I love baked apples;  in pies, cobblers, cakes, — you name it, and I love them. But I think apple crisp is my favorite.  I'll blame it on my brother since he was crazy over it when we were growing up.  And if he knew I was playing around with an old favorite, he'd roll his eyes and tell me I was ridiculous.

But I already know that.  It makes life much more interesting — especially if one's a foodie.  Understanding how flavors and textures work with one another opens up so many possibilities, and waiting for that first bite after the experimentation is done is so worthwhile.

The perfect baked apple dessert is a bite of still slightly crunchy, and tart — nothing too sweet or soft.

So when I thought about the ingredients in this apple crisp, it only made sense that if pomegranates were included, then pistachios should be included as well.  Both are native to Iran, but now grown in California.  Pistachios are one of nature's amazing foods — packed with antioxidants just like pomegranates.  If you're a nut lover, then it will help to know that while you're munching your way through a hand full, you're helping your HDL levels as well.

I'd say that with all that good info, this dessert not only fits the comfort food bill, it's healthy, too.

Apple Pomegranate Crisp with Pistachios
serves about 8 half-cup servings

3 Braeburn apples (or Granny Smith, or pippins)
1-1/2 c. pomegranate arils
1-1/2 T extra fine sugar
1/4 c. + 9 T all purpose flour, split
4 T unsalted butter, melted
3 T brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1 pinch salt
1/3 c. raw pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. bourbon vanilla
1/4 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly spray a 9" pie pan or casserole with oil.

Peel and core the apples and cut into small chunks.  Remove the arils from the pomegranates.  Combine both in a bowl and mix with the sugar, and 1/4 c. of the flour, tossing to coat the fruit.  Pour into the prepared dish and set aside.

In the same bowl the fruit was mixed in, add the rest of the flour, brown sugar, nuts, cardamom, and salt.  Mix well, then add the vanilla and melted butter, stirring until all the flour is moist and small clumps form.

Sprinkle crumb nut mixture with your fingers evenly over the surface of the fruit, then drizzle the heavy cream over all.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the topping just begins to brown being careful not to overcook, as the fruit will dry out.  Let cool briefly before serving alone, with ice cream, or slightly sweetened cream.

Notes:

• The POM site has lots of great information about pomegranates, including how to peel them without making a mess or wasting fruit.  It works!
• This recipe is relatively light and not gooey like baked fruit can be.  If you'd like something more like that, I'd recommend sauteeing the fruit in 2 T butter first to allow it to begin to caramelize, then mix in the pomegranate, toss in flour and sugar and place in the baking pan.
• Although we did enjoy this with sweetened cream, I did try it with the Vanilla Pomegranate Pot-de-Creme and the flavors and textures work very nicely together.  Lots and lots of pomegranate!
• This tastes great warmed up in the microwave the next day.  Just make sure it's well wrapped and stored in the fridge.
• Many thanks to Oh Nuts! for their lovely raw pistachios.  If you've not tried their products, take a peek.

I can't resist pomegranates.  Although I've never owned a tree, I can remember knowing where at least one was growing when I was young — no matter where I lived — and kept an eye on it to see if it mattered to whomever owned it.  If the fruit was left on the ground after it fell, then that meant I was free to pick one from the tree and dig in, no matter how long it took — even if I had to climb over a fence.

The only places I see pomegranate trees now are around older homes, or on the perimeter of lots where homes have been removed to create something new, like a strip mall.  And since fence climbing doesn't exactly mix with middle age, I've succumbed to purchasing pomegranates when I see them at the market these days.  Pushing a shopping cart can be brutal during the rush hour, but I rarely wake up sore the next morning.

I do understand that the semi arid and temperate climate of San Diego makes it a perfect place to grow them however, and that they adapt well to containers, so I just may be in the market for my very own tree.

Why all this talk of memories and pomegranates?  POM, the nation's largest producer of the antioxidant rich pomegranate, is having a contest, so I thought I'd do some thinking about how I might use the fruit in something other than a salad.  I settled on two homey desserts — one for my husband and one for myself.  He loves creme brulee, and I enjoy baked fruit crisps, so that's what I created:  "Vanilla Pomegranate Pot-de-Creme" and "Apple Pomegranate Pistachio Crisp."

And yes, they taste great together if you want lots and lots of pomegranate! 

Vanilla Pomegranate Pot-de-Creme
serves 4-6

1 c. whole milk
1 c. heavy cream
2 whole vanilla beans
5 egg yolks
6 T. sugar
6 T. pomegranate arils

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare for a water bath by setting 4-6 small oven proof containers inside a baking dish.  Spray the containers with oil.  Set aside.

Pour milk and cream into a small sauce pan.  Split vanilla beans down the center, open them and scrape out the seeds.  Combine seeds and empty pods with the milk and cream and bring to a boil over medium heat.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until well blended.

When the milk mixture has reached the boil, remove the vanilla bean pods and discard.  Give the mixture a good stir and then with the pan in one hand and a whisk in the other, pour a little amount of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking as you pour.  Continue to add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking quickly as you pour.  Make sure all of the vanilla seeds are scraped into the mixture from the bottom of the pan.

Divide the custard evenly between the containers, and sprinkle pomegranate arils evenly into the custard.  Set the pan into the oven and pour hot water about half way up the sides of the containers. 

Bake for about 1 hour or until tops are golden brown and custard is set.  Remove from water and let cool.

Notes:

• We loved this right from those little containers which are actually yogurt pots.  I save them because they're so cute.  You just never know, right?
• This makes too much for 4 pots, so I added the ramekin for over flow.  Although I didn't try it, the ramekin could be inverted to reveal the pomegranate which stays near the bottom of the pots.  That would be lovely.
• Custard can often be "eggy," but this is not.  It's creamy, slightly sweet, and the pomegranate adds a pleasant tartness and crunch.
• There's quite a bit of vanilla in this and it's quite nice.  If you need to use extract instead, then 1 to 1-1/2 tsp. should be enough.
• Store in the fridge, covered after completely cool.  Condensation will form on the covering if the custard isn't cool and will drip into the custard.  Not a good thing.  You can set the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard instead, but it will stick to any surface that wasn't caramelized during baking.
• If you're a creme brulee fan, then this simple dessert makes for a little bit of a crunch on the surface without the torch. 

Does anyone remember eating warm spinach and bacon salad?  I think the first time I tried it was at my aunt's house when I was in junior high.  There was something fascinating about the sweet and tangy taste of it…and the bacon?  Right.

I'd love to take credit for this recipe which is a lovely, more elegant version, but I can't.  It's one of Susan Branch's recipes from her Christmas from the Heart of the Home book.  If you aren't familiar with her, you're really missing something wonderful.  I love browsing through her site and leafing through her books which are so much more than just cookbooks.  They're like a trip to a special place where life is slow and pleasant, and creativity abounds.  Such an amazing woman! 

I like to make this salad at this time of year, because of the pomegranates, of course.  And recently, I learned a new way to peel them, which makes me very happy considering I won't have to tolerate a red stain on my cutting board for a week or more.

Warm Spinach & Bacon Salad with Pomegranate

1 container of fresh baby spinach leaves
seeds of 1 pomegranate
1 c. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 avocado, cubed
1/2 c. pecans, toasted
3 slices bacon
1/4 brown sugar
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the pomegranate, fill a large bowl or kettle with water.  Score the skin of the pomegranate and submerge it.  Pull it gently apart, then push seeds from the membrane.  The peelings and membrane will float, the juice dissolve without coloring your fingers, and the seeds will sink to the bottom.  Discard the floating peel when you're finished, and pour the water through a strainer.  Reserve seeds.

Fry bacon until crisp and break into pieces after it's cooled.  Pour off all but 1 T. of fat off and set skillet aside.

In a large serving bowl, add spinach, mushrooms, avocados, nuts, and pomegranate seeds.

Place the skillet with the bacon fat back over medium heat and add the olive oil, sugar, and vinegar.  Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is warmed through.  Pour over the spinach mixture, sprinkle on bacon and season.  Toss and serve.

Notes:

• I can't say enough about the flavors in this.  The creamy avocado with the crunch of bacon and then there's the vinegar and sugar.  Amazing!
• It's good with pancetta, too, but you won't have that 1T of bacon fat that adds so much to the taste of this.
• The salad is still good without the pomegranate, just not as pretty.  Outside of not being able to get pomegranates, I can imagine that some may not like the seeds.  I think their crunch is wonderful.
• When I make warm spinach salad, it's usually with sauteed mushrooms and onions, so the raw mushrooms in this is a nice change.
• It's easy to prepare everything ahead of time until you need to make the dressing.  That takes only a couple of minutes, and then you'll be able to serve either with the bowl at the table…

…or toss and serve on individual salad plates.