Covered Apple Cake

My husband's family background is German and his grandmother was a wonderful German cook.  I have on occasion attempted a couple of the German dishes without much success.  So I have started on a new venture of learning German Cooking.  One of the first "dishes" I attempted was called Covered Apple Cake or the German translation was Gedeckter Apfelkuchen.  I found this recipe on the website www.Germancookbooks.com.  The only thing that you might have to buy is a spring form pan which you can get at Walmart.  I bought a set of 3 for $9.99 (I think that is what I paid).  On to the recipe . . .

Ingredients

Cake 

2 cups flour
2 scant tsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
11 T butter or margarine at room temperature
1 egg yolk

Apple Filling

2 lbs apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 T water

Glaze (optional) - I did put the glaze on my cake - it really made the cake!!

1 cup powdered sugar
2 - 3 tsp milk
1 T butter or margarine melted


Filling

Core, peel and cut the apples in quarters, then cut the quarters in half.  Place the apples in a sauce pan, add the sugar, lemon juice and water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Drain the apples slices reserving the juice.  You will need a cup of juice, add water if needed to make a cup.  Pour the juice back into the sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Place the cornstarch in a small bowl and make a paste with the 3 tablespoons of water.  Add to the boiling juice.  (NOTE: I had trouble getting the paste to dissolve - it made the juice thick, but there was clunks of cornstarch).  Stir in the apples and raisins.  Set aside.


Cake:

Place flour in a large bowl, stir in baking powder. make a well, sprinkle the sugar over it, drop in one egg, the vanilla extract and cut the butter into slices over the top

Knead the ingredients into a smooth dough.  Use half the dough to line the bottom of the springform pan and the other half wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.  The dough in the springform pan should cover up 1 inch of the side.  With a fork prick the bottom of the pan and bake in a preheated 400 oven for 15 minutes.

Once the cake and the apples have cooled, spread the apple mixture over the cake in the pan.

Take the remaining dough and roll it out.   Cover the apple mixture and make sure the dough reaches the entire rim of the pan.  Press down the edges all around the rim.  Stir the egg yolk and brush the entire cake.

Bake in a preheated 400 oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Set on a rack to cool for 30 minutes before removing rim.

Glaze

Stir all ingredients together and spread over the top of the cake.

VERDICT:  I was pleasantly surprised by this cake.  I was afraid it might be too bland with no spices (i.e., the normal spices you add when you are working with apples - cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.), but you could really taste the lemon.  My husband loved this!!  It sort of reminded me of a coffee cake.  This is definitely a keeper recipe1

Crockpot Beer Brat Chili

OK, this is not the best picture of it but it was good!!  This was last night's dinner.  I found this recipe in the September/October issue of Taste of Home magazine.  With the temperatures starting to take a dip, this is perfect "chili" weather.

I did make a few changes to the recipe because I thought her recipe seemed too "dry."  I will mark my additions with **

Beer Brat Chili

1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 os) black beans, drained and rinsed ** (she didn't drain her)
1 can (15 oz) cannellini or white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 1/2 oz) italian diced tomatoes
1 can (10 oz), diced tomatoes with green chilies ** (I used mild chilies)
1 pkg (14 oz) fully cooked beer bratwurst links, sliced
1 can of tomato soup ** I added this because I thought the chili needed more "juice"
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chili seasoning ** I didn't have chili seasoning, so I added 3 tsp chili powder
1 garlic clove, minced

In a 5 quart crockpot, combined all the ingredients.  Cook, covered on low for 5 to 6 hours.

I served the chili over homemade noodles and sprinkled shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top.  My husband loved it!!

Pretty Halloween Bundt Cake

Isn't this the prettiest bundt cake you ever saw?  Well, maybe not THE prettiest but it sure is pretty and very in season for Halloween!!  And it is so easy to make!!

I am not sure how I found the video to make this but I guess I stumbled upon it in my ramblings through the Internet.  Somehow I came upon this group of videos on Youtube called "Cooking with Sugar."  And saw her making this wonderful Halloween cake and I knew I had to make it!!  Here is her video . . .

Halloween Bundt Cake Video

I will include the recipe with my notes.


Halloween Bundt Cake

Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® Dark Chocolate cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
Black food coloring*
Purple food coloring*
Orange food coloring*
1 (12 oz) can Betty Crocker® Whipped Fluffy White Frosting
*You can get these at Hobby Lobby, Michaels or order them directly from Wilton.com

Directions:
NOTE:  I used a metal bundt pan, so I preheated my oven to 350 degrees.  
Heat oven to 325̊F. Generously grease a 12-cup tube cake pan. Make cake batters as directed on boxes. Divide the white cake into two separate bowls.
Add orange food coloring to one bowl and mix to the desired color. Then, add purple to the other and mix to the desired color.

Pour 2/3 of the chocolate cake batter into a bowl and mix with a few drops of the black food coloring. Discard the remainder of the batter or use it for cupcakes. (You only need 2/3 of the chocolate cake batter, because if you use the whole thing in won't fit in the tube pan).
Pour 1/2 of the chocolate cake mix into the bottom of the greased pan. Carefully pour the purple over the chocolate making sure you don't stir it. Just pour it on top.

Then, carefully pour the orange batter over the purple batter and pour in the remainder of the chocolate.

Bake as directed on box or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. (I let my cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes - had no problem getting it out of the pan).

Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack that is placed over a cookie sheet. Cool cake completely, about 30 minutes.

Once cake is cool, equally divide your frosting into 3 bowls. Use the food coloring again to make one bowl orange, one purple and one black.
Microwave each bowl of frosting for a few seconds on high until it is smooth enough to drizzle over the cake  (I found about 10 seconds worked out perfectly).. With a spoon, drizzle the black frosting back and forth around the whole ring in a striping pattern until you use it all. Then do the same with the purple and then the orange.

Set cake aside to dry.

Store loosely covered and unrefrigerated.
Cake can be made a day or two in advance.

Here is a picture of the inside of the cake:

I was thinking that maybe orange sherbet would be great with this - mainly because of the orange color.  And thinking a little further into the year, instead of using chocolate cake,maybe a yellow cake.  And instead of the black, purple and orange colors, use red and green for Christmas and maybe sprinkle some colored sugar over the top of the bundt cake to make it look festive!  I see a whole new Christmas adventure forming!!  Stay tuned!

Zucchini-Cheddar Biscuits

One of the advantages of selling at the local farmer's market is that you have access to some of the best produce around and you make friends with the farmers who grow them.  The great thing is that most of them are usually willing to swap and goat's milk soap "buys" a lot of really great veggies!!!  This is what I got yesterday - summer squash . . .

And I knew the perfect recipe for them. Our adventure today comes from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman.    I had seen this recipe and thought it would go great with soup (which I am having for dinner tonight - AMAZING how these things work out!!).

Ingredients

2 cups shredded zucchini or summer squash

1 tsp salt

4 ounces bacon (I don't have any so I am going to omit this)

3 cups all purpose flour

1 T baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 T unsalted butter, cut up

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

3/4 cup buttermilk **

** if you don't have buttermilk - just take a scant cup of milk and add either a T of lemon juice or white distilled vinegar to the milk and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes - Viola!  you have buttermilk!!

I shredded the zucchini/summer squash in my food processor.  Combine the zucchini/summer squash and salt in a colander and set aside for a half hour. 

Squeeze out any excess moisture and place in a small mixing bowl.  You should have about 1/2 cup of zucchini/summer squash.

If you are using bacon (which I don't have), you would cook that now and let it drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and pepper together into a large bowl.  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles crumbs.  Add the cheese, bacon (if using) and zucchini.  Toss with a fork to mix well. Add the buttermilk to form a stiff dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured countertop and knead briefly until the dough is smooth,.  Roll out until about 1 inch thick.  Using a 3 inch round cutter, cut out biscuits and place on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.  Serve the biscuits hot out of the oven with butter - YUM!!!

VERDICT:

I had one right after it came out of the oven.  Yep, this is a keeper recipe.  I think the addition of the bacon would make this more a "breakfast" type of biscuit - not one that I would serve would soup.  So it is up to you whether or not you want to add the bacon or not.  I thought they were quite good as I prepared them (of course, I haven't tasted them with the bacon - so I might feel differently).  I was surprised at how well the biscuits rose in the oven.  Overall, I was very pleased with the recipe and will probably make these again.

We did have these for dinner last night along with Paula Dean's Bean Soup and my husband loved them!  He ate three!!  Yep - I am definitely going to make these again!

An "Italian" Adventure - What Fun!!

I bought a book several months ago called Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich.  She has a program on PBS and I have watched it several times (which has absolutely nothing to do with this recipe!).  Anyway, I was glancing through the cookbook last night while waiting for dinner to cook and came upon the recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana.  Hmmm - I have never made but it sounds good - so a new adventure has been started.  Of course, it involved a trip to the grocery store - OH WELL!!

Don't worry it isn't expensive. You also need "fresh" mozzarella, not the "shredded" type.  So I bought a gallon of milk and made my own.  You can find the link to make the mozzarella cheese here:
home made mozzarella cheese

Just a word of warning, this is not going to be one of those recipes that you just can wipe up in a matter of minutes!!

For this to be truly Italian, we are going to make the tomato sauce from scratch!  YES, I said from scratch!!

Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
1 35 ounce can of Italian Tomatoes
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 small onion
1/4 cup chopped and peeled carrots (Oops!  I forgot to get carrots, so I omitted this)
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 dried bay leaves

Pass the tomatoes through a food mill fitted with a fine mesh disc.

Heat the olive oil in a 3 or 4 quart pan over medium heat, add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add the carrots (oops!!!) and the celery and cook, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes.

Add the food milled tomatoes to the pot along with the bay leaves.  Season lightly with salt and crushed red pepper.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes.

Eggplant Parmigiana
Ingredients
2 or 3 medium eggplants (about 3 pounds)
3 large eggs
1 tsp salt
all purpose flour for dredging
2 cups fine, dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup vegetable oil, as needed
1/2 cup olive oil, as needed
Tomato sauce (see above)
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
12 fresh basil leaves
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese (see link above)

Trim the stems and ends from eggplants.  Remove peels (NOTE: Lidia does not remove the peels, but I know my family and they won't eat them with the peels!).
Cut the eggplant in 1/2 inch thick slices place them in a colander.  Sprinkle with salt and let drain for 1 hour.  Rinse the eggplant and pat dry.
Whisk the eggs and salt together in a large flat baking pan or wide shallow bowl.  Spread the bread crumbs and flour in an even layer in two separate, wide shallow bowls or over sheets of wax paper.
Dredge the eggplant in the flour, shake off excess.
Dip the floured eggplant in the egg mixture being sure to cover all sides.  Let excess egg drop back into pan. Then lay eggplant in bread crumbs, making sure all sides are covered.
Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil and vegetable oil into a medium skillet.  Heat over medium heat.  Add as many eggplants as you can without them touching.  Cook until well browned on all sides.  Remove and repeat with remaining eggplants.

Preheat oven to 375.
Heat the tomato sauce to simmering.
Ladle enough sauce into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish to cover the bottom.  Sprinkle with an even layer of grated cheese, top with a layer of eggplant and over with sauce to coat evenly,  Top with a layer of mozzarella cheese.  Repeat layering.
Cover with aluminum foil and poke several holes in the foil with tip of knife.  Bake for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the top layer of cheese if golden in spots.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.  Then cut in squares and serve.
ENJOY!!

The Verdict

My husband loved it.  I thought it was good.  I did think the tomato sauce was really good, I am definitely going to use that again.  Will I make the eggplant parmigiana again - not sure.  It took a lot of work to make it, so it would depend on how "energetic" I feel at the time - LOL!