This cake is moist and chock full of New York apples. The batter includes copious amounts of coconut oil and sugar, so no frosting or glaze is necessary to add to this cake. I added "aroma de Bronx" to this post because as I was setting it in the windowsill by my fire escape, a man across the street way yelling into his cellphone at a person who owed him money. Shortly after he told the "#$%#@" on the other end of the line to "get me my @#@$# money", he walked away. Now the scent of marijuana drifts into my apartment along with the crisp fall air, as someone smokes in front of the Honduran market below. It is a trade-off having your windows open.
Ingredients 1 cup coconut oil 2 cups flour 2 1/2 cups chopped apples 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon minced ginger 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup sugar 2 eggs Beat all the ingredients together in a bowl. The mix will be quite thick, that is normal. Bake in a greased cake pan of your choice at 350 for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the center (insert a chopstick to test, if it comes out with batter on it, it's not done yet).
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This is my PSL (pumpkin spiced latte) inspired autumnal meal. It has cinnamon, milk (coconut), and something orange (carrots because I live in a city and refuse to pay $6 for a pumpkin). The addition of my favorite Indian spices (fenugrek, black onion seeds, fennel, garam masala) make this a tempting, aromatic dish, perfect with a side of jasmine rice and a topping of toasted cashews.
Ingredients 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugrek 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel 1/2 teaspoon ground black onion seeds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon garam masala 2 cups chopped carrots 1/4 cup chopped parsley 2 cups chopped apple 1 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup coconut oil 2 cups coconut milk 1 cup water 3 tablespoons tomato paste 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons minced ginger Add coconut oil, spices, ginger, and salt to a pot over medium heat. Cook for 4 minutes. Add all other ingredients except apples and parsley, and cook for 8 minutes. Add apples and parsley and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve with cooked jasmine rice, and 1 tablespoon chopped toasted cashews. I was inspired to make these rolls by watching The Great British Bake Off. On the show, one contestant made a Welsh Rarebit tart, a rough puff pastry topped with a mixture of cheese, mustard, soy sauce, herbs and beer. Today Vs Mom sent us a big box of delicious Lithuanian cheese, Djiugas. I also had leftover enriched yeasted dough from my Indian spiced apple cinnamon rolls. Thus, we have Djiugas Rarebit Rolls.
Filling: 1 1/2 cup grated hard cheese (Parmesan is fine) 1/4 cup mayo 2 tablespoons mustard 1 tablespoon sugar a dash of black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon beer 1 teaspoon minced garlic Any type of roll is a great project for the weekend, a time when you can let the dough rise undisturbed, while you make a filling or enjoy a coffee. A simple yeasted, butter enriched dough makes up the base of these rolls. I started out with just lemon and butter as the filling, but then decided that Garam Masala and a browning apple in the back of the fridge would make good additions. They turned out wonderful! Now you know.
Ingredients: Dough: 2 cups flour+ 1/2 cup for rolling 1 cup warm milk 1 teaspoon yeast 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg Caramel Glaze: 1/2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup cream FIlling: 1 cup finely chopped apples 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar zest of one lemon 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon garam masala powder Directions: To make the dough, melt the butter and milk. Pour over yeast. Let stand in a warm place for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well, form dough into a ball, adding more flour if necessary. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Return to bowl. Let rise for 1 hour in a warm place, covered with a towel. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and roll into a large rectangle-ish shape. Spread filling evenly over surface. Roll up and cut into 1 -2 inch segments. Line a big baking dish liberally with butter. Lay in rounds of dough in a single layer. Cover with a towel and leave in a warm place for another 45 mins. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until golden. Top with caramel glaze, serve. To make caramel glaze add all glaze ingredients to a sauce pan and simmer until syrupy and caramelized. ( a golden, not brown color.) To make the filling, add all ingredients to a sauce pan and boil until apples are very tender. 5-8 minutes. Cool, then fill. In Little Italy, every bakery has biscotti... they look stellar, trays upon trays of different flavors behind gleaming glass; cherry, citrus peel, hazelnut, hazelnut chocolate, double chocolate...These Biscotti are made with fresh ground fennel. I store my whole spices in Ziploc bags in the freezer, then pull out a handful, and grind them fresh when I have a recipe that calls for them. I thought how nice it would be to make a lovely chocolate drizzled biscotti, riddled with toasted, golden hazelnuts. But then I realized that I had 90 minutes until my work at the bar started, and I can't afford hazelnuts or chocolate. :D So now I'll talk up these basic biscotti as being , "indulgent, golden, and delicately spiced" Perfect for dipping in anything that will lend it even a smattering of flavor. Just kidding, the fresh fennel is thankfully pungent. For my first, and decidedly cheap try at these ubiquitous Italian cookies, they turned out great.
Ingredients: 2 cups flour ( you may substitute a gluten free flour blend and achieve great results) 2/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds 6 tablespoons cold butter To begin, grind the fennel seeds ( in a blender, or mortar and pestle.) Next, add all the ingredients to a blender, and pulse until the butter is in pea sized lumps. Turn into a mixing bowl, add the 2 eggs, and form into a solid ball. Turn onto an oiled baking sheet and form into a log of desired thickness and width. Bake for 350 for 30 minutes. Remove and slice the biscotti into cookies, and law them out on the sheet. Lower the oven temp to 325 and backe for 20-30 more minutes until golden and dry, but not burnt. Cool. Keep in an airtight container. Enjoy with tea or coffee. I made this soup to utilize the chicken broth which was a byproduct of the previous recipe. Potatoes, orange bell pepper, aromatics, and carrots were added to make a delicately flavored and hearty broth. Enjoy with toasted bread and an optional spoonful of sour cream.
Ingredients 5-6 cups chicken broth 1-1.5 tablespoons salt 1/4 cup sugar 1.5 cups celery 3 cups cubed potatoes 1 cup cubed carrots 1 cup chopped onion 3-4 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon parsley 1/4 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon pepper Optional* 2 tablespoons sour cream Add olive oil to pan, brown onions, celery, herbs, sugar with the olive oil over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Add to pot with all remaining ingredients and boil for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Serve with a dollop of sour cream. This dish is ideal for an appetizer course. The dough for the wrappers is very basic, and make being able to produce delightfully crisp and non-mystery-meat filled egg-rolls at home, a breeze. I’ve filled mine with veggies, dark-meat chicken, freshly ground spices, and copious amounts of garlic. On the spices… if you don’t have them, don’t worry, a dash of soy sauce still makes the filling suitably flavorful. Ingredients Filling 4 drumsticks, boiled, picked clean 2 cups minced carrot 1 cup minced celery 3 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon fenugrek 1 teaspoon black onion seeds 1 teaspoon salt Wrappers 2 cups flour plus 1/2 cup for rolling ⅓ cup + 1-2 tablespoons water 1 egg 1 dash salt Dip 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 clove minced garlic 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon oil 1/2 teaspoon chili sauce Directions To make the wrappers, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes until the gluten has developed and it holds together. Spritz with water and let rest in a bowl, covered by a towel for 10 minutes. Pinch off a golf ball sized piece of dough, turn onto floured surface and roll out into a large circle. Cut the circle into 4 pieces and use each piece as an egg-roll wrapper. Wet the edges. To fill, mound ½ tablespoons of dough into the middle, fold in the sides, than starting from the long side closest to you, roll up. Set aside, repeat the process with the remaining dough. To make the filling, put all ingredients except the spices and chicken into a blender. Blitz until desired consistency. Chop the cooked chicken, add to mixture. Pulverize the spices, salt and oil, add to mixture. Dump the filling into a large pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 5-10 minutes until carrots are tender. Fry egg-rolls in batches, turning to brown each side for 1-2 minutes. Never let your oil smoke, keep the heat on medium-low, and use caution to avoid splatters. The depth of the oil is up to you. Whisk all the dip ingredients together and serve alongside the hot egg-rolls. This cake is rich and moist, has a dense crumb and couldn't be more simple to make. The cinnamon is a welcome addition to the intense chocolate flavor, and a simple glaze keeps it fresh. Enjoy with a glass of milk.
Batter 1 cup olive oil 1 cup sugar 2 cups flour 3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking powder Glaze 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup sweetend condensed milk 1/4 cup sour cream Directions Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, add oil, sugar and eggs. Beat until pale, 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Pour into oiled baking dish ( I used an 8x10 ). Bake for 20-24 minutes until cracked in the center and firm to the touch. Poke holes in the top of the cake with a fork across the surface. Sprinkle the milk over and allow to soak in. Stir together the sweetened condensed milk and sour cream and smooth over the surface. Key Lime pie is naturally pale yellow, the only color due to egg yolks. In this recipe, however, the pie is very subtly flavored and colored with fresh basil leaves. It is topped with a tart glaze to counteract the sweet cream. I shared these with my coworkers at the Bronx Beer Hall, after one had let me try her Key Lime Pie Ale. Both were delicious.
Ingredients Filling 1 cup of lime juice 2 eggs 8-10 leaves of fresh basil 1 tablespoon zest 3 cups (24 oz) sweetened condensed milk 3/4 cup sour cream Crust 2 cups oats, blitzed 3/4 cup flour 3/4 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Glaze 1 tablespoon corn starch 1/4 cup lime juice 1 teaspoon zest 1/3 cup water 1 tablespoon sugar To make the filling, blend the juice, zest, egg, and basil. Mix with remaining filling ingredients. To make the crust, combine all ingredients and press into tins or muffin cups. Fill the crust and bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes. Cool, then make the glaze. To make the glaze, whisk all the ingredients together until blended. Boil, stirring until clear and glossy. Top each pie. Chill and serve. These rolls are beautiful; aromatic and tender eggplant is stewed with Dominican oregano, tomato and spices, wrapped in electric green savoy cabbage. They're finally topped off with a creamy bechamel and baked. This is the first dish I'm adding from my new home in Little Italy of the Bronx! It's wonderful being in such a diverse community; Italian cured meats and homemade mozzarella across the street, a Honduran market directly below our apartment, and our favorite Mexican bakery around the corner :)
Ingredients Eggplant Filling 3 cups chopped eggplant 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon oregano 1 teaspoon paprika 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1.5 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon sugar 1 small can tomato paste 1/2 cup chopped onion 3 cloves chopped garlic Bechamel 1/4 cup olive oil or butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper dash of nutmeg 1 tablespoon sugar 1.5 cups cream or milk Cabbage 10-15 intact cabbage Directions To make eggplant, combine all spices, garlic, onion, and oil in a pan. Sautee 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and 1 cup of water and cook for 8-10 minutes until eggplant is desired tenderness. To make the bechamel, add the flour and oil to a pan. Cook while stirring for 3-5 minutes until golden. Add remaining ingredients, and cook for another 5 minutes until creamy and thick. Steam 10-15 intact cabbage leaves for 1-2 minutes. cool, then stuff, place seam side down in baking dish, and cover with bechamel. Bake 15 minutes at 350 until bechamel is bubbly. |
M. RudieneI grew up in rural Wisconsin...moved to Corpus Christi to attend college... and have now moved to the Bronx with my wonderful husband! Categories
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