Apple Kuchen

It's a bit cloudy and it's Football Sunday so we've been watching the Carolina Panthers... what better to do than bake while I watch the game?  A number of years ago, I was in a kuchen state of mine but haven't made one in quite some time.  As I was going through an old "write your own" cookbook of mine, I found this recipe.  It's easy and it's good... doesn't take much prep time, bakes for about 45 minutes, and the house smells like nutmeg and cinnamon!

What is a kuchen?  Kuchen is a German word for cake and it's generally made with a sweet dough and fruit filling.  Just in time for Oktoberfest, you can enjoy some kaffee und kuchen, which literally means “coffee and cake".  It’s a custom that brings families & friends together to enjoy a little “Gemütlichkeit” (coziness).  I hope you enjoy this kuchen!

(adapted from  the French Laundry Cookbook)

3 apples (I used a combo of Granny Smith and Gala but any kind will work)
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg (fresh grated)

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 350F.

Lightly grease an 8-inch round or spring form pan.
Peel and core apples. Slice into approximately 1/4 inch thick slices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

With the mixer on low speed or by hand, add flour mixture and milk to sugar mixture in 2 or 3 alternating additions. Spread into prepared pan.

Arrange apple slices as desired and sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
Serve warm or at room temperature.  Top with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream if desired!
Serves 10.

Lowcountry Sweet Potatato Cornbread

Being a GRITS person  (Girls Raised In The South), cornbread is on my menu often!  When I learned of Chef David Wilson's restaurant in one of my very favorite vacation spots, Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, I knew I had to experience it for myself!  The restaurant is Roastfish & Cornbread and Chef Wilson does everything right! His sweet potato cornbread inspired my own version, which I hope you'll enjoy!  It goes great with fall fare such as chili and soup!  I made mine in an 8-inch cast iron skillet and it just came out of the oven, filling the house with a wonderful spiciness.  After waiting a few minutes for it to cool, I just had to sample... it's a keeper!  Oh yes, if you read my previous blog entry, you know that I have a stick of butter stuck in the microwave... it's still there 3 days later but the good news is that the repair man is enroute right now!

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

2 cups self-rising corn meal mix

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 ½ cups milk

1 cup cooked & mashed sweet potatoes (I used Bruce’s canned, drained & syrup reserved for glaze*)

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), melted

2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.  Stir together the sweet potatoes & butter until well blended.  Mix in the egg and then the corn meal mix, sugar, cinnamon and milk.  Stir until just moistened and no large lumps remain. Pour the batter into a well greased 8x8 baking pan or a 9-inch oven proof skillet.

*I made a glaze with the syrup from the canned sweet potatoes:

Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil; reduce heat & simmer for about 10-15 minutes..  Add some pecans and stir.  Spoon just a little over the top of the cornbread when it comes out of the oven.  Yummy!

Compost Cookies, Milk Bar Style

When I read about this wonderful cookie recipe, I just knew that I had to bake a batch of these (hopefully) delectable morsels!  I headed out to the grocery store to get the ingredients that I didn't have on hand in my pantry, i.e. graham cracker crumbs and powdered milk.  The cookies are a yummy blend of sweet and salty with a little surprise in most every bite.  On my To Do List today was to bake compost cookies!  I used a recipe that I adapted from the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook.

I had a minor mishap when melting the butter in the microwave... my microwave door latch stuck and the door still won't open hours later (I wonder what will happen to the butter that is still there?!).  First thing tomorrow an appliance repairman will be called!  Or I may need a new microwave; we shall see.  Anyway, since the dishwasher had JUST at that moment completed its cycle and was still quite warm, I just put two more sticks of butter in a dish and set it in the microwave to melt!  Immediate problem solved.

I wish that you could smell these cookies that I just removed from the oven.  They taste as good as they smell and there's a surprise in every bite!  Feel free to experiment with the "compost" ingredients.  You can substitute Captain Crunch or Cocoa Crispies cereal, M&Ms, goldfish crackers, fritos, or whatever is in your pantry for the "sweet and salty" ingredients (pretzels, chocolate chips, etc.)

*Note:  that I've made this recipe several times now.  The first time I followed the original recipe and made rather large cookies but on subsequent times I rolled the dough into balls, flattened slightly with a fork and baked at 375 for ten minutes.  Both methods work well, but I prefer the smaller cookies.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

·  2 sticks butter, at room temperature 

·  1 cup granulated sugar(I used 1/2 cup Splenda baking blend)

·  2/3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar (I used 1/3 cup Splenda brown sugar)

·  2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

·  1 egg

·  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

·  1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

·  1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

·  1/4 teaspoon baking soda

·  1 teaspoon kosher salt 

·  3/4 cup mini chocolate chips 

·  1/2 cup mini butterscotch chips 

·  1/4 recipe Graham Crust mix (1/2 cup) (see directions below)

·  1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 

·  2 1/2 teaspoons ground coffee (not instant)

·  2 cups potato chips (I used Kettle Cooked Salt & Vinegar chips)

·  1 cup mini pretzels

·   

For the graham crust mix:

·  1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

·  1/4 cup milk powder

·  2 Tablespoons sugar (I used 1 Tablespoon Splenda)

·  3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

·  1/2 stick butter, melted

·  1/4 cup heavy cream 

 

Cooking Directions

For the graham crust mix:
Toss the graham crumbs, milk powder, sugar, and salt with your hands in a medium bowl to evenly distribute your dry ingredients.
Whisk the butter and heavy cream together. Add to the dry ingredients and toss again to evenly distribute. The butter will act as a glue, adhering to the dry ingredients and turning the mixture into a bunch of small clusters. The mixture should hold its shape if squeezed tightly in the palm of your hand. If it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 1 tablespoon or so of butter and mix it in.
Eat immediately, or deploy as directed in a recipe. The crust is easiest to mold just after mixing. Stored in an airtight container, graham crust will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or for 1 month in the fridge or freezer.

For the cookie:
Combine the butter, sugars, and corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. 

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (Do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk overmixing the dough.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Still on low speed, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham crust, oats, and coffee and mix just until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the potato chips and pretzels and paddle, still on low speed, until just incorporated.  Be careful not to overmix or break too many of the pretzels or potato chips. You deserve a pat on the back if one of your cookies bakes off with a whole pretzel standing up in the center.

Using a 2.-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3-cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature— they will not bake properly.

Heat the oven to 375°F.
Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for about 15 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 15 minutes, they should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center. Give them an extra minute or so if that's not the case.

Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage.
*Recipe adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook.

Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage

 I just love cabbage!  Steamed or sauteed green cabbage was one of my childhood favorites.  Red cabbage is a savory side dish and has become one of my favorites.  It's a great accompaniment to Beef Carbonnade!

 

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 red cabbage, washed & shredded

1/3  cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt & pepper to taste (liberal amount of pepper!)

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until it begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes.  Add cabbage and cook until it wilts, about 5 more minutes.  Add vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper.  Reduce heat, cover, and continue to cook until cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes. 

Beef Carbonnade aka Beef Braised in Beer

Carbonnade a la Flamande

This is a favorite comfort food: hearty and rich Belgian beef stew with sweet caramelized onions and dark beer!

3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed & cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 slices bacon, finely diced
2 teaspoons thyme

1 clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 bottle (12 oz) ale or lager beer
1/2 cup beef  broth

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 small French baguette, sliced into rounds

Dijon mustard to smear on baguette slices

Mix the flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the meat in the flour mixture. Reserve any remaining flour. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Brown the meat on all sides & place in slow cooker.  Reduce heat to medium low, add the onions and cook until tender (about 10 minutes) & place in slow cooker.
Add the bacon to the skillet and cook over medium heat until cooked, but not crisp. Add the herbs and reserved flour mixture. Cook until the flour browns, about 3 minutes. Add bacon mixture, brown sugar, beer, broth and tomato paste to the slow cooker & give a stir.  Cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.

When ready to serve, slice the baguette intro rounds and smear each with mustard. Place the bread rounds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until the bread is lightly browned.

Serve with cooked egg noodles in large shallow bowls with bread rounds on top.  A great side dish to accompany this is sauteed sweet & sour red cabbage.

Patti's Slow Cooker Applesauce

Nothing heralds the fall season quite like homemade applesauce!  I like to use several types of apples when I make a batch of applesauce.  Most recently I used granny smith, honey crisp, and gala apples and the result was scrumptious!  When I researched recipes for applesauce made in the slow cooker, most called for ¼ cup of water or more as an ingredient.  I omitted the water because I prefer a thicker and chunkier applesauce and the apples themselves produce quite a bit of liquid.  Your whole house will smell divine as this simmers in your kitchen.  I used a large oval slow cooker and it took about 6 pounds of apples to fill it ¾ full.

6 pounds of apples, peeled & sliced (bags of apples from the grocery store are usually 3-lb)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup Splenda (or 1 ½ cups sugar)

¼ cup Splenda brown sugar (optional)

Wash, peel, and slice the apples.  Put them in the slow cooker.  Add the other ingredients and give a stir.  Cook on low all day, about 8 hours.  Use a potato masher to “sauce” the apples.  If you want a smoother applesauce, then you can use an immersion blender.

Enjoy with a smile!