GUEST POST! Claudia’s Brown Butter Buckles
OK, I have to admit, my initial attraction to this easy and
scrumptious dessert was completely due to the name: “And now for
dessert- a Buckle!” It sounds precious, like something Laura Inglass
Wilder may have said at age six or so in Little House in the Big
Woods. That was my favorite in the series, before life became hard and
Mary went blind. Plus it allowed me to use my recently purchased
cast-iron skillet (I know I’m late to the game but I love it so much).
In addition, like many other spoonlickers, I’ve also become completely
obsessed with Deb from Smitten Kitchen.
I had an acute excitement-attack when I learned her cookbook was in
the works (and from Knopf- Julia Child’s publisher-no less).
Regardless, the buckle ultimately won me over by being the best
low-key desert I’ve ever made. I can say with certainty that I am not
one for complicated cooking. Maybe someday I will post about my
experience making ten-hour butternut squash gnocchi (fail.) The truth
is, shamefully, that I tend to not read the whole recipe in advance,
or at least I almost never fully process it. As a result, I often
ignore the part where you are supposed to let something bake or simmer
or cool for at least five hours. I’m a horrible combination of lazy
and incredibly impatient- I want it now!
Luckily this recipe was super easy to pull off, with no complicated
maneuvering or lengthy time intervals. It’s really hard to mess up,
the brown butter is so rich and delicious you are guaranteed to have
something tasty. It’s so simple, in fact, that I’ve now
somewhat-successfully made it with both Nectarines and Apples-
transitioning the dessert to fall the minute there were a million
amazing varieties of apples at the Union Square market.
Also, as side note, Brown Butter may very well be my own personal
mascot. How can butter become even more delicious? Practically burned,
that’s how. I’m sewing a flag in it’s honor.
Brown Butter Buckle (with tree-hanging fruit of choice. I’m determined
to try Pears this winter.)
Recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
3/4 cup unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of allspice (I didn’t have allspice, so used a combination of
cinnamon and nutmeg and it was fine.)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk or buttermilk (I have to admit that both times i’ve
made this, I used 2% because that’s what was in the fridge. But I can
only imagine buttermilk makes it even better.)
1 1/2 pounds nectarines, or apples, halved, pitted and cut into
1/2-inch thick wedges (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
STREUSEL
Reserved butter from cake (make sure you have plenty of brown butter to use.
The first time I made this, my streusel was really flour-y in an
“interesting” way (read: dry.) The second time I over-compensated with
butter and it was too moist. Neither time was it hard-and-crusty as I
imagine Streusel would like to be.)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Brown that butter! Melt all of your butter in a saucepan on medium
heat. Keep stirring, it will foam and then the bottom of the pan will
turn brown. Scrape up the bits off of the bottom of the pan and stir
until butter is brown color. Remove quickly, and be careful not to
burn. Let cool.
Line the bottom of a 10-inch round cast iron skillet with parchment
paper and butter pan and paper.
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and allspice in medium bowl. In a
large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup cooled browned butter (set aside
remaining 1/4 cup for topping), sugar and then eggs, one at a time.
Stir in milk or buttermilk. Stir dry ingredients into this wet
mixture; mix until just combined and spread batter in prepared pan.
Toss nectarine or apple wedges with lemon juice and arrange them in a
single layer on top of the batter.
Make the streusel and bake the cake: Stir remaining brown butter,
sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt together until large crumbs form.
Sprinkle the fruit-topped batter with crumbs. Bake until top is golden
brown and tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs,
about 40 to 45 minutes. I took both of mine out around 50 minutes. Let
cool in pan for 5 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. See
my note about the Streusel, above. The top may not look completely
finished, but both times the cake inside was totally done.
That’s all! So easy! So delicious! Buckles are now my favorite dessert
to make, until I figure out how to successfully make artisanal ice
cream- when I’m a true homesteader. My grandfather Bud Ballard was
raised on a farm in Brooklyn, and my long-term plan is to reclaim the
land someday to raise my own cows. Maybe then I’ll have buttermilk in
the fridge.
