Classic Apple Cake
Classic Apple Cake
I’ve had this recipe since I was a kid. My Aunt Josie gave it to my mom. Not sure where she got it but it has been a family favorite since we first made it. It’s a simple recipe that comes out moist and flavorful. I normally bake it in a 13×9- inch pan but it can also be baked in a Bundt pan. While the recipe calls for cinnamon sugar- I sometimes add a little fresh ground nutmeg, too. Pretty much any apple works in this recipe- except maybe Red Delicious. Perfect for dessert or even served with brunch. The batter is really thick. Don’t think you’ve done something wrong. Here is the recipe.
Classic Apple Cake
1 c. oil
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/3 c. orange or lemon juice
Combine above ingredients and set aside.
Mix together the following dry ingredients. Make a well and stir in egg mixture to make a stiff batter.
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
3 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
Mix ½ c. sugar and 2 t. cinnamon and set aside
Peel, core and slice 4 medium apples.
Grease a 9×13 inch pan or a Bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Place ½ of batter in prepared pan. Arrange apple slices on batter and sprinkle on ½ of the cinnamon mixture. Pour on remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture.
Bake 1-1 ½ hours. One hour for 13×9-inch pan and 1 1/2 hours for Bundt. I find that sometimes it takes less than an hour- check at 50 minutes.
Pear Chutney
Pear Chutney
I call this dish by a couple of names. It was given to me as a pear sauce. I think it makes people think of apple sauce and that is misleading. This flavorful sauce is more like a glaze or chutney. A mix of savory and sweet flavors it is great served on the side with various dishes and can be used as a glaze. The picture does not do it justice. We had this in a class recently and I served it with roast turkey. Everybody loved it. It goes well with pork and duck, too. I always make a double batch and freeze some for later use. The recipe follows along with a recipe using the chutney with pork. I think you will be surprised at just how tasty this stuff is.
Pear Chutney
½ c. sugar
½ c. balsamic vinegar
1 lb. Pears, cored, peeled and diced
2 T. dried minced onion
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. hot sauce – or more to taste
pinch cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning. Serve with pork or lamb roasts. Also great with turkey or duck. Makes about 2 cups.
Pork with Pear Chutney
1 lb. Pork loin. Sliced or 4 pork chops
oil
1 large onion, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe pear chutney, See above
In skillet cook pork in oil, turning to brown evenly until juices run clear when meat is pierced. Remove meat and add onions, sautéing until onions are browned. Return pork to pan, adjust seasonings and add 1 cup of the pear chutney. Cook 10 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly. Serves 4.
Cabbage with Apples and Pears
Cabbage with Apples and Pears
I really do like cabbage. I think it gets overshadowed by its botanical cousins like kale and broccoli. Cabbage is loaded with vitamins- including vitamin C – and is so versatile. I could eat cole slaw every day of the week. It also is great in salads, soups and casseroles. Since I was doing a class on cooking with apples and pears I decided to combine these three ingredients together in one dish. I went a little sweet and sour with this one, adding 2 different vinegars and a bit of sugar. You could certainly add bacon or perhaps some hot peppers for variation. I served it as is, but will often stir in some cooked noodles just before serving.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage- with Apples and Pears
2 T. oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
8 c. shredded cabbage
2 c. chopped apples and pears, peeled if desired
½ c. cider vinegar
2 T. balsamic vinegar
¼ sugar, or more to suit your taste
salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion in oil until golden brown. Add cabbage and fruit and cook over medium high heat, stirring often until cabbage is wilted. Add remaining ingredients and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated. Adjust seasonings. Serves 4-6.
Note: You can serve this dish just as it is or you can add 8 oz. of cooked noodles when you add the vinegar for cabbage and noodles. Some people also like to make this dish with crumbled bacon or diced ham.
Tomato Salad
Fresh Tomato Salad
When tomatoes are in season I enjoy plenty of tomato sandwiches. I also can and dehydrate a lot of them. One of my favorite ways to enjoy them is in a simple tomato salad. With perfectly ripe tomatoes sometimes less is more. For this salad I just used tomato wedges and a few other ingredients for a great dish. The fresh garlic and basil work well with the tomatoes. I left it pretty simple this time, but you could easily add some feta cheese and perhaps a few olives and some oregano for a Greek- style tomato salad.
Tomato Salad
3 large tomatoes, cut in wedges, or 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 basil leaves, cut into thin strips
2 T. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Combine ingredients and serve at room temperature. Serves 4-6.
Farm Market Today
Rose Petal Jelly
I will be at the Blue Pike Farm market today with all sorts of goodies. In honor of cooler weather I made some apple cake. I’ll also have chocolate beet cake, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, jellies, herb seasonings mixes and more. Come by and say “hello”. I have it on good authority Carl will have more of those baby eggplants, too. Hope to see you there.
Blue Pike Farm is located at 900 E. 72 St. , just 1/2 mile south of the shoreway. The Market is open on Thursdays from 4-7 pm.
Pear Salad with Feta and Bacon
Pear Salad with Feta and Bacon
I made this salad for a cooking class the other day. It was, as always, well received. The sweetness of the pears with the salty cheese and smoky bacon work so well together. The addition of toasted nuts adds just that extra something that works in this dish. I used walnuts this time, but love this salad with pecans, too. Serve over greens for a great and easy meal.
Pear Salad with Feta and Bacon
8- 10 cups mixed salad greens, washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
3 ripe pears, cored and sliced thin
¾ c. crumbled feta cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ c. toasted pecans, but other nuts can be used
5 T. cider vinegar
½ c. oil
Fresh chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
In large bowl place greens. Add pears, feta bacon and pecans. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well. Toss over greens and divide into serving dishes. Serves 6-8.
Beet and Tomato Soup
Beet and Tomato Soup
I had a bunch of fresh beets in my fridge and since it’s a little cool today I thought I’d make soup with them. I took inspiration from what I had on hand including onions, potatoes and tomatoes. Adding the tomatoes was a last minute decision and it worked out really well. The tomatoes added just the right amount of tartness/sweetness. I didn’t add the dollop of sour cream I would normally add. It would make a nice topper for the soup, though. Here is the recipe. It was a small bunch of beets so I just made a small batch of soup, but it could easily be doubled.
Beet and Tomato Soup
1 bunch beets, about 1 lb.
oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 c. stock- I used chicken
1 potato, cubed
2-3 medium tomatoes, peeled and cubed
1 t. dill
salt and pepper to taste
Wash beets and trim leaving about 1 inch of the stem attached. Reserve greens. Place beets in a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove beets and cool in cold water until you can handle them. While beets are cooling, cook onion in oil until tender. Peel and cube the beets. Add to the onions along with the stock, potatoes and tomatoes and cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes. Rinse and chop up about 1 cup of the beet greens and add them to the soup along with the dill. Cook until greens are tender, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 3-4.
No Bake Blueberry Dessert
Blueberry No Bake Dessert
This dessert came about by accident and a tasty accident it was. I had finished my cooking camps with kids and had some supplies left over. I was also going to a dinner with friends and had offered to make the dessert. I used what I had on hand and this is the result. It started out with a couple of open boxes of vanilla wafers. I also had a mostly full can of blueberry pie filling, some fresh blueberries and a one quart container of vanilla yogurt. I knew the flavors would work together, I just needed to decide how to put them together. I got a 13×9 – inch glass baking dish and put a layer of the vanilla wafers on the bottom of the pan. Then I covered the wafers with half of the yogurt. I added another layer of wafers and topped them with the blueberry pie filling and the fresh berries. Added one more layer of the vanilla wafers and ended the dessert with the rest of the yogurt. I covered the pan and put it in the fridge for several hours. When we served it the dessert was easy to cut and serve. We topped it with whipped cream. It was really fast and easy. I could see using other fruits and even other flavors of yogurt. Great for a day when you just don’t feel like turning on the oven.
Wine Jelly
Wine Jelly
Wine jelly is something you can make any time of the year. Wine is always in season, after all. I like to use wine jelly as a glaze for meats and with cheese and bread for a quick appetizer. It also makes a great sandwich with almond butter. Sort of a grown-up version of PB&J. While I wouldn’t recommend using really expensive wine for making jelly you should use wine that you would also drink. It is a great way to use an open bottle of wine that might also go to waste. Because the wine is brought to a full boil the alcohol does cook out of it.
Wine Jelly
3 c. wine
1 box powdered pectin
4 c. sugar
Have your water bath ready and boiling. Also wash the jars and keep warm until ready to use. Prep lids according to manufacturer’s instructions. In large saucepan bring wine and pectin to a full boil. Add sugar and return to a boil, stirring often. When mixture gets to a full rolling boil that you can’t stir down boil it for 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and ladle into jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe rims and place lids on jars. Screw lids on comfortably tight. Process in a boiling water bath 10 minutes. Remove jars from canner and cool on a towel or cooling rack away from drafts. Yield: 5 half-pint jars.
Source: Sure-Jell
Apple and Cheese Salad
Apple and Cheese Salad
I did a cooking class on cooking with apples and pears and thought I’d share some of the recipes with you. We started with a salad of apples and toasted walnuts with cheese served over greens. The salad is quite simple but the dressing really makes it special. It was a big hit in class and I think you’ll like it, too. I used cheddar but feel free to use other cheeses. The apples I used I got from Blue Pike Farm last week. Early Golden is a green apple with a sweet/tart flavor and great crisp texture. I also used some fresh mint leaves from my garden.
Apple and Cheese Salad
Dressing:
3 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. sugar
¼ c. olive oil
3 T. dried minced onion
2 T. water
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. walnuts or pecans, toasted
4-6 cups salad greens, washed and spun dry
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese or ½ c. crumbled feta or bleu cheese
2 Granny Smith or other tart apples
1 T. chopped fresh mint or parsley
1 T. snipped chives or green onions, optional
In container with tight fitting lid shake dressing ingredients together and chill until ready to use. To toast nuts place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool. When ready to serve the salads divide the greens among 4 plates or arrange greens on a platter. Core the apples and cut in slices. Toss apples with the dressing. Place apples on greens, then top with remaining ingredients. Serves 4.
