pear apple almond cake with dark chocolate

I love Sunday evenings. The house is peaceful, I am happy. Most times my heart and my stomach are absolutely satisfied - good food shared with the people I love best in all the world is a simple pleasure and an absolute luxury. A luxury that I never take for granted and hope to never live without. Today we shared our Sunday dinner with Thomas and his family. Ewan is teething and wanted everything and nothing but finally settled very happily on a cob of corn. Theo negotiated for another piece of bbq'd sausage with every bite of potato and Jane is so grown up that she ate her dinner and chatted about life and kindergarten with all the élan of a five year old. A bit chaotic but ever so much more charming and dear than the most gracious dinner party. It is the kind of party I most cherish.

The carrot on the end of the stick this evening was the cake that was baking when everyone arrived. Always a good thing to have a carrot to dangle when one's dinner guests are balking at their vegetables and this was a particularly appealing carrot. I must admit that I was a tiny bit anxious that this particular enticement might disappoint my youngest guests as it has a generous amount of dark chocolate (something that does not appeal to the palates of many youngsters) but I need not have worried. Theo devoured his with intense concentration while Jane attended to her dessert with a little more delicacy but no less enthusiasm. The rest of the table simply enjoyed.

The recipe is one that I found a few years ago on Smitten Kitchen and have made several times. Today I played with the sugar and flour, and added some apples from our tree outside. It is an incredibly delicious cake and so simple to make. Loaded with fruit and dark chocolate, topped with some softly whipped heavy cream...

There is browned butter in this cake. Browned butter and I have a history and it isn't a happy one. I have learned to do nothing but brown the butter and even then I don't take my eyes off the task for even a second. Not to check a recipe or stir another pot. Nothing. Every time I do, the butter burns. Just that fast it goes from perfectly fine to black and bitter. It seems to me the critical moment is the nutty smell, just after the foaming begins to subside.  (If you wait for the butter to truly brown you're hooped - it will continue to darken off the heat.) That is the moment to remove the pan from the heat but keep stirring for a minute or two - bad things can still happen to those precious milk solids. It is a little tricky but a trick well worth mastering. The cake is ever so much better for it.

pear apple almond cake with dark chocolate
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen) 

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose spelt flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large pears, diced
1 small apple, diced
3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks

Butter and flour a 9 inch springform pan, set aside.

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

Using a mixer whip the eggs on high speed for 5-9 minutes until pale and very thick. While the eggs are whipping, brown the butter (or brown it before you begin the whipping). When the eggs are sufficiently whipped, add the sugar and continue whipping for another minute. Turn the speed down to stir and add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half of the butter, a third of the flour, the remaining butter, and the rest of the flour.Stir just until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the pear, apple and chocolate pieces over the top and bake at 350 degrees F. until the cake is brown and springs back to the touch - about 50 minutes in my oven. (there is a lot of fruit in this cake and it is very moist but there is a difference between moist and underdone - test carefully)

Serve with softly whipped cream.

raw cinnamon apple pie

I am a confirmed Apple Eater. It is a rare day that passes without an apple moment or two. I like them tart and green or sweet and red. Juicy, crisp, and fragrant, there is nothing better than a walk in the fresh fall air, apple in hand.... unless it is snuggled up in a comfy big chair with a book and an apple. I add apples to my bowl of breakfast oats and seeds. And then there is apple pie. I think I must have been 6 or 7 before I realized that pie didn't mean apple pie. My mom made a unique apple pie - made the way my dad's mom did - with shredded apples and a ton of cinnamon. Enough cinnamon that the apples looked brown. But oh my! it was so good. 

This raw apple pie is more or less a combination of the loaded-to-the-gills-with-cinnamon pie my mom made and a fresh, crisp, juicy apple. With the added bonus of a crust made with coconut, dates, and hemp seeds. If you (like me) need to be excused to wipe your chin and perhaps your shirt-front - you may. It is totally justifiable. This is just plain good. And healthy. There is enough cinnamon to make the apples every bit as brown as I remember my mom's pies were - which means that there is enough cinnamon to reduce inflammation and balance blood sugars. Refined sugar and gluten-free as well.

This is fantastic 'raw' but is equally good slightly warmed. David sometimes gets a sore tongue from fresh fruit and this was one of those times. I heated a second serving (in the microwave - gasp - for one minute) and no more sore tongue issues. Although it removes the whole 'raw' aura, a slight warming - just enough to leave the apples tender-crisp - can't destroy all that goodness. Adding some vanilla gelato really made David smile.

I used apples freshly picked from one of our apple trees. Sadly I have no idea what the variety is. I can only say that the apples are crisp and on the tart side of sweet. If you prefer sweet apples, I would try Gala. (Maybe that would be Aubrie's choice too.)

raw cinnamon apple pie

(adapted from Alive magazine)

(filling)

6 medium sized apples, finely sliced

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

(pie crust)

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup hemp seed

6 large Medjool dates (pitted)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

(crumble topping)

2/3 cup reserved pie crust

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 tsp red sea salt

In a mixing bowl combine the cinnamon, lemon juice, honey, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the apple slices, tossing to coat. Set aside.

Put pie crust ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the texture is fine and sticks together. Reserve 2/3 cup. Press the remaining crust mixture onto the bottom and sides of a 9" pie plate.

Put the reserved crust mixture back into the food processor along with the rolled oats, cranberries and sea salt. Pulse.

Using a slotted spoon transfer the apples into the pie shell, reserving the liquid. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top.

Serve cold, drizzled with reserved cinnamon sauce.... or warm, with a scoop of ice cream.

berry care

A tip to forestall the fuzzy berry issue: after buying and before storing berries, rinse them in cold water and then give them a short vinegar bath. Use 1 part cider vinegar to 10 parts cold water, dump the berries in and let them play for a minute or two before pulling them out. Drain in a colander for a few minutes and then store in the fridge. This should prolong their life quite significantly. It's a tiny bit of a pain but nothing compared to finding an expensive bunch of berries wearing fuzzy green coats just when you were all ready for one. Works for all kinds of berries. 

Trifle (Merrill-style)

Smack-dab in the middle of the last century my grandfather, Milton Magrath Merrill, went to South Africa to serve a mission for our church - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He didn't go as a raw 19 year old boy, he was a mature man leaving home and family to answer the call to serve. He returned about the time my parents met in 1951 (when my mom was an apparently very eye-catching 15). With him came the diamonds that eventually made my mother's wedding rings and - perhaps even better - a recipe for Trifle. Apparently the South African version is a bit unique. I don't really know about that but I do know that it is terrifically good. I consider it a family treasure. I know it the way my mother learned to make it from her mother-in-law, my Grandma Merrill. We love it and it is often requested as "birthday cake" in our family.

This is my spin on it. Grandpa insisted that it be made with Bird's Custard Powder but I personally prefer making the custard from scratch. The fruit varies with what is in season (or at least available). In the Reed Merrill branch of the family we have developed a preference for Nanking Cherry Jelly for the jam part but unless you have a cherry hedge or access to a bush or two as well as the desire to make your own jelly, you will likely have to be (very) happy with my next favorite which is Raspberry Jam.

Trifle (Merrill-style)

Cake

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9x13" pan. Measure all ingredients into a large mixer bowl. Blend on low until mixed and then on high for 3 minutes. Pour into baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and turn out of pan onto wire rack.

Custard

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt

2 cups milk

2 egg yolks

2 Tbsp butter

2 tsp very good vanilla

Blend sugar, cornstarch, and salt in 2 liter saucepan. Add milk and egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Cool, stirring several times as it cools.

Fruit and Cream

2 cups whipping cream, whipped

fruit (for this trifle I used the following)

1 banana, sliced

3 cups cleaned and sliced strawberries

1 can mandarin orange segments, drained

1 cup sliced, canned peaches

Fold the fruit into the whipped cream.

1 cup jam 

Assembly

This is the fun part! We think it is pretty much a kitchen staple to have a "trifle" bowl but if you don't it will still taste as good. You will just miss the wow! factor - a big part of this dessert - so serve it at the table for sure. My trifle bowl is a 10" straight-sided vessel. I use the edge of the bowl to mark a circle on the cake and then cut the circle out. Next, split your cake circle in half so you have two circles. Put one of them in the bottom of the bowl and cover with 1/2 of the jam, topping that with half of the custard. Layer on about half of the fruit and cream. Repeat the layers. Stand back and admire. 

I almost always end up with a bit more of all the parts than will fit in the bowl and there is for sure going to be left-over cake so I use it to make another poor man trifle - lots of cake and little cream. It is still good and always gets eaten with gusto. I made this one in a canister.

The cake recipe I use here is one of our family favorites for many things. Makes great cupcakes and is perfect for the kind of birthday cakes you make for kids - the ones you cut into shapes. It has a nice moist texture and a most delicious taste. Plus it is super easy - as easy for sure as a cake mix and worlds better in every way.

Plum Torte

A week ago or so I was thumbing through my wonderful New York Times Essential Cookbook and noticed the enticing information that a particular recipe was the most requested recipe in their entire archive. Does that not intrigue you?! It certainly did me and I was seized with the ambition to give that recipe a spin as soon as possible.  And then I read  "it's nearly a perfect recipe" - better yet. Finally, the story about the woman who made 24 tortes, stored them in a friend's freezer (and had to pay the friend 2 tortes for the privilege). The friend went away for two weeks, left her mother with her children and came back to find that fully half of the tortes were gone. Wow! good enough to eat a full dozen in two weeks! What possibilities..... what could be so amazing that it would make a recipe the most requested and most often published? The only way to know was to make it. So the 'bear went over the mountain' - and it was well worth the easy walk. It is a simple recipe with few ingredients. Probably all you need to buy are plums. I bought some and went to work. The verdict? It was simply....absolutely delicious. I get it now. 


Purple Plum Torte 
(from The New York Times Essential Cookbook)


1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
large pinch sea salt
1 cup sugar, plus 1 Tbsp
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs
12 purple plums*
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon


Heat the oven to 350 F. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.


Cream the butter with the sugar until light in color. Add the dry ingredients and then the eggs.


Spoon the batter into an ungreased 9" springform pan. Cover the top of the batter with the plum halves, skin side up. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of sugar. Sprinkle with the cinnamon.


Bake until the cake is golden and the plums are bubbly - 45-50 minutes. Cool on a rack, then unmold.


* Purple plums are not to be found this time of year so I used the nice big plump black plums - super yummy! I only used 6 plums. Apparently other fruit can be substituted (apples and cranberries being one suggestion, or blueberries) but the plums were so fantastic I think I will stick with plums.


The torte is not only delicious but very pretty when cut. The rich colors of the plums shine like jewels nestled in the dough, or maybe stained-glass....something lovely anyway.

Vanilla Pear Jam

When I came across this recipe...(well, to be honest I was hungry) I wished that I had pears and energy and I would have been in the kitchen never-minding that it was 10:30 pm. Since I did not have pears I was off to the Farmer's Market the very next day, where I bought some lovely green D'Anjou pears. Unfortunately they were green as regards both colour and ripeness - so I had to have another lesson in delayed gratification wait for six long days to make and then taste this jam. This is a small-batch recipe (making 8 half-pint jars) so it is not a huge investment in time. The dividends are pretty fantastic though.

We have tried this with a nice sharp cheese on flatbread. Then with almond butter on celery. Of course on toast. But most deliciously drizzled (generously) over some nice thick Greek yogurt and topped with chopped dark chocolate. I am pretty sure I heard angels singing.

Vanilla Pear Jam

(from Food in Jars with a very little tweak)

8 cups chopped pears* (no need to peel)

2 vanilla beans, split and scraped

4 cups sugar

1 package pectin crystals

In a large, heavy pot combine chopped pears, sugar and vanilla beans. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the sugar melts and the fruit can be easily mashed with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove the vanilla bean pods and use an immersion blender to make a fairly smooth sauce.

Stir in the pectin and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Boil for five minutes. Remove from heat.

Fill hot, sterilized jars. Wipe rims to be sure they are clean. Apply lids (that have been simmering in water while you are cooking your jam) and screw on rims. Process jars in a hot water canner for 10 minutes (that is boil for 10 minutes). Remove jars from canner and place on a towel -lined counter to cool. When they are completely cool (after a couple of hours), the lids should be sealed. You can check the seal by pushing down on the center of the lid - if it is sealed it will be slightly concave and solid feeling.

Makes 8 half-pint (or 250 ml) jars.

*I used mostly green D'Anjou with a couple of Red D'Anjou pears (just because I liked the way the red ones looked at the market and I thought that perhaps the red skins might warm up the colour of the jam a bit) but any smooth-skinned pears should work equally well.

I have already given away half of what I made (to carefully selected and especially well-loved people) and promised one of the remaining jars to Jonathon. Hmmmmm, probably need to add pears to the list for the Farmer's Market run tomorrow!