French Apple Cake

I recently ran across this recipe for French Apple Cake on David Lebovitz’s blog the other day and it intrigued me. I liked the idea of the cake batter wrapped around the tasty apple pieces. I started to add cinnamon because I always add cinnamon to apple recipes as I love that combination so much as most Americans do. Instead I let the rum be the star of this recipe and it really shines. I waited until the next day to cut it because I made it late at night so the flavors could meld together. The only thing I wish I had done was to bake it a little longer, the tester came out clean so I assumbed it was done and it was slightly underbaked. I also used Splenda in place of the sugar and it worked just fine. Serve with a little sweetened whipped cream on the side. Yum!

French Apple Cake

Yield: One 9-inch (23 cm) cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minute to 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (110g) flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
4 large apples (a mix of varieties)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (115g) butter, salted or unsalted, melted and cooled to room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven.

2. Heavily butter an 8- or 9-inch (20-23cm) springform pan and place it on a baking sheet.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Peel and core the apples, then dice them into 1-inch (3cm) pieces.

5. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy then whisk in the sugar, then rum and vanilla. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, then gently stir in half of the melted butter

6. Stir in the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the butter.

7. Fold in the apple cubes until they’re well-coated with the batter and scrape them into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top a little with a spatula.

8. Bake the cake for 50 minute to 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the pan and carefully remove the sides of the cake pan, making sure no apples are stuck to it.

Serving: Serve wedges of the cake just by itself, or with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Storage: The cake will keep for up to three days covered. Since the top is very moist, it’s best to store it under a cake dome or overturned bowl.

Adapted from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan and David Lebovitz

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Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

Have you ever made your homemade lemon curd? If not you really should try this recipe for that alone. It is tangy and creamy with just the right amount of lemon. You can make it in about 10 minutes. When it was finished I used a small sieve to make sure that no egg particles remained. I am always looking for recipes that use a lot of eggs, our chickens are pretty prolific right now and a person can only eat so many eggs.

I found it easier to work with the cookie dough if I let it sit out for about 15 minutes before scooping out the dough into balls. The edges tend to want to crack if you do it to soon.

Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 12 - 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus a little extra for dusting the finished cookies)
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup prepared lemon curd (store bought or homemade)

Directions:

Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add sugars and continue mixing. Add egg, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated. Add baking powder, and then flour (slowly, while mixing). Stop mixing as soon as the flour is fully incorporated. Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator about 1 hour.

Place lemon curd into a small ziplock bag, and cut off one corner of the bag.

When the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350*F. Roll small balls of dough and place on a silpat lined, or parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten balls of dough slightly with the palm of your hand. Use your thumb to create a crater in the center of the dough. Fill crater with about 1 teaspoon of lemon curd.

Bake cookies about 15 minutes, or until cookie edges are just turning golden brown. Remove from oven, cool slightly, then move to a wire cooling rack to cool fully. Dust cookies with powdered sugar.

Recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies

Homemade Lemon Curd

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (usually requires 2 lemons)
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/3 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
3 Tablespoons butter

Combine all ingredients in the top of a double boiler (or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water). Heat, while stirring (almost) constantly with a whisk, until mixture thickens. It is done when it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate until cool. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Recipe source- Women's Day

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Orange Dinner Rolls

My grandmother used to make orange rolls once in awhile and they were so good. We never wrote down the recipe but these are pretty close, they just needed a little more orange flavor. I think she used orange juice in the frosting and I totally forgot to do that.

I was so excited this weekend, I went to Kentucky to visit family and while there we went to a couple of flea markets. I have been looking for a pan for over 20 years like the one my grandmother used to make her scalloped potatoes and chop suey in. I finally found one! It is the next size up from hers but I don’t care, I finally found one!!! I’m not even sure what it is made from, aluminum I think. Once I get it cleaned up I’ll post a pic of it.

Orange Dinner Rolls

Yield: Makes 2 dozen rolls

Prep Time: about 30 minutes plus rising time

Cook Time: 10 - 12 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

Dough

1 cup lukewarm water
1 packet active-dry yeast
3 1/4 cups (13.8 ounces) flour, divided, plus additional for kneading
2 1/2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup sugar, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons shortening, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons softened butter
3/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, yeast and one-half cup flour, stirring to dissolve. Set aside just until the yeast is activated (the mixture will begin to bubble), 5 to 10 minutes.

2. While the yeast is activating, combine the remaining flour and 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar in a separate bowl.

3. With a fork (if working by hand), or using a dough hook, work half of the flour/sugar mixture into the activated yeast, then add the shortening and egg until combined. Slowly add in the remaining flour/sugar mixture (the mixture will at first be stringy, then very sticky as the flour is absorbed). Stir in the salt.

4. Move the dough to a floured surface. With floured hands, gently knead the dough (it will be sticky at first) about 5 minutes, adding flour as needed just to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers or the kneading surface. The finished dough will be tender, soft and slightly tacky.

5. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle measuring 24 inches by 10 inches. 6. In a small bowl, combine the remaining one-third cup sugar with the orange zest.

7. Brush the dough with the softened butter, then sprinkle over the orange sugar mixture.

8. Roll the rectangle lengthwise into a tight tube (as when rolling cinnamon rolls). Cut the tube into 24 (1-inch) slices, using thread if possible (the thread will slice more easily and cleanly than a knife). Roll the tube one-quarter turn after each slice to keep the tube round; otherwise, it will flatten from all the slicing.

9. Place each of the slices into a well-greased muffin tin (the tins must be well-greased or the finished rolls will stick to the bottom). Cover loosely and set aside until the rolls double in size.

10. Bake the muffin trays 1 at a time, until the rolls are puffed and golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Rotate the trays halfway through for even baking.

11. Cool the rolls slightly, then unmold. Serve warm.

Each roll: 126 calories; 2 grams protein; 22 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 13 mg. cholesterol; 10 grams sugar; 101 mg. sodium.

Adapted from Morrison's Rogue River Lodge

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