse and air dry. 

. Always use new lids. Place in a bowl and five minutes before filling jars, cover the lids with hot, not boiling water to soften the sealing compound. 

. Before starting to cook the Ketchup aux Fruits, fill a boiling water canner about two-thirds full; add the preserving jars, letting them fill with water. Cover and start to heat about 30 minutes before preserve is ready to jar. 

. Using canning tongs, move the jars from the canner to a tray beside the stovetop. Increase heat under the canner to bring the water closer to the boil while filling the jars. 

. Using a funnel and a 1/2 cup (125 mL) metal dry measuring cup, fill the jars to within 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) of the top. If you've used the funnel and scoop chances are there won't be any salsa on the rim of the jars. Or, not much. But inevitably, some will slop over; wipe any off using damp paper towel.

This method of filling jars is so much neater than using a ladle, or filling a big pitcher and pouring into the jars.

. Place the prepared discs on the jars, and with a firm but not forced motion, screw on the bands until resistance is met, then tighten just to finger-tip tight. Note the lids in the red bowl in the background. They are covered with hot water.

Canning tongs in action, gripping the jar and its hot contents safely.

. Use canning tongs to transfer the filled jars safely to the rack in the canner. Lower rack into the water. Add more boiling water  if necessary so that the jars are covered by 1 inch (2.5 cm).

. Cover the canner; bring the water to a vigorous boil. Time the boiling from this point. 

. At the end of the boiling time, turn off the heat. Remove the cover and let the boiling subside. Lift the rack and with canning tongs, transfer the jars to a rack or folded thick towel.

. Let stand for a day; wipe, label and check each jar. Properly sealed jars have lids that have curved down. Jars with lids that didn't snap down need to be refrigerated and relished within 3 weeks. But before you think you'll lose half your preserves, note that if you have used new lids, real preserving jars and respected the headspace and sealing gospel given above, it will be extremely rare that a jar doesn't seal properly. 

By the basket? By the pound? When it comes to peaches in the fruit belt regions of Ontario like the Niagara Peninsula and the Lake Erie shores, you can indeed buy peaches by the pound, but at markets and in most local supermarket, peaches come by the basket, often crowding up over the top.

Roadside stands like this one on Lincoln Avenue in Grimsby, Ontario has a trusting policy. You pick up your fuit and/or vegetables and put your money in the box.

The baskets are the same for apples, pears and plums, and now mostly hold 2 L or 3 L. Gone are the hot August days when peach lovers lugged home bushels, pecks and more commonly 11 and 6 quart baskets to can, make jam, fruit chili sauce, chutneys and frozen peach slices. It seems that the peaches are now going home to be eaten - out of hand with a towel handy to catch the drips - or in family favourite pies, cobblers, compotes or simply and deliciously sliced over ice cream. A drizzle of honey optional.

There are two very important things to know about peaches. Number 1: Ripeness. A bit of a catch 22 situation as peaches are divine when tender, - "pinch-ripe" according to William Morris. I defy anyone to find "pinch-ripe" peaches in a supermarket. Orchardists know that for their peaches to make the journey to supermarket shelves, they have to be picked firm and slightly underripe. Sans fragrance. For peaches of this texture and with peachy aroma, a trip to a pick-your-own farm is in order. Or a few tricks up your sleeve to turn firm peaches into ones that "give" with the tenderest of pressure.

Number 2: Fuzz. Get over it. The peach's downy cover is one of its most alluring characteristic. Once a peach is washed, the fuzz flattens and shouldn't interefere with peach enjoyment. However, enough consumers are bothered by the fuzz that some growers buff off the fuzz - and as you can imagine, the peaches have to be very firm in order to withstand the buffing so chances are defuzzed peaches will be on the underripe side. Hence the need for ripening.

Buffin/defuzzing g brings out the colour of the skin.

Ripening Peaches

Set peaches out in a single layer on a tray - lined with a cloth if desired. Place the tray on the counter away from the sun and let the peaches soften and loose any green near the stem. This will take 2 to 3 days. Once peaches "give" to a slight pressure, eat them, use them for baking or if you have to, store in the fridge for a couple of days. The whole point of peaches, though, is to pick,peel and eat.

Peeling Peaches:

If peaches are properly ripe, all you need to do to peel them is to start at the stem end, and with a paring knife, get under an edge of the skin and pull it off. You will need about 6 pulls to completely disrobe the peach. If you are doing a vast number of peaches, it's faster to place the peaches in a pan, cover them with boiling water until skins are very loose, about 10 seconds, use a slotted spoon to remove them to a bowl of cold water and then to a tray to peel. If you are doing only about a dozen or so peaches, and your peaches are ripe, pulling off the skin is the way to go. If you have to peel a peach like an apple, it is underripe or an import - or both. And shouldn't cross your lips. 

Schnitz Peach Pie

My mother, Olive Davis - and her sister Bessie Babb and Helen Harris, Perth County farm girls all, knew how to make pies. Over the spring, summer and fall a succession of "schnitz" pies came out of their ovens, starting with rhubarb, moving onto peaches and plums and finishing off with the fruit most people associate with a crumble topping and creamy filling, apples. Having to choose one fruit over the other or to pick which sister was the best pie maker would be just too stressful, each fruit is glorious in its own season, each baker talented. But since it's peach season, and I am my mother's daughter, here's the pie that said company-for-supper in my mother's August  kitchen.

Single Crust Sour Cream Pastry (see below)

2/3 cup (150 mL) packed light brown sugar

3 tbsp (45 mL) all-purpose flour

Tiny pinch salt

2 tbsp (30 mL) cold butter, diced

6 large ripe peaches

2 tsp (10 mL) fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup (50 mL) whipping cream

1 large egg yolk

1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cinnamon

. On a pastry cloth or flour-dusted work surface, roll pastry out to 11-inch (27 cm) circle. Do not trim edges. Roll up on rolling pin and unroll over deep 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Without stretching, ease pastry into pie shell. Using kitchen shears, trim edge to within 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) of rim of pie plate; fold overhang under pastry on rim. Flute  pastry on the rim, or press gently with fork to create a pattern.  Refrigerate this pie shell while making the filling.

. In a medium bowl, use fork to blend the sugar, flour and salt. Add the butter and cut in with fork to make a crumbly mixture. Spoon about a third of this crumble into pie shell. 

. Peel, halve and pit peaches. Cut each half into 3 wedges. Arrange wedges on crumble in pie shell - concentric circles recommended. Drizzle with lemon juice.

. In measuring cup, whisk cream and egg yolk; pour over peaches. Sprinkle with remaining crumble mixture; dust with cinnamon.

. Bake in bottom third of 425°F (220°C) oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F (190°) and bake until pastry is golden brown underneath, peaches are tender and crumble is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes.

. Let cool on rack and serve within 4 hours. If you have any leftover, cover and refrigerate. But remember that pie from the fridge is never as good as fresh.

. Makes 8 servings. 

Edythe Diebel, daughter of Helen Harris, cousin and excellent cook, cuts into her version of peach schnitz pie - note the thick slices of peaches.

Single Crust Sour Cream Pastry

1-1/4 cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1/4 cup (50 mL) cold butter, cubed

1/4 cup (50 mL) cold lard, cubed (or butter, but lard gives the flakiest crust)

2 tbsp (30 mL) ice water (approx) 

4 tsp (20 mL)  sour cream

. In medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Sprinkle butter over flour mixture; cut in with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly with a few visible pieces of butter about the size of small peas. 

. In measuring cup, whisk together  the 2 tbsp (30 mL)  water and sour cream; scrape over dry ingredients. With a fork, toss wet and dry together, adding a few drops ice water if necessary to moisten the dry ingredients. The dough will look ragged at this stage.

. Press dough into disk; wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let come to room temperature before rolling.)

. Makes enough for 1 single -crust 9-inch (23 cm) pie.

Peach Galette 

Free-form pies are always the centre of attention. There's something about the edge of the pastry pulled up over the filling that gives the impression that skill is needed, when in fact, this method of holding in the fruit is something everyone can do. Ice cream with the pie is de rigueur. 

2-1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour

2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

3/4 cup (175 mL) cold butter, cubed

3/4 cup (175 mL) ice water

Filling:

1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour

7 cups (1.75 L) peeled thickly sliced ripe peaches, about 8

1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice 

1/4 cup (50 mL) crushed amaretti cookies or vanilla wafers

1 tbsp (15 mL) cold butter

Glaze and Topping:

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp (15 mL) water

2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar

3 tbsp (45 mL) apricot jam, heated and strained

. Have ready a piece of parchment paper 20- x 15-inch (50 x 38 cm). Set out a 12- to 14-inch (30 to 35 cm) pizza pan or large rimless baking sheet. 

. Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt; using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is in large crumbs. 

. Drizzle ice water over dry ingredients, tossing them together with a fork to create a ragged dough. Gather into a ball, then into a disk; wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Let soften slightly before rolling.)

Filling: In large bowl whisk together sugar and flour. Add peaches and lemon juice, turning them in bowl to coat evenly with sugar mixture; set aside.

. Sprinkle parchment paper with flour. Using floured rolling pin, roll out pastry on paper into a 17-inch (43 cm) circle, leaving edges ragged. As the pastry will extend over two sides of the paper, dust the counter with flour to keep the pastry from sticking. Slide paper onto pizza pan,

. Sprinkle pastry with cookie crumbs leaving 3-inch (7.5 cm) border uncovered. Spoon filling evenly over crumbs; dot with butter. Lift pastry up over filling to form 11-inch (27.5 cm) circle, letting pastry fall nautrually into folds around the edge and leaving center uncovered. 

. Glaze: Beat yolk with water. Brush over exposed pastry. Sprinkle with sugar.

. Bake in bottom third of 425 °F (220°C) oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (180°C)  and bake until peaches are tender, filling is bubbling and crust is golden, about 50 minutes. 

. Let cool on pan. Brush filling with jelly. (Make-ahead: Store at room temperature for up to 6 hours.)

. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

          

We learned about the bake-kettle. Cooks of the period often used a stand-alone bake kettle, raised up on trivet, and heated from below with coals raked out of the fire onto the brick extension in front of the hearth. The bake kettle was a convenience  when "putting on the oven" required hours more work than turning the dial or pressing to select temperature and time. The kettle was a convenience as well when the bake oven was already full of bread, cakes and pies, as was ours that day of historic baking bee.

 Coals below and coals above ensure even heat all round the item being baked. The lid, like the bottom of an oval box, fits into the kettle, and is deep enough to hold a generous layer of coals. Our apples, made according to a recipe called "Black Caps" baked up golden brown - no burnt apples for the volunteers under the tutelage of Mya Sanster. 

 

 

 

12 thin slices white sandwich bread

1/2 cup (50 mL) soft butter

1/2 cup (125 mL) currants

5 large eggs

1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar

1 tsp (5 mL) freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch salt

3 cups (750 mL) milk

. Butter a 13- x 9-inch (3 L) glass baking dish or shallow ovenproof dish of similar volume; set aside.

. Stack bread on cutting board; trim thin layer of crust of all edges. Cut crosswise into triangle. Lightly butter all triangles.

. Arrange half of the triangles neatly over the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the currants. Cover with a second layer of bread and butter trianges, and a sprinkle of currants. (Note that for the photos taken at Fort York, Daphne Hart and I overlapped whole bread slices to fit an oval dish.) Set aside.

. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, nutmeg and salt. Whisk in the milk. (Hannah Glasse suggests you can put in 2 spoonfuls of rose water, a widely available flavouring before vanilla took over in the mid 19th century.) Pour evenly over the prepared bread in the baking dish. Let stand for 30 minutes or until the bread has soaked up almost all of the egg mixture.

. Bake in centre of 375°F (190°C) until domed and golden, and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings. 

For more information about historic buildings and their kitchens, check out www.toronto. ca/culture/museums.htm

Quick, before anyone mentions apples, saskatoons or partridge berries, think of the fruit that grows in 10 provinces and 2 territories. Rhubarb. Not native to Canada, but an early import that liked its chilly new terroir, Rheum rhabarbarum has staked out a place in Canada's culinary scene, old-fashioned, and contemporary. Before anybody corrects me by saying rhubarb is botanically a vegetable, it is, but usage has quite rightly shifted its rosy and green stalks to the fruit side. 

.

On the old-fashioned  and fruit side, count the number of rhubarb pie (rhubarb's nickname is "pie plant"), cakes, muffins,crisps, cobblers, conserves, jams, chutneys, sauces and nectars that have filled Canadian cookbooks from the 19th century. As for  the now scene,with its emphasis on local and seasonal, chefs have embraced the stalks to showcase them as cold soups, compotes, white chocolate trifles, tarts and sorbets. And rhubarb that had a reputation a little like zucchini as in "Whatever am I going to do with all this rhubarb", now sells for $5 a bunch at my local farmers' market, and nobody bats and eye as they buy two bundles, just enough to make a pie, one pie. Saints preserve us!

You can either line the cake pan with parchment paper, or lightly brush with softened butter. An offset spatula is the perfect tool for evening and smoothing the batter.

Of all the rhubarb recipes that have passed through my kitchen over the years, the one that stands out is called "Lunar Rhubarb Cake". As a freelancer I was working on a rhubarb and strawberry story for the 1982 special interest publication, Canadian Living Summertime Cookbook Special with friend and mentor, home economist Sandy Hall. We were discussing various rhubarb cake options when she recalled a cake her mother-in-law made every spring. Adapted to Canadian Living Magazine and tweaked for our tastes, we tested and approved the recipe. I was struck by its appearance.

While the sugar and butter tart are delicious, you can lighten up a bit on them both. See the recipe below for amounts.

A rather generous sprinkle of brown sugar and butter over the top baked into the cake, and pitted in a way that looked a moon landscape. Ta da!  Lunar Rhubarb Cake.

The recipe was published, and within weeks, Lunar Rhubarb Cake recipes popped up in publications from weekly local newspaper to big city dailies and in the following rhubarb season, national magazines like Homemakers. The recipe was always virtually the same, as was the wording about why this homey cake got its name. Then the whole moonscape cake thing died down. But last spring The Cookbook Store (Toronto foodie centre) announced a new rhubarb cookbook featuring more than pies, and guess what! Among the cakes, Lunar Rhubarb Cake. All I can say is that a good recipe gets around. Here it is again - in case you missed it back then.

Lunar Rhubarb Cake

As for all cakes, let the butter, egg and buttermilk come to room temperature before making the batter. Set the oven rack is in the centre of the oven, and preheat just in time to put the cake in the oven.

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk

2 cups (500 mL) chopped rhubarb (1/2-inch/1.25 cm pieces)

Lunar Topping

1 cup (250 mL) firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tsp (10 mL)  ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, softened

. Line 13- x-9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan with parchment paper or butter thoroughly but lightly. Set aside.

. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until well mixed and fairly smooth. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.

. Set aside 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the flour. In a separate large bowl, whisk together remaining flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, making 3 additions of these dry ingredients and 2 of buttermilk.

. Toss rhubarb with remaining flour. Spoon over the batter and fold in. Scrape into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. 

Lunar Topping: In bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon. With a fork or pastry blender, work butter into the sugar mixture until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.

. Bake in the centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until the lunar topping is pitted and crusty and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool on rack. 

. Makes about 16 servings.

Tip: While you can cover and store the cake for up to 2 days at room temperature, it is best made and served the same day. 

Rhubarb Nectar aka Spring Drink

At the recent opening of  photographer/professor Mike Robinson's "Daguerreotypes, Past and Present" at Campbell House Museum in Toronto, volunteer historic cooks served "Spring Drink" as part of a 19th century reception menu of savory and sweet dishes. "Spring Drink has gone by many names, "Rhubarb Nectar" being one of my favourites as it describes so well the essence of spring rhubarb in every sip. The drink is easy to make, stores well in the fridge and is handy to pour over ice and serve with a spritz of sparkling water or soda water. 

Volunteer Vi Cardella and I chopped  2 lb (1 kg) rhubarb to make 7 cups (1.75 L). The rhubarb went into a large non-aluminum saucepan with 7 cups (1.75 L) water. We brought the mixture to the boil, covered, and simmered it until the rhubarb broke down, timing from when the mixture came to the boil, about 4 minutes. We let it cool before straining it through a fine sieve. We could have made the drink clearer had we lined the sieve with dampened cheesecloth. One cup (250 mL) granulated sugar was stirred into the rhubarb liquid, and we heated it until the sugar dissolved and cleared. It went into the fridge and was served cold with chilled sparkling water for a drink that guests deemed totally delicious. A nice surprise for people who don't expect to be drinking rhubarb. 

Note for Rhubarb Lovers: Only the stalk is edible.

A little whipped cream would not be amiss with the cake.