A semifreddo is an Italian soft-frozen custard mousse. Grappa, which is floral and just a little edgy, bumps the musky, intoxicating sweetness of the melon up a notch.
To make a larger crisp that serves 10, double all the ingredients, use a 13 x 9-inch baking pan, and bake for 55 minutes at 375 degrees, without increasing the oven temperature. We recommend both Granny Smith and McIntosh apples. Half a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger makes a nice flavor addition to all the fruits.
If you make the crisp topping in large quantities and freeze it, this dessert can be as simple as slicing up some fruit. Just store the topping in a large container or zipper-lock bag. When you need a quick dessert, scoop out the required amount (about two cups for the quantity of fruit in this recipe), sprinkle it over the prepared fruit, and bake.
Separate the eggs and whisk the yolks after the cream has finished steeping; if left to sit, the surface of the yolks will dry and form a film. The best way to judge doneness is with a digital instant-read thermometer. The custards, especially if baked in shallow fluted dishes, will not be deep enough to provide an accurate reading with a dial-face thermometer. For the caramelized sugar crust, we recommend turbinado or Demerara sugar. Regular granulated sugar will work, too. The amount of sugar needed for the topping will depend on the shape of the ramekin.
While the bananas cook, scoop the ice cream into individual bowls so they are ready to go once the sauce has been flambéed. Before flambéing, make sure to roll up long shirt sleeves, tie back long hair, turn off the exhaust fan (otherwise the fan may pull the flames up) and turn off any lit burners (this is critical if you have a gas stove). A dark rum like Myers will give this dish a potent rum flavor, for less intense rum flavor, use a variety like Bacardi Gold.
Chocolate chips add a sweet counterpoint to these tangy bright-pink raspberry pops. Strawberries would work equally well.
Clafoutis is a shallow French cake, something like a large puffy pancake, traditionally baked with cherries. The batter takes minutes to whir in a blender. Here, Central Kitchen’s Gary Strack uses blackberries, but you can bake a clafoutis with any fruit in season. In the fall, try it with apples or pears.
These won second place at the 4th annual Farm Field Day at Volante Farms in Needham. Contestant Michaela Gold, 14, based the cake on a recipe she found on allrecipes.com, and added her own cream and fruit garnish.
Lokshen kugel is an important part of Jewish holiday tables. This sweet, creamy, eggy noodle pudding is a standard menu item at the meal next Monday night after a day of fasting on Yom Kippur. My mother, with whom I consult about traditional dishes before I begin cooking, was at the supermarket checkout line in Miami, with ingredients for her pudding on the belt. The woman in line behind her offered some unsolicited advice. “I make the best noodle pudding around,’’ she announced.
When guests arrive in apple season with a few hours notice, you’ll probably have these ingredients on hand. The assembly takes little time. The crisp is ample in the pan and the topping turns chewy and crisp.