Monthly Archives: October 2009

An apple dessert for two

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The applesauce doughnuts I made the other day didn’t stick around in the kitchen very long. Off they went to the guys at the gas station, to the owner of the tea shop in town, along with one of her customers who happened to be in for a cup of tea, and a few to my friends at the food co-op.
Fourteen little doughnut balls remained on a plate on my kitchen counter. My two-year-old doughnut-ball-loving grandson lives hours away from me, so this time, I couldn’t share with him.
I decided to surprise my bread-pudding-loving husband. I mixed up a liquid mixture, rich with egg and butter, sweet with white and brown sugars and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Broken doughnut balls (there were only 12 little balls on the plate by this time. Apparently, there is a doughnut-ball-loving person right in my own house.) took a long bath in that liquid before I stirred in some chopped apples.

There was just enough to fill two ramekins. Breakfast in bed on a chilly autumn Saturday morning? Dessert by the fire after dinner?
If you decide to serve this for dessert, it can be baking while you’re eating dinner. If you decide to serve it for breakfast, it can be chilling while you’re sleeping.
Fragrance of fall. Warm. Delicious. Comfort. Just for two.

Saucy Doughnut Ball and Apple Pudding for Two

  • 12 applesauce doughnut balls, broken apart and dried overnight
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup farm-fresh cider
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch of nutmeg, freshly grated
  • ¼ of a large apple, cored, peeled and chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two ramekins. Each ramekin should have a 12-ounce capacity.

Put the dry donut pieces into a mixing bowl.

In a 4-cuup glass measure, combine the egg, butter, sugars, milk, cider, vanilla,

cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour this liquid mixture over the broken doughnut balls,

and let sit for 30 minutes.

Stir chopped apple pieces into the mixture.

Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until

the custard has totally set. Serve warm or room temperature. When the puddings reach room temperature, they will slide right out of the ramekins.

  • Put a baking sheet or some aluminum foil on the rack below the baking bread puddings to catch any drips. Just in case.
  • If you plan to eat these for breakfast, you can bake them the day before and just reheat them. Or, fill the ramekins the night before and store them in the refrigerator. In the morning, pop them into a preheated oven. They’ll take a few minutes longer to bake.

A new baby on the block! Meet Apple Baby Cake on a Shortbread Crust

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I took a road trip last weekend with a friend of mine. We picked up her niece in Coon Rapids and off we went, foot loose and fancy free, ready to explore every nook and cranny and occasional points of interest from Scandia, Minnesota to Stockholm, Wisconsin. We ziggged and zagged over the rivers and through the woods between Minnesota and Wisconsin.The sun was shining bright each day, making the colorful leaves so vibrant against the blue sky.

I brought home a couple of shopping bags filled with treasures I found along the way — a bag full of Honeygold apples purchased from Pleasant Valley Orchard near Shafer, Minnesota, a couple of rocks I picked up on a short hike along the St. Croix River, cheese and bison sticks from Eichten’s Bistro and Market in Center City, Minnesota, a 26-pound Cinderella pumpkin from Maiden Rock Winery and Cidery and an Apple Cardamom Baby Cake from Smiling Pelican Bake Shop in Maiden Rock, Wisconsin.

We walked into the sweet-smelling Smiling Pelican Bake Shop early Sunday morning. I was looking for a good cup of coffee. I found it there. But, oh, there was so much more. Loaves of bread, still warm from the oven, were cooling behind the counter. Spinach and ham quiche, baked in tins lined with pastry, were ready for purchase. So many treats, but so little tummy space.

I walked out of the Smiling Pelican with a cup of hot, dark coffee and an Apple-Cardamom Baby Cake. The cake made it all the way home with me. I didn’t even take one little nibble. My husband had it for dessert on Monday evening. It was still so moist. He loved it.

So, this week, on one of those cold, dark, dreary, wet days we’ve been having, I decided to make my own baby cakes. I brought up the mini-springform pans I had stored in the basement. I ordered them online at least a few years ago, with plans to make cheesecakes from a magazine recipe. Never happened.

They were the perfect little pans, though, for Apple Baby Cakes on a Shortbread Crust. I’m sure this recipe could be baked in a 9- x 13-inch pan. Baking time might be a little longer.

The moist apple cake baked on sweet, crunchy crust is delightful. The Hot Caramel Sauce is a must. From there, you decide — cold, creamy vanilla ice cream or a lashing of Perfect Vanilla Cream.

If you’re ever traveling along the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River, you must stop at the Smiling Pelican Bake Shop. If you can’t get to the Smiling Pelican in Maiden Rock, make these Apple Baby Cakes on a Shortbread Crust. They’re a good substitute.

Apple Baby Cakes on a Shortbread Crust with Hot Caramel Sauce

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups finely chopped, peeled apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and butter. Mix on low speed of electric hand mixer until crumbly. Stir in chopped nuts. Remove 2 3/4 cups of the mixture and divide evenly among 8 (4 1/2- to 5-inch round) springform pans. Pat firmly into the bottom of the pans. Place the pans on a large baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.

While crusts are baking, add cinnamon, cardamom, baking soda, salt, sour cream, vanilla and egg to remaining brown sugar mixture. Blend well. Stir in apples. Spoon the apple mixture over hot crusts, dividing evenly. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in 350-degree oven, until wooden pick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean. Cool in pans for a few mintues. Carefully release sides of pans. Transfer cakes to wire racks to cool.

Serve cakes warm or at room temperature with Hot Caramel Sauce and Perfect Vanilla Cream.

Hot Caramel Sauce

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and milk. Set aside and keep warm.

To make ahead, let cool and store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Heat before serving.

Perfect Vanilla Cream

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Chill a 2-quart glass mixing bowl and beaters for a handheld electric mixer in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

Add the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla to the chilled bowl. Beat at low speed for 30 seconds or until bubbles form. Beat at medium speed for 30 seconds or until the beaters leave a trail in the thickening cream. Beat at high speed for 30 seconds until soft peaks form and the cream is thick and nearly doubled in volume. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

 

Filled Pastry Crescents hit the (Hungarian) Spot

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Little crescents, rich with butter, sweetened with a generous filling of jam and dusted liberally with powdered sugar. These are the cookies my Hungarian grandma made. She called them kifli. They were delicious.

I would be more apt to call the flaky bites a pastry rather than just a cookie. My grandma filled the pastries with a thick plum or prune jam that she called lekvar. It’s not easy to find these days, so I use a premium apricot jam. It’s important to use a flavorful filling, since the pastry itself is not sweet.

The recipe I am sharing with you is one I found in my mom’s recipe box. I’m not sure it is the exact recipe my grandma used. I cheated a little and used my food processor to mix the dough. That can be tricky, because it’s important to be gentle with this pastry dough and not overwork it. My little sweets are probably less flaky than what they would have been if I’d used my own arm-power to mix the dough.

Hungarian Jam Crescents make a lovely little gift. They are just right with a cup of tea. And, they are a satisfying sweet bite after a meal of Hungarian Gulyas.

Hungarian Jam Crescents

  • 1 cup butter
  • 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 3/4 cup jam
  • Powdered sugar

Blend butter, flour and salt. Stir in egg and egg yolks. Mix well. Gradually add water and mix until smooth. Chill for 2 to 3 hours. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out one piece on a lightly floured pastry cloth to about a 12-inch round. Cut through to make 16 wedges. Spread jam on wedges (about 3 tablespoons per rolled round of pastry dough). Roll up each wedge, wide end to pointed end. Place on ungreased (or parchment-lined) baking sheet. Bake in 400-degree oven for about 12 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool completely. Store in airtight container. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Makes 64.

These pastries can be stored in the freezer, in a tightly sealed freezer container, for up to a month.

Chicken a la what?

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After cooking up a bunch of boneless and skinless chicken thighs the other day, I decided to turn some of them into chicken a al king. I don’t know what made me think of this dish from the past — white sauce with chicken and vegetables stirred into it. For one thing, I’ve never really cared much for it. It brings back bad memories of creamed chipped beef and canned peas that my mom used to make when I was a child. She’d serve it over toast. The peas were mushy, the toast was soggy and the chipped beef was — well — chipped beef. I did not like it. Not one bit.

So, why would chicken a la king even drift through my mind? I used to make it every once in a while, but that was years ago. When I mentioned chicken a la king to my husband the other day, he said it had been so long since he’d even heard of it that he’d forgotten all about the creamy gravy-like dish.

I dug out my old recipe and gave it another try. I have to say that on a cool autumn evening, the dish was very satisfying. And quite tasty. I made toast cups to serve with the a la king. I didn’t have one, (remember, I don’t care for soggy toast) but my husband was raving about what a great match the crunchy toast cups and the hot, creamy chicken a la king were.

This chicken creation could easily be served over waffles, biscuits, rice or egg noodles. I’d like it over mashed potatoes.

The cooked marinated chicken thighs I had chopped up were full of delicious flavor that kicked up this chicken a la king. I rarely use canned soups when I’m cooking, but this recipe from years ago called for a can of cream of chicken soup. It adds a creamy richness to the white sauce. I happened to have a jar of Peppadew peppers in the refrigerator, so I chopped some up and stirred them into the sauce. They have a unique mild, yet sweet and spicy flavor and add a nice burst of color to the dish. Chopped pimentoes would also work well. Most recipes for chicken a la king include mushrooms in the ingredient list. I leave them out.

Chicken A La King. It’s a blast from the past. But, when you’ve got some cooked chicken on hand, it takes no time to prepare. It’s budget-friendly. It’s just the kind of dish we are looking for right now.

Chicken A La King

  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrot
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 (10 3/4-ounce) cream of chicken soup
  • 2 to 4 cups cut up cooked chicken (I use Now and Again Chicken Thighs, which you’ll find in my column this week)
  • 1/2 cup chopped Peppadew Peppers
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley

 

Put chopped onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf and garlic in a saucepan. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer until vegetables are tender. Set aside.

Melt butter over medium heat in a Dutch-oven. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Cook and stir for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Add milk. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Add cooked vegetables and their liquid (remove bay leaf first). Stir to mix. Stir in cream of chicken soup, blending well. Add chicken, peppadew peppers and parsley. Mix well and heat thoroughly. Serve piping hot in toast cups.

 Toast Cups

Heat oven to 400 degrees. For each toast cup, flatten a slice of sandwich bread with a rolling pin. Use a sharp knive to make 1-inch lengthwise cuts into each corner of bread slice. Brush both sides of bread slice lightly with melted butter. Gently press each flattened bread slice into cups of ungreased muffin pan, overlapping crust to form cups. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

Green Tomatoes (not fried) in a Fudge Cake (no lie)

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Last week my friend, Bobbie, mentioned she had picked all of the green tomatoes from her garden and had put them in boxes to ripen. Question is, will they ripen?

I’m not a gardener, so I don’t know if those green tomatoes in the box will ever turn red. The ones I buy at the farmers market are always ready to eat. I suggested to Bobbie that she could chop up those green tomatoes and stir them into a cake. I had vague memories of a recipe I had clipped years ago. I told her I’d check my recipe box. If she would give me some green tomatoes, I would make her a cake.

I searched through my recipe box until I finally came across a card with the recipe for Green Tomato Fudge Cake. The recipe had been clipped from a newspaper and was taped to the card.

The list of ingredients held some intrigue. Instant coffee, black pepper, rum, green tomatoes — an unusual combination in a chocolate cake. Four ounces of candied orange peel was also included on the list. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find that in my local grocery stores.

At the end of the recipe I found a great surprise. In parantheses, in bold print I saw (Halgrimson is food writer for The Forum). Years ago, I used to take cooking classes from Andrea Halgrimson. She’s not only a wonderful cook, she always has interesting stories to tell and she still writes a food column for The Forum. Andrea has always been an inspiration to me. She introduced me to edible flowers. It was at one of her cooking classes that I ate heavenly chocolate desserts washed down with sips of champagne. The next day I overslept and missed my early morning racquet-ball match. Anyway, I sent Andrea an email to ask her about the cake. She remembers the Green Tomato Fudge Cake. She told me people often put candied orange peel in fruitcake. I don’t make fruitcake. I’ve never searched for candied orange peel.

Bobbie suggested I make my own candied orange peel. She loaned me her copy of Mark Bittman’s "How to Cook Everything." Bittman’s instructions for candied orange peel seemed easy enough to follow. I just wasn’t in the mood for scoring, simmering, scraping, scissoring and sugaring. I used grated orange zest in the cake instead.

The cake is good. You won’t find even a trace of green tomatoes in the baked cake. There’s a hint of bright orange flavor in each bite of this not-so-sweet cake. Coffee, cinnamon and black pepper combine with the cocoa for deep flavor. A shower of powdered sugar over the cake and a scoop of premium vanilla ice cream give the perfect finishing touch to each serving of Green Tomato Fudge Cake.

This cake can be baked in a bundt pan. I divided the batter in half and used a small bundt pan and an antique cake pan that I picked up this summer. I used my no-fail mixture of equal parts canola oil, shortening and flour to coat the inside of the pans. I didn’t want to take any chances of having the cake in the old ruffled pan stick when I turned it out.

Andrea’s Green Tomato Fudge Cake sounds wierd, but tastes great. So, don’t toss those green tomatoes.

Guess what else I found in my box of clippings? A recipe for Chocolate Cucumber Cake. Maybe I’ll try that next.

Oh, and one more thing. I’ll be presenting cooking demonstrations this week that are open to the public. No, I won’t be making cakes with green tomatoes or cucumbers, but I will be sharing some other great recipes. I’ll be at the Women’s Expo in Alexandria, Minnesota tomorrow evening (Thursday, October 8th) doing a program on healthful appetizers from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. On Saturday (October 10th) you will find me in Willmar, Minnesota where I’ll be doing two cooking demonstrations at their Women’s Expo that morning. Come see me.

Andrea’s Green Tomato Fudge Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
  • 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (or 4 ounces candied orange peel, chopped)
  • 2 cups chopped green tomatoes, (remove core from tomatoes before chopping)
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Powdered sugar, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch tube pan. Add 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder and shake pan to distribute evenly.

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add rum, orange zest, green tomatoes and walnuts, stirring after each addition. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk. Stir to mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in peheated oven for about 1 hour or until cake tests done.

Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Makes 12 servings in some homes, 3 to 4 in others.

 

Oh, spooky. A baked head. Of cauliflower, that is.

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It looks a little ghoulish, doesn’t it? But, really, it’s not something you will find in a haunted house. It is totally edible. It’s a frosted and baked head of cauliflower.

It was one of those days when I would be eating dinner alone. I had been to the farmers market earlier that day. The cauliflower was not only big and beautiful, it was on display in three colors. I had my choice of the traditional white, as well as purple and orange. Call me a traditionalist, but I just had to take the white. It’s what cauliflower is supposed to look like.

As I paid for the cauliflower and other  produce I had chosen from the Ter-Lee Gardens cart, Loralee (the Lee of Ter-Lee Gardens) told me about her favorite way to prepare cauliflower. She steams it in the microwave, frosts it with mayonnaise, covers the whole thing with shredded Cheddar cheese and then bakes it in the oven.

I decided to make Loralee’s cauliflower for my dinner that night. I thought I’d just cut out a wedge of the hot cauliflower and eat it along with a salad of fresh greens, but as it turned out, I ate the whole head of baked cauliflower. And you can see how large it was. Imagine what went on in my stomach after that meal. I wondered how many calories I had consumed. Apparaently, 1 cup of cooked cauliflower contains about 29 calories. I know that head I ate would yield several cups. And then, there was the mayonnaise. Ugh. And the cheese. Oh, man. But, on the other hand, I reminded myself of all the vitamin C and K, and the fiber, and the folate, potassium, vitamin B6 and manganese that head of cauliflower held. Oh, well. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

The cauliflower had been cooked to tender crispness in the microwave and once frosted, baked in the oven for about half an hour. I loved how crunchy the cheese got. The cauliflower stayed crisp-tender in the oven. I followed Loralee’s directions to a T. Next time I may try mixing a little sour cream into the mayo along with some Parmesan cheese.

Baked Frosted Cauliflower may look a bit spooky, but just think what it would look like if I had used purple or orange cauliflower. Eeeek!

Angel Hair Pasta with Two Sauces is another delicious dish using cauliflower. I share it in my column this week.

Loralee’s Frosted and Baked Cauliflower

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • Mayonnaise
  • Shredded cheddar cheese

Snap off the green leaves surrounding the curd (the cauliflower is really a head of undeveloped flowers, called curds). Rinse the cauliflower. Place the whole head in a deep, microwave-safe baking dish. Cover. Place in microwave and cook on high power until tender. Cooking time will depend on the size of the head of cauliflower. The large head I prepared took 5 minutes in the microwave to reach crisp tenderness.

Remove from microwave. Carefully remove the head of cauliflower from the deep baking dish. Transfer to a shallow oven-safe baking dish. I used a pie plate. Frost the cauliflower with mayonnaise. Press shredded cheddar onto the mayonnaise. Bake, uncovered, in preheated 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes.