Double Yummy Apple Cake

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apple and applesauce cake, apple cake, apple desserts, Apples, cake, desserts, double apple cake

I first started baking this apple cake when I was pregnant with my first daughter. It didn’t start out as a double apple cake. It was simply an apple cake, with apples, cinnamon and sugar mixed into the batter, and of course oil. I think by now some of you know how I feel about adding oil to my cake batter. If I can replace it with applesauce, I do. That’s where the double comes in. Applesauce and apples. Yummy! And rather than mix the apples into the batter, I layered them onto the batter in 2 layers and sprinkled cinnamon-sugar over them. Double yummy!

I can actually remember the very first time I made this cake. My dad loved sweets. Loved them! His on-set diabetes at the age of 60 did nothing to deter him from his beloved sugar addiction. He was in the hospital and I had gone to visit him with this freshly baked apple cake. A snack we would share together. It was lunchtime when I arrived and as he was having his lunch, he offered to share it with me. I replied that he was the one who needed to eat, not me. And being the sweet man that he was, he said, “Oh no. It’s not for you. It’s for the baby. The baby needs to eat more than you or I.” I shall always remember those words. He was already enamoured with this baby in my tummy! When the time came for the apple cake, one bite and he was smitten! And he was sure the baby was equally smitten. He believed the baby was enjoying it and would grow up loving this cake. Although my dad never got to meet my daughter, he was right. Charlotte just loves this cake. Emma does too, but it’s a comfort thing for Charlotte. And it’s comforting for me to know that Charlotte and my dad did in fact enjoy this double yummy apple cake together!

Ingredients

3/4 cups of sugar

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

2 or 3 large apples

2 eggs

1/4 cup of honey

2/3 cups of applesauce (I made my own with 2 or 3 apples in a food processor, adding about 1 tablespoon of water to turn it into a smooth consistency)

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Preheat the oven the to 350 F. Lightly oil an 8-inch square pan, line with parchment paper or tin foil, and oil the paper. Lightly flour the paper.

Make cinnamon-sugar by combining the 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and set aside. Peel, halve and core the apples. Slice them into 1/4 inch thick slices and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand-held mixer, beat the eggs with the 3/4 cups of sugar. Add honey, applesauce, lemon zest and beat well. With the mixer running on low speed, add the flour mixture and diluted lemon juice and mix until just combined.

Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Arrange half the apple slices on top of the batter and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cinnamon-sugar. Spoon another 1/3 of the batter over the apples and spread evenly. Sprinkle with more cinnamon-sugar. Top the apples with the remaining batter, spreading evenly, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Good luck with this part. As soon as the cake pan hit the counter, both girls were in the kitchen demanding a slice. I told them to go away. Then hubby came into the kitchen and helped himself to a slice. The girls were back in a flash and before I knew it, all three were biting into piping hot slices of this double yummy apple cake. If you can make it past the 30 minute cooling time, remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely on the rack. Now, you can dig in.

A Canadian Thanksgiving with my fellow bloggers

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Canadian Thanksgiving, cheese pudding, chocolate caramel sauce, quinoa pea fritters, roasted pears, smoked beef brisket, Zebra Cake

I mentioned in my last post that this past Monday was our Canadian Thanksgiving. We were going to celebrate at the cottage with a Sunday evening dinner, having my in-laws over, along with my brother and nephew. Thanksgiving dinner for 8.

Seeing as my brother and nephew were arriving for Sunday lunch, I needed to plan for that as well. On the lunch menu were these gorgeous and amazingly delish Quinoa Pea Fritters, from Leah over at sharing the food we love. Mine were nowhere as gorgeous as hers, but I bet they were just as scrumptious! Served with a tomato salad, some Italian cheeses and crusty bread, it was just right.

And for dessert, this luscious Cheese Pudding, from Erika over at TEA WITH ERIKA. Not as high and pretty as hers, but Oh! So divine! I cheated by doubling up the slices and made them look just like Erika’s! Creamy, milky, yummy!

Now, onto dinner. Wanting to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and wishing to extend the BBQ season, I decided to try smoking a beef brisket on my charcoal barbie.  Non-traditional, I know, but we have turkey enough throughout the year. I wanted to try something different.

As I set off Friday morning to buy my brisket, hubby called to let me know that his mom announced that she was going to roast a turkey on Sunday and bring it over for dinner. Her cottage is down the road from ours, you see. “Did you tell your mum I was smoking a brisket?” “No.”, he replied, “But that’s fine. Go ahead with the brisket, we’ll just have both and the brisket can be eaten throughout the week.” Fine by me. My brother didn’t mind not having turkey, Italians don’t really do turkey. My nephew, on the other hand, thought it was sacrilege! He likes his turkey and all that comes with. The stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, the cranberry sauce. Needless to say, he was quite happy to hear that my mum-in-law was coming over with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

I was down by the lake late Saturday morning when I could hear my mum-in-law having a discussion with hubby up at the house. It seems that in her hurry to leave for the cottage Friday morning, instead of grabbing the turkey out of the freezer, she grabbed a chicken by mistake! A 7 pound chicken! She had the stuffing already made, the cranberry sauce too. So she was going to stuff the chicken! Hubby wasn’t thrilled. We’d had roast chicken 2 nights before. When we told her of my nephew’s relationship with turkey, she drove to town, 20 minutes each way, and went to 3 different grocery stores looking for a fresh turkey. No such luck. Two hours later, she returned with a second chicken! Which she wanted me to stuff and roast. Along with boiling the potatoes and carrots she was going to bring over to me the next day. In addition to smoking a brisket over a period of 6 hours, making broccoli salad, and dessert! Which wasn’t my traditional pumpkin pie. When my nephew said to me, “You made your pumpkin pie, right?”, I made the decision that for the first time ever, we would be celebrating American Thanksgiving this year. With roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes with gravy, and my pumpkin pie!

Instead, what I did serve for dessert was deliciously moist Zebra Cake, from Fae over at Fae’s Twist & Tango. Although my zebra cake didn’t turn out as exotic-looking as Fae’s, it was perfect. And as Fae tells me, no two zebras are alike!

Along with this yummy cake, I served up succulent Spiced Roasted Pears, from Suzanne over at a pug in the kitchen. I used Asian pears which we picked up on our apple-picking trip and they were truly delectable!

With the Roasted Pears sliced up alongside the Zebra Cake, I poured this incredibly decadent Chocolate Caramel Sauce, also from Suzanne over at a pug in the kitchen. Hot dang, that sauce was incredible! After the first bite, everyone grabbed for the dish and poured loads more. I could have served it up in a tea cup and they would have drank it! Me included.

As for the smoked beef brisket? Rubbed with brown sugar and various herbs and spices. Marinated overnight. And smoked over mesquite wood for 6 hours. Oh man! It was smokin’ good! For my first time, I was quite pleased. I’ll make a few adjustment for the next time, and it can only get better. Served with a hot Bourbon BBQ Sauce, it was just right! The stuffed roast chickens were great, as was every other aspect of our meal. At the end of it all, my mum-in-law came to me and exclaimed how pleased she was with everything, “Oh Lidia! Everything was so good. And how nice for me not to have to cook. Thank you!”. And she kissed me. Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about? To show your appreciation and give thanks to those you love!

Pollo alla Toscana

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butterflied grilled chicken, grilled chicken, spatchcock chicken, Tuscan grilled chicken

We are being blessed with glorious weather here in Montreal.  Temperatures have been in the low 20’s (50’s in F), with some days as high as 25 degrees C.  Unbelievable!  Our windows are open all day long, I go out wearing just a T-shirt and jeans or shorts, and we’ve been sleeping with our window open at night.  Oh, and we’ve been barbecuing quite a bit.  We love to use the barbie and being able to stretch out the season is wonderful.  This is a long weekend for us as we celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving.  And as they’re calling for brilliant weather all weekend long, we’ll be sure to grill our way through to Thanksgiving Monday.

Olive oil, lemon, garlic and rosemary are the quintessential flavours of Tuscany.  I use this mix of seasonings on my beef roasts, as in this Sunday Roast, when grilling lamb, and even on my pork kebabs.  But my ultimate favourite is when grilling chicken.  A whole chicken, butterflied, adapted from an Ina Garten recipe.  Or spatchcock chicken, as our friends over in the U.K. call it.  Don’t you just love that word?  Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 3 lemons

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 or 3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves minced

Salt

Black Pepper

1 lemon, cut in half

You can ask the butcher to butterfly the chicken, or you can do so yourself.  I’ve gotten pretty good at it.  With good kitchen shears and a good sharp boning knife, it is pretty easy.  Cut the backbone out with shears, then lay the chicken open, skin side down, and remove the breast bone with a sharp boning knife.

In a dish big enough to lay down the open chicken, combine the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, rosemary and pepper.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and add the chicken to the marinade, turning to coat.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours, or overnight, turning the chicken over a few times and spooning some marinade over it.

Prepare your charcoal fire by piling the coals over on one side of the grill.  When they’re ready, spread some of the coals, about 1/4 of them, over to the other side of the grill.  If using a gas barbie, grill over low heat.  Place the chicken down on the grill over the smaller amount of coals, skin side up.  Weigh down the chicken with a heavy pot, bricks or a stone, covered in foil paper.  This method allows for the chicken to cook evenly.

Grill for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown.  Turn the chicken over, weigh it down again, and grill for another 15 minutes, until it is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.  Grill the lemon halves, cut side down, during the last 10 minutes of grilling.  If your coals are too hot, the skin might be a little darker than it should, as happened with my chicken.  Nonetheless, it was quite delicious.  Remove the chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Squeeze the grilled lemons over the chicken and then cut into single serving pieces. Buon appetito!

A Tribute to Marcella Hazan with Risotto alla Milanese

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Marcella Hazan, risotto, risotto alla milanese, saffron rice, tribute Marcella Hazan

“Nothing significant exists under Italy’s sun that is not touched by art.  Its food is twice blessed because it is the product of two arts, the art of cooking and the art of eating.  While each nourishes the other, they are in no way identical accomplishments.  The art of cooking produces the dishes, but it is the art of eating that transforms them into a meal.”       Marcella Hazan

Photo courtesy of epicurious.com

Marcella Hazan, a giant in the world of Italian cooking, has died at the age of 89. Just like Elizabeth David introduced the U.K. to Italian food and Julia Child brought French cuisine to America, Marcella Hazan was renowned as the Godmother of Italian regional cooking in America, with particular attention to northern Italy.

According to Marcella, “the first useful thing to know about Italian cooking is that, as such, it doesn’t really exist. ‘Italian cooking’ is an expression of convenience rarely used by Italians. The cooking of Italy is really the cooking of its regions, regions that until 1861 were separate, independent, and usually hostile states.”

Born in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, Marcella graduated with a doctorate in natural sciences and biology. After marrying Victor Hazan, who was born in Italy but raised in New York, Marcella moved to the U.S. in 1955. Feeding her husband true Italian meals became her passion. Her career in teaching and writing about Italian food began when she was 49 years old. Proof that you can realize your dreams at any age. She had signed up for a Chinese cooking class, and one day, after the instructor had cancelled the class, her fellow classmates asked Marcella to teach them how to cook real Italian food instead. And thus began her illustrious career.

She began offering cooking classes from her apartment in New York City, proving that the only way to cook Italian was with fresh and simple ingredients. Together with her husband Victor, she went on to open a cooking school in Bologna.  Discovering that her students had no idea what good olive oil truly tasted like, or fresh eggs, freshly picked fruits and vegetables, the flavour of fresh and varied seafood, she decided that taking the students directly to the source was the best way to learn about regional Italian cooking. She then went on to open a school in Venice. And then came the cookbooks. Six of them. All classics. Written entirely in Italian and translated by her partner in life and in business, Victor. On Sunday, after Marcella had passed away peacefully, Victor Hazan wrote on Facebook: “Marcella, my incomparable companion, died this morning a few steps away from her bed. She was the truest and best, and so was her food.”

Photo courtesy of huffingtonpost.com

She had this way of writing. Almost bossy. Harsh even. And that was one of the things I loved about her. Her writing. Commanding that I do just as she says because that’s how it’s supposed to be done. And somehow, her prickliness was a comfort to me. I knew that I was in good hands and doing things properly. I always knew that by following Marcella, my dish would be remarkable. Take salt as an example. She urged her readers to use more salt in their foods, advising them that if they were so concerned about salt affecting their life expectancy, then to “not read any further.” Or her take on garlic. “The unbalanced use of garlic is the single greatest cause of failure in would-be Italian cooking. It must remain a shadowy background presence. It cannot take over the show.” And like my dad, Marcella certainly had no qualms about using an abundance of olive oil and butter. The more, the tastier!

It was from Marcella that I picked up a lot of my own cooking techniques. My Ragu Bolognese is credited to her. As is my Lasagne Bolognese. Fresh pasta. Gnocchi. Veggies and meat. And to pay tribute to her, I thought I’d try a dish of hers that I’d never had before. Risotto alla milanese, from her book “The Classic Italian Cookbook, The art of Italian cooking and the Italian art of eating”.

Ingredients for 6 

1 quart/4 cups of chicken broth

2 tablespoons of pancetta, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of finely chopped shallots, or yellow onion

5 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cups of of Italian Arborio rice

1/2 teaspoon of chopped whole saffron, dissolved in 1 1/2 cups of hot broth

Salt, if necessary

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan

Bring the broth to a slow, steady simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat, sauté the pancetta and shallots in 3 tablespoons of butter and all of the olive oil.

After about 5 minutes, add the rice and stir until well coated. Toast the rice for a few minutes and then add 1/2 cup of broth, about a ladleful.

Continue to add a ladleful of broth as the rice dries out, stirring almost constantly so the rice does not stick to the bottom. After 15 minutes, add half of the dissolved saffron. When the rice has dried out, add the remainder of the saffron. And here is classic Marcella: “Herbs that call too much attention to themselves are a rude intrusion upon the general harmony of a dish, but if you like a stronger saffron presence wait another 5 to 8 minutes before adding the diluted saffron. But be careful it doesn’t upstage your risotto.” Needless to say, I did as I was told.

When the saffron liquid has been absorbed, finish cooking the risotto with the hot broth. (If you run out of broth, add water.) When the rice is done, tender but al dente, firm to the bite, taste for salt. (Remember that you will be adding 1/2 cup of cheese.) Add a few twists of pepper to taste, and turn off the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the Parmesan cheese, and mix thoroughly. Spoon into a plate and serve immediately, with freshly grated cheese.

And to finish, here’s another classic Marcella: “Once risotto is made, it must be served. It cannot be warmed up. If absolutely necessary, however, you can partially cook it several hours ahead of time. This is an unorthodox method, but…” Oh Marcella! You will be missed!

Pink Ribbon Cookies

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breast cancer awareness month, pink ribbon cookies

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Please get yourselves and your loved ones checked out! I was 8 years old when I lost my mom to breast cancer. Now with 2 daughters of my own, I can’t imagine what it must of felt like for my mom. And I couldn’t imagine not being here for my girls. I go for my yearly exam every October. Nerve-racking, but essential. Please do it! Peace.