Apples and the Garden of Eatin'

Recently my husband was asked to participate in an Italian pot luck at his work. It was a good excuse for me to try a recipe from Nick Malgieri's cookbook, Great Italian Desserts.
The book is out of print, so if you can snare a good used copy, go for it. The only downside to this cookbook is that there are no photos (nil, nothing)! I am one of those folks who generally needs picture gratification, and I don't normally buy cookbooks without pictures, but this is one I made an exception for.

                                                         
I wanted something relatively simple, so after browsing through the recipes, I decided on Torta di Mele Ampezza, Apple Cake from Cortina d' Ampezzo. Cortina d' Ampezzo is a little town located in the Dolomite (Alps) mountains in Northern Italy. The town has provided mountain backdrops for such films as Cliffhanger, Krull and The Pink Panther. The resort was also a major location for the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only (thank you Wikipedia).

This quickly prepared apple cake is simple and delicious. Use a firm, tart apple such as Granny Smith or Pippin.

Ingredients:
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter 
1/2 c sugar
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 large tart apples (about 2 lbs) Suggest Granny Smith, Pippins or Northern Spies
1 tbsp suger
1/4 tsp cinnamon


Combine the butter, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl and beat till soft and light, either by hand, with a hand mixer set at medium speed, or in a heavy duty mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Combine the flour and baking powder and sift once. Stir the flour mixture into the batter. Spread the batter evenly into the bottom of a butter and paper lined 9" springform pan.


Peel, core and halve the apples. Cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges and arrange the wedges on their sides, overlapping slightly, on the batter, about 1/2" from the sides of the pan. Fill in the center with more apple wedges, fanning them out from the center. Sprinkle with the sugar, then the cinnamon. 


Bake the torta in the middle level of a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes until the apples have  taken on a deep golden color and the torta feels firm when pressed in the center with a fingertip.


Cool the torta in the pan for 5 minutes, then unbuckle the sides of the springform pan and slide it off the base, still attached to the paper, to cool on a rack.


After the torta has cooled completely, run a knife or a spatula between the torta and the paper, slide the torta from the rack onto a platter, and pull off the paper.


Keep the torta loosely covered at room temperature.


Makes about 8 serving


This cake would also go well served with a cream anglaise sauce:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/creme-anglaise-i/Detail.aspx

                                                           

Baking the Easy Way Out - One Bowl Butter Cakes

One of the great things about the next recipe is that you mix it all in one bowl and blend it all together at the same time.  The ingredients are added in an order that ensures mixing without over beating. What could be easier? The recipe can be made with an electric mixer and bowl or in a stand mixer. Again, we're using the book Reader's Digest Kitchen Secrets. In addition to the One-Bowl Devil's Food Cake, the recipe can be modified to make a Chocolate Praline or Spice Cake.

                                         
Hints:  The recipe calls for cake flour. You can use all purpose flour, but the cake won't be as delicate. If you use AP flour, reduce the amount of flour in the recipe by 2 tablespoons per cup (1/4 c total).  
The recipe also calls for buttermilk. If you don't have any on hand, you can substitute 1 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar in 1 cup of milk. Allow the mixture to stand for about 15 minutes to thicken.

Devil's Food Cake

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (for dusting the pan)
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c sugar
1 c buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 c (1 stick) margarine or butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, at room temperature
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 - 9" cake round cake pans, dust with cocoa, and tap out excess.
2. With an electric (or stand mixer) at low speed, beat all the remaining ingredients for 1 minute, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Increase speed to medium high and beat 2 minutes longer, scraping sides of bowl twice.
3.  Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - about 40 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes, then turn out of pans and cool to room temp. Fill and frost with Butter Cream or Chocolate Butter Cream  Frosting. Makes 12 servings.

                                                                                                                   

Butter Cream Frosting:


1/2 c butter or margarine, softened
1 box (1 lb) confectionery sugar
1/4 c light cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 drops food coloring, if desired.


1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter at medium high speed till light and fluffy. 
2. Reduce mixer speed to medium and alternately beat in sugar and cream, a little at a time. Add vanilla and beat till creamy. makes enough to fill and frost 1- 9" layer cake, or to frost 1- 10" tube cake, one 13"x9"x2" sheet cake or 24 cupcakes.

To make Chocolate Butter Cream: Prepare frosting as directed, except add 3 oz melted semi-sweet chocolate or 1/2 c sifted unsweetened cocoa.

Since the frosting contains cream and butter I recommend keeping it in the refrigerator if not consumed immediately.

                                                     
Variations: 


To make the Chocolate Praline Cake - Prepare above cake recipe as directed except dust cake pans with flour instead of cocoa, substitute firmly packed light brown sugar for the granulated sugar and fold 1/2 c toasted chopped pecans into the batter.


To make the Spice Cake - prepare above cake recipe as directed except dust pans with flour instead of cocoa, substitute firmly packed light brown sugar for the granulated sugar, omit chocolate, and add 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp each ground nutmeg and ginger and 1/4 tsp each ground allspice and cloves.


Orange Butter Cream Frosting - prepare Butter Cream Frosting substituting 1/4 c orange juice for the cream and adding 1 tbsp grated orange zest.


                                                             

Fall is Here, and it's Getting Chili!

Fall not only brings the changing of the leaves and football, it also makes me hungry for a good bowl of chili. This is my all-time favorite recipe. The cookbook is Reader's Digest Kitchen Secrets (A Culinary Survival Guide to Tips, Techniques & Hundreds of Recipes). I just love the simplicity of this cookbook. I highly recommend it...it's just good old fashioned cooking! For dessert, try one of the One-Bowl Butter Cake recipes in the book such as Devil's Food Cake (which will be my next entry).

TWO ALARM CHILI

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lbs lean ground beef chuck or round (ground turkey, venison or bison works well also)
2 largeyellow onions, chopped
2 large sweet green peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) whole plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped with their juice
1 can (12 oz) beer
1 medium sized jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 - 5 tbsp chili powder (I use 4 tbsp regular, and 1 tbsp of Penzey's medium hot)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled, or 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
2 cups drained and rinsed canned kidney beans (can also use 2 cans Navy or Great Northern beans.    
     Sometimes I will use a can of the red beans with a can of white)

1.  In a 5 quart Dutch oven over moderately high heat, heat oil one minute. Add beef and saute', breaking up chunks of meat with a wooden spoon until browned - 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off all but 1 tbsp fat.

2.  Reduce the heat to moderate, add onions, green peppers and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until soft - 8 minutes.

3.  Add tomatoes, beer, jalapeno, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, salt, oregano and coriander. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until thickened - about 25 minutes. If chili becomes too thick, thin with a little water.

4.  Stir in the beans and cool 5 minutes more. Makes 8 servings.

                                                              
 Usually I also add a can or two of the Hunts Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes.

This is delicious with grated sharp cheddar cheese or Kraft Mexican Four Cheese blend , some chopped green onion and sour cream.