Archive for the 'Fall' Category

Apple inside-out cake

Published
by
marc
on April 9, 2008
in Dessert and Fall
. 2 Comments

Apple inside out cake

Mutsu apples are one of my favorite variety. Crisp, green-skinned and juicy, they fall somewhere between a Fuji and a Granny Smith. This makes them delicious to eat and equally suited for baking.

I set out to make an apple upside-down cake, with lots of gooey appley goodness on top. It was late though and mixing a proper cake batter felt like a little more work than I was up for. Then I remembered a recipe from domestic goddess Nigella Lawson. “Easy sticky-toffee pudding” it’s called and as I pulled Nigella Bites off the bookshelf it handily fell open to page 216 and that luscious photo of butter on brown sugar melted together to make a saucey cake. For those of you that haven’t tried it, it has a thin creviced layer of cake under which is a molten pool of warm sugary goo.

Inspired, I shut the the book and set-off to make my apple inside-out cake.

1 apple peeled, cored and cut into cubes
2 Tbs calvados or good quality brandy
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 C dark brown sugar packed
2 Tbs butter cut into small pieces

1 C flour
1/2 C dark brown sugar packed
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 C melted butter
1 egg
1/2 C milk

1/2 C dark brown sugar packed
2 C boiling water

Heat the oven to 375 degees.

Toss together the first 7 ingredients in a 2 L baking dish making sure it’s all distributed evenly.

Put the flour, 1/2 C brown sugar and baking powder in a bowl and whisk together.

Melt the butter, whisk the egg in, then whisk the milk in. Pour this into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (it’s okay if it’s still lumpy). Spread this over the apples.

Top with 1/2 C brown sugar and pour the boiling water on top. Put it in the oven for about 40-45 minutes. When it’s done, there will be some spongy cake on top with crevices bubbling up molten sugar.

Serve warm with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream.

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Warm winter salad

Published
by
marc
on March 26, 2008
in Fall, Salad, Vegetable and Winter
. 1 Comment

Warm winter salad

Continuing on the no-meat kick after the ridiculously-bad-for-you-but-oh-so-delicious braised bacon, I decided to start experimenting with grains. Stopping by the Union Square Whole Foods, I picked up some roasted buckwheat and quinoa. What I really wanted was some delightfully chewy wheat berries, but they were completely out so I decided on the subway that I’d give the buckwheat a go.

The smoky roasted buckwheat reminded me of barley tea and added some nice depth to the salad, but next time I’m definitely going to hunt down some wheat berry. The salad is served warm with roasted winter veggies and a sweet balsamic vinaigrette. The celery adds some nice crunch in there, but I was thinking sunchokes or asian pear would work just as well. A soft poached egg on top lends some creaminess and body that makes this a one plate meal.

for salad
1 cup cooked wheat berries (or some other whole grain)
1/3 C celery cut into small cubes
1 Tbs chopped parsley

1 Tbs good olive oil
1 C cubed kabocha or butternut squash
1/2 C cubed parsnip or celery root
1 spring onion sliced (or small sweet onion)
1 tsp kosher salt

for dressing
2 Tbs good olive oil
2 Tbs real balsamic vinegar
8 sage leaves cut into thin ribbons
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

for serving
1 poached egg per serving
Mache or Frisée

Prepare the wheat berries according the the box directions and dump it into a large bowl. Toss the hot wheat with celery and parsley in a large bowl.

Heat 1 Tbs of good olive oil over medium heat and saute the kabocha, parsnip, onion and salt until the vegetables are soft enough to eat (but not mushy). Add to bowl with wheat.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour enough on the wheat and veggies, tossing gently, to lightly coat everything.

To serve, put down a bed of greens, layer on the wheat and veggies, top with a soft poached egg and drizzle on a little more dressing.

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Kabocha browned butter pasta

Published
by
marc
on March 19, 2008
in Dinner, Fall, Pasta and Vegetable
. 0 Comments

Kabocha browned butter pasta

If you’ve never had kabocha, stop reading right now and go buy one. They keep forever and they’re quasi-decorative, so I almost always have a small one sitting on my counter ready to become a side, main course, or desert. Yes, you read that right:-) Its sweet, firm flesh is somewhere between a butternut squash and sweet potato, which makes it very versatile. I’ve even used it successfully in ice creams and custards (I’ll post a recipe one of these days).

This dish is simple (took me 30 minutes start to finish and I was trying to document a recipe) but the nutty browned butter plays nicely with the kabocha and sage and creates a rich flavorful coating for the pasta without being overly greasy or heavy.

On a slightly unrelated note, this blog has been up a few weeks, but I haven’t seen much feedback in the comments. To get things rolling, let’s hear how you like to prepare kabocha!

8 oz pasta cooked al dente
4 Tbs unsalted butter
1 C Kabocha (japanese pumpkin) cut into 1/4″ cubes
1 small shallot minced
2 Tbs chopped sage

freshly grated parmesan cheese

Boil the pasta according to the package directions in salted water.

While the pasta is cooking, put the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat and allow it to foam and start to turn brown while swirling regularly.

Add the kabocha and shallots when the butter is a nice tan color and saute until the kabocha is fork tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add the sage and then the well drained pasta and toss to coat the pasta with the butter. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

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