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Bolzano Apple Cake

This delicious cake was one of my contributions for a Thanksgiving dinner. I had wanted to bring an apple pie, but I didn’t feel like making a crust, so I was happy to discover this recipe on the Whisk and a Spoon blog. (original recipe from The Essential New York Times Cookbook) It is a lot easier to make than a pie, and the tartness of the Granny Smith apples balances well with the custard-like sweetness of the cake, which is highlighted by real vanilla bean. It tasted amazing on day two when eaten at room temperature.

What you need:

8 tablespoons/1 stick unsalted butter, plus some for greasing the pan

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

1 & 1/4 pounds (3-4 medium Granny Smith apples)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk, room temperature

What you do:

1. Line an 8-inch spring-form pan with parchment paper and smear it with butter. Dust with flour and remove any excess. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

3. Split the vanilla pod in half and reserve the seeds. Put the pod into the warm butter.

4. Peel, quarter and core the apples, then slice them thinly. (I used a mandoline, but you could do it with a large knife.)

5. Beat the eggs in a large bowl with half the sugar, then gradually add the rest of the sugar while beating. The batter should form ribbons when you lift the beaters. Add the vanilla seeds to the batter.

6. Remove the vanilla pod from the butter and stir the butter into the batter.

7. Combine the flour and baking powder, adding it alternately with the milk, ending with flour. Stir in the apples, making sure each piece of apple is coated. Pour the batter into the spring-form pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.

8. Place the spring-form pan on a baking sheet in case there is any leaking, and bake for 25 minutes. Then rotate the pan and bake for 25 minutes more. The cake should pull away from the sides and become brown on top; when you insert a knife it should come out clean. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes.

The original recipe suggests serving it with a sprinkling of icing sugar, but I’m not a big fan of that, so I served it on its own, and it was Awesome!

Bubbat – Mennonite Raisin and Farmer Sausage Bread

My Oma always made this bread for holiday feasts, so I’m giving it a try for Thanksgiving dinner. While delicious, this version doesn’t seem a lot like hers, but she never used a recipe, so the secret is lost. I think she probably added a whole bunch of chicken fat.

I found several recipes in the Mennonite Treasury, that great cookbook that holds so many of the traditional recipes. I used a combination of two recipes, choosing to use a yeast-raised version. I mainly used the recipe for ‘Bubbat (with sausage)’ submitted by Mrs. Herman Neufeld. Poor dear, with no first name of her own! To her recipe I added the raisins and prunes, some butter, and used much less sausage than the 1&1/2 pounds the recipe called for. I set aside a bit of batter to make a small vegetarian loaf before mixing in the sausage.

What you need:

1 tablespoon sugar

1 package (2 & 1/4 teaspoons) yeast

1 egg

1 &1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup melted butter

3 & 1/2 – 4 cups flour

2 cups raisins and chopped prunes

2 cups chopped farmer sausage (if you’re in the Fraser Valley near Vancouver, the best is from Rempel Meats)

What you do:

1. Heat the milk until it just boils, then let it cool.

2. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of sugar into some lukewarm water then sprinkle the yeast on top. Let this sit for about 10 minutes, until it gets foamy. If it doesn’t do anything that means your yeast is dead.

3. Once the milk has cooled, add the yeast, a beaten egg, melted butter and salt to it. Stir in the flour to make “a soft dough that can barely be stirred with a spoon.” I think this means it is soft but firm… do what feels right! Add the raisins, prunes and farmer sausage.

4. Grease a large loaf pan very well with butter and pour the dough into it. The cookbook asks for lengths of sausage to be pressed into the top, so you can do this if you want more meat in there.

5. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about an hour. The cookbook does not specify, but I think it’s a good idea to put a clean tea towel on top of it.

6. Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 375F and bake for 45 minutes.

One recipe says to serve it hot, but I don’t remember having it that way, so you can remove it from the tin to let it cool if you want, or serve it right away with some butter.

Roasted Cauliflower with Tomato, Dill and Capers

Here’s a fabulous vegetable recipe that you will love if you enjoy cauliflower. I’ve changed the recipe a little (from Ottolenghi the Cookbook) by roasting the cauliflower instead of steaming and then frying it, as the recipe calls for. I love the flavour you get when you roast cauliflower, and the method in the cookbook was too many steps for me at the time. I was happy with the results, as was my sweetheart who was dining with me. I also used less oil in the dressing: 1/4 up instead of 1/2 a cup. Even 1/4 cup in one vegetable recipe seems like a lot of oil to me. Anyways, another yummy vegetable recipe that I will definitely make again.

What you need:

2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped coarsely

1 tablespoon French whole-grain mustard

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cauliflower divided into florets

1 tablespoon chopped dill

1 & 2/3 cup baby spinach leaves

about 20 cherry tomatoes, halved

salt and freshly ground pepper

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the cauliflower florets on a baking pan and roast for 20-30 minutes, or until they are nicely browned. You’ll want to check on them halfway through and give the pan a bit of a toss.

2. To make the dressing mix the capers, mustard, garlic, vinegar, and some salt and pepper. You can do this in a food processor, with an immersion blender as I did, or if you’re feeling energetic you can just use a whisk. Add the olive oil slowly while blending, until the dressing is thick and creamy.

3. Cut the tomatoes in half, and wash and dry the spinach and chop the dill. When the cauliflower is done combine it with the dill, spinach, tomatoes and dressing. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Lemon Sables – French Sugar Cookies

Mmm, these pretty little lemony cookies have a nice crispy bite to them, almost like a shortbread. I usually look for cookie recipes that have some chocolate in them, but this is a nice fresh change from my usual, and they go great with a cup of tea. I made them for a dessert to bring to a friend’s place, and they were a hit. They are small enough to have just a little sweet bite after dinner, but those who wanted more sweet bites could have a few.

I got this recipe from Clotilde Dusoulier’s fabulous Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook.

What you need:

1 lemon

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon fleur de sel or kosher salt

7 tablespoons/ 3.5 ounces cold unsalted butter, diced

1 large egg yolk

1 cup icing sugar

What you do:

1. Zest about one tablespoon of lemon peel, making sure to only use the yellow skin, not the bitter white part underneath.

2. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar, then stir in the flour and salt.

3. Add the butter and mix it into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or cool hands (if your hands are too hot they will melt the butter) until it looks like very coarse sand. Add the egg yolk and stir with a fork until combined, and then knead the dough until it comes together. If you need to, you can add a little ice-cold water, one teaspoons at a time to help bring it together.

4. Divide the dough into two parts, then form it into logs about 3-4 cm in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1/2 hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take one of the logs out of the freezer and slice about 1cm thick using a very sharp serrated knife.

6. Place the disks on the baking sheet, leaving a few centimeters’ space between them. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges. Cool the cookies on a wire rack. You can bake both logs, or save one for baking fresh another time. While these cookies do keep for a few days, they are best on days one and two.

7. Once the cookies are completely cool you can make the glaze by squeezing the lemons to get 3 tablespoons of juice. Add the juice to a bowl with the icing sugar and whisk it until there are no lumps. Glaze the cookies using a pastry brush or a teaspoon. Let the glaze dry completely before serving. Make sure to store them in an airtight container.

Guacamolata – Avocado Sauce

When I was in the Yucatan earlier this year I found a lot of places serving this runny avocado sauce with their tacos and some other dishes like eggs and fish. It is creamy, yet without any dairy. When I took a cooking class at Altamar Restaurant in Tulum, the chef told me the ingredients for the sauce, which he called guacamolata. Last night I was making several salsas to serve to company, so I gave this one a try. It’s a nice light tasting sauce that doesn’t overpower the rest of the food you are drizzling it on, and a pretty colour too! People who aren’t into spicy foods will appreciate this option. I served it with a spoon in it so that people could drizzle it on the chip they had dipped into the spicier salsa, to take a bit of the power out of the spice.

What you need:

1 ripe avocado (you know it’s ripe when you can press the little stem in easily – it should still be somewhat firm)

2-3 tablespoons chopped onion (I also used some grilled onion)

2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

juice of 1/2 lime

water to make it runny

salt to taste

What you do:

1. Put the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice and some salt into a bowl. Add a little water and use an immersion blender to blend it together (or put it all in a blender). Add more water until it is a very smooth and somewhat runny sauce. Taste and add more of whichever ingredient you think it requires. For serving with fish you can add more cilantro.

The sauce retains its green colour even if you don’t use it right away, so you can store it in the fridge for a few days.

Here is a picture of my breakfast at la Bruja on Isla Mujeres, Mexico, with some of this avocado sauce.

Romertopf Roasted Chicken

Ah, roast chicken, comfort food and so easy to make. Of course you can just go buy one from the grocery store… or you could fill your house with the scent of roasting chicken and treat the ones you love to something homemade. I made mine in a Romertopf, a clay roaster with a lid that you soak before using, but you can make it in any covered roasting dish. The Romertopft keeps the chicken really moist, and you can just throw the chicken with some herbs, potatoes and veggies into your oven and forget about it while you get other parts of the meal ready.

What you need:

a chicken, preferably free-range

1-2 tablespoons room temperature butter (or olive oil)

thyme (preferably fresh)

rosemary (preferably fresh)

sage (preferably fresh)

paprika

salt

pepper

1 head of garlic

small potatoes halved

pearl onions, or a large onion cut into chunks

dry white wine, optional

What you do:

1. If you are using a Romertopf soak it for at least 15-20 minutes before using. This provides some moisture for the cooking process, and keeps the roaster from cracking.

2. Spread the butter all over the skin of the chicken.

3. In a bowl combine a little of each of the thyme, rosemary, paprika and pepper, and a liberal amount of salt. Rub this into the skin of the chicken. If you have fresh sage or thyme you can put some under the breast skin, along with a few cloves of garlic.

4. Distribute the potatoes and a few onions in a layer on the bottom of the roaster, then place the chicken on them, breast side up. If you have any more potatoes and onions you can put them in around the edges of the chicken with the rest of the garlic. If you have some white wine on hand you can add a few splashes of that.

5. Place the cover on the roaster, then put it in a cold oven – this is important to prevent the romertopf from cracking when it goes into a hot oven. If you are using a different roaster you can preheat the oven. Turn the temperature to 4ooF and set the timer for 1 & 1/2 hours. You can leave it to cook without peeking; this will help keep all the moisture inside.

6. After the 1 & 1/2 hours of cooking time, remove the roaster from the oven. Test to see if it’s cooked all the way through by cutting into the leg joint to see if the juices run clear. If not, return it to the oven for a little longer. As well, if the skin doesn’t look browned, pop it back in without the lid and let it brown a little. Once it is done let it sit with the cover on for about 20 minutes before carving. I like to ladle a little of the juices over the chicken, and you could also make a gravy with the juices.

I keep the bones and excess juices in the freezer for a day when I want to make a stock.

Pecan Biscotti with Dark and White Chocolate

These are a variation on my favourite biscotti and another crowd-pleaser. I brought them to work the other day, and a lot of my colleagues asked for the recipe, so I take that as a sign that they were delicious.

They are lovely dipped in some coffee, but these turn out with just the right bite to them, so you can easily eat them without softening them up first.

What you need:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups + 2 tablespoons white flour

1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

What to do:

1. Toast the pecans in a frying pan until very lightly browned and allow to cool. They are easy to burn, so watch carefully – I usually keep them on low while I start making the cookie dough.

2. Cream the butter, then beat in the sugar, then eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

3. Combine dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until just incorporated. Add chocolate and nuts and stir until just combined.

4. Divide the dough into two pieces. With floured hands form into two logs on a baking sheet, flattening the logs out a bit. Bake at 325F for 25-30 minutes.

5. Slice the baked rolls diagonally and place on a baking sheet. Lower the oven to 300F and bake for 10-15 minutes, until slightly browned. Turn over and bake for another 10-15, until that side is also slightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

These can keep for a few weeks in an airtight container, but I like to freeze some to keep them really fresh. They don’t usually keep very long, and I find that they make a great gift.

Apricot Jam

This summer my friend Connie visited from Ontario and brought a delicious jar of homemade apricot jam. It was so delicious on toast, and amazing as a glaze for the apricots in this Apricot Almond Cake. I can easily say that apricot jam is my favourite of all the jams, and yet I’ve never made it before. Since my sweetheart loves it as much as I do, I searched many produce stores to find apricots this late in the summer, (actually a few weeks ago now), and managed to find a few pounds. Connie sent me her recipe, and I cooked up a batch. Love the colour, love the smell, and I’m looking forward to tasting it all winter long!

The recipe is proportional, about 3 parts fruit to 1 part sugar. I’m writing the amounts I used, but you can experiment depending on the amount you are using, as well as the flavour in your fruit. Sometimes they need a little extra (or start with less) sugar or citrus.

What you need:

12 cups pitted and chopped apricots

4 cups white sugar

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

canning jars, rings and new lids

What you do:

1. Chop the apricots up into small pieces and put them into a large pot with the sugar and citrus juices. Bring to a low boil and skim off any foam. Let it cook, stirring often, on a low simmer until the mixture has thickened. To test how thick your jam will be when it has cooled you can put a plate in the freezer. Just drop a little jam onto the icy plate and let it cool, then give it a push with your finger to see if it is thick enough. If not, just keep cooking it for longer.

2. Preheat the oven to 225F. After washing your canning jars, put them in the oven for at least 20 minutes to sterilize them. Heat a small pot of water for your lids to sterilize them and soften the rubber ring. Just a note: it’s not a good idea to re-use the lids (the rings are fine to re-use though) because they may not seal properly.

3. Once your jam is ready pour it into the sterilized jars, keeping the edges of the jar clean so you will get a good seal. Put a lid and ring on each and tighten it. My mom and Oma always put a tea towel over the jars until they seal, so that’s what I did. You’ll hear the lids ‘ping’ as they seal. I try to keep track of how many pings I hear so I know they’ve all sealed.

I used some jam in this recipe for warm peaches and yogurt.

Tomato, Corn and Cucumber Salad

Here’s a really simple salad I’ve made a few times this summer, using tomatoes from my garden and cucumbers from a friend’s garden (and corn from the produce store). I just used my favourite homemade vinaigrette, super easy and delicious.

If I use tomatoes and cucumbers out of season I always choose the little ones – cherry tomatoes and those small cucumbers. They have way more flavour. And for winter corn I prefer canned over frozen, and I usually us Peaches and Cream. Still, the summer ones are the best, so I make this a lot while these things are growing nearby and in season.

What you need:

tomatoes

cucumber

sweet onion

corn on the cob

a few green olives

dressing ingredients:

about 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

about 1/4 teaspoon sugar

salt

pepper

white wine vinegar

olive oil

What you do:

1. Boil a pot of water for the corn and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Remove the corn and run it under cold water.

2. To make the dressing, put the mustard in a bowl and add the sugar and some salt and pepper. Add a little vinegar and mix it into the mustard so there are no lumps. Mix in a bit more vinegar, then drizzle in some olive oil while mixing with a fork. After you’ve added a bit, have a taste and see what you need to add more of.

3. Cut the cucumber and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Chop the onion and olives. Cut the corn off the cob, and put all the vegetables together in a bowl. Toss it with some dressing and serve it up.

Enjoy!

Créme de Cassis

Earlier in the summer I harvested the black currants from my community garden plot. A number of years ago I made this beverage with my good friend Connie, and we enjoyed sips of the sweet liquor. Créme de cassis can be served on its own, in sipping portions, in some white wine as a Kir, in champagne or sparkling wine as a Kir Royale, or on some vanilla ice cream.

I looked at many recipes, and then mainly went by this one, although I used Brandy instead of Vodka.

What you need:

1.5 lbs or about 680 grams fresh or frozen black or red currants (I didn’t have enough so I used some raspberries)

3 cups brandy

2 & 1/4 cups white sugar

1 cinnamon stick

What you do:

1. Clean a large canning jar, and wash and de-stem the currants.

2. Smash the currants up and put them into the jar with all the other ingredients. Give it a few shakes, then put the lid on tightly and store it in a warm sunny place for about a month. Shake it around once or twice a week.

3. After about a month, strain the liquid through a fine sieve, lining it with a piece of cheesecloth if you want to get a really pure liquid. Bottle the liquid and enjoy as you wish.

You can also keep the fruit solids to make into other recipes, like an ice-cream sauce.

creme de cassis - trust in kim — sitting in the window for a month

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