Apple Cider Caramels

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I'm BAACCKK! Thanks to Monica the site is alive and I am ready to party!

Apple cider caramels are magic! I have never been a candy maker so I was hesitant at first, but this recipe from King Arthur Flour and Smitten Kitchen works perfectly — if you follow the instructions exactly and make sure your thermometer is accurate. I am including it in all my Christmas baskets this year. You can make them up to 2 weeks in advance, just don't eat them all!

 

Ingredients
4 cups (945 ml) real unpasturized apple cider
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons smoked flaky Maldon sea salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (110 grams) packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
Neutral spray oil for the knife

Procedure
Boil the apple cider in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over high heat until it is reduced to a dark, thick syrup, between 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume. This takes about 35 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally and skim off the foam. To be sure you have the correct amount of reduction, measure it into a measuring cup then pour it back into the big pot.

Meanwhile, get your other ingredients in order — it's always best to be prepared, especially when working with sugar! Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch straight-sided square metal baking pan with parchment. Set it aside. Stir the cinnamon and flaky salt together in a small dish.

Once you are finished reducing the apple cider, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream. Return the pot to medium-high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, and let it boil until the thermometer reads 252 degrees, only about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it.

Immediately remove caramel from heat, add the cinnamon and salt mixture, and give the caramel several stirs to distribute it evenly. Pour caramel into the prepared pan. Let it sit until cool and firm — about 2 hours, though it goes faster in the fridge. Once caramel is firm, grab your parchment paper to transfer the block to a cutting board. Use a well- oiled knife, oiling it after each cut (trust me!),and cut the caramel into 1-by-1-inch squares. Wrap each one in a 4-inch square of waxed paper, or buy precut sheets of acetate candy wrappers, twisting the sides to close. Caramels will be somewhat on the soft side at room temperature, and chewy/firm from the fridge.

⚠️ WARNING! ⚠️ Making candy like this at high altitude might be a nightmare. Sugar does weird things sometimes, so no guarantees to my Santa Fe buddies! If you do try it at high altitude and this recipe worked for you (or failed spectacularly), leave a comment and tell us all about it! Or, if you just need these in your life, text me and I will send you some!

Holiday Projects

As 2015 comes to an end, I thought I would take a few moments to highlight some of my recent holiday projects. Usually I celebrate Christmas with a classic Chinese take-out dinner, but this year I was lucky enough to be invited to a traditional Italian feast. It was amazing — there must have been 12 courses, each better than the next. In addition to the fish courses, there was an assortment of meats, pasta, and veggies. Italian sautéed broccoli rabe with garlic and lemon, how can that be bad?


In terms of house decorations, I limit that to our front door. Each year I make a wreath. I try to use recycled junk I find around the house. In previous years, I have used brass nails, police caution tape, and stainless steel scrub pads. Last year I collected (with the help of my commuting friends) over 100 used Metro cards which made quite a festive display. This year, my decorating took a slightly more political turn as I felt the need to express my horror over the abundance of guns in American culture. I thought it would be so easy to buy plastic guns. But ironically, it would have been easier for me to purchase real guns than kid’s toys (which seem to be heavily regulated in wealthy white neighborhoods). Fortunately a co-worker who lives in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn had no trouble getting the guns.


For holiday foods, I basically limited my production to desserts. I find you can’t go wrong with a fruit tart. Easy to start ahead of time, filling variations are endless, and winter fruits work perfectly. Here's the basic recipe:

Fruit tart

This is a great recipe because it’s done in an electric mixer. If rolling the dough freaks you out, you can simply push it into the bottom and sides of a tart pan with your hands. This recipe makes enough for 2 tart crusts and you can keep the extra dough in the refrigerator for a week, or you can freeze it.

Almond pastry crust ingredients
12 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, minus 3 tablespoons
(used for rolling out dough)

Almond pastry crust procedure
Cream the butter, sugar, and extract until light and fluffy in the bowl of your electric mixer. Slowly add the flour until the dough holds together. Turn out on floured board and give a few turns. Refrigerate for 1 hour before using. This dough can either be rolled out or pushed into a tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake fully in a 350 oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. I line the shell with plastic wrap and then use pie weights to make sure the crust bakes flat. Let cool before filling.

Cream filling ingredients
2 cups cream cheese (regular or low fat)
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one lemon, orange, or lime

Cream filling procedure
Whip up everything till smooth. If you want to get creative, you can add a bit of booze (Cassis, Rum, Brandy, Triple Sec) or you can experiment with different extracts. You can also fold some melted chocolate into the cream cheese.

Preparing the fruit and assembly
If using apples and pears, I like to slice thinly and gently sauté in a little butter and brown sugar. If using berries, all you have to do pop them in place. I usually brush the inside of the baked tart shell with white chocolate to keep it from getting soggy. Then the evenly spread the cream filling, and carefully lay out the fruit slices in a fan pattern. If you like a shiny finish, melt some jelly with a little water and brush it on the fruit. I like to use apricot glaze but any kind works.


These cookiee were a simple variation on a chocolate chip cookie, with the addition of fresh pomegranate seeds, orange zest, and rosemary.


Another easy, festive addition to the holiday is a seasonal beverage. Now that fresh berries are available year round, I see no reason not to serve this yummy drink.

blackberry gin cocktail

Ingredients
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
6 large blackberries
1/2 ounce crème de cassis
1/2 ounce simple syrup (heat equal amounts sugar and water until sugar is melted; cool before using)
1 1/2 ounces Gin
Blackberries for garnish

Procedure
Combine the lemon juice and blackberries in a rocks glass and muddle until the berries are broken up. Fill the glass with ice. Combine Crème de Cassis, simple syrup, and gin in a cocktail shaker and stir to combine. Add to the berry/lemon mixture, stir and garnish with additional blackberries.

 
And finally, I made a small croquembouche. Not my best effort, but in my defense I did not have the right pastry bag or tips (much of my kitchen is packed in anticipation of our next move). It tasted good but looked a bit wonky.

That's all till New Year's Eve, when I am planning to make and document a great meal! Pace yourself till then.

Quince Cardamom Ice Cream, Apple Calvados Sorbet, and Espresso Crunch Ice Cream

Seasonal recipe of the Week
Just because winter is knocking at our door doesn't mean we need to give up making and eating yummy frozen desserts! It is the perfect time to look at a new palate of seasonal flavors and ingredients and come up with some cool (pun intended) new treats. I think winter flavors are underused in frozen desserts — has anyone out there had pumpkin pie ice cream?

Here are three new recipes I have been enjoying.

Quince Cardamom Ice Cream

Ingredients
1 large quince
1 bay leaf
1 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cardamom
1 cup milk
1/2 a vanilla pod, split
5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided

Procedure
Peel, seed, and quarter the quince and then place it into a saucepan with the bay leaf, three tablespoons of the sugar and enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes until the quince is soft — at high altitude this might take longer. When quince is fully cooked, it turns pink! Make sure the fruit is tender, or else you will not get a smooth purée. Drain the quince, toss the bay leaf, then purée the fruit in a food processor. Set aside to cool while you make your custard for the ice cream. In a heavy based pot, heat the milk and cream with the vanilla pod and cardamom until just starting to simmer. Remove from the heat a moment. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until lightly frothy. Whisk in the warm milk mixture, a little at a time. Return the mix to the saucepan and heat at just below simmering for about ten minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture should start to thicken. When it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl to cool. Mix in the quince purée. Stir for a few minutes then refrigerate until cold. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Garnish with some caramelized quince slices.

Apple Calvados Sorbet

Ingredients
2 cup peeled, chopped tart apple (2 large Granny Smiths)
3 cups water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup Calvados, or apple brandy

Procedure
In medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the chopped apple, water, and sugar to a simmer. Cover the pan, lower the heat slightly, and cook for about 20 minutes, until the apples are very tender. Remove from the heat, and purée mixture in food processor and then cool the mixture to room temperature. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and Calvados, and stir the mixture thoroughly. Chill it until very cold, about 2 hours. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Espresso Crunch Ice Cream

Ingredients
3 cups half-and-half
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch salt
2 1/2 tablespoons ground espresso coffee beans
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (Kahlua)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped (Trader Joe's always has them)

Procedure
Heat the half-and-half in a sauce pan until it forms bubbles around the edge of the pan and steam starts to rise. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and salt and mix well. Slowly add the hot half-and-half to the egg mix to avoid curdling the eggs and then add mixture back to the pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 10 minutes, until it's thickened and the cream coats the back of a spoon. Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Add the ground espresso beans, coffee liqueur, and vanilla and refrigerate until completely chilled. Pour the espresso cream into an ice-cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. When mixture is thick and almost fully churned add the chopped espresso beans. Put in freezer a few hours to firm up.

Raw Beet Waldorf Salad

Low-Cal But Still Lovely
Here is a great raw salad to keep you chewing, happy, and full of vitamins!

Ingredients
2 large raw beets
1 Granny Smith apples
1 stalk celery
1 large carrots
1/2 cup fresh chopped pineapple
1/4 cup fat free mayo
1 tablespoon fresh pineapple juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons (optional) sugar

Procedure
Peel carrot, beets, and apple. Coarsely grate in the food processor or by hand. Now combine all the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat. Chill at least 20 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend. Serve on a bed of fresh greens.

Scarlet Punch and Fiesta Punch

Refreshing Beverages of the Week
Looking for good — and easy — holiday drinks, I turned to some local experts: Chris Milligan, the Santa Fe Barman, of Secreto; and Natalie Bovis, The Liquid Muse, of Milagro. The consensus is punches. You don't want to be stuck mixing drinks all night when you could be mixing with your friends and family.

Scarlet Punch

From Chris's blog and the Winter Edible Santa Fe; see a video at SantaFe.com. One of the great things about this recipe is that the alcohol is added later, increasing its versatility.

Ingredients
1 bottle cranberry juice
1 bottle sparking apple cider
whole clove
whole allspice
1 orange
apple, cranberries or other decorative fruits (optional)
liquor of choice

Procedure
Start the day before! Make an ice mold: fill a large container (1/2 a milk jug, Tupperware, plastic jello mold) 3/4 full with water and set in the freezer. Toss a few cranberries and apple slices in there as well to make it decorative.

In a saute pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of whole allspice and 1 tablespoon of whole cloves (cinnamon sticks are good, too) until fragrant. Meanwhile, put container of cranberry juice in a pitcher. When spices are fragrant, toss them into the pitcher. Take one orange and slice into wheels, and toss in the pitcher as well. Put everything in the fridge til the next day.

When you are ready to serve, pour the contents of the pitcher into a punch bowl, gently add your ice mold, then top with 1/2 a bottle of sparking cider.

What should the liquor be? In this punch, Chris recommends 1 oz. bourbon, and 1/2 oz. Southern Comfort — or brandy, or spiced or gold rum.

Fiesta Punch

Natalie notes that this punch is served at Milagro, where she uses their house tea. You can experiment with different, maybe flavored, herbal teas.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flavored rum (pineapple, coconut — whatever tickles your fancy)
3/4 cup lime juice
3/4 cup simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar)
1 cups tea
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

Procedure
Combine ingredients and ladle over ice-filled punch cups. Serves 12.

Apple-Cranberry Fruit Leather

The Altitude Adjustment Section
I love fruit leather. Did you have this as kids? Now its hippy food, go figure! This is a great way to use autumn's abundance of apples. Even fruit that is slightly bruised works well; simply trim the brown portion. Or try ripe pears in place of the apples. This recipe is from my favorite felon — Martha Stewart. This makes two 13-by-9-inch sheets.

Ingredients
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
3 pounds (5 to 6 medium) baking apples, such as Gala or Macoun, peeled, cored, and chopped (8 cups)
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
1/3 cup pasteurized apple juice or cider
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons sugar

Procedure
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Generously coat two 13-by-9-inch rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray, and line with a Silpat baking mat. Working in batches, puree apples, cranberries, apple juice or cider, lemon juice, honey, and sugar in a blender. Pour into a bowl to combine. Divide puree between prepared pans. Let stand 1 minute, then drain excess liquid. Smooth with an offset spatula. (The puree should be almost 1/4 inch thick.) Bake, with oven door open slightly, until dry to the touch (but not browned), about 6 hours. Close oven door, turn off oven, and let dry overnight in the oven. (Fruit leather should be stiff, but still pliable.)Remove fruit leather from pans. Trim uneven edges, cut into desired size, and roll up if desired. Fruit leather can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Apple brown sugar upside down cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This recipe is for a killer delicious upside down cake with apples, something I have never seen before! It has many parts, but don't let that scare you.

Ingredients for apple cider caramel
1 quart apple cider
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Procedure
In a large pot, bring the apple cider to a boil. Reduce heat slightly, and simmer the cider until it reduces to about a cup. This takes quite a while, Do not stir the cider after this point (it may crystallize if over-agitated). Continue to reduce the cider until it begins to get thick and caramelize. When the caramel is thick and could coat a spoon, remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the butter and salt. Spread half of the caramel at the bottom of a greased 8" cake pan. Reserve the other half of the caramel.

Ingredients for cake
2 Honeycrisp Apples, very thinly sliced (1/8" thick)
5 ounces butter
1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Procedure
Fan the apples into the base of the prepared cake pan (with 1/2 the caramel in the base) into a circle, with the points of the apples going to the center. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping well after each addition. Add the vanilla, mix to combine. Alternately add the milk heavy cream and the dry ingredients, mixing just to combine. Scoop the prepared batter the pan atop the apples. Bake at 350 until baked through, about 15-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Heat a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the walnuts, and toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and continue to cook, tossing to coat. Let cool completely before using them to garnish the finished cake. Serve the cake warm, topped with reserved apple cider caramel and the spiced walnuts.

Apple Cider Au Pear

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Time for the autumn flavors to start appearing, and what's better than local cider?
This crisp fall drink features the tastes of apple cider and pear brandy.

Ingredients
3/4 oz. brandy
1/2 oz. pear brandy
4 to 5 oz. apple cider
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
1 apple
ice

Procedure
Fill a shaker with ice. Add brandy, pear brandy and apple cider. Add two dashes ground cinnamon. Add one dash ground nutmeg. Shake. Pour with rocks into a rocks glass, or strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple slice.

Pigs in a Blanket and Other variations

Nice New Nibbles
Pigs in a blanket makes everybody giggle, but (just like a green Jell-O mold) they are the first things to be devoured at an event. Now, you can go to the store and buy them frozen and just pop them in the oven, or you can take it a step further and use store-bought puff pastry and make your own, or even Pillsbury crescent dough, or (dare I say) pastry from scratch? But I am all about the filling — that's where you can get creative. The classic of course is mini hot dogs or vienna sausage, but the French — yes we love what they do to food — they call it saucisson en croute and they use good quality chunks of sausage. You could also use asparagus, cheese, duck confit, the list goes on.

Chicken and apple sausage with fennel en croute

Ingredients
4 Chicken sausages (about 1 pound total)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced 1/8-inch thin on a mandoline
1/2 fennel bulb, sliced 1/8-inch thin on a mandoline
1 apple, sliced thin
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed but cold
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 eggs whisked for egg wash
Fennel seeds for garnish

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 400. Pierce the sausages and cook on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet for 30 minutes, turning once. Allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, caramelized the onions, apple and fennel. Heat the oil in a sauté pan until just shy of shimmering, and add the onions, apple and fennel. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and sauté on medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until soft and golden, adding a tablespoon of water as needed when the bottom of the pan begins to get too brown. Set aside to cool.

Place a sausage parallel to the side of the puff pastry, about 1 inch in. You can trim the pastry slightly to allow the edges of the sausage to peek out. Smear the pastry with 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard per sausage, just where the sausage is. Arrange some of the onion-fennel-apple mixture all along the sausage like sauerkraut. Then, roll the pastry around the sausage far enough so that the ends overlap. Trim the package away from the rest of the puff pastry, and begin again for the next sausage. Brush all the tops of the puff pastry packages with egg wash, and sprinkle lightly with fennel seeds. Bake, seam-side-down, on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.

Notes: You can make a variety of flavors, and differentiate them with the seeds you place on top. I often do plain hot-dogs inside with Dijon mustard and plain caramelized onions (no fennel), and sprinkle those with poppy seeds. Or spicy sausages and I put harissa or hot sauce or chili flakes in the mustard, and top those with sesame seeds. You can do a whole assortment, and serve them as a whole meal for a game.

Tarte Tartin

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This recipe is from Julia Child — I searched around to find the best recipe and Julia's wins, hands down! Follow the instructions exactly and it works perfectly, trust me I made 5 last week. First you need to make the dough:

Paté Brisée

(enough for 2 Tarte Tatin tops)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup chilled vegetable shortening
1/2 cup ice water

Procedure
Put both flours, salt, and sugar into container of food processor. Add diced, chilled butter and pulse 5 or 6 times to roughly break up butter. Now add shortening and immediately add the ice water. Pulse 2 or 3 times it should look like a bunch of small lumps. Do not over-mix! Turn out the dough and with the heel of your hand, push the dough out and fold back. Do a few times then form dough into a flattened ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours before using. This will keep for 2 days in your refrigerator.

Tarte Tatin

Ingredients
6 golden delicious apples
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
8 ounces pastry (Paté Brisée)
Whipped cream for garnish

Procedure
Peel, core and cut apples into 1/8s. Toss with lemon juice and zest and 1/2 cup of sugar. Let sit for 20 minutes and drain liquid. In a well-seasoned, 9-inch cast iron pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the remaining sugar and a drop of lemon juice and cook till mixture gets brown and bubbly. Remove from the heat and carefully place the apples into caramel in a circle pattern and layer extra apples on top.

Preheat the oven to 400. Set the apples back over medium heat and baste the mixture using a turkey baster so the apples get glazed with the bubbling caramel. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, basting often to cook the apples. Now remove from the heat and roll out your pastry. You want to roll out a circle 1 inch larger than your pan. Carefully and quickly place the pastry on top and press the edges down around the sides. Cut 3 steam holes in the pastry and place in the oven for 20 minutes until the pastry is brown and crisp. Immediately turn out of pan onto flat platter. Don’t worry if some of the apples stick, just put them back in place. Serve with whipped cream.

Winter Port Sangria

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
How about a nice beverage for the cold winter days? Here's the Sandeman Ciderhouse Sangria recipe, using rye — my new favorite liquor. I usually think of Sangria a a summer drink, but...

Ingredients
1 bottle Sandeman Porto Founders Reserve
24 oz. Apple Cider
3 oz. Rye Whiskey
1 1/2 oz. Maple Syrup
2 Apples (Granny Smith)
2 Pears (Bosc)

Procedure
Mix all ingredients together in pitcher. Add in apple and pear slices. Let sit for at least 12 hours. The sangria, not you!

Apple and Prosicutto Risotto

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Risotto, when made right, can be a meal. Add some wine, a side of grilled veg or a salad and you are done. Yes you must stand and stir, but that’s no big deal. Here we go!

Ingredients
5 cups chicken stock (I use Trader Joe's organic chicken stock)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup diced hard sweet baking apples (Winesaps are great)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
6 tablespoons chopped Prosicutto (or Panchetta or good quality ham)
3/4 cup hard cider
4 ounces Asiago cheese
1 apple to be sliced and sautéed to garnish at the end
Sage leaved for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer turn down and keep warm. In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the apples about 10 minutes till lightly browned. Remove from the heat and keep covered to stay warm. In a large saucepan melt the remaining butter and add rice and ham and cook 2 minutes to coat rice. Add the hard cider and cook 2 minutes more and cook till cider is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of hot stock and cook and stir until absorbed. Keep going until rice is firm but tender. In the last addition add the apples. You might need more or less liquid to get to the right texture. After the luscious texture is achieved, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Now spoon risotto into warmed bowls and using a vegetable peeler top risotto with shaved Asiago, then add thin sautéed apple slices — which you had time to do in between the stirring — and top with chiffonade of sage leaves and some black pepper.

Quaker Apple Cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
I did this recipe years ago, but I think it warrants repeating. I have been making this apple cake recipe since I was a kid. It’s a very old recipe, no electric equipment required just a bowl and a spoon and a knife. I don’t even know where I found it but it's absolutely delicious and easy and would be great to take on your picnic — along with your fried chicken!

Ingredients
4 cups peeled and thinly sliced red apples (Delicious, Gala or Macintosh)
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup Canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped Pecans or Walnuts

Procedure
In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples with the sugar and let sit for at least 1 hour till the sugar liquefies and the mixture becomes wet. Sometimes I put the mixture on the shelf above the stove so the heat can help speed it along. Next add the flour, soda, powder, cinnamon, and salt and gently mix till smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs oil and vanilla. Now mix everything together and add the nuts. Stir just till combined. Pour thick batter into a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan and smooth on top. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. This cake gets brown within 30 minutes of being in the oven. If it starts to get too dark, cover with tin foil till done. Let cool in pan and cut squares from pan. Nice with vanilla custard sauce, or whipped cream or by itself.

Apple Peanut Butter Caramel Bar

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This is a super yummy recipe, which I un-vegan-ed. It's from that great vegan cookbook Veganomicon, which never lets me down.

Ingredients
3 cups graham crackers
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup AP flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 pinch each cinnamon, ginger, allspice

3 pounds apples (about 6) cored, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon water
a few pinches more spices

2/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons brown rice syrup

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. To make the crust, combine the graham crackers melted butter and vanilla and cream and press into the bottom of your pan. Now prepare the topping (which will obviously be used last). Combine the flour, sugar, and spices in a small mixing bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of melted butter and mix with your fingertips to combine, add more butter if necessary to get mixture to clump together. Now prep the apple filling. Combine sliced apples, 1 tablespoon melted butter, sugar and flour, a pinch of the trio of spices and then layer this mixture over the graham cracker crumbs and then sprinkle with the crumb topping. It will not completely cover the apples, not to worry. Bake for 45 minutes. When the bars are almost done (around the 35 minute mark) start preparing the peanut butter caramel. In a small saucepan combine the peanut butter the maple syrup and the brown rice syrup and heat for about 3 minutes until it is silky smooth. When the bars are done baking, remove from oven and drizzle peanut butter caramel over the top in ribbons of yummyness. Let cool completely before serving and slicing and eating and then being sorry.

Guest Marsha Meehan: Microwave Baked Apples

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
On Saturday's one-hour New Year's Day Spectacular, Bram's mom Marsha was a great guest and did a special segment on brunch ideas. She shared this microwave-baked apple dish with us. It's originally from Cooking Light magazine.

Ingredients
2 cups dried cranberries
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6 Gala Apples, cored and chopped (about 3 pounds)

Procedure
Combine all ingredients in a large microwaveable-safe dish. Microwave on high for 20 minutes or until apples are soft, stirring occasionally. Serve these juicy baked apples over slices of pumpkin bread, warm bowls of oatmeal, or pancakes. Ida Red and McIntosh apples also work well. Yield: 6 cups

Caramelized Apple and Red Onion Focaccia Tart

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I love the combination of apples and cheese, but put it on a base of homemade focaccia and you really have a winning item. So here is a recipe for a Caramelized apple and onion tart that is totally worth your time.'

Ingredients
5 cups finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup EVOO
3/4 tablespoon kosher salt
3/4 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup warm water
3 large Macintosh apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 pound crumbled Roquefort cheese

Procedure
Over medium heat, sauté the onions in 6 tablespoons of the olive oil for 20 minutes, until they are soft. Stir in the salt, pepper, and thyme. Cool to room temperature. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and warm water in the bowl or your electric mixer and beat at low speed till well mixed. Now knead the dough an a lightly floured counter top or board. It should be smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Return dough to the bowl and cover with plastic. Let dough rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Saute your apple slices in butter and brown sugar till they start to smell caramelized and darken in color, let cool. Take dough out of bowl and roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick and place it on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Cover dough with 1/2 the sautéed onion, then add the caramelized apple slices, top with remaining onions. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Then remove from oven and add the crumbled Roquefort cheese and pop back into the oven for another 10 minutes. Cut and serve, where is my Merlot?

Some Thoughts on Mom's Apple Pie

The Altitude Adjustment Section
As American as Apple pie, Mom’s apple pie? Not in my house. But my mom Bernice did actually make a great apple pie. Her secret? BUTTER. She uses it on the bottom of the crust, cooks the apples in it, throws dots of butter inside the crust, and then brushes the top crust with a little more. It works for her!

On a lighter note, I though we would take a few minutes to discuss some of the finer points of baking an apple pie at home. After all is it an altitude-affected item. How can you tell? Have you ever noticed sometimes the crust gets nice and brown and the apples still taste raw? Altitude!

Let's start with the crust If you don't want to make one, they come frozen or refrigerated in the supermarket. Trader Joe's frozen pie crust is pretty good. Look for ones made with butter. If you want to go homemade, I recommend Susan Purdy’s super easy and delicious cream cheese crust recipe from The Perfect Pie:

Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese (1 package)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Procedure
In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add flour and salt and mix just until it blends together. If it’s really sticky add a little extra flour. Form dough into a ball, flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour. This will make two 8-to-9-inch pie shells. You can do these ahead of time and keep them in your freezer so you are ready to go at any point.

Choosing apples In New York I would look for really firm baking apples like Winesaps or Granny Smiths. But here that just does not work. Cooking them at altitude takes longer, so by the time they're tender, your crust is burnt. So you have two options: precook your filling or choose softer apples. Susan Purdy suggests Golden Delicious or Macintosh — not my favorites — but they work really well. I add a splash of lemon juice and a pinch or cardamom to make it more interesting.

Precooking the filling is your other option. The volume will reduce considerably, so throw in a few apples extra. I like to sauté the slices in some butter and brown sugar as well as a splash of maple syrup. No need to add liquid, as the apples will make their own. But be careful because with all that sugar, they can burn easily. Preparing the apples this way is also a great way to make an open-face apple tart. You roll out your dough into a tart pan, weigh down the dough and bake till crust is golden brown. Let cool. Line the crust with some raspberry jam, then a layer of cream cheese whipped with vanilla, confectioners sugar and a little brandy, and then carefully lay out the slices in a neat pattern. Give it a light glaze and it's done!

Other things to add to your apple mixture Susan Purdy sprinkles in some graham cracker crumbs to absorb the juice. Always add some flour to the apple mixture to thicken up the juice. Some bakers use Tapioca flour, and some use cornstarch. They all do the same thing.

Baking time and temperature Getting back to baking a traditional apple pie. At this altitude you might need to cover the rim of the pie so it doesn’t get overcooked. You can buy a pie rim cover or simply make a 3-inch strip of foil and carefully wrap it around the edge once it is the desired color. Always bake your pie on a cookie sheet because often the juices overflow. When you see juices coming out the sides or through slits you cut in the top crust and they look thick that is a sign your pie is done. Purdy suggests 425 degrees for 15 minutes and then 350 for 40-45 minutes, yes it takes a while for her basic yummy apple pie. And she covers the whole pie with foil if necessary.

Suppose your pie turns out not so beautiful That's why we have whipped cream and ice cream.

Sauterne Baked Apples

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Sometimes all you want, especially after all the holiday sweets, is a simple baked apple. Here is a lovely French way to make baked apples.

Ingredients
6 pitted prunes
1 cup Sauterne
6 Macintosh or Rome apples
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons sugar
1 2-inch cinnamon stick
1/2 cup apricot preserves
lemon juice
2 tablespoons cognac

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350. Soak prunes in the Sauterne for 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the wine. Peel and core the apples — be careful not to go all the way through the bottom. Sprinkle the apples immediately with lemon juice to stop them from going brown. Butter a large ovenproof dish. Place the apples in the dish. Put one juicy prune inside each apple. Top with a little piece of butter and then add some sugar. Pour the saved Sauterne around the apples and add the cinnamon stick and cover the pan. Bake apples for 40 minutes, basting with the pan juice every 10 minutes. Be careful to cook them only to tender as they might blowup and fall apart.

Discard the cinnamon stick and put apples on serving platter. Place the pan on the stove and reduce the juices. Add the apricot jam and cognac and cook till the preserves dissolve and the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust at this point, you might want to add a little lemon juice. Pour sauce over apples. Might want to serve with a little whipped cream!

Parsnip and Apple Puree and Brussels Sprouts in Mustard Caper Butter

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
We never change our Thanksgiving menu, mostly because Bernice has mastered this one, and why mess with perfection? But for those of you who want to keep it fresh, I have some ideas.

Parsnip and Apple Puree

This recipe is from The Basics Cookbook by Rosso and Lukins of "Silver Palate" fame. It’s a great choice if you feel mashed potatoes are just too heavy.

Ingredients
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
4 large Granny Smith apples
2 pounds parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Preheat oven to 375. Combine lemon juice and water in a large bowl. Peel, core, and chop apples and drop into water. Place the parsnips into a shallow pan and add the apples, and 1/4 cup of apple liquid and the chicken stock. Next add the butter, broken into small pieces, the brown sugar, coriander, and salt and pepper. Cover and bake in oven for 1 1/2 hours, stirring a few times during baking process. Puree the baked, softened mixture in food processor. Taste and adjust seasoning. May be served at this point or reheated, covered in 350 oven for 15 minutes. This makes 6 portions.

Brussels Sprouts in Mustard Caper Butter

Here’s another great holiday idea, which started with Debra Madison, then I added the bacon.

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
6 tablespoons room temp butter
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and dried
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped Marjoram
2 pounds Brussels Sprouts
5 slices applewood smoked bacon, diced

Procedure
In a food processor, combine everything but the Brussels sprouts and bacon and process till smooth. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Trim off outside leaves of Brussels sprouts and quarter them. In a sauté pan cook diced bacon till it gives up its fat and then remove bacon from pan and save for garnish. Add the quartered Brussels sprouts and sauté in the bacon fat till tender. Add some of the lemon caper butter and stir till hot. Top with diced bacon. Yummy!

Rustic Apple Galette

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Last week I had to make apple galettes for a large party we were working on, so of course I turned to the master Susan Purdy for the recipe. Now you know I love Susan, but must admit sometimes her recipes seem very long and the well-described procedures sometimes seem unnecessary upon first consideration. So I decided I was qualified enough just to take my own shortcuts, and that’s what I did till everything started to fall apart. The dough was sticking and cracking and I made a mess so I went back to the book, followed the instructions exactly, and of course it worked perfectly, or at least a few hundred guests thought so. So there!

Ingredients
1 recipe for flaky pastry (see archives)
3 cups peeled, cored, and sliced, golden delicious apples
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup orange juice
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water
2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon granulated Sugar
1/2 cup raspberry or apricot jam

Procedure
Preheat your oven to 425. Prepare your pastry and chill for at least 30 minutes. Prepare the filling. In a large bowl, add the apples, raisins, zest, spices, and nuts. In a small cup, combine the O.J. with the cornstarch and mix till it dissolves, then add to the fruit mixture. Now you are ready to assemble. Here comes the crazy part.

Roll out a piece of tin foil in an 18 inch square, shiny side down on the counter. With your fingernail draw a 17-inch circle. Now draw another circle about 8 inches wide in the middle of that circle. Now butter the inside circle and carefully flour the outside circle. Make the dough into a flat disk and place it on top of the tin foil and roll dough out to the edge of the bigger circle. Now pick the whole thing up — foil and all — and place onto your cookie sheet. With your fingernail again draw a circle 2 inches from the edge into the pastry. Now whisk together the egg and water to make a glaze and brush the dough with the egg wash. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs in the inside circle. Put the fruit mixture, juice and all, into the inside circle. Pat it so it’s flat and even. Now put your hand under the foil and carefully fold the edges over the fruit let the foil help you. Remember, you are going for the rustic look. Brush off any leftover visible flour from the crust. Try to seal any cracks with the egg glaze. Now brush the folded-over pastry with glaze and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bring the foil up around the galette to help capture the juices. Bake for15 minutes at high temperature than reduce heat to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes more, till apples are tender and crust is browned. Let cool on rack and make glaze. Just heat jam with a little water or alcohol and brush on tart. Serve warm with whipped cream. Of course you could do this with any fruit. In Susan’s recipe the apples are nicely paired with cranberries.