Paper Palate

I love picking up copies of Cook’s Illustrated on occasion, and it’s even better when they print one of their special edition magazines.  I recently found their Summer Grilling and Entertaining magazine when I was out browsing at the bookstore. What I love about reading their magazines is the detail that they share about testing new recipes - what went wrong, and how they corrected it. It’s not flashy and there’s no advertising, so it’s simply about getting to the absolute best way to prepare the recipe.

We had a get-together to go to this weekend and I wanted to bring along something that would be sweet, but not so sweet it would be overpowering. I read the recipe for the Raspberry Streusel Bars and thought that it would be a nice bar recipe to try. They do recommend using fresh raspberries, however I couldn’t find nice ones at the market, so I went with some frozen berries instead. I also opted to use Trader Joe’s Organic Raspberry Jam since that was what I had on hand. Now, if you want to try this using the brand that was CI’s favorite, pick up a jar of Smucker’s Red Raspberry Preserves. They liked this one due to its flavor and just the right number of seeds in it. 

These bars were definitely simple to make and a nice contrast to the other desserts that we had to choose from that afternoon. They were sweet, but not to the point you need a glass of water to wash them down; although a glass of milk would complement them very nicely. A couple of friends thought they were similar to fruit cereal or granola bars. Overall, they were enjoyed by everyone who tried them and only a few were left to have as snacks the next day.

Raspberry Streusel Bars

Source:  Cook’s Illustrated, Summer Grilling & Entertaining - Summer 2008

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened to cool room temperature, divided

1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup pecans, chopped fine (I left these out since I didn’t know if there were any nut allergies)

3/4 cup raspberry preserves

3/4 cup fresh raspberries (or frozen, be sure they are defrosted prior to mixing with the preserves)

1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cut 18-inch piece of foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width.  Fit foil into length of 9×13 baking dish, pushing it into the corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges.  Cut 14-inch piece of foil and fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet.  Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with flat beater, mix flour, granulated sugar, and salt at low speed until combined, about 5 seconds.  With machine on low, add 16 tablespoons butter 1 piece at a time; then continue mixing on low until mixture resembles damp sand, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. 

Measure 1 1/4 cups flour mixture into medium bowl and set aside; distribute remaining flour mixture evenly in bottom of prepared baking dish.  Using hands or flat-bottomed measuring cup, firmly press mixture into even layer to form bottom crust.  Bake until edges begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes.

While crust is baking, add brown sugar, oats, and nuts to reserved flour mixture; toss to combine. Work in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter by rubbing mixture between fingers until butter is fully incorporated. Pinch mixture with fingers to create hazelnut-sized lumps; set streusel aside.

Combine preserves, raspberries, and lemon juice in a small bowl; mash with fork until combined but some berry pieces remain.

Spread filling evenly over hot crust; sprinkle streusel topping evenly over filling (do not press streusel into filling). Return pan to oven and bake until topping is deep golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 22 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, 1-2 hours; remove from baking pan by lifting foil extensions. Using a chef’s knife, cut into squares and serve.