Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold Cookbook: A Love Story Told Through 150 Recipes (Fool's Gold #12.1)

2. Melt butter in a medium bowl in the microwave. Add graham cracker crumbs and stir until evenly moistened and mixture holds together. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of prepared pan.

3. Combine condensed milk and chocolate chips in a medium saucepan; place over medium-low heat. Warm until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in salt. Pour over graham cracker base, smoothing with a spatula. Drop marshmallows over the warm chocolate, gently pressing so marshmallows become embedded in the chocolate. Break up the whole graham cracker and stick the pieces in between the marshmallows. Cover the pan and refrigerate at least 3 hours. Serve cold.

TIP: Note—you won’t use the whole can of condensed milk. Use leftover milk as a sweet addition to hot or iced coffee.

SUMMER

Henri’s Tarte Tatin

A fancy French-style tart that just looks hard to make. It’s best served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8

6 medium tart apples, such as Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and quartered

1¼ cups granulated sugar, divided

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 chunks

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted if frozen

1. In a large bowl, toss apple chunks with ¼ cup of the sugar. Let sit 10 minutes to release juices.

2. Melt butter in a 10-inch cast-iron or heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat. Using a pastry brush, brush melted butter along the edges of the skillet to grease the sides. Stir in remaining 1 cup sugar. Cook until sugar is dissolved and lightly golden. Remove pan from heat; lay apples on top of the sugar in concentric circles. Push and squeeze the apples so that they all fit in pan—it’s all right if they rest on top of each other. Return pan to stove, still over medium-low heat. Cook 20 to 25 minutes, without stirring, until apples are softened. Press down on the apples as they cook to baste them in the caramel.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 10-inch circle. Lay the pastry round over the apples; tuck in the edges of the pastry. Slice 4 vents in the pastry. Transfer to the oven; bake 20 minutes, until top is browned. Transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 10 minutes.

4. Run spatula around the edges of the skillet. Invert a cake plate over the skillet and, using pot holders to hold the skillet and plate tightly together, invert tart onto the plate. If any apples remain in the skillet, scrape them off and fit them into the tart. Scrape any excess caramel from the skillet and add to the tart.

TIP: The apple wedges will seem too big at first, but will cook down in the bubbling caramel.

SUMMER

Fun Apple Fritters with Caramel Dipping Sauce

Fritters are best served hot. So gather the family in the kitchen and have a fritter fest!

Serves 4

Fritters

2 apples, such Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and chopped into large chunks

¼ cup light-brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

8 ounces sparkling apple cider

Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying

Caramel sauce

6 ounces caramel candies, unwrapped

2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

For fritters:

1. In a bowl, toss apples, both sugars and cinnamon. In a large bowl, whisk flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the cider; whisk until blended. Fold in the apple mixture until coated. Let the batter rest 10 minutes.

2. In a medium-deep pot, add oil to a depth of at least 2 inches. Heat oil to a temperature of 360°F. Using a large tablespoon, scoop up a heaping spoonful of the apple mixture and gently drop it into the oil. Fry about 4 minutes, until golden brown on all sides, flipping once. You should be able to fry about 3 fritters in each batch. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked fritters to a paper towel–lined platter.

For caramel sauce:

1. Bring a pot of water to a simmer over high heat. Place a metal bowl on top of the simmering water. Place caramels and milk in the bowl; reduce heat to low. Melt caramels, stirring constantly. Pour into a serving bowl. Serve with hot fritters.

TIP: Don’t worry about the shape of the fritters. The craggy sides are part of their charm.

SUMMER

SUMMER

Denise’s Summer Berry Pie

The polka-dot crust of this berry pie makes it a show-stopping party dessert. It’s also more forgiving than a lattice crust.

Serves 10

Double crust

2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling

1 tablespoon granulated sugar, plus additional for baking

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

¼–½ cup cold water

Filling

6½ cups blueberries, blackberries and/or raspberries

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light-brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Pinch of salt

¼ cup instant tapioca or cornstarch