Apple Cream Cake:

        How many apples are in nine bushels of apples?  (Have you ever wondered how many pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? - a similar question).  A lot - as we discovered one fall apple-picking day when the harvest was obscenely abundant, the branches on the trees hanging low with fruit, all too accessible for the busy hands of our children.  After several days of peeling - developing the skill of paring the peel in one long rolling strip - and transforming the tart and the sweet flesh into applesauce, pie filling, cider, dumplings (look for this apple favorite in a future blog) I was stumped. When February came the final survivors had to go and were finely thrown out of the vegetable crisper. Following is the recipe for a lovely apple alternative in the form of a rich, dense, buttery cake that enfolds a spiced apple filling.

Apple Cream Cake:
     1 cup butter, softened
     1 1/2 cups sugar
     2 eggs
     1 cup sour cream
     1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
     2 cups flour
     1 tsp. baking powder
     1/4 tsp. baking soda
     pinch of salt
    

     Apple Filling:
     Peel and core 2 large Granny Smith apples and cut into 
     small chunks.  Melt 3 tab. butter in a medium saucepan
     and add apples.  Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.  
     Add 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. 
     ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, 1/4 tsp. ground 
     allspice, and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cook and stir frequently over 
     medium heat until apples are soft and mixture is bubbly,
     about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/2 cup
     finely chopped nuts. Set aside and let cool 15 minutes or 
     until ready to use.

• In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each at high speed.  Stir in sour cream and vanilla.  Gently stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
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• Generously grease and flour a bundt pan or angel food cake pan.  Spread in half of the batter.  Spoon apple filling over the batter and smooth.  Spread the remaining batter over the top of the apple filling.
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• Bake 50 - 60 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10-15 minutes and then invert on to a serving platter.

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:

**This cake is also delicious with cherry of blueberry pie filling.

(This is also excellent with cherry or blueberry filling.)

Baked Ratatouille

Harvest the best veggies your garden has to offer, or select the most vigorous candidates in your farmer's market, to include the long thin ones, the rosy, round, plump ones, the pungent, layered alliums and the leafy, licorice flavored, green one which sophisticates the humdrum kitchen.  An easy baked version of ratatouille (rats are optional) simply slice, then layer the ingredients, sprinkle with salt and pepper and minced basil.  Top with strips of  bacon whose juices will enrich the flavors of the whole.  This recipe was one of Mom's before she knew to call it ratatouille, back in the day when it was just a zucchini casserole and a way to employ those monstrous squash that covered the kitchen counter.  Little did she know if would become chic and sophisticated!

Baked Ratatouille
2 eggplants

2 medium zucchini squash, washed and stems removed

2 yellow summer squash, washed and stems removed
4 - 6 medium ripe tomatoes, washed and stem removed
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tab. finely minced fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon, crushed, dried oregano

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon zest

4 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 pound bacon strips, partially baked then cut crosswise into

         1/2 inch strips.

Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

salt to taste

pepper to taste

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

     -Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

     -Slice eggplant, tomatoes, squash, onion and zucchini into thin rounds and set aside.  Lay eggplant slices on a platter and sprinkle generously with salt on both sides.  Allow to sit for 15 minutes then rinse.

     -Heat a 12 inch oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat.  Saute onion, bell peppers and garlic until soft.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add tomatoes and sugar.  Stir, until well mixed.  Add the basil and stir in. Smooth surface of sauce with spatula.

     -Arrange sliced vegetables on top of sauce in alternating patterns to accentuate their vibrant colors, beginning at the outer edge working into the middle.  Season with salt and pepper and crushed oregano.

     -In a small bowl, combine basil, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, salt,  pepper and olive oil.  Spoon the herb seasoning over the vegetables.

     -Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Uncover, place bacon strips on top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and continue to bake another 20 minutes, uncovered.

     -Serve while hot as a main dish or side.  Serves 8 - 10

Musakhan Rolls

A memory of a unique, rich eating experience led me to exclaim, "This is it!" when I tasted it again, many years later. What had been to me the Holy Grail of Arab Cuisine led me once again on this pilgrimage to a platter of rice, onion, sumac and chicken dish of my early Middle Eastern years. Once the name was retrieved, I went in search of those who knew the ritual that created this long cherished tasting experience. Musakhan, (not to be confused with the Greek Mousaka) owes its deep, rich flavor to piles of slivered onions, gilded with olive oil and fried to a rich, deep brown, that which we call caramelized today. 

This humble Palestinian Bedouin dish belies its heritage, so rich and deep are the flavors of the chicken braised and infused with onion. It is then elevated to sophisticate with the subtle bite of citrus provided by the granular sumac. The chicken mixture is then piled on a crust of thin towel like bread called "shrak" in Syria, or when not available, split pita and served on a large platter in the middle of the table, family style. An ingredient which might give some pause is the generous amount of oil required which makes for a slippery, finger-licking mess. Not one that I'm opposed to wallowing in but this version is lighter and the ingredients wrapped in a neat and crispy wrap of Arab bread. And I thought I was so clever. On my recent trip to Jerusalem a wonderful café on the Via Delarosa served my musakhan rolls. I was outraged to think they had stolen my recipe but then decided to let it go as they have proprietary rights to anything Palestinian!




Mousakhan Rolls:

• 6 skinned and boned chicken breasts 3 tab. sumak
• Freshly ground black pepper salt to taste
• 1/3 cup olive oil shrak – dish towel bread
• 3 medium onions, slivered 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. allspice & cinnamon, combined

-Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon. Brown in 1/3 cup olive oil then place in oven dish with oil, cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees until chicken is tender.

-Saute onions in 1/3 cup olive oil until browned and soft (almost caramelized). Chop cooked chicken into small pieces and mix with onions. Sprinkle with 3 tab. sumac. Allow to sit for at least 1 hour.

-Drain mixture of oil and season with salt and pepper.

-Cut bread into 8-inch long and 4-inch wide strips. Place chicken filling at end of each strip and roll securely, not folding in edges.

-Slightly brown each roll in small amount of oil in frying pan, pressing with spatula. Cut in half at a diagonal and serve.

A Pasta Aria

            

        Bowties, alfredo sauce, bacon, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts - what a pleasure that they joined together to play this song!  And we have Magleby's, a restaurant in Provo, Utah to thank for conducting the original version of this symphony of flavors.  

             When vacationing from the Middle East we always topped our list of "Places we have to eat" with this little-known Utah Valley jewel.  Lured in by their fresh, hot cheesy biscuits and soups, not much appetite was left when the entrees arrived.  But this one's aroma insisted that we sit up and take notice!  This Pasta Aria is a creamy, nutty, soul-soothing, dish for a cold winter's night accompanied by clarion notes of sophistication.

Bowtie Pasta Alfredo
1/4 cup butter
3 tab. flour
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
6 strips bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
2 tab. butter
3/4 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large tomato, seeded and peeled, cut into julienne strips
1/2 pound fresh mushroom slices
1 pound bowtie pasta
2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
additional grated parmesan to sprinkle on top.

-In medium saucepan, melt butter.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Stir in flour and combine well.

- Let roux cook for about one minute stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add milk: blend with wire whip until smooth.  Add chicken broth and then cream and combine. Return to medium/high heat and stir with whip until mixture thickens and bubbles.  Add nutmeg and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese until melted.

-Melt 2 tab. butter, in medium sauté pan and add chicken pieces.  Cook over medium-high heat just until chicken becomes opaque, stirring frequently.  Remove chicken from pan.

-Add tomatoes strips, red pepper flakes and fresh mushrooms to the same pan and continue cooking until mushrooms are soft. Stir in spinach, cover with lid and simmer over low heat until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat.

-Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente in large pot.  Drain and return to pot and mix pasta with warm alfredo sauce.  Stir in the chicken, bacon and tomato-mushroom-spinach mixture. Mix all together and heat over low heat until hot. Check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

-Place in serving bowl.  Garnish with toasted
pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

-Serves 6 - 8

Follow directions to prepare chicken, 

bacon & vegetables.

Saute veggies and prepare Alfredo sauce.

Marinated Pepper Ribbons

        Curling ribbons of red and green tangle atop a bed of creamy mild cheese, dressed in a perky marinade of olive oil and garlic.  How playfully delicious!  Unravel one or an entire knot and place on crostini for a smoky pizazz of flavor tempered by the velvet of the cheese.  The vibrant colors speak to us before taste confirms satisfaction to the palette, and this appetizer of  Spanish tapas  origin, is a super dipper for crackers, or a crowning jewel to crostini .  

       The process of roasting and peeling the peppers is a skill that once you've tried and seen how easy it is, will spare you the necessity of purchasing jarred red peppers.  Place the peppers on an oven rack, high in the oven with the heat on broil and char the skins - yes absolutely char them -  until they are bubbly, scorched and blackened, then rotate peppers to another side.  When peppers are charred on all sides, remove them from the oven and place in a plastic bag or into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let sit and cool about 15  minutes as the skins loosen.  Some recipes recommend peeling the skins off over a bowl to collect any juices that run out to use in your recipe, but if you are not interested in saving the juices, it is much easier to slide the skins off under cold running water.

Marinated Pepper Ribbons
2 green bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
1/4 cup olive oil 
2 tab. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. fresh oregano or marjoram, finely minced
      (or 1/2 tsp. dried and crushed)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
pinch of sugar
1 tsp. capers
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 oz. softened goat or cream cheese 

-Wash and dry peppers.  Place on on oven rack under the broiler and broil on all sides until skins are charred and bubbly.  Remove from the oven and place roasted peppers into a plastic bag or into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rest 15 minutes.

-Under cold running water, rub the skins off the peppers, split open and wash out the pulp and seeds.  Slice pepper flesh into long 1/2 inch wide strips.  Place in a medium bowl.

-Mix all remaining ingredients and pour over pepper slices in  bowl.  Chill 30 minutes or longer.

-Mound softened cheese (cream cheese if you prefer a milder taste) in the middle of a serving platter.  Form into a round disc about 1/2 inch think.  Drain excess marinade off of peppers and place the peppers on top of the cheese.  Serve with crackers or crostini.

-To prepare crostini:  slice a baguette crosswise thinly and place slices on a cookie sheet.  Brush each side with olive oil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until they are dried and golden.

Spanish Pastry

Yes, these members of the bar-cookie family are as beautiful and delicious as the picture suggests! Spanish Pastry bears a resemblance to a Spanish torte, has the airy crunch of a French cream puff and yet the cream cheese frosting is as one would expect, uniquely American! A culinary hybrid perhaps? Regardless of its origin, this is a gem of a recipe and has been a party favorite (and a closet - last feast before the famine goody before starting a diet) choice for many years. My brother once said he would eat anything frosted with cream cheese frosting (we didn't put him to the test) but his wife rode a bicycle 2 miles to purchase the cream cheese for this recipe. Shared with me many years ago by a European woman who may have had her recipe cards clearly marked with the country of origin, these pastries are comprised of a unique pate choux body, layered on a shortbread crust, baked in 6 inch wide strips, cut into finger-sized cuttings, frosted and finally, garnished with almonds. Add some dried cranberries if you want a festive pop of color for either Christmas or Valentine's. Makes 36 servings.

Spanish Pastry
1 cup soft butter
11/2 cups flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tab. vanilla extract
sliced almonds

-(Shortbread) In medium mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup soft butter and 1 1/2 cups flour.  Blend until smooth (add 1 - 2 tab. water if mixture is not smooth.) On cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, pat shortbread into two, 12 by 6 inch strips.

-(Cream Puff Pastry/Pate a Choux) In medium sauce pan, pour water and add 1/2 cup butter and salt.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat until butter is melted.  All at once, pour in flour and stir over heat for 2 - 3 minutes until mixture pulls away from the sides and balls around the spoon as you stir.

-Remove pate a choux dough from heat and place in electric mixture.  Mix for about 2 minutes at medium speed, allowing some of the heat to escape.

-Stir in 1 egg at a time, beating well after each (for about 1 minute on medium-high speed).

-Mound half of pate a choux mixture down the center of each strip and using a knife or cake spreader, cover the entire surface of the shortbread layer with the choux mixture.  Sculpt into peaks.

-Bake in 380 degree oven for about 45 minutes, until puffed and golden.  Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. (The pate a choux layer may collapse some upon cooling.)

-In a mixing bowl, combine butter and cream cheese until smooth and well blended.  Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Frost cooled pastry and garnish with almonds.  Allow to sit for an hour or so or chill, then cut crosswise into finger length strips.  Makes 36 servings.