apple dappy

(go back to blog)

adapted from here

A traditional Victorian Pudding from the British West Country.  Apple dappy consists of a beautiful rich scone type pastry all buttery and crisp on top, spread with lovely lemony meltingly tender sweet-tart bits of apples, rolled up and cut into slices and sprinkled with sugar. The slices are then placed into a buttered dish and the whole thing is placed into the oven and baked until it is all puffed up and golden brown...spooned into a bowl and served with dollops of clotted cream, this dessert is simplicity itself, using a food processor and basic ingredients.

1 pound tart eating apples such as Braeburn, peeled, cored and diced
freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the Pastry:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons clotted or heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
 sugar for sprinkling (I used cinnamon sugar, I could not help myself)
cream or clotted cream for serving

Put the apples in a saucepan with the lemon juice, sugar and butter and cook, uncovered over medium heat until softened. Remove from the heat and set aside [to cool].

Preheat the oven to 425*.  Line a small square or circular baking pan with parchment and lightly butter it.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt...pulse a few times to blend. Add the butter and sugar and pulse until  the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Leave the motor running and add the cream and half of the milk. The dough should be soft and sticky. If it is too stiff, add the remaining milk.


Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. You need to roll it out to a 8x12 inches rectangle, and it should be almost that, not more.


Spread the cooled apples over the dough and roll it up from a long end, as you would a jelly roll. Mark 7 equal pieces on the roll, then cut into slices using a sharp knife. Arrange the slices, cut side up, in the prepared baking pan, with one in the center and the others around it. (They should not actually touch as the dough will expand during baking.)

Sprinkle generously with sugar and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden. Let cool slightly and serve warm with cream.

(go back to blog) 

bon appetit!

Best Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

(back to blog)

Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or slightly less table salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon extra for brushing griddle
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed (optional)

 Preheat an electric griddle to 375°F, or place a griddle pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons melted butter, and whisk to combine. The batter should have small to medium lumps.

Test the griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If the water bounces and spatters, the griddle is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush the remaining 1/2 teaspoon butter onto the griddle. Wipe off the excess with a folded paper towel.

Using a 4-oz. ladle, about 1/2 cup (for a 6-inch pancake), pour the batter in pools 2 inches apart. Arrange a handful of blueberries over the cooking pancakes, pressing them in slightly. When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. If any batter oozes or blueberries roll out, push them back under with your spatula. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

Repeat with the remaining batter. You can keep the finished pancakes on a heat-proof plate in the oven at 175°F. Serve warm with fresh blueberry syrup or pure maple syrup [and butter!].

 

(back to blog)

bon appetit!

S'mores cheesecake

 (return to blog)

This cheesecake is insanely delicious plus what is more therapeutic than cheesecake, unless it is cheesecake with chocolate and marshmallows {I love this combo}! The recipe is a little fussy, but totally worth it.

Adapted from bon Appétit  July 2008

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (made from 9 whole crackers finely ground in processor; 1 packet)
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

9 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Ghirardelli), chopped
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 large eggs

Topping:
1 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 large marshmallows, cut into quarters with wet kitchen scissors
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For crust:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Mix crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add melted butter; stir until mixture is evenly moistened. Press onto bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake until set, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven; cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. 

For filling:
Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over barely simmering water until smooth. Remove from over water and cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.

Combine cream cheese, sugar, and salt in processor and blend until smooth. With motor running, add whipping cream through feed tube and process just until blended. With motor running, add melted chocolate, then add eggs 1 at a time, blending and scraping down sides after each addition until mixture is smooth. Pour batter over crust in pan.

Bake cake until outer edge is slightly puffed and cake is barely set in center (center will look shiny and move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 55 minutes. Transfer cake to rack. Run small sharp knife around cake to loosen. Chill uncovered until cold, 8 hours or overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.

For topping:
Whisk sugar, egg whites, 3 tablespoons water, cream of tartar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to blend in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; whisk constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens and is hot to touch, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from over water and stir in marshmallows (keep water simmering in saucepan). Let stand until marshmallows soften, about 3 minutes. Set bowl with mixture over simmering water; using hand held electric mixer, beat until stiff shiny peaks form, about 4 minutes. Beat in vanilla.

Scrape topping onto cheesecake. Using offset metal spatula, spread topping to edges of cake, swirling decoratively. Let stand until set, about 15 minutes.

Using kitchen torch, lightly brown topping in spots. (Or preheat broiler; place cake at least 4 inches from heat source and broil just until topping is lightly browned in spots, watching closely to avoid burning, about 2 minutes.) Chill cake until cold. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and keep chilled. Remove pan sides. Place cake on platter. 

 

 (return to blog)

Saute of Crawfish Over Fried Green Tomatoes with a Warm Remoulade Sauce

(return to blog) 

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse (Food Network, 1999)

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons Creole or whole-grain mustard
3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt
Cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup minced onions
1/4 cup red peppers, diced small
1 pound craw fish tails

12 slices fresh green tomatoes (about 1/4 inch thick)
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
2 cups fine dried breadcrumbs
Creole seasoning
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped green onions, green part only

 

 Directions:

For the Remoulade: Combine the lemon juice, oil, onions, green onions, celery, red pepper, horseradish, mustards, ketchup and parsley. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Place in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process for 30 seconds. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Remoulade will keep for several days in the refrigerator. Yields: 2 cups

In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and red peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 1 minute. Add the craw fish tails and season with salt and pepper. Continue to saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Remoulade. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Keep warm over low heat.

For the tomatoes: Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Season the flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs, separately with Creole seasoning. Dredge each slice of tomato in the flour. Dip each slice in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off. Finally, dredge each slice in the breadcrumbs, coating completely. In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, pan-fry the tomatoes, in batches, until golden and crispy on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with Creole seasoning. Reheat the craw fish sauce. To serve, lay three tomatoes in the center of each plate. Spoon a quarter of the sauce over each plate of tomatoes. Garnish with green onions.

(return to blog) 

bon appetit!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

(return to blog)

from Not So Humble Pie who  

slightly modified them from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

yields three dozen sandwiches

Cookie
2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature but still firm
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature but still firm
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer, using the paddle attachment (or hand beaters), beat the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Reduce your mixer's speed to low and add the egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed to combine (1 minute).

Divide the dough in half and wrap each blob in plastic wrap. Flatten the dough into disks and chill for at least a hour or overnight.

Once chilled, pre-heat your oven to 325°F. Pull out a single batch of dough from the refrigerator and roll out the cookies on a well floured surface. Using a cookie cutter, cut the desired shapes and place them onto pans lined with parchment or silicone baking mats. I used a shortbread cookie cutter. If the dough gets a little soft while collecting and recombining scraps, re-wrap in plastic and transfer it to the freezer to chill, begin working on the second piece of chilled dough.

Bake the cookies for 20 minutes until crisp.

Transfer the cookies to a wire wrack to cool completely before filling.

Filling:
In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or using hand beaters), combine the butter, peanut butter and sugar. Beat on medium high speed until uniform and fluffy. If the mixture seems overly dense, add a little of the cream. However, I find adding the heavy cream in this recipe makes my filling too thin and I tend to omit it entirely.



To assemble the cookies, fill a piping bag (or snipped-corner plastic baggie) with the peanut butter cream and pipe a line of filling onto the bottom of one cookie and top with a second.

The cookies are now ready to eat. Though I do recommend you try them chilled. Store them in the freezer and pull them out to eat as needed.

The cookies will keep at room temperature for 3 days in an air tight container. If frozen, they'll keep for up to 4 weeks.

(return to blog) 

bon appetit!

Princess Cake

(return to blog)

(adapted from Smitten Kitchen Pink Lady Cake)

 

For the cake
4 1/2 cups cake flour
3 cups sugar
5 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups pureed frozen strawberries*
8 egg whites
2/3 cup milk
1 to 2 drops red food dye, if using (to make the pink color pop more)

For the cream cheese frosting
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Make the cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350»F. Butter three 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake pans. Line with parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.
2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the electric mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and strawberry puree and mix to blend the ingredients. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes; the batter will resemble strawberry ice cream at this point.
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk and red food dye, if using, to blend. Add the whites to the batter in two or three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well and mixing only to incorporate after each addition. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans.
4. Bake the cakes for 30 to 34 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the layers to cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert and turn out onto wire racks and peel off the paper liners. Let stand until completely cooled before assembling the cake, at least an hour.
Make the cream cheese frosting
5. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.
Frost and assemble the cake
6. Place one cake layer on a cake board or platter. Tucking scraps of waxed paper under the edges of the cake will protect the board or plate from any mess created while frosting the cake. (I forgot, as can be clearly seen above.) Spread about 2/3 cup frosting over the layer, spreading it to the edge. Repeat with the second layer. Add the top layer and frost the top and sides of cake with remaining frosting, reserving a small amount if you wish to tint it and pipe a decoration on the cake. If not, you can decorate the cake top with thinly-sliced strawberries. Remove the waxed strips to reveal and neat, clean cake board.
7. Serve with pink candles on pink plates to the sort of person who dreams in pink. I suspect you know at least one.

(return to blog) 

bon appetit!