Apple Coffee Cake

October break is here, and with it, a blog post for the first time in a while cause, you know, life.

In the USA, October break means nothing. There, children are pushed out of public schools for three months of summer to wreak havoc, then once they have finally forgotten everything their teachers laboured to insert into their resistant craniums, they are locked back inside the institution's doors for the remainder of the year (apart from two weeks at Christmas and a week in spring). Meanwhile, here in Britain one must always check one's calendar to see if school is on that day, for the schools don't open their doors for such significant cultural events as the following:

Christmas
Easter
Autumn*
February*
and...the ever significant, can't ever miss it:
Bank holiday

I say bank holiday, singular, but it feels like there are dozens of the bastards, usually falling on Mondays, which usually have no great significance other than to say "feck it, let's have a day off, just to mess with the parents looking forward to Monday, shall we?"

The consequence of this schedule is that you'll be rolling along, enjoying your little school routine of drop-offs, pick-ups, working when they are at school, when all of a sudden the school refuses to take them for a day, a week, or, if you're really lucky, the school announces that technically the inner walls aren't attached to the outer walls and the roof isn't technically attached to the walls either so they have to close indefinitely.

I really, really hate it when they do that last one, by the way.

So here we are, celebrating autumn. And Autumn means apples, apples stolen in the black of night from the local angry farmer who came after us with his pitchfork.** They taste best poached, but a close second is to make apple coffee cake. At this point, Americans all say "oooh- coffee cake! and Brits all say "apple and coffee? In a cake? uh...<tentative bite> wow, I can't taste the coffee at all!" That's because it is a cake meant to be consumed with coffee, it doesn't actually contain any. I had been told it was a German thing to call it coffee cake, then I spoke to my German colleagues all chill about "coffee cake" and how it doesn't have any coffee in it and they stared in that special, direct, mean-what-they-say that their nation has perfected and said "no, we do not call that coffee cake in Germany" so I guess it's just another silly Americanism.


You know how a lot of the time I take photos of all the steps along the way? Screw that, here are some apples on some batter that I made. Incidentally, one of the great things about having kids is that first thing in the morning you can send them to the shops for ingredients.

Son, I couldn't have made this without you. 

I sliced the apples instead of roughly chopping them cause I felt fancy, but I didn't make them uniform, because I lack both the precision and the will to do that. 

This is the struesel topping I made in the food processor. I should have made more. Too much topping is always better than too little.

Here is the evidence that I should have made more - you can never have too much struesel on coffee cake.

unbaked

Baked. Yes, I know I missed a spot.

And here is the final, somewhat thin for coffee cake, product, right before I stuck it in the freezer with all of its attractive brothers and sisters (as well as the ugly brother who has the same mother and father but somehow lost out on the looks lottery) so that I can better transport the goods to a mystery location tomorrow. And so I didn't shove all the cake in my face immediately, because these guys are like Pringles. 

Soft cake base, gooey, tart apple middle, and crunchy top

So wish me luck over the next week as I try to master the fine details of financial reporting (INCLUDING the ever exciting group reports pro formas) while at the same time keeping three children fed, clothed, and entertained with all kinds of educational activities. 

HA HA HA HA!!

Please pass me the cake now.

I can't find a handy link for the recipe, so forgive me if I leave that typing for another day. Alternatively, open up a copy of Joy of Cooking and make their Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Apple topping, using yogurt instead of sour cream and Struesel I. 

*They don't shut for the entirety of Autumn of February, as that would be silly. Instead each time children are given a week off. Plus, usually, a random Monday added on just to mess with you. 

**the apples weren't actually stolen - my colleague has an apple tree and gifted them to me. 

Apple Strudel - the first trial

In a few months, God willing, we will be flying across the Atlantic and taking a holiday with family in the sunny climes of North Carolina. We last saw each other a year and a half ago, and the last time before that we were in each others company for a whole week was when I was in high school...which is to say, a decade and a bit further back.

As we will be on the beach, not much cooking is done - my sister-in-law is amazing at planning and shopping for all the basics to throw quick meals together - but last time I did make some desserts, namely key lime pie. I asked if they wanted me to try making anything this year and my sister-in-law replied "Apple strudel!!! Likes the apples soft! We travel looking for good strudel!"

My first google search revealed recipes that simply used filo pastry purchased from the local supermarket so I thought, ok, that should be simple enough. But further investigations suggested a homemade dough gives superior results, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I mixed the dough in the food processor and then threw it on the work surface over and over, making sure not to overdo it and end up with dough on the floor (if this video doesn't work, try looking for the Great British Bake Off strudel on floor on youtube):

Once that was done and the dough rested, I rolled it and stretched it out (mostly stretching it on the backs of my hands) until I could see my tablecloth pattern underneath, hoping this was thin enough (you are supposed to be able to read a newspaper through it). You can see scissors in the shot because I cut the thick rim off of the dough. Perhaps if I had my dough at a better consistency (I think it was too sticky in the end and needed less liquid added at the start) I could have stretched it out further, but such is life. For my first ever attempt it didn't go as badly wrong as it could have.

I then flicked melted butter over the surface and put in my apple filling of apples, sugar, lemon zest, ground almonds and brandy soaked currants.

Using the tablecloth I folded over the end, then kept folding it with the cloth until it looked like a big cigar.

A big, pasty, floury cigar. Again, using the cloth I lifted it onto the baking tray.

Where I scrunched the ends and bent it into shape.

More butter went on (because yes, butter always makes it better) and flaked almonds should have gone on but I didn't have any.

I took it out when it had achieved a golden brown colour.

And once it had sat out for half an hour, put on a layer of icing sugar.

Then we tried it. I was underwhelmed. The apples were soft, as requested, but I had overdone the spices and the pastry wrapping seemed too thick to me, and generally flavourless. Ice cream improved it, as it is not particularly sweet and the contrast between the sweet ice cream and the tart, strongly flavoured filling worked better. My children demolished it, and my husband did end up having two helpings so it was decent, but I just was looking for something better. When asked for further guidance on other fillings (nuts, booze, etc) I was told just to keep it simple, and the gooey-er the better.

Looks as if the trials must continue.

The recipe that I followed for the above was roughly this from the Guardian:

For the pastry:
285g plain flour
1 free-range egg
150g water
100g butter, melted
2 tbsp demerara sugar
50g flaked almonds
Icing sugar, to serve

For the filling:
425g russet apples
425g Granny Smith apples
75g currants, soaked  in 4 tbsp brandy and drained

about 100g ground almonds (my own addition)

Grated zest of ½ lemon
50g soft light brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves

1. To make the pastry, sift the flour on to a clean worksurface and add a pinch of salt, and make a well in the middle. Beat together the egg, water and 1 tsp melted butter and then mix enough of this into the flour to make a soft, sticky dough – add a little at a time so you don't overdo it, the dough shouldn't be wet.

2. Now comes the fun bit – repeatedly throw the dough from shoulder height on to the worksurface for 15 minutes until it becomes elastic and loses its stickiness. Wrap it in clingfilm and leave it at room temperature for half an hour while you make the filling.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C, and place a greased baking tray on to the middle shelf. Peel and core the apples, and cut them into chunks. Put these into a large bowl and mix in the rest of the filling ingredients.

4. Clear a large worksurface or table and cover with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper (if it has a strong pattern, that will make your life easier later). Dust lightly with flour, and divide the dough in half. Keep one half wrapped in clingfilm at room temperature while you make the first strudel, then repeat the process with it.

5. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible with a lightly floured pin. When you can't roll it any more thinly, begin gently stretching it using your whole hands – it will be springy, but keep on going until you can see the pattern of the tea towel (or read some print) through it. Try not to tear it – any small holes can be patched up with excess pastry.

6. Brush the rolled out pastry with butter and sprinkle with half the demerara sugar. Spoon half the filling in a line down one end of the pastry and then, using the tea towel to help you, roll up the pastry into a sausage shape. Repeat with the rest of the pastry and filling.

7. Gently lift both rolls on to the greased baking sheet and curve into a crescent shape. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with flaked almonds, then bake for 30–40 minutes until the pastry is golden and the apples cooked. Dust with icing sugar and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Slow Cooker Porridge with Apples

So winter has arrived, I think we all can agree. Time for soups, stews, and the favourite of all three bears: porridge. Or "oatmeal" if you are in America somewhere.

I love a good bowl of porridge, but the measuring and cooking are just too much for me to tackle on a school morning, particularly since no one else in my household seems to like eating oatmeal at the moment. When I microwave it, I inevitably flood the dish no matter how high-sided a bowl I choose, and when I cook it on the stove I get a superior product, but the porridge always cooks faster than my favourite topping: apples. I lack the patience to stew them in advance, so they always end up with too much bite left in them. So usually I just settle for muesli mixed with yogurt, as it is quick and has oats too.

But everything has changed now, because at Christmas we were given a new toy: a slow cooker. Yes, everyone I know has raved about them for years, but fearing the clutter one would add to my kitchen, I never felt strongly enough to go and purchase one myself. So I was joyful indeed when the wrapping paper was pulled back to reveal one of these babies on Christmas day. Now I could finally start pinning slow-cooker recipes I would never actually try!

A recipe I had spotted a while back was for steel cut (or "pinhead") oats and apples cooked overnight to make a luxurious porridge. I didn't have any steel cut oats, nor could I find any in my local shops after a quick look around, but I did have rolled oats in my cupboard. I decided these would do, and got together a few things last night:

I still had these cooking apples left from a friend's tree, so I decided to use them for the most flavour. Into the bottom of the slow cooker they went. I was kind of excited about using huge chunks of apple and knowing they would be cooked until they were gorgeously soft.

Then I sprinkled some cinnamon on top.

Then went some brown sugar. I used around 1/4 cup, but could easily have done with less, as there was a lot of sweetness in the apples.

Then on went the rolled oats and a wee bit of salt.

Then a cup of water and a cup of milk.

I switched on the slow cooker to "low" and hoped for the best as I went off to read some Diana Wynne Jones before turning in for the night. So it was just before 10pm when I switched the crock pot on, and around 7am when I returned to its side.

When I first opened the lid in the morning, I panicked. It looked brown and burnt, and was bubbling in a ferocious manner at the edge. In my disappointed state, I took a disappointing photo.

But then I scooped some of it out. Wow. It was amazing. Kind of like a breakfast apple crumble. The top was oaty and chewy, but the apples at the bottom were moist and tender, with normal porridge sandwiched in the middle. Breakfast bliss, I tell you.

So if you do have a slow cooker gathering dust in a corner, I highly recommend you start your mornings this way. I certainly will be doing so again in the future.

Slow Cooker Apple Porridge

2 apples, chopped & peeled (though you don't have to peel them if you aren't up to it last thing at night)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-4 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup water

Layer ingredients in slow cooker in order listed. Turn on slow cooker to "low" just before you hit the hay and enjoy your winter feast in the morning!

French Apple Cake

Ahhh, the holidays...that time of year when you strap your children into fast moving vehicles and hope for the best but expect the worst. 

We travelled down to Bristol, where, despite many threats to the contrary, Father Christmas visited and heaped gifts upon our little people. My husband and I didn't fare too badly, gaining two kitchen appliances: a slow cooker and an ice cream maker. I'm afraid neither of them is going to feature here today, as I have not yet opened the manuals on either of them, but I did get another gift that will appear in this post: apples!

A friend of ours gave us a bag of apples from her dad's garden and told us to put them to good use, so I thought it was time to make a recipe I had made once before: French apple cake. Last time I made it, the result was like a mix between bread pudding and cake, with lots and lots of soft apple bound by the cake mixture. So it was with quite a bit of enthusiasm that I got these things together:

There was butter too, but I forgot to put it in the shot. It was kind of scabby looking butter with remnants of toast on it, so maybe it's for the best that it missed out on this group photo. The recipe called for a greased 8 inch round, removable base cake tin. Last time I used a 9 inch springform instead, but this time I thought I'd try my 8 inch tart tin, as it was closer to the recipe's request. The paper was left over from making cookies a couple weeks ago.

Next I peeled and chopped the apples into fairly sizeable chunks. They smelled kind of funny, almost like playdough, but when I tasted a piece it was fine. Weird.

Then into one container went some flour, baking powder, and some salt. This container is meant to be a separator jug for making gravy (an insert goes in the middle), but I don't like things in the kitchen to only have one use, so I'm using it as a general jug too.

Then into another bowl went a couple of eggs. Having children has meant I have not learned to crack eggs one-handed with my left hand while I juggle a child on my right hip.

The instructions said I should whisk the eggs until foamy. I decided this was foamy enough for me.

Then in went sugar.

Which I whisked while the scissors tried to escape. So THAT'S why they are never in the drawer when I look for them...

In went rum and vanilla.  My son said the rum would make the cake rumdiddlyumptious. I think he's been reading too much Roald Dahl lately.

By this time, an expectant crowd had gathered, with cups of tea at the ready.

So in went the flour mix.

Then some melted butter.

Then flour mix...

Then melted butter...(notice a pattern here?)

Then flour mix followed by the apples.

As you can see, the mix was fairly apple heavy.

I poured it into the tin and quickly discovered that, er, there was a bit too much mix put in. Oh well...I just shoved a tray underneath to catch any overflow (I didn't think there would be a huge rise on it as it is mostly apple).

Sure enough, though there was some spillage, it wasn't a massive amount, so the cake came out of the oven looking like this:

The spillage did mean it wasn't easy to remove the cake from the tin. Well, nothing a good dose of icing sugar can't cover up!

Truth be told, I had slightly underdone it in the middle, in spite of my knife check, but no one seemed to mind. It may have been because I used a bit too much apple - the original recipe called for three "very large" apples, so I used 4 medium large apples and hoped that would be right. So if you try this recipe, do have a good dig round in the middle to make sure it's all done - it would be hard to over-cook this baby, really, as it has so much apple in it to keep it from drying out. 

And tomorrow, I might even attempt making some ice cream. My husband took out the manual and told me I need to chill the maker's bowl overnight before we do, so it is sitting in my freezer now. I have a feeling some ice cream would be very nice with a heated slice of French Apple Cake...

MARIE HELENE'S FRENCH APPLE CAKE

recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan, stumbled upon at Kirbie's Cravings

3/4 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

3 very large apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1-inch chunks

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp rum

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick butter, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line an 8-inch round pan with removable bottom with baking or parchment paper. Wrap the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil.

Sift and whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

Whisk the eggs in another bowl until foamy, then add the sugar. Whisk until smooth and incorporated. Add the vanilla and rum. Mix well.

Alternately add the flour and butter in two batches. Mix well and gently after each addition to have a smooth batter.

Fold in the apples with a spatula. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Since the cake is really moist, it is best to keep it uncovered or lightly covered at room temperature. I have also found out that it tastes better if you heat it quickly in the microwave for a few seconds before eating.

Lasagne Bolognese with a salad of Hazelnuts, Brussels Sprouts, and Apple

Ahhh...lasagne.  Comfort food doesn't come much better than this.

Though admittedly I haven't always been a huge fan.  We never made it in my house growing up, though we did buy various frozen versions of it.  I was served it in cafeterias and at friends' houses, but it was always American lasagne.  Americans like to use ricotta as a layer, a cheese I find unpalatable in texture, too much like paste.  If they don't use ricotta then they use some other cheese like goat's cheese or cottage cheese.  But the baked pasta, the flavourful sauces all made up for this, and I was happy enough to eat it.

It wasn't until I visited my aunt in Australia that I first tried a true lasagne bolognese and was blown away.  Instead of cheese as a layer, you use a bechemel sauce (a white sauce) and the difference for me was astounding.  Everything melted together in one gorgeous whole, and I was in awe.  I asked my aunt for the recipe for the white sauce, for how she came up with the idea to use it and she looked at me as if I was nuts.  "It's just a white sauce!" she exclaimed.

Oh.  Right.  A few months later I was back in the UK and Michael suggested we make some lasagne.  We turned to Joy of Cooking for the recipe and have continued to use the recipe there for lasagne bolognese ever since.  It is a long, laborious recipe, but as it lasts our whole family at least two meals, it is worth it.  We make it about once a month.  I made it yesterday as I needed an easy dinner to heat and give to the kids tonight before guising (what the Scots call trick or treating when they don't want to sound American).

This time I made a double batch of the bolognese sauce, as it is the long, drawn out sauce to make, and paired the lasagne with a salad that uses raw brussels sprouts.  I was doubtful the sprouts would work as a salad, but they really, really did.  I love brussels sprouts in any form, I confess (I even have a song for them which my children now sing too), but it's nice to have lots of different ways to prepare them.

But, first things first, the meat sauce.  As I said, I was doing a double batch so I got everything out.  The meat was fresh out the freezer and most of it was bison from Fife.  It's free range and allegedly leaner than beef, though if you are looking to cut fat out of your diet, this is not the recipe to try.

I put the oil on to heat and threw the bacon in in frozen lumps.  No, I didn't thaw it all the way out first.  Yes, I'm sure it would be better if I did.

Once I had browned it enough for it to smell it tastily browning...

I put in the chopped onions, carrots, and celery.

They were cooked until they'd softened a bit...and I wasn't feeling patient...

So I threw in the 2 big lumps of meat still frozen.  I actually like it going in frozen for this, as you slowly shave off the cooked parts from the frozen parts and it means you don't tend to end up with any accidental large lumps of mince.

Finally everything was looking un-thawed and browned,

So I added wine, stock, and tomato puree.  Not that much tomato goes into a real bolognese sauce, according to Joy of Cooking, contrary to all I'd heard before.

Once that was stirred in I got it all to simmer and added a little milk.

Then I let it simmer for two hours, continuing to add milk every so often, until finally it looked like this.  I froze half, and set the other half aside for the lasagne.

Now for the white sauce.  Nothing too fancy.

So I melted some butter.  Mmm...

To which I added flour.

And stirred it a couple of minutes.

I slowly added milk, stirring, until I had added all that was required, then I threw in celery leaves, carrot pieces, a halved onion, and a couple of cloves.

While stirring it regularly as it heated to just below simmering, I started on the sprouts.  I love them on the stalk, but generally I just love seeing them and all their nutty goodness.

I cut off the ends, and this lady peeled off the excess leaves.

Keep whisking, it's thickening now...

Good, the sprouts were all done...

And the sauce was ready - I strained it to get out the veggies and lose any accidental lumps.

Then to this was added seasoning.  The recipe says to add nutmeg here, but we tend to grate it onto everything as we layer the lasagne.

Now for the spinach pasta - I like to sneak greens in where I can.

Basically I threw it all in the food processor with the dough blade: eggs, thawed spinach, flour, and a bit of salt

And held onto the machine for dear life until it produced this.

Then I let it rest for a while during the school run.  Only a half hour is needed.  It makes it easier to roll out the longer you leave it.  I then divided it into four pieces, one for each layer.


First into the dish went a layer of meat sauce,

Then I rolled out one piece of pasta dough to roughly the size of the dish.  Precision is not essential.

Someone else made their own version.

I transferred the rolled out pasta into the dish.

Then went a layer of meat sauce and white sauce.  My son claims he does not like white sauce, so I stirred them together to change the colour.

Then I added nutmeg, seasoning, and parmesan.

Then another layer of pasta

And another mixed layer, then another set but on top of the final piece of pasta

I just put white sauce and parmesan with nutmeg and seasoning - no meat sauce.

It was all wrapped in foil and put in the oven for 40 minutes.

While it was in there I roasted some hazelnuts.

Then rubbed them in a tea towel to get off most of the skin

And used the food processor to thinly slice the sprouts.  I think the recipe's author was under the illusion that the reader would want to slice these thinly by hand.  Aye, right.

Onto them went some lemon juice and olive oil

As well as these: some thinly sliced apples.  I love apple season.

I then took the foil off the lasagne and put it back in to brown further.

While I put the nuts on the salad

Sometimes I like it a bit more brown than this, but hey, it was good and everyone ate it.  I should have taken a photo of a slice of it, but I was too busy, you know, eating it.  My family got some too.

I'll type up the recipes later, but if you are dying to look at one of them now, the bolognese sauce is here http://joyofcooking.wordpress.com/2007/11/17/bolognese-sauce-ragu-bolognese-page-307/,   I can't easily find the others online just now.

Brussels Sprouts, Hazelnuts & Apple Salad (adapted from River Cottage Veg Every Day)

Ingredients

100g hazelnuts

300g very fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed

juice of one lemon

3 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp thyme

2 tart eating apples 

Method

Preheat oven to 180.  Scatter nuts on baking sheet and toast until fragrant and browned, about 8-10 min.  If they are skin-on, wrap in a clean tea towel then rub vigorously to remove most of skins.  Set aside.

With slicer attachment, slice Brussels sprouts thinly, then place in bowl.  Pour over lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to coat leaves evenly.  

Quarter and core apple then thinly slice in food processor.  Combine with sprouts and toss lightly.   Scatter nuts over the top and serve.

Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients

3 Tbsp olive oil

30g smoky bacon bits

1 large carrot, chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

500g buffalo

175 ml beef stock

160 ml white wine

3 Tbsp tomato puree

375 ml whole milk

Method

Heat olive oil over medium low heat and add bacon.  Cook until it starts to release its fat.

Add veg and soften them, about 5 min

Add the meat and brown it.

Stir in wine, stock, stock and tomato puree.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered, for 2 hours, occasionally adding milk 2 Tbsp at a time until all has been added.  Season to taste.

Lasagne Bolognese

Ingredients

1 batch Bolognese sauce

Plenty of Parmesan cheese

1 batch spinach pasta (recipe to follow)

40g butter

40g flour

875ml whole milk

1 small onion, halved

1/2 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

4 celery leaves

2 whole cloves

Freshly grated nutmeg

Method

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  

Add flour, stirring until well blended.  Cook for a couple minutes.

Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.

Stir in onion, carrot, celery leaves and cloves.

Simmer gently, stirring often, until reduced by one third, about 15 minutes.

Strain the sauce into a bowl and discard vegetables.

Preheat oven to 180

Spread a thin layer of meat sauce over the bottom of the dish.  Cover with a layer of pasta.  Spread a thin layer of bechemel over the pasta and top with a thin layer of meat sauce.  Sprinkle over parmesan and freshly grated nutmeg and top with another layer of pasta.  Repeat the layers, reserving enough bechamel sauce to cover the final layer of pasta.  Loosely cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes

Remove foil and put back in oven to brown.  

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Spinach Pasta

Ingredients

170g frozen spinach

500g plain flour

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

Method

Place flour and salt in food processor with dough blade and pulse to mix.  Squeeze water from spinach and add along with eggs, then pulse until forms a ball of dough.  Add olive oil if needed.  Set dough aside for half hour to rest before rolling out, keeping it covered to prevent it drying out.