French Apple Cake

My brother loves anything apple paired with ice cream so for his birthday this year I baked a French apple cake. The recipe is from Dorie Greenpan's french baking cookbook and is fabulous. It isn't really a cake so much as a cake tin full of apple chunks with just enough batter to (sort of) hold things together. The key was to use different types of apples so there was different apple flavors and textures in each bite. It was awesome with a big dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Happy Birthday Vij. I love you!!!

Ingredients:

110g AP Flour

3/4 tsp Baking powder

pinch salt

4 large apples (different varieties)

2 large eggs

150g sugar

3 Tbsp dark rum

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Method:

- Preheat oven to 350F and generously butter an 8" springform cake pan

- In a small bowl, whisk flour, salt and baking powder

- Peel and core apples. Cut them into 1 inch pieces.

- In a large bowl whisk eggs until frothy, add sugar and whisk to combine. Add rum and vanilla.

- Add half of flour to egg mixture then half of butter. Whisk until combined then add remaining flour and finish with butter. The cake batter should be thick

- Fold in apple pieces until they are all covered with batter. Pour into cake tin and smooth the top with spatula so it is relatively flat

- Bake for 50-60 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the top is nice and brown

- Serve with vanilla ice cream (or cinnamon ice cream if you can find it because that sounds like heaven)

Manicotti

Oh my gosh late summer tomatoes are the best!!! We served a late summer tomato (can you call them that when it's November???) salad with the tastiest Manicotti evah!!! And my Ironman is a Manicotti aficionado so I don't make that statement lightly. This recipe is an America's Test Kitchen recipe so of course it was awesome.

The only change I made was instead of fresh basil in the cheese mixture I added basil pesto because basil isn't in season. In the sauce I added some Italian seasoning.

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce

2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes (in juice)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes , optional
Salt & Pepper
1 T Italian seasoning

Cheese Filling and Pasta

3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 large eggs , lightly beaten

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon basil pesto
16 Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles

Method:

1. For the Sauce: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse 1 can tomatoes with their juice in food processor until coarsely chopped, 3 or 4 pulses. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining can tomatoes.

2. Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes (if using) in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil; adjust seasoning with salt.

3. For the cheese filling: Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs in medium bowl; set aside.

4. To assemble: Pour 1 inch boiling water into 13 by 9-inch broilersafe baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. (NOTE: I used about 4 cups of boiling water — it was more than an inch high, but the noodles weren’t completely covered otherwise.) Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry baking dish.

5. Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soupspoon, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered.

6. Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil. Remove baking dish, adjust oven rack to uppermost position (about 6 inches from heating element), and heat broiler. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Broil until cheese is spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, then serve.

Mattar Paneer

My favorite Ironman requested paneer for dinner so I decided to try my hand at Mattar Paneer (without a recipe). The result was fantastic! Mildly spiced with lots of ginger and onion with enough coconut milk to balance the spice and give some creaminess. Costco sells paneer in sets of 2 14oz packages.

Ingredients:

- 1 medium yellow onion

- 2-3 inch piece of ginger

- 5 cloves garlic

- 2 Tbsp ground cumin

- 1 Tbsp ground coriander

- 1 Tbsp garam masala

- 1-2 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)

- 1 tsp tandoori masala powder

- 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

- 1 can chopped tomatoes

- 1 cup coconut milk

- 14 oz paneer cut into cubes

- 1 cup peas

Method:

- Saute chopped onion until soft

- Crush garlic with ginger into a paste (we used a mortar and pestle) and add to garlic; season with salt and pepper

- Add all spices and cook for 1 minute

- Add crushed tomatoes and sugar and turn off heat

- Puree onion-tomato mixture with an immersion blender or food processor

- Return to heat and add paneer, peas and coconut milk

- Simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Adjust seasoning

- Serve with basmati rice or naan

Quinoa Pie with Basil and cheese

I tried to follow this recipe. I really did. But as usual I went off on a tangent and started throwing extra things in the pan and substituting key ingredients. Thankfully the pie was delicious. Served with an end of summer tomato and cucumber salad it was a perfect protein packed vegetarian dinner. Thanks Leah and Vivian for providing excellent company and delicious dessert!

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa (3-4 cups cooked)

6 oz baby spinach

1 zucchini (or a red pepper would work well too) diced

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

3/4 cup grated cheese (cheddar, jack, gruyere etc)

2 eggs

Half cup basil leaves cut into chiffonade

Grated Parmesan cheese to top (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

- Preheat oven to 400F and oil a pie plate

- Rinse and cook quinoa in lightly salted water or stock until light and fluffy. Cool

- Saute onion and garlic and zucchini until soft and beginning to brown; add spinach until it wilts

- Season with salt and pepper

- Whisk 2 eggs and add to quinoa with onion mixture, basil and cheese; Mix thorougly and pour into pie pan

- Top with grated Parmesan and bake for 25 minutes. Let pie stand for at least 5 minutes before cutting. This would be great at room temperature for brunch or lunch as well.

Home made "KIND Bars" aka Lakshmi Bars

Lakshmi Bars!! Well, I had to make something to share with me excellent friend Leah on our bike ride. She was bringing her much hyped Leah Bars after all. Of course, after all the excitement and preparation of yummy snacks, Seattle turned on the taps and our ride was washed out :( Thankfully Lakshmi Bars store beautifully in the freezer! These don't hold together quite as well on day 1 but by day 2 they basically hold together like a regular granola bar but have the benefit of not having all the fat and sugar. I didn't measure anything (I mean eyeballing is so much easier and exciting :)

The most important thing to note is that these are infinitely adaptable. I completely made this combo up based on what looked good in the bulk section. Other good combinations might be macadamia and apricot; Cashew nut and date; Mixed nuts, dried pineapple and raisins etc etc etc!!!

Dry ingredients:
2 cups toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup toasted pecans
1 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup grated coconut (unsweetened)
3/4 cup dried cherries finely chopped (raisins or cranberries would work well too)
3 Tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tsp cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses (giving a lovely almost coffee flavor to these bars)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt

Method:
1) Pulse almonds in a food processor to make a coarse almond meal. I stopped here to leave some texture but you could go all the way to almond butter if you want to.
2) Combine all Dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together
3) Combine all wet ingredients, except vanilla) in a separate bowl and microwave until soft enough to easily combine
4) Add vanilla and then add wet to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. It will look a bit like wet sand at this point and like it might not come together but fear not! It will!
5) Pour into a 8x8 or 9x9 square baking pan line with overhanging foil (for easy removal)
6) Use a piece of saran wrap and a lot of FIRM pressure to create and even layer.
7) Place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight (or the freezer if you're impatient like me).
8) Remove and cut into bars with a large and sharp knife. Its much easier to use a large knife and cut through the bars with one stroke. A serrated knife just makes a mess.
9) Wrap individual bars in saran wrap and store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for a very long time. They won't last that long. I've already eaten two in less than 24 hours.

They were particularly delicious after my first mini brick (bike followed by run)...nom nom nom. I'm already looking forward to my next batch...

Cardamom Carrot cake

Once people know you like to bake, they like to ask you to make things for them. I find this annoying. Anywhoooz, that's how I got roped into making the birthday cake for my boss' suprise 50th birthday party. I know I should have made a layer cake but I thought the sheet cake would be better for a crowd. This carrot cake is fantastic. A great texture and the cinnamon, cardamom flavors give it a slightly exotic taste. The lemon zest in the frosting really adds a brightness that was perfect for a summer barbeque. It was polished off by a very happy crew. The recipe is slightly modified from one of my favorite baking websites, Joy of Baking.


Cake:

3/4 pound (340 grams) raw carrots (about 2 1/2 cups finely grated)

2 cups (260 grams) AP flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardamom

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup raisins OR toasted walnuts (I did raisins but will use nuts next time for texture)

Frosting:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (I was too lazy to sift but YOU should)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

To make cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter or spray 9x13inch cake pan. I used a pyrex dish. .

Peel and finely grate the carrots.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon.

In bowl of your hndy dandy kitchen aid, beat the eggs until frothy (about 1 minute). Gradually add the sugar and beat until the batter is thick and light colored (about 3 - 4 minutes). Add the oil in a steady stream and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Fold in the grated carrots and raisins (or chopped nuts). Pour batter into buttered pan and bake 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It took closer to 40 minutes in my oven.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. After about 5 -10 minutes invert the cakes onto the wire rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, and then cool completely before frosting.

To make Frosting:

In bowl of Kitchen Aid, beat the cream cheese and butter, on low speed, just until blended with no lumps. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat, on low speed, until fully incorporated and smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Make sure lemon zest is evenly distributed as it can lump together on the Kitchen Aid paddle.

Slice Cake and soak up adoration of fellow cake eaters :)

Monkey Cake!

So this cake was made quite a while ago with my friend Debby for Alex's 1st birthday. The best thing about baking for infants is that you get to eat the cake and they get stuck with Milk and possibly pureed peas :)

We had ridiculous amounts of fun making our monkey (especially giving it a butter cream Afro...yep you heard it) and I just found the photo so I thought I'd post it. The recipe is from the domestic goddess herself, Martha Stewart and can be found here.
Note what the original is supposed to look like. Well, ours had personality and a tasty hairstyle. Whatever...