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| Sweet Spot Archives |
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Crocodile Takes 1st Prize in SugArt Contest What’s green, scaly, scary…and sweet? The winning entry of C&H Sugar Company's SugArt® Competition—a crocodile made entirely of C&H sugar cubes—that’s what!  The contest, held earlier this year, drew imaginative creations made by children from around the San Francisco Bay Area. The contest rules: participants had to be between ages 5 and 13…and they had to use C&H sugar cubes to create their works of art. First-prize winner Rachel Leonard, 8, of Foothill Elementary in Saratoga, Calif., accepted the challenge head-on. “I thought making a crocodile would be hard, so I decided to do it,” she says. Rachel used C&H sugar cubes, green paint, and cardboard to create a crocodile like one she saw while on a family vacation in Mexico. Sanding the spikes on its back was her favorite part of the project. The judges, including teachers, C&H Sugar representatives, and members of a professional design firm, were impressed by Rachel’s attention to detail. “Her sculpture was original and well designed,” said one judge. Rachel was awarded a $1,000 savings bond; her school received $500 for its art program. Judges were awed by Northern California’s other aspiring SugArt-ists. “The creativity shown was amazing! We were delighted to see so many unique sculptures,” says C&H Sugar spokesperson Vivienne Drimmer. “All the entrants worked hard and should feel proud of their creations.” Second-prize winners were awarded $500 savings bonds and $250 for their schools. They were: Jennifer Miller, 7, Foothill Elementary, “Mrs. Mermaid.” Elizabeth Cardenas, 8, Hillcrest Elementary, “Twin Towers.” Rommel Calimlim, 8, Hillcrest Elementary, “Handicap Sign.” Thanks to all the children who contributed inspirational and fun projects to C&H Sugar’s Annual SugArt Contest! Our next SugArt contest will begin after school starts in the fall, so check back here for details. |
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Sweet Spot Archives Spring 2003 Winter 2003 Fall 2002 Summer 2002 Spring 2002 Winter 2002 Holiday 2001 |
As much as we love to eat fresh, ripe fruit, we love baking with it even more. And now that supermarkets and farmers’ markets are bursting with delicious seasonal fruit, the choices for home baking are nearly limitless.
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| Mixed Berry Cobbler |
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What’s in a Name?
The names of fruit desserts can offer clues to their origins. For example, cobblers get their name from their bumpy topping, which resembles cobblestones. Buckles appear to give way—“buckle”—under the weight of the fruit. And Betty—well, no one knows why this old American dessert is called that. We do know it goes back to Colonial times, and makes its first cookbook appearance in the late nineteenth century.
Here’s an introduction to some other familiar—and less-familiar—desserts baked with fruit.
Betty (or Brown Betty): This rich, old-fashioned dessert is usually made with apples and always topped with crumbs (often bread or cookie). If you like, prepare this Apple Betty several hours in advance and reheat it at 300° for about 15 minutes.
Buckle: Another old-fashioned fruit dessert, a buckle is simply a sturdy cake, made with plenty of eggs and sugar, with fruit baked into it. Carolyn recommends this Nectarine-Raspberry Buckle because the colors and flavors complement each other well.
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| All-American Apple Pie | |
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Crisp: Easy-to-make crisps feature a crunchy topping made with brown sugar, flour, butter, nuts, and a second grain such as oats or cornmeal. You can double, triple, or even quadruple the topping recipe and freeze the surplus; when it’s time to bake your next crisp, simply measure out two cups of topping. For Plum Crisp, use any firm, sliceable plum with a sweet-tart flavor.
Crumble: Similar to a crisp, a crumble has a topping made with white sugar and without the grains. Peach-Blueberry Crumble allows each fruit’s distinctive sweetness to shine. It’s great for parties and potlucks—each person can scoop out just as much as he or she wants.
Galette: Don’t let the fancy name fool you! A galette is simply a free-form tart that’s easy and fun to make, because you don’t have to worry about rolling the pastry into a perfect circle: just fold it irregularly over the top. Carolyn especially likes this Apricot-Cherry Galette. Her tip: Seek out sour Montmorency cherries, or used dried ones plumped in a little hot water. “Save Bing cherries for eating,” she advises.
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| Strawberry Tart | |
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Tart: A tart differs from a pie in that it’s made in a wide, shallow pan without a top crust. Use a pan with a removable bottom to serve your tart the traditional way: unmolded onto a plate. Make a buttery Tart Crust—or make two and freeze the extra pastry ball for later use. For our Strawberry Tart, make sure you pick big, unblemished berries.
Sweetening the Deal
Either granulated or Baker’s Sugar works equally well in baked fruit desserts; you can substitute one for the other without changing the measurements. Sugar does more than simply sweeten the fruit: It draws out the fruit juices and creates a natural “sauce.” For that reason, make sure you carefully follow the recipe’s instructions about when to mix the raw fruit and the sugar. Let it sit too long and you’ll end up with a pool of juice that can cause the bottom crust of a pie or tart to become soggy. (Adding some thickener can help; see the Tip in the right-hand column.)
How much sugar do you need when baking with fruit? Depends on the fruit, says Carolyn Weil. “As a rule, add one-half cup to one cup of sugar for every six cups of fruit,” she says. “With rhubarb, which is quite tart, you’ll need the whole cup. With peaches or blueberries, you’ll use just half a cup.” Want to be extra sure? Just taste!
About Carolyn Weil: A former pastry chef and bake-shop owner, Carolyn Weil is an experienced teacher, the author of the “pies and tart” chapter of The Baker’s Dozen Cookbook, and author of the new Williams-Sonoma Collection: Pies and Tarts cookbook.
