Apple Butter: the choice of colonists everywhere

First off, Happy Thanksgiving! Many of you will prepare some dish for the occasion, something you look forward to eating all year; yet, reserve just for this day. To what degree your family’s spread resembles that shared in Plymouth, Massachusetts may be far from your mind (just pass the stuffing already). But curiosity got the best of me when I came across a copy of The Colonial Cookbook, by Lucille Penner.

Maybe it was just the light reading I needed, because I read it cover to cover and earmarked at least 10 recipes I wanted to prepare. I have to say I had “a moment” when, having read Colonial Cookbook’s recipe for fried ham with red-eye gravy, I went to the East Village restaurant Back Forty and found it on their brunch menu–it’s for real! (Red eye gravy, by the way, is a pan gravy made with strong coffee. Definitely a unique flavor that pairs well with salty/sweet ham. I ordered it and was not disappointed).

One of those earmarked recipes happened to be apple butter. Our final CSA pick up of the year supplied us with over a dozen empire apples, which I was quick to turn into–according to my colonial reference–a special favorite of the Pennsylvania Dutch:

“Apple butter was made everywhere in the colonies….at harvest time, a huge kettle was set up over an outdoor fire. The cooking and boiling of apple butter went on until there were no more spare jugs or crocks to be found.” So, equipped with my gas stove, a pot, and empty jelly jars, I was ready to be colonial for an afternoon.

Below is Penner’s recipe for apple butter, and some step by step photos.

APPLE BUTTER

• 3 cups sweet apple cider
• 2 pounds apples (around 6)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, or mix of 1/4 tsp ground clove and 1/4 tsp ground allspice

1. Boil the cider in a 4 qt saucepan for 15 minutes.
2. While the cider boils, peel and core the apples; chop into small pieces.
3. Add apple pieces to the cider. Cover and cook over low heat until tender, about 1 hour, stirring often.
4. Remove the pot from heat. Using an immersion blender or masher, blend apples until smooth. Leave a little texture behind if you’d like. Stir in the honey and spices.
5. Put the pot back on the heat and cook over very low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes. Cool the apple butter 1-2 hours in the pan. Transfer to jars and refrigerate. Makes about 2 pints.

Also, consider making the recipe in a slow cooker.

Adding chopped apples to boiling cider

Apples cooked for an hour then blended

Apples cooked until thickened, then cooled, jarred, and spread on pumpkin bread

‘Tis the Season(s) for THE DUMPLING

Several summers ago, chef Wai Hon Chu approached me to test 90+ recipes for a cookbook project with fellow chef and writer Connie Lovatt. Wai and Connie introduced me to the definition of a dumpling, “…a portion of dough, batter, or starchy plant fare, solid or filled, that is cooked through wet heat, and is not a strand or a ribbon.”

So, wet heat (literally) was what I worked through that summer, learning that sticky toffee pudding and Mexican tamales are actually dumplings! And that I’m a huge fan of dropped dumplings (a Grunt and Cocky’s Joy come out on top for flavor and funny names). And I learned that my supportive husband, then fiance, will try anything I cook; although, we’re both still suspicious of tripe.

I’ve included photos taken during the testing period of some favorites, along with several potato dumplings appropriate for this season. Check out The Dumpling’s website for info on purchasing a copy and catching one of Wai’s dumpling making workshops: The Dumpling.com

Single-Husked Tamale Fold

Tamales Stuffed with Chicken and Tomatillo Sauce--Tamales de Pollo (Mexico)

Wontons with Red Chili Oil--Hung You Chao Shou (China)

Dumplings and Cocky's Joy (Australia)

Country Cabbage Soup with Large Cornmeal Dumplings--Soupe aux Miques et aux Choux (France)

Pumpkin and Lentil Ravioli with Browned Butter and Rosemary--Ravioli di Zucca e Lenticchie (Italy)

Potato Dumplings with Crouton Centers--Kartoffelklosse (Germany)

Potato Dumplings Stuffed with Ham, with Ligonberry Jam--Kroppkakor (Sweden)

No-Fuss Potato Dumpling with bacon and onion--Pyzy (Poland)

Potato Pancakes Go Purple

How do you celebrate Oktoberfest, a pile of purple spuds, and an amazing 7-0 TCU Horned Frogs football season?

You make potato pancakes, and you make them purple.

We held a tame (lame?) Oktoberfest celebration in our living room last night: no meat, one can of beer, and a Coen Brothers flick. I mashed up a pile of purple spuds from our CSA to make a dense & hearty pancake, a slight departure from the traditional grated, crispy variety. Below are some photos of the cakes and all the accoutrement–caramelized onions, strained yogurt and applesauce–along with a super easy recipe.

Oh, and Go Frogs!

Purple Potato Pancakes with caramelized onions, strained yogurt and applesauce

Purple Potato Pancakes with Caramelized Onions

• 7-8 medium purple potatoes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• generous pinches of salt & pepper
• Spray oil (Pam)
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup strained or Greek yogurt, or low-fat sour cream

1. Put the potatoes in a pot and just cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender 15-20 minutes. Strain and let cool.

2. In a small pot, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Cook over medium-high until some browning occurs. Turn down heat to low and continue cooking at least 20 minutes.
3. Peel the potatoes with a paring knife (skins should come off easily), and run through a ricer or mash with masher. Add butter and mix with fork. Add milk and egg and mix. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out potato balls (about 15) onto a plate. Heat a nonstick griddle to medium and spray with oil. Cook four at a time, flattening the potato ball with the back of a spatula (spray spatula with oil to prevent sticking). Cook about 3 minutes each side, or until golden brown.
5. Serve with the applesauce, yogurt, and caramelized onions. Enjoy!

Mashed potato balls, cafeteria style (pre-smooshing)

The super-sweet caramelized onions

My simple yogurt-straining contraption (paper towel and a take-out container)

Kids Don’t Stop Learning During Lunch

Kids are like sponges, am I right? So they don’t stop absorbing their environment when they leave the classroom for the cafeteria. Unfortunately, the message that children must be sopping up in cafeterias across the U.S. is that time, convenience–and money–are more highly valued than health.

So, yet another obstacle in feeding kids healthy food: there are no kitchens in the schools. Over the last few decades, as parents gradually replaced hot meals at home with Hot Pockets, so did school systems. Check out Kim Severson’s piece in today’s NY Times Dining & Wine section:

Schools’ Toughest Test: Cooking

Happy Birthday Dear Autumn…and Matthew

September 22 marked the first day of Autumn and my sweet husband’s birthday. As far as birthday cakes go, Matthew will ask for carrot over chocolate or vanilla any day; so, I thought this Fuji Apple Spice from October’s Bon Appetit would mimic the carrot, right down to the cream cheese frosting. And if that wouldn’t win him over, the shot of Bourbon would.

(note: I halved the cake recipe below to make 1 cake, which I cut in half horizontally to frost).

Fuji Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Bon Appetit Magazine

Cake

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 2 medium Fuji or Gala apples (13 to 14 ounces total), peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans (about 6 ounces)

Frosting

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups powdered sugar (measured, then sifted)
• Coarsely chopped toasted pecans (for garnish)

Special equipment

• 2 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides

Preparation

Cake

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of each pan with parchment paper round. Whisk first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, then bourbon, if desired (mixture may look curdled). Add flour mixture to egg mixture in 3 additions alternately with applesauce in 2 additions, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in apples and pecans. Divide batter between cake pans; smooth tops.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer cakes to racks and cool in pans 15 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Invert cakes onto racks; peel off parchment paper. Place another rack atop 1 cake and invert again so that cake is rounded side up. Repeat with second cake. Cool completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap each cake in plastic and store at room temperature.

Frosting

• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until frosting is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• Using long serrated knife, trim off rounded tops of cakes to make level; brush off any loose crumbs. Transfer 1 cake to platter, trimmed side up. Drop half of frosting (about 1 1/2 cups) by spoonfuls atop cake. Spread frosting evenly to edges of cake. Top with second cake, trimmed side down. Drop remaining frosting by spoonfuls onto top of cake, leaving sides of cake plain. Spread frosting to top edges of cake, swirling and creating peaks, if desired. Sprinkle with pecans. Let cake stand at room temperature 1 hour to allow frosting to set slightly. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let cake stand at room temperature at least 2 hours before serving. Makes 12 servings.
  

Brooklyn’s Little Russia by the Sea

Potato-Mushroom Vareniki with Crispy Onion

Cabbage Vareniki

Although the crispy fall air has already settled on Brooklyn, I’m honoring the final day of summer with photos from the last great beach weekend of ‘09. Our small group met up in Brighton Beach, a seaside neighborhood in Brooklyn with a vibrant Russian community and boardwalk culture.

The first stop was Cafe Glechik (3159 Coney Island Avenue), a Ukranian restaurant we hit up for vareniki (dumplings), smoked and pickled noshes, borscht and a flaky Napoleon layered with a caramel custard.

Onward to the boardwalk and Cafe Volna (3145 Brighton 4th St) for beer–the Russian import Baltika. Surrounded by salty air, the native Russian tongue and men in track suits shooting vodkas, it was a poor-man’s vacation to the Black Sea.

Our final stroll was down Brighton Beach Ave to locate a little piece of history. My grandma Florence lived in Brighton Beach as a child where her parents ran the grocery store, George’s Dairy, on Brighton 3 Street. At that time the neighborhood was predominantly Jewish. My Great-Grandmother Efrosina, “Nanny,” ran the store and spoke fluent Yiddish along with her native Romanian and about three other Eastern European languages. So we journeyed to Brighton 3 Street for some photos, and left with some Russian vodka.

Sweet Farmer's Cheese Vareniki with sour cream

Pickled Herring

Baltika

Brighton 3 Street

Ukrainian Borscht

Brighton Beach Boardwalk

Sausage

Bird-toting customer at Cafe Glechik

Boardwalk Love

Alive and Cookin’

Eggplant Parm

"One-pan Parm"

Heirloom Tomato, Watermelon and Feta

Quinoa Salad

Sometimes it’s cook OR blog, not cook AND blog. That being said, a game of blog catch up is in order. Here are a few of the meals from the last week(s).

The Eggplant Parm really needs a new name since nary a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano made it into the dish. Just lots of fresh mozzarella layered between pretty lavender farm-share eggplant, farm peppers, tomato sauce and basil.

The “Parm” was a one-panner– baked in the same pan used to saute the eggplant and veggies (see photo).

My favorite part of the tomato-watermelon-arugula salad is the contrast of light and dark greens and pops of pink. My theory that cheese brings all salads together hasn’t failed me yet. Here the addition of feta reminds me of the tradition (Southern?) of sprinkling salt on your watermelon that I learned from a kid in some backyard in Oklahoma. I wouldn’t be too shocked to see foodie offspring begin to sprinkle feta on their watermelon wedges. Just like Mommy.

The quinoa salad comes from the Modern Vegetarian Kitchen cookbook by Peter Berley. It is loaded with vegetables, dressed in an apple cider vinaigrette, and studded with toasted sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds. You can substitute whatever is in season for the vegetables and herbs. My adaptation follows:

Quinoa Salad

For the Salad:

• 1/3 cup hulled sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup hulled sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Kernels from 2 ears sweet corn
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 bunch red radishes (8 to 10), trimmed and cut into matchsticks
• 1 large carrot, grated

For the Marinade:

• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems chopped
• 2 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Coarse sea salt
• Freshly milled black pepper

1. In a medium saute pan, stirring over medium heat, toast the seeds until golden brown. Pour them into a bowl and set aside to cool.
2. In a small saucepan, bring 6 cups of water and a large pinch of salt to a boil. Add the quinoa and simmer 14 minutes or until done. Drain in a mesh colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside to drain.
3. In a pot fitted with a steamer, combine the corn kernels with the red onion. Steam for 3 to 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Remove to a colander and rinse under cold water; drain.
4. To make the marinade, in a large mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, cilantro, scallions, jalapeno pepper, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and black pepper to taste; whisk.
5. Add the toasted seeds, quinoa, steamed vegetables, red pepper, radishes and carrot to the marinade. Mix well and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marry the flavors. Taste for seasoning, add more salt and black pepper, if desired.

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

Agribusiness, Health Insurers: Take Your Corners!

Michael Pollan’s response to Obama’s health care speech–snippets from his NY Times op-ed:

“A patient with Type 2 diabetes incurs additional health care costs of more than $6,600 a year; over a lifetime, that can come to more than $400,000. Insurers will quickly figure out that every case of Type 2 diabetes they can prevent adds $400,000 to their bottom line. Suddenly, every can of soda or Happy Meal or chicken nugget on a school lunch menu will look like a threat to future profits.”

“AGRIBUSINESS dominates the agriculture committees of Congress, and has swatted away most efforts at reform. But what happens when the health insurance industry realizes that our system of farm subsidies makes junk food cheap, and fresh produce dear, and thus contributes to obesity and Type 2 diabetes? It will promptly get involved in the fight over the farm bill — which is to say, the industry will begin buying seats on those agriculture committees and demanding that the next bill be written with the interests of the public health more firmly in mind.”

Check out the full article below:

Big Food vs. Big Insurance

The Lobster Roll: because it’s LOBSTER and MAYO

Jordan's Lobster Bar, Island Park, NY

Maine lobster roll

Wasn’t going to let summer pass without a fix of shellfish on a hot dog bun. That is the beauty of the lobster roll, lobster and mayonnaise and not much else to screw it up.

Compared with the meticulous composition of a Manhattan lobster roll, Jordan Lobster Bar’s heaps of perfectly-cooked claw and knuckle meat were worth the soggy bun and bag of Lays. There was no doubt 1/2 lb of lobster on my paper tray. I picked up a fork and went about my business, and saved my chips for the train ride home.

Dining Out: The Month in Pictures

Shopsin's: Banana pancakes (dare I ask for the nuts they forgot)

Vanessa's Dumpling, Eldridge Street: Vegetable dumplings and pork sesame pancake

Momofuku Milk: Cereal-milk ice cream with caramelized cornflakes

Lobo, Cobble Hill: Tulsa on the menu!

Baoguette, Grammercy: Pork Bahn Mi

Baoguette: Literally a $5 foot long, but a really good one

Lahore, Crosby Street: Pakistani, frequented by cabbies and myself

Lahore's Vegetarian Lunch: Lentils, spinach and okra (camera phone not doing justice)

Terrace Bagels, Windsor Terrace: Weekend special half whitefish salad, half lox

Barks Dogs, Park Slope: The Bark Dog with pickled hot peppers and the most delicious buttery, toasted bun!