Apple Strudel

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Apple Strudel

Apple Strudel

I always look forward to apple season. It gives me a chance to continue testing the many apple recipes in “The Art of Fine Baking.” The sweet smell of crisp juicy apples baked in any kind of buttery vessel is hard to resist. With previous posts on unconventional apple desserts like Apple Cheese Cake Puff, Bavarian Apple Pancake, Sauteed Apple Cake, and Apple Roll, I figured it was time to introduce a classic.

Old fashioned Apple Strudel is fairly well-known but somewhat out of style and awaiting a comeback. Frequently confused with Streusal  – the crumbly topping – Strudel is often said to have originated in Austria. It can be savory or sweet and is differentiated from other pocket style pastries by the characteristic paper-like pastry layers rolled around its filling. Apple is one of the most common strudel fillings and this version pulls out all the stops with cinnamon sugar, raisins, and ground walnuts.

Much like Puff Pastry and Danish Pastry (which I have yet to tackle), Strudel has always been a bit daunting for me. The idea of attempting to stretch the dough without destroying it seemed frustrating. I’m happy to report that it is much easier than I anticipated. Based on the introduction provided in her book and the number of strudel filling recipes, it appears my grandmother spent a fair amount of time perfecting it (along with James Beard). Her thoughts and instructions are some of the best I’ve found, including on the internet, so I’ve provided them in the basic Strudel dough recipe.

Ingredients:

Stretched basic Strudel dough
½ – 1 cup butter, melted
2 cups fresh bread crumbs sauteed lightly in butter
½ cup ground walnuts
4 cups peeled, sliced apples
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2/3 cup cinnamon sugar
powder sugar for dusting

Brush strudel dough generously with melted butter. Sprinkle all over with sauteed bread crumbs and ground walnuts. Place a 2-inch strip of sliced apples along one end of dough.

Brush apples with butter and sprinkle with raisins, lemon zest, and cinnamon sugar. Fold in flaps of dough at sides of filling. Brush them with butter. Lift up end of cloth nearest filling and make the dough fold over apples. By raising cloth, continue to roll up apple filling until it is completely enclosed in the sheet of dough. Roll loosely.

Transfer strudel to lightly greased baking sheet, making a horse shoe shape if it is too long for the pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour, basting occasionally with melted butter until strudel is golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve slightly warm

Brush remaining dough all over with melted butter.

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Fresh Tomato Soup

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Fresh Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup with EggGiven that I just did a post on Gazpacho a few weeks ago, a tomato soup recipe may seem redundant. Besides the tomatoes though, this soup couldn’t be more different. Those hot and humid evenings may have only been a couple of weeks ago, but fall seems to have arrived without hesitation here in New York. It’s as if Mother Nature looked at a calendar and scheduled the cooler weather immediately as August ended. These chilly evenings call for soup, and this unpublished fresh tomato soup recipe struck me as the perfect way to use up some of the delicious ripe tomatoes leftover from summer.

The most intriguing part of this recipe is the addition of a raw egg. Cracked directly into the serving bowls, the hot soup cooks the egg just enough so the yolk remains runny. This of course requires the soup to be very hot when served and the serving bowls to be warmed (throw them in the oven for a minute restaurant style or cheat and use the microwave). The runny part of the egg can then be enjoyed with not just the soup, but a large parmesan crouton – the other jewel of this dish. Slices of crusty bread are sautéed in butter until toasted and crunchy, then topped with grated parmesan cheese, and briefly browned under the broiler. Each bowl of soup is then topped with a slice..or two.

It seems my grandmother had yet to name this recipe because the faded typewriter written version just reads, “Another Tomato Soup, But Very Good” – the “another” referring to an unpublished recipe for a non-vegetarian or beef tomato soup that she also wrote. I considered coming up with a fancier name that would hint at the unique addition of an egg and the large crusty parmesan croutons. However, those can always be excluded and the basic soup is perfectly satisfying on its own or with good old grilled cheese.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
5-6 large fresh tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 baguette, sliced
1/2 stick butter
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 very fresh eggs

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, salt, sugar, basil, pepper and stock and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

While the soup simmers, prepare the parmesan croutons. Preheat broiler. Heat butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add baguette slices. Saute a few minutes on each side until lightly browned. Remove croutons from heat and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle croutons with cheese. Place under broiler just until cheese melts.

When tomatoes in soup are tender, remove from heat. Blend by using an immersion blender or by transferring soup to a blender, a few cups at a time. Return to pot, check seasoning, and bring to a boil. Return to a simmer until ready to serve.

Heat serving bowls. Crack an egg in each bowl. Ladle soup into bowls, allowing it to “cook” the egg. Top with parmesan crouton.

Serves 6 small bowls or 4 large.

Tomato Soup with Egg

 

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Chocolate Mousse

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Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse

This recipe was a long time coming. For what seemed like a fairly straight forward and simple chocolate mousse, it took more testing and modifications than most of the other recipes I’ve posted here from “The Art of Good Cooking.” I eventually settled for a more traditional mousse approach, similar to what I was taught at The International Culinary Center. I then put my own spin on it by adding marscarpone cheese to the whipped cream. This really isn’t necessary and the mousse is delicious without it, but I like the contrast of the semisweet chocolate with the rich whipped cream. It’s an addition I learned from a chef I once worked with and it adds to the recipe’s overall velvety texture.

So what was the issue with the original recipe that required so much modification? Basically, it says to just serve the meringue chocolate mixture with whipped cream, when really a large amount of whipped cream should first be folded into the chocolate mixture. Then it should be served with a dollop of the remaining whipped cream. Without this step, the mousse tends to take on too much of a foamy feel and can easily fall flat. The ratio of egg white-chocolate-whipped cream was another challenge but as long as all three are combined, it’s hard to go horribly wrong. From there you can make whatever adjustments you see fit: take out the marscarpone, use bittersweet chocolate instead of semisweet, add a few tablespoons of brewed espresso, take out the cognac or liqueur – the list goes on. Just remember to serve with extra whipped cream, it’s one of the best parts.

Ingredients

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons liqueur (Grand Marnier or Cognac)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Mascarpone Cream
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese

Prepare whipped mascarpone cream by beating cream until slightly thickened. Gradually add sugar until thick and stiff. Beat in vanilla and mascarpone just until combined. Chill until ready to use.

Melt chocolate over hot water in a double boiler.  Cool slightly.

While chocolate cools, add salt to egg whites and beat until soft peaks are formed. Gradually beat in sugar and continue to beat until very stiff and meringue loses its graininess. Beat in liqueur and vanilla.

Fold about 1/4 of the meringue into chocolate to lighten. Fold chocolate mixture into remaining meringue. Add 1 1/2 cups whipped mascarpone cream and fold until just combined. Pour in individual dishes and chill for 1 hour. Serve with remaining whipped mascarpone cream.

Serves 6.

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Curried Macaroni Salad

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Curried Macaroni Salad

Curried Macaroni Salad

My on-going quest to conquer bland mayo-based picnic salads has now lead me to macaroni salad. Not only is this curried version packed with healthy farm-fresh vegetables and savory flavors, it’s barely recognizable as that drab slop we call macaroni salad, usually doused in mayo. This is a good thing. If you are a mayo lover, you can always add a bit more mayo for that saucy texture but as it stands, the curry powder combined with the parsley and scallions makes this simple pasta salad unexpectedly flavorful.

Like most others in my possession, this Curried Macaroni Salad recipe was written 50 years ago. It seems surprisingly innovative – curry powder, chutney, and multiple fresh vegetables don’t sound like they belong in a macaroni salad born in the 1960’s. But that creativity has proven to be one of my grandmother’s legacies. Just recently, one of her good friends recalled my grandmother’s love of Indian food (she loved all types of international foods). This is one of a few recipes in “The Art of Good Cooking” that contains curry powder or some sort of ingredient that we often associate with Indian food. And just like the others, the amount of curry powder (or spices used) must be adjusted because apparently they were much weaker in those days (2 tablespoons per pound of pasta!).

The last addition I would like to call your attention to is the chutney or relish. I’m not 100% sure what she referred to as chutney in those days or how many different kinds there were but I’m sure it was nothing like the variety we have now. I love the addition of chutney but be careful when choosing what type to use. That spicy red pickled mango chutney might not be the best option but a green cilantro chutney is delicious (reduce from ½ cup to just a few tablespoons though). Plain relish also works well but it’s not as exciting or perhaps “international” as my grandmother may have intended.

This recipe can be easily halved.

Ingredients:

1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked in boiling salted water until tender, then drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/8 cup wine vinegar
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1 small green pepper, diced
3/4 cup thinly sliced, peeled, seeded cucumber
1 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup chopped parsley
2/3 cup finely sliced carrots
1/2 cup sweet relish or chutney
salt and pepper

Rinse macaroni in hot water and keep warm.

Combine mayonnaise, curry powder and wine vinegar in a small bowl, and pour over warm macaroni. Add remaining ingredients; toss gently. Allow to come to room temperature.

Note: Bits of tuna fish or smoked meat may be added to this dish to make it more substantial.

Adapted from “The Art of Good Cooking,” by Paula Peck.

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Hunter Almond Cake

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Hunter Almond Cake

Hunter Almond Cake

This classy almond cake hides many secrets. For starters, the original recipe from “The Art of Fine Baking” is ambiguously titled just “Hunter Cake.” What is “Hunter Cake” and where does it come from? Your guess is as good as mine. Although I tried researching this mysterious cake title, I found little that resembled this recipe (think camouflage frosted cake with various fondant animals and rifles).

Other secrets of this cake lie within the ingredients. At first glance, a cake without flour may sound like a recipe for a rock. However, as my grandmother showcased in her gluten-free chocolate cake ring recipe, moist light cakes are not only possible without white flour, but delicious. Grated almonds act as a replacement for white flour but provide more flavor and protein. Although I’ve previously used ground almonds as a substitute for grated, they seem to weigh the cake down a bit and make it slightly heavier. But who really has time to grate over 3 cups of almonds? Enter almond flour. This nutty flour is essentially grated almonds and makes recipes like these a whole lot easier. You will pay for it though – almond flour runs $10-$15 per lb.

With all this talk about a moist light cake, you may be wondering how much butter or oil is needed. The answer is none. No butter, oil, or shortening of any kind is used. The secret of this fluffy cake lies within the egg yolks and stiffly beaten egg whites. Both the cake itself and the topping contain egg whites and although the topping is much like a meringue, it takes on a totally different texture with addition of the grated almonds. The finished moist cake layered with tart jam and almond meringue topping reminiscent of frangipane, will not only surprise you but keep you guessing.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups unblanched almonds or 2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
3 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup raspberry jam (or other tart jam of your choice)

Topping
3 egg whites
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups unblanched almonds or 1 1/3 cups almond flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Finely grate unblanched almonds (if using instead of almond flour).

Add lemon zest and vanilla to egg yolks. Stir lightly with a fork to break them up.

Beat egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add sugar, a little at a time, beating well after each addition, until whites are very stiff, about 5 minutes in all.

Pour egg yolks over whites. Sprinkle almond flour or grated almonds over them. Fold gently together. Pour into prepared pan and bake 30-40 minutes until cake is lightly browned and springy when gently touched.

Begin preparing topping when cake has backed about 20 minutes: Grate unblanched almonds, if using. Combine egg whites, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until egg whites hold soft peaks. Add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, until whites are very stiff, about 5 minutes in all. Fold in grated almonds or almond flour.

Remove cake from oven and quickly spread top with a thin layer of raspberry jam. Spread half the topping over jam and press remaining topping through a pastry bag fitted with a large star tube.

Replace cake in oven on a high rack. Bake 30-40 minutes longer or until top is golden brown and set. Cool cake in pan.

Adapted from “The Art of Fine Baking” by Paula Peck.

 

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