Sweet Sunday: Apple Cake - via Dorie Greenspan and Her Friend Marie-Hélène

As I dive into the sweet and yeasty side of cooking where I once believed, "hic sunt monstra" (here, be monsters), I have become more relaxed and a little more confident, but when I saw what the cake batter looked like after the apples were added, I kinda freaked out, thinking I'd made some egregious and fatal error because it looked like there were too many apples and not enough batter.

The good news is that I had absolutely no reason to freak out. This is one fine and delicious cake.  The liquid that comes out of the baking apples mixes with the batter to make an apple-y, custard-y delight.

This is the first recipe I chose to make from Ms. Greenspan's book, "Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours", but it is definitely not the last. I'm not the first to make and blog about this cake - or a host of other of Ms. Greenspan's recipes.

This is a recipe that Ms. Greenspan developed based on her friend, Marie-Hélène's cake and Ms. Greenspan encourages anybody who makes this not to futz with the recipe the first time around and I concur. There are so few ingredients that come together to make something so wonderful. Also, I think using several different types of apples is important in this recipe. I learned that same lesson about apple pie. When it comes to apple sauce (or apple butter) sticking to a single type is generally better.

Oh - and I think the addition of the dark rum is a key ingredient, if you have some. If not, brandy would do the trick.

The only quibble I had was (as I have had with other recipes) the old, "How big is big?" question when it comes to apple size. The recipe calls for four large apples of different types. I suspect that it's not a cooking crime with this recipe if your apples vary a little in size but I really had a wide range of apple sizes. I actually did some research on what is considered a large apple (*cough*NERD*cough*) and came up with a weight one-half pound (8 oz) per apple. Plus or minus a few ounces isn't going to hurt.

RECIPE: MARIE-HÉLÈNE'S APPLE CAKE
From Dorie Greenspan's book,  "Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours"
Makes 1 8" cake.
Equipment: baking sheet, 8" springform pan, parchment paper or silicone baking mat (Silpat)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 4 large apples, (2 lbs) of apples - choose different types if possible
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, melted and cooled + more to grease the pan

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350F, rack in the middle.


Prepare for baking by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Thoroughly butter an 8" round springform pan and place it on the lined baking sheet. I also covered the bottom of the buttered springform pan with parchment and then buttered the parchment. This makes separating the springform pan bottom from the cake a no-brainer.


In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.


Peel, core and cut the apples into 1-2" pieces. Uniformity of shape isn't important here.


In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Pour in the sugar and whisk for about a minute, or until the sugar and eggs are blended then whisk in the rum and vanilla.


Whisk in one-half of the flour/baking powder/salt mixture, thoroughly incorporating it. Add half the melted, cooled butter and whisk. Add the remaining flour and butter mixing after each addition. The batter should be smooth and thick. It reminded me of waffle batter. Using a large spatula, fold in the apples, making sure that all of the pieces are thoroughly coated. Pour the batter/apple mixture into the prepared pan, scraping the bowl. Use the spatula to make sure the mixture is more or less even.


Place the pan (on the baking sheet) into the oven and bake for 50 - 60 minutes.  When you test it, use a knife and insert it deep into the center. It should be clean - or really, really close. The top will be golden brown and darker brown on the top edges. The edges will probably pull away a little from the sides of the pan. Transfer the cake pan to a cooling rack and let it sit for 5 minutes.


Use a blunt knife - or the non-cutting edge of a dinner knife - to run around the edge of the cake and loosen the sides of the springform pan. Open the pan slowly and make sure there aren't any apples stuck to the side. Continue cooling the cake until it is just warm or at room temperature.


Ms. Greenspan advises using a long spatula to remove the bottom of the springform pan (running it between the cake and the pan) and then inverting the cake onto the rack to remove the bottom. I found that if I line the generously buttered springform and then line the bottom with parchment and butter that, then the bottom lifts right off and the parchment paper liner does too.


This cake stores very well but store it on the counter and don't cover it - it's too moist to wrap up.

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Thanksgiving 2011: Three Side Dishes from Two Sisters

It's not that I haven't cooked, or taken pictures while cooking, and I have a backlog of half-started un-posted articles (virtually) stacked higher than a cord of wood.

In the words of someone from long ago, "There are reasons, but no excuses." so no long winded explanation of why it has been so long between posts.

My goal is to post as many of these as possible before the end of the year - or by Monday the 2nd. 

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday - and not just for the food.

It is the time for family (your bio family or the family you've chosen) to get together without the ugly and crazed season - now starting in September - that has taken over Christmas, like a face-hugging alien (see the video below). My family has dialed-down the gift madness in that, within the siblings, we give each other small or hand-made gifts.



So, because this post was the closest to completion, I'm going to feature two of my sisters' side dishes from our bio-family Thanksgiving. For the past decade (longer?) I have spent Thanksgiving Thursday in San Francisco and then flown north to spend Thanksgiving Saturday with my bio-family. It was very kind of them to make the change and it allows me to spend time with both my bio- and non-bio families as well as double my turkey deconstruction pleasure. I LOVE turkey deconstruction! I could give lessons or compete professionally -- if there was such a contest.
 
From my sister Chris: (first picture left) Sally's Dressing and (first picture right) Chris' Curried Onions and from Cathy, who blogs over at Lo-Carb World (Second Picture): Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes with Herbs and Pancetta.

Sally's Dressing and Chris' Curried Onions (recipes after the jump, below)

Cathy's Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes with Herbs and Pancetta over at her blog, "Lo-Carb World" is linked, below.

 RECIPES
 - Sally's Dressing;
 - Chris' Curried Onions; and
- Cathy's Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes with Herbs and Pancetta (Over at her Lo-Carb World blog)


SALLY'S THANKSGIVING DRESSING -------------------------------------------------------------------
(Nancy's Note: How stupid was I not to have written down my mom's recipe for making dressing? Fortunately Chris has worked it out, adding a few twists of her own.)

Ingredients

• About 10 cups of oven-dried dense white sandwich bread pieces pieces in about 1- 1.5"chunks
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups diced yellow onion
• 2 cups finely diced celery-- the "hearts of the hearts" of 2 bunches including inner leaves
• 1 bunch stemmed, finely chopped kale
• 6 - 9 finely minced medium to large cloves of garlic
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 4 cups low sodium organic chicken broth
• 1 large carrot in 4 pieces
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley plus 2 large stalks, divided
• 6 -8 large finely minced sage leaves plus 2 leaves, divided
• 2 tablespoons thyme leaves plus 2 stalks, divided
• finely minced leaves of 1/4 cup fresh rosemary plus 1/4 whole branch, divided
• turkey drippings

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease or oil 9 x 13" pan.

Gently simmer chicken broth on low in a covered saucepan with carrot pieces, bay leaf and reserved whole herb pieces (parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary) while preparing rest of recipe.

Saute onion, celery and kale over medium to medium low heat with salt and pepper to taste until vegetables are wilted, onions are translucent and soft and the liquid from the vegetables has evaporated.  Make a clear space In the pan and saute minced garlic, stirring constantly, for 1 - 2 min.  Do not let brown.  Stir into onion mixture. Remove saute pan from heat and let mixture cool completely.

Remove broth from heat, uncover, and let cool completely.  Strain carrot and herbs out and discard.

in a very large bowl, add sauteed vegetables to bread cubes and combine thoroughly with hands.    Beat eggs with 3 c. broth, pour over dressing and mix thoroughly with hands.  Taste for seasoning and adjust.  Reserve remaining broth to moisten dressing during or after baking if necessary.

Put dressing in greased or oiled 9 x 13 pan and bake for 45 min or until the top is brown.  Drizzle with 2 T turkey drippings if desired.
 
CHRIS' CURRIED ONIONS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

If there is a trick to it, it's to make the cheese sauce very thick.  The cooked onions exude a lot of water during baking no matter how well you drain them, so if you begin with a thick sauce, you'll end up with the perfect texture of sauce.

Leftovers reheat well in the microwave if you use one of the lower power settings and stir once every couple of minutes to make sure the sauce doesn't break.  I like leftovers best when they are thinned with chicken broth and gently heated in a saucepan on the stove top--it makes a delicious soup!  You can add diced ham or smoked turkey sausage to make it more hearty.

(Nancy's Note on Leftovers: a seriously delicious soup! You can whiz the stock - chicken or vegetable - and the leftover onions in a blender before heating or use a stick blender to puree.) 

Ingredients

• 4-5 large yellow onions, cut in quarters or eighths
• 4 Tablespoons each flour and butter
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded cheddar.  I usually use half sharp and half medium
• 1-2 tablespoons curry powder. (I like Madras-style curry powder and I use 2 T, but we like curry)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• salt and pepper
• paprika for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle.  

Steam or boil onions for 10 - 15 minutes until fork tender.  

In a saucepan, make a light-colored roux with the flour and butter.  Stir in curry powder and cayenne.  Cook the roux over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.  Take the saucepan off the heat and slowly whisk in the milk, Worcestershire and mustard.  Add salt and pepper to taste.   Put the saucepan back on medium heat and stir until the white sauce comes to a full boil.  Immediately reduce the heat to low.  Stir in hand fulls of the shredded cheese, one at a time, until the cheese has fully melted.  Do not let the white sauce reach a simmer after you add the cheese.  Take saucepan off heat.  Taste for seasoning.

Put the drained onions into a 9"x 9" buttered or oiled casserole dish.  Spoon the sauce over the onions and then combine the sauce and the onions.  Sprinkle paprika on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. 

Check to see if casserole has begun to bubble around the edges; if so, remove from oven and serve.

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Best Vegetable Recipes of 2011

The best vegetable recipes of 2011 from A Veggie Venture, just one per month, all in one handy spot for easy reference.

It's that time of year, the week when we food bloggers look back over a year's worth of recipes and pick our favorites!

I love-love-love this process! It really helps us hone our recipe collections, highlighting the best of the already very good, especially for sites like A Veggie Venture and my food column Kitchen Parade which by design, already post only really good recipes, the ones that work, the ones that are special or especially useful.

But I also love all the many sources of "best of the year" lists for movies, books, gadgets, etc. So this year, I'm collecting "best of the year" lists on Pinterest. (Food bloggers, be sure to let me know when you post your own best of 2011 list.) Follow me there and you'll see all the new entries over the next couple of weeks. And hey! Follow me on Pinterest and I'd love to follow you, too! Need an invitation? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. All I need to know is which e-mail address you'd like to use for Pinterest.

But okay, here you go, my favorite recipes for 2011. Do we share a favorite? Have I missed one you loved? Let me know in the comments!
Keep Reading ->>>

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Of Favorite Cookies & Cookbooks: A Christmas Special

For cookie bakers, No-Roll Christmas Sugar Cookies aren't to be missed, they're the best chewy and butter sugar cookies you might have ever tasted but without all the fuss and muss of rolling and decorating. I'm making them for my cookie swap next week, the - get this! - 19th annual.

For home cooks, savory and sweet both, the Food52 Cookbook isn't to be missed either, it's one of two favorite new cookbooks in 2011. It's a collection of "best of the best" recipes from home cooks -- I think it's fabulous and am giving away a copy!

Head on over to Kitchen Parade, No-Roll Christmas Sugar Cookies (or click the photo) for the cookie recipe and cookbook giveaway. It's easy to enter to win -- US and Canadian residents for this giveaway, please, through December 14th.

MORE GIVEAWAYS? I've started posting giveaways (mine and other food bloggers') on a special bulletin board on Pinterest. Follow me there for the latest! And it's Christmas -- right now there are a BUNCH of giveaways going on, including for wonderful LeCreuset Dutch ovens and other cooking gear.

WHERE IN HECK ARE THE VEGETABLE RECIPES? So isn't A Veggie Venture the food blog about vegetables? Yep, it is, except in December when our interest in vegetables falls to the wayside in favor of, well, Christmas cookies, holiday parties, picking out just the right gifts, decorating the tree, sitting by the fire with a hot mug of Scandinavian mulled wine (my recipe is fruity, not sweet and by the way, made for a much-lively Scandinavian dinner party weekend before last) or passing along along family traditions like making Swedish Potato Sausage. Here's my promise, made on a stack of sliced beets: Come January, A Veggie Venture will return to its usual programming, all vegetables, all the time.

Can't wait? Here are vegetable recipes I've featured during December in prior years:
Keep Reading ->>>

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Staples: Drying Herbs

Periodically and especially during the holiday season, I end up with half-used bunches of herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano. Often, they have ended up making a kind of (disgusting) herb soup in the bottom of my crisper. Periodically, I also gather a bunch of California Bay leaves from the tree/bush (it's hard to tell at this point) in Lynn's back yard. I dry these sturdier herbs in the microwave. The method is the same, it's the length of time that they're in the microwave that differs. I lay down a single layer of paper towel and sprinkle the herbs on top - not crowding them and run the microwave at 30% power for a couple of minutes. If the herbs aren't dry, I'll repeat this, except that the time is between 30 seconds and 1 minute. The bay leaves take several minutes and I would love to know how to keep them from curling up - thereby making it more difficult to get them in a jar. Once I take them out of the microwave, I let them sit on the paper towel for a minute or two before I put them in a jar.

I've got blog posts backed up like planes over O'Hare on Christmas Eve. Work and travel backed me up a little but I should be posting them very soon - including a dee-licious apple cake.

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Holiday Baking Tips + A Cookbook Giveaway ♥

Hello Vegetable Lovers!

Anyone gearing up for Christmas baking will definitely want to check out Holiday Baking Tips from a Certifiable Cookie-Baking Fiend. That "fiend" would be me: during December, your 'veggie evangelist' is turning into a part-time 'cookie evangelist'.

Plus I'm giving away a copy of Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies, the award-winning cookie cookbook by Alice Medrich.

Contest open through December 8, 2011 to readers from across the world - hello, Canadian readers! : - ) To enter, click the photo >>>>>>>

Happy Baking!

Keep Reading ->>>

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