Apple and Oatmeal Cake for St. Patricks Day

Growing up in a French/Italian family, St. Patrick's day was never really celebrated as a big feast day for us, however my Mom did put together a pretty decent boiled dinner for the occasion.  While raising my own family, that corned beef and cabbage tradition continued.  As I became more adept at cooking and trying new dishes, finding traditional meals to cook for my family from different parts of the world was really fun!  Our St. Patrick's day meal really needed an update, so for the past several years finding really good and interesting dishes such as this Apple and Oatmeal cake, was a very happy find indeed.  This is a very moist cake made with layers of cooked apples and oatmeal.  Very little sugar is used and a hint of lemon peel and cinnamon is added.  It's a pretty little cake, that I baked in a 6 inch X 3 inch pan, it gives this cake a nice height.  It can be served alone with a light dusting of powdered sugar on top or with a dollop of whipped cream on the side.  Either way, a fine cake deserving of a wonderful ending to a St. Patrick's day meal or any meal for that matter!

Ingredients

 

Recipe from Theodora Fitzgibbons "Irish Traditional Food"

1 lb. cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped coarsley

2 rounded tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 rounded tablespoon of raisins

1 stick (4 oz.) butter

1 rounded tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon golden syrup or honey

10 oz. old fashioned oatmeal

finely grated peel of 1/2 a lemon

2 large eggs, beaten

powdered sugar, optional  

6 inch spring form pan or a 6X3 inch cake pan, lined bottom and sides with parchment paper and sprayed with pan spray.

preheat oven to 375° F.

1.  Combine apple chunks with the sugar and cinnamon and cook on medium heat until soft and all water is evaporated.  You may have to mash cooked apples with a fork depending on what kind of apples you use.  A dry slightly chunky puree is what you want.  Add the raisins to the cooked apples and allow to cool.

 

2.  Melt the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup or honey in a saucepan.  Remove from heat.

3.  Combine the oatmeal and lemon peel in a bowl.  Add the melted butter mixture and the beaten eggs, combine well with a spoon.  Divide this mixture up evenly in three separate bowls.

4.  Press 1/3 of the oatmeal mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan.  Spoon 1/2 the apple mixture over the oatmeal layer and spread evenly.  Cover the next 1/3 of oatmeal over the apple layer and press evenly and repeat with the rest of the apple then oatmeal.  Pressing the final layer of oatmeal gently but evenly over the top.

5.  Bake in preheated 375° oven for 30 minutes or until a light golden color on top.  Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack.  Flip cake out on a plate, remove parchment paper and place your serving plate over the top and carefully flip again.  Center cake on your plate and sift a little powdered sugar over the top if desired.  Enjoy!

 

Apple Cookie Pies

Friends of ours invited us for dinner this week and I wanted to make them a little something as a thank you.  I love a cookie that offers a surprise inside and these little gems do not disappoint.  A buttery crisp cookie filled with a delicious, not to sweet apple filling.  Packaged in a little cellophane bag and tied with a raffia ribbon, it makes a great hostess gift.

 

 Ingredients 

For the dough...

350 g.(2 3/4 cups) all purpose flour, sifted

200 g. (14 Tbs.) butter, at room temperature

130 g. (2/3 cup) granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the filling...

2 golden delicious apples

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon butter

1 egg, beaten in a small bowl for egg wash

coarse sugar

Makes 32- 2 1/2 inch cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F.

1.  To make the dough, in a mixing bowl, add butter and sugar and salt.  Mix on high speed using the paddle attachment, until fully combined.  Reduce the speed on your mixer and add egg and vanilla and mix to combine.  Add flour in 3 batches and mix until all is incorporated well.  Do not over mix.

2.  Divide dough into 2 parts and flatten each half into a disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate while apple filling is being made.

3.  To make the filling, peel and core the apples and cut into 1 inch chunks.  In a small sauce pan, combine the apple chunks, sugar and butter.  Cook over medium heat until apple softens and most of the juices evaporate, being careful not to scorch the apples.  Remove from the heat and mash the apples with a fork until smooth.  Allow to cool completely.

4.  Remove one of the dough disks from the refrigerator and on a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to about an 1/8th of an inch thickness.  Using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter, cut as many circles as you can and then gather up the scrapes and roll and cut until all the dough has been cut. 

5.  Use a 1/2 teaspoon, scoop to fill half of the dough rounds and with a finger dipped in water, moisten each edge of the unfilled rounds and place together with the filled, pressing lightly to seal.  Repeat the same process with the other half of the dough.  Place the filled cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet, one inch apart.  Brush each cookie with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Poke a hole in the top of each cookie to allow steam to escape.

6.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, or until the edges start to turn a light golden color.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely.  Enjoy!

 

Honey Whole Wheat Butter Cookies

Honey Whole Wheat Butter Cookies are my favorite "healthy cookie".  Made with fresh ground whole wheat flour, local "Kate's" butter and golden honey.  Simple to make, nothing fussy except you really want fresh whole wheat flour.  If you can't grind it yourself, really do yourself a favor and purchase a fresh sack of whole wheat flour.  The butter and honey give this cookie a distinct flavor but if your using old flour, the flavor will be spoiled.  These are a great after school snack you don't have to feel guilty about and the kids will love them!

 Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup honey

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/3 cups fresh whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1.  In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy.  Add the honey and beat until well combined.  Add eggs, one at a time and mixing well between each addition, add vanilla and mix in.  Turn mixer off and set aside.

2.  In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment paper, sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together, include the bran that stays in the sifter.

3.  Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix in by hand, add the remaining flour and mix together gently until well incorporated.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.

4.   Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Scoop out dough by rounded tablespoon and with floured hands roll into balls.  Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined pan.  Slightly flatten each ball with the tines of a fork dipped in flour.  Bake for 10 minutes or until tops are set and a nice brown rim form around the bottom of each cookie.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

Lemon Meltaways

Lemon Meltaway Cookies, are a light crisp buttery cookie, with a clean lemony flavor that melts in your mouth.  A perfect teatime treat, for a snowy afternoon.  These are an icebox cookie, but I took some of the chilled dough and rolled it on my counter, then cut them with a heart cookie cutter.  Perfect little Valentines treat for your honey!

Ingredients 

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Grated zest of 2 lemons

1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

powdered sugar for dusting

1.  Sift flour, cornstarch and salt together onto a piece of parchment paper and set aside.

2.  In a mixing bowl, mix butter and powdered sugar, until light and fluffy.  Add the lemon peel, lemon juice and vanilla.  Mix until well incorporated.

3.  Turn the mixer down to low and add the flour, mix until combined.

4.  Gather the dough together and divide into two equal pieces.  Roll each piece of dough into a log, about 1 3/4 to 2 inches in diameter.  Wrap each log separately, tightly rolled in a piece of parchment paper.  Chill for at least an hour before baking, or wrapped again in plastic wrap and may be frozen for up to two months.  You can just bake off as much as you want!

5.  Heat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Slice the cookies 1/4 inch thick and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 14 minutes, turning cookie sheet halfway through baking.  Remove from oven when bottoms are just turning golden brown.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing from the pan with a spatula to a cooling rack.  While still slightly warm, sift powdered sugar over both sides of cookies.  Enjoy!

 

Indian Rice Pudding (Kheer)

Kheer, an Indian rice pudding recipe I found on line by Madhur Jaffrey is a simple to make creamy and aromatic dessert.  It basically consists of milk, basmati rice, cardamon pods and starts with a small amount of sugar, sweetness is up to you.  This ones a keeper!

Ingredients

4 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons basmati rice

4 whole green cardamon pods, slighty crushed

2 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste

10 unsalted pistachios, plus more for garnish if you like

Serves 4

1.  Pour the milk into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat gently.  Add cardamon pods and rice.  

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally to prevent rice from sticking.  Stir and simmer until milk has reduced by about half.  Pudding will be very creamy and thickened slightly.  This will take about 40 minutes.

 

 2.  Remove pudding from the heat.  Pick out and discard the cardamon pods.  Roughly chop the pistachios and add to the pudding along with the sugar, adding more sugar to your taste.  Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. 

3.  To serve, garnish with chopped pistachio nuts if desired.  Enjoy!

 

Roasted Tomato Soup

I grew up on tomato soup from a can, I'm not ashamed to say, I loved it!  But as a grown up, I've come to know that the salt and preservatives added to the store bought canned variety wasn't doing me any good.  Home made is always healthier, not to mention, tastier!  I make this soup often in the summer, when the tomatoes are ripe but winter tomatoes work well also.  I love this soup paired with a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, the ultimate comfort food in my book!

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh Italian plum tomatoes, quartered

2 medium onions, cut in half then sliced

4 medium cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 28 ounce can Italian plum tomatoes 

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, your choice.  I used rosemary and thyme

salt and pepper to taste

bacon fat croutons, optional 

shaved parmesan cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 425°

1.  To roast the vegetables, in a large bowl, mix together the quartered fresh tomatoes, the sliced onions and the crushed garlic. 

Swirl some olive oil over the vegetables, enough to coat all and toss together.  Add salt and pepper to taste and combine.

Turn out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread evenly. 

Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time, until onions are tender and turning golden.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

2.  Carefully transfer the roasted veggies to a large pot and add canned tomatoes and chicken broth.  Sprinkle in the minced herbs and stir.

Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes.  When vegetables are all soft, turn heat off and blend with a hand immersion blender, or blend in batches carefully in a blender, until smooth. 

Reheat to a simmer again, taste for seasoning then shut off the heat and serve garnished with bacon croutons* and shaved parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

* Bacon fat croutons can be made by spreading reserved bacon fat on both sides of a couple slices of good coarse bread, cut into cubes, salt and pepper to taste then bake on a parchment lined baking sheet in a 425° oven for about 12-15 minutes until golden.  Likewise if bacon fat is not available, toss bread cubes with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake as above.

 

 

Spicy Chicken Curry

We've been experiencing some very cold weather here in Maine.  Finding something warm and comforting for dinner is my mission.  Some kind of curry dish will always satisfy me.  I've chosen an Indian curry for tonight's dinner, an aromatic coconut curry with lots of spice.  I had chicken legs and thighs in the freezer, but boneless chicken breast can also be used.  I served this curried chicken dish with rice, onion parathas and mango lassie.

A winter wonderland with highs in the teens and lows below 0.  Breathtaking in more ways than one!

Ingredients

Ginger Garlic Paste

1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

Spice Powder

12 dried hot red chilies

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

3 inch cinnamon stick, broken into pieces

2 cardamom pods  

3 whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened dry coconut, reconstituted in a small bowl, barely covered with hot water.  Let sit for an hour.  

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon ground termeric

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

2- 2 1/2 pounds chicken,bone in, cut in serving size pieces, or 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken cut into 2 inch pieces.

3 medium sized tomatoes, diced

6-7 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

1.  To make the ginger and garlic paste, add chopped ginger and garlic to a small food processor or a blender along with 3 tablespoons of water.  Blend until a smooth paste is achieved.  Remove from blender and set aside.

 2.  To make the spice powder, mix together in a clean coffee grinder, the dried red chilies, cumin, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and salt.  Grind to a fine powder.  Put the spice powder into a blender and add the coconut along with the water.  Blend to a smooth paste.  Set aside.

 3.  Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet, over medium heat.  When hot, add sliced red onion.  Stir and fry for 4-5 minutes or until golden.  Add the garlic and ginger paste.  Stir once then add the turmeric and salt.  Stir around a couple more times and add the chicken pieces.  Stir and cook for 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat until the chicken is lightly browned.  Add the tomatoes to the chicken, stir and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the spice paste and cook for 3 more minutes.  Lastly, add 2 1/2 cups of water, stir together and allow to come to a simmer.  Turn the heat down and continue to simmer gently for about 30-40 minutes or until the sauce becomes thick and the chicken starts to pull away from the bone.

4.  While the chicken is simmering, in a small skillet, using the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, saute the sliced shallots slowly over medium heat, stirring frequently until nicely browned.  Spread on paper towels and set aside.  When the chicken is done and your ready to serve, sprinkle the fried shallots over the chicken and Enjoy!