Wishing You a Sweet New Year!

Frances Maggin's Applesauce Cake - the recipe comes with a great story!

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown on Wednesday. It is a time of joy and anticipation, as well as an opportunity for consideration and reflection.

It's traditional to usher in the new year with apples and honey and other treats, in hopes of a sweet new year. So here are some of my favorite holiday recipes, which I hope you'll enjoy - for Rosh Hashanah, for breaking the fast after Yom Kippur, to celebrate fall, or just 'cause ... :)

Shanah Tovah! [shah-NAH toh-VAH]


Frances Maggin's Applesauce Cake

Pomegranate Molasses-Glazed Carrots

Helen's Apple Cake (Craig's mother's recipe)

Southern Honey Cake

Apple Almond Kugel (one of my most requested recipes)

Challah

Cider-Braised Chicken (Jeremy's favorite chicken dish)

Quince-Glazed Baked Yams

Honey Cakes with Caramel Frosting

Sauteed Apples a la Mode

Applesauce Bars

Vanilla Cakes with Caramelized Bananas (pictured above)

Sugar Cookies

Banana Oatmeal Pie

Grilled Brie with Cherries and Almonds

Orange, Date and Almond Salad

Frugal Floozie Friday - The People's Food Co-op

It's Ann Arbor Veg Week, so it made perfect sense to feature The People's Food Co-op today. It's an Ann Arbor institution which offers many creative and delicious vegetarian and vegan options both for dining in and for take-out. There are so many, many ways to eat well here while staying within our mandatory Frugal Floozie Friday budget of $5 per person.

As pictured above, there is an entire array of salads, vegetables, pastas, and other dishes to choose from, all charged by the pound so you can select smaller or larger servings and prices to suit your appetite and/or your finances.

I picked one of my favorites, the Sesame Cashew Noodles that are cooked perfectly and offer great spicy flavor, paying only $2.66 for this generous serving. Since the Co-op is part grocery store, part buffet, part deli, and part coffee shop (Cafe Verde), I was able to wander to the produce section and select a lovely organic Braeburn apple to complement my entree; it cost 80 cents. The miniature chocolate bars normally cost $1.29, which would have taken my total to $4.75 if I'd been shopping at a different time; but I happened to be at the Co-op on a day when the treats were on a 2-for-1 sale, which made this an even better deal! So I was able to purchase a nutritious, wholesome meal for a quick take-out - and even a luxurious dessert - and still stay within our limited budget.

You could also choose potato chips, available for only 99 cents; and Blue Sky sodas, if you want something to drink besides water, cost 79 cents. A large bowl of soup can be enjoyed for only $3.99, or a cup costs $2.75. Large handmade cookies tempt you for only $1.99. There are countless ways to mix 'n' match a meal for $5 or less.

The co-op offers Fair Trade, organic, and locally-sourced items, as well as cooking from scratch; so whatever you choose will not only taste good but do good, as well.

Cafe Verde, the coffee shop connected to the co-op, offers coffees, teas, juices, and a beautiful assortment of baked goods and pastries for varying prices. If you're looking just for a luscious treat - particularly if you are on any sort of restricted diet (vegan, gluten-free, allergies, etc.), you will likely be able to find an option. The co-op is very careful and conscientious about its ingredients and about everything it sells. (And when it's not Veg Week, feel free to choose some of the meat-based selections, as well.)

At any time, The People's Food Co-op can be a wonderful local resource for good food and good prices.


The People's Food Co-op
216 N. Fourth Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-994-9174

Store:
Monday - Saturday: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Food Bar:
Salad & Soups: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily
Hot Bar: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. weekends

Cafe Verde:
Monday - Saturday: 7 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.



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A is for Apples ... à la Mode

Just a lovely little thrift shop find. Left it there after taking this picture, went back the next week and brought it home; it was waiting for me ... :)

French Apple Tart

For Jeremy's recent birthday, Craig very sweetly gave a gift not only to Jeremy but also to me, since I played just a bit part in the reason for the festivities ... :)

He gave me a cookbook - one of my very favorite things, of course! Simca's Cuisine was written by Simone "Simca" Beck, who co-wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking with the beloved Julia Child. The book "gives us her own cuisine in delectable recipes ... arranged in menus for every occasion."

I selected a recipe from the section entitled "Un Diner à la Compagne" [uh dee-NAY ah lah cohm-PAHN-yuh] - A Dinner in the Country. The apple-almond tart Simca recommended serving for dessert was perfect for my Tu B'Shevat [TOO bay sheh-VAHT] dinner, celebrating the Jewish New Year of the Trees.

Trees are very important in Judaism, as is tikkun olam [tee-KOON oh-LAHM], which is "repairing the world." Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai even taught the following lesson: "If you have a sapling in your hand and someone tells you the Messiah has arrived, first plant the sapling and then go out to welcome the Messiah." Planting trees is a means to providing food, shelter, and many other benefits to both current and - especially - future generations.

And so, on the 15th day of the month of Shevat (on the Hebrew calendar), it is customary to eat fruits, particularly those which come from trees. Many people partake of a seder, a formal celebration, in which ritual foods are eaten; these include fruits with an inedible shell, those with an inedible inner pit, and fruits with no shell and no pit.

Thus, this beautiful French tart with almonds, apricots, and raisins, as well as apples, combines traditional representative foods in one lovely, sweet, delicious dessert. It was perfect for the holiday, and would be ideal at any time that a simple but sophisticated dessert is needed.

On a completely unrelated note: in the past I've mentioned my fixation upon the Bocuse d'Or, the bi-annual culinary "Olympics" which took place in France last week. Here are the final results, for those who weren't parked in front of their computer screens obsessively watching the streaming presentation of meat and fish platters while sipping their morning coffee before work!

Best Promotion: Guatemala
Best Poster: Hungary
Best Commis ([coh-MEE] = assistant): Kristian Curtis, United Kingdom
Best Fish Platter: Norway
Best Meat Platter: United Kingdom
Bronze: Japan (the commis was in tears ... it was so sweet!)
Silver: Denmark (gold medalists in 2011)
Gold: France (they almost feel it's their birthright to win this, so they're very happy!)


French Apple Tart
(slightly adapted from a recipe in Simca's Cuisine by Simone "Simca" Beck)

Crust:

• 1-1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/8 cup shortening, at room temperature
• 2-3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and salt. With a fork, mix in butter and shortening until mixture resembles meal. Stir in 2 tablespoons water with the fork, until the dough starts to form a ball. Add water by the tablespoon if more is needed. Form into a ball, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Filling:

• 1/3 cup Solo Apricot pastry filling
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup whole almonds, ground fine
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 2 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, grated
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• ice cream, for serving (either vanilla or rum raisin would be ideal)

Roll dough out into a 12" circle and place into a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom (or into a 9" pie pan). Press dough into the bottom of the pan and up against the sides, then trim dough even with edge of pan. Spread apricot filling over bottom of crust, then refrigerate while making filling.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Stir in the ground almonds and the raisins. Stir in the grated apples, then pour filling into the prepared crust.

Place the tart pan onto a larger baking sheet, to catch drips, then bake for 20 minutes.

Prick the tart all over with a fork, then pour butter over the top of the tart and let it seep into the filling. Raise oven temperature to 375F, then bake for 15 more minutes until tart is golden and set.

Let cool completely, then remove rim from tart pan. Place tart onto a platter and serve with ice cream.

Makes 12 servings.

 
Tomorrow, by the way, is World Nutella Day - yay!!! So here are some recipes to choose from, for your celebration:

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love Tart

Peanut Butter Pancakes with Nutella Sauce

Banana Nutella Cake with Coffee Glaze

Krispy Kreme Peanut Butter Dream Sandwich

Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

Brown Sugar Apple Pie for Inauguration Day

What dessert could possibly be better for Inauguration Day than one that's as American as apple pie?

It's even being served at today's official post-Inaugural lunch, which is offering the following dishes on its menu:

Steamed lobster with a New England clam chowder sauce

Grilled bison with a potato horseradish cake and a wild huckleberry reduction

Apple pie with sour cream ice cream

Cheese and honey

Whether your candidate won or not, it's time to move beyond partisanship and show up for the food. And to remember that, even if our favorites don't always win, we still have the privilege of being able to make a choice. That alone is worthy of a celebration!

And so, here's a simple pie sweetened with brown sugar and a bit of cinnamon - traditional and delicious. You, too, can eat like the dignitaries who have been invited to the party in Washington, D.C.!

Brown Sugar Apple Pie

Filling:

• 5 pounds Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1-1/2" chunks
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons butter

Place all ingredients into a large saucepan, stir to combine well, and bring just to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 10 minutes 'til just tender, stirring once halfway through. Let cool while preparing crust.

Crust (slightly adapted from a recipe on Epicurious.com):

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup shortening, at room temperature
• 5-6 tablespoons (or more) ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and shortening, mixing with a fork until the mixture resembles meal. Add 5 tablespoons ice water, mixing until the dough starts to adhere and form a ball, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if still dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces, one a bit larger than the other. Form each piece into a ball; flatten into disks and wrap in plastic. Chill for 30 minutes.

Pie:

• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 425F.

Take one portion of crust and roll to a 12" circle. Place into a 9" pie pan.

Pour filling into crust.

Roll remaining portion of crust into a 12" circle. Lay over pie filling, trim edges (leave a 1" overhang), fold edges of top crust under bottom crust, then crimp to seal. Cut small slits into the top of the pie.

Combine egg and water, and brush egg wash over the top pie crust. Sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake pie for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 350F and bake for 10-15 more minutes until filling is starting to bubble and crust is golden. Remove from oven and let cool.

Makes 1 pie.

Brandied Apple Cranberry Compote

This was a concoction that simply struck my fancy one evening, when I had a bag of cranberries left over from Christmas and some beautiful green apples. It was cold out, and it just seemed right to make a lovely warm fruit compote.

This can be eaten "as is" (which, admittedly, is how I polished off every bit of it without sharing). It can be stirred into oatmeal. It can enhance roasted pork or chicken. Wrap it up in squares of puff pastry and make turnovers.

The choice is yours ....

Brandied Apple Cranberry Compote

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries

Place apples and butter into a small saucepan; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes until apples are tender and cranberries have burst.

Makes about 1 cup of compote.

Sausage-Apple-Yam Shepherd's Pie

It is incomprehensible to me, but my son - yes, Jeremy, who's usually such a cooperative eater - doesn't like Shepherd's Pie. It has all his favorite foods in it: meat, gravy and, particularly, mashed potatoes. I often top it with grated cheese. He hates it. What's a mother to do???

Make a variation on the theme, that's what. Use breakfast sausage, chopped apple, cider, and sweet potatoes ... et, voila! One of Jeremy's favorite dishes of all time!

Yeah, technically a "shepherd's" pie is made with lamb. But there's still ground meat for a base, there's gravy, and there's a kinda-sorta mashed potato on top. This dish is sweeter, though, more colorful, and a nice twist on tradition.

Now, this isn't technically a Hallowe'en recipe: there's no candy corn, and there are no spider webs made out of frosting. But the topping is orange, like a pumpkin! So, since "Trick or Treat"-ing comes on Wednesday and you might still be seeking ideas for your dinner or a party, I thought I'd offer this dish as well as some links to previous posts about the festivities:

Jack-o'-Lantern Pizza
Hallowe'en Dipped Marshmallows
Sweet 'n' Salty Caramel Corn Mix
Jack-o'-Lantern Cheeseburgers

Sausage-Apple-Yam Shepherd's Pie

• 2 very large sweet potatoes
• 1 pound breakfast sausage, hot or mild
• 2 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2" dice
• 3 large scallions, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• generous sprinkling freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups apple cider
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425F. Prick sweet potatoes, then bake for 90 minutes until very tender. Let cool until you can handle them.

Place sausage into a large saucepan; break up sausage and cook it over medium heat. When sausage is half done, add apples and scallions; saute for 5 minutes, then add salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until apples are tender.

Meanwhile, melt together butter and cornstarch. Slowly add cider, stirring it into the butter mixture until incorporated before adding more liquid. Once all the cider has been added, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

Place the sausage mixture into a casserole dish, then stir in the cider gravy.

Cut the sweet potatoes in half, then scoop out flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash sweet potatoes, then spread over the sausage. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Serves 6-8.

Whole Grain Pancakes with Spiced Apple Syrup

I love to bake on Sunday mornings, or to make special breakfasts. It's often the only day I don't have to be up, out the door, doing something, accomplishing something. It a time when I can luxuriate, not just grab some salami slices to go with my coffee or rush around trying to get ready on time.

This past Sunday, I debated whether to bake a coffee cake or whether to make something that I could eat more quickly, since I woke up hungry. Needless to say from the photo, speed of preparation won! Pancakes just sounded good, and adding a lovely autumn touch with the apple syrup only made the meal more delicious.


Whole Grain Pancakes with Spiced Apple Syrup

Syrup:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 large Honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored, cut into 1/3" dice
• pinch of cinnamon
• 2/3 cup maple syrup

Place the butter, water, apple, and cinnamon into a small saucepan; bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low. Cook 8-10 minutes, until most of the water has been absorbed. Add the syrup and turn heat to low; keep syrup warm while making pancakes.

Pancakes:

• 1 packet instant oatmeal, Maple & Brown Sugar Flavor
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 1 egg
• squirt of lemon juice

In a medium bowl, combine oatmeal, flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together half-and-half, egg, and lemon juice; let rest for 1 minute, then pour over dry ingredients. Let batter rest 1 minute.

Brush a large skillet or griddle with butter, and turn heat to medium-high. Drop batter by the 1/4-cupful and cook until top is covered with small bubbles; carefully flip and cook 2-3 more minutes until done.

Serve pancakes with warm syrup.

Makes 8 pancakes.

Frugal Floozie Friday - Beezy's Cafe

Jeremy and I had a lovely lunch recently at Beezy's, on a beautiful fall day. I hadn't been there in ages, so it was good to have a chance to eat there again.

We were given a tremendous greeting by Jesse, who was wonderfully welcoming and friendly. In just the few minutes it took to place our order, we exchanged names, discussed fashion and thrift shops, and had a grand time!

Jeremy chose the Roasted Chicken Club sandwich for $6.95: "Sliced Amish chicken breast with bacon, tomato, red onion and spring greens with blue cheese pesto mayo."

The sandwich is huge and can easily be split, even among two hungry people. Jeremy - a 21-year-old male, among the world's heartiest eaters - could only finish half of it. And if you buy two bags of Michigan-made Better Made products for 99-cents each, this lunch would, indeed, be "all that and a bag of chips" for two people while staying within our mandatory Frugal Floozie Friday budget of $5 per person.

The air was just crisp enough (for me, anyway, since I'm always cold) that it warranted soup. So I ordered a bowl of the Creamy Chicken and Garlic soup for $3.50. As you can see, it was thick and rich with huge chunks of meat and carrots. Warm and delicious, this was a perfect antidote to the slight chill.

I also ordered a small Washington Street salad for $4.95; this offered "greens tossed in maple vinaigrette and topped with sliced roasted Amish chicken breast, sliced apple, raisins, and spiced pecans." In other words, it offered sweet and savory, tenderness and crunch, a variety of tastes and textures all on one plate.

Beezy's offers a number of options for vegetarians, and each of the salads is available in a small portion for less than $5. They promote Michigan products like the chips mentioned above, as well as Faygo sodas. The Redpops Jeremy and I each ordered were bright and fruity, and just seemed the perfect choice to complement our lunches.

For friendly service, good ol'-fashioned wholesome food, and a genuine feel for community - both in terms of being a gathering place and a supporter of both Ypsilanti and Michigan - Beezy's is the place to go!

Beezy's
20 N. Washington St.
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
734-485-9625
Monday - Saturday: 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.



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Applesauce Pie

My friend Marcy Bishop Kates, of Incu-Bake - her commercial kitchen which rents space, and provides love and support, to an extended family of fabulous food producers - posted on Facebook recently about an applesauce pie. She thought it looked intriguing for fall.

I love applesauce pie, just love it! Sweet, spicy, fragrant, delicious ... I hadn't made it in ages, and had practically forgotten about it. For shame!

This is a deceptively simple recipe that appears to be fairly ordinary; but it is so lovely, so perfect for the season. This pie can be made on the spur of the moment when a craving strikes, or would make an ideal treat during Sukkot (which began last night), for Thanksgiving, or "just 'cause" ....

Applesauce Pie
(slightly adapted from Marcia Adams' New Recipes from Quilt Country)

• crust for a 9" pie
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.  Place the crust into a 9" pie pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk in the butter, applesauce, and vanilla. Pour filling into crust, and bake pie for 40 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. The filling will puff up while cooking, then deflate upon cooling.

Serves 12.

"The Kosher King of Ann Arbor"

I recently had a fabulous time talking with Emil Boch, chef/co-owner of From the Hearth Food - a catering service offering kosher, vegetarian and vegan dishes - and chef at the University of Michigan Hillel during the school year.  I'd heard only raves about the food Emil serves, including such stellar accolades as this one, from Jeannie Ballew of entre-SLAM:


"I truly can't say enough of this man's cooking.  It is ethereal, other worldly, intoxicating.  He uses only the freshest locally produced ingredients and produce and just seems to have a magical touch with every dish he prepares."

Wow.

So many people I know, from friends to acquaintances, were offering such extraordinary compliments about Emil's cooking - simple lunches at Hillel, take-home Shabbat dinners, catering options for special events - that I simply had to meet this man!

A native of Ortonville, Michigan, Emil is a proponent of the Slow Food movement and its dedication to sustainability, local sourcing, organics, and traditional handmade foods.  He engages in cheese making and charcuterie in his spare time, and received specialized training in Europe to further his knowledge of these hand crafts.  As the bio on his catering site states, Emil "draws inspiration from flavors of India, Latin America, France and Asia, but his style would be best described as New American."  Emil is influenced by many cultures and foods, and brings all of these together to create his own fabulous cuisine.

My friend Donna Shewach, one of Emil's most avid devotees, states that "Emil's cooking can be summed up in two words: simply delicious!  Everything he makes - from soups to main dishes, sides to desserts - is packed with flavor.  His creative use of seasoning and spices from all over the world make his dinners unique and irresistibly delicious ... always innovative and memorable."

Like so many others who are tremendously creative, Emil is a former art student; one of the reasons he left the art community, though, is because he felt he couldn't give up his pieces because of a deep "emotional attachment."  His high level of commitment now finds itself invested in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti community - good friends with many other restaurant and brewery owners, a regular chef at Selma Cafe breakfasts, and a volunteer with local food and farm projects.  From the Hearth Food will once again be one of many sponsors at this month's entre-SLAM, a networking event for entrepreneurs, being held at 7 p.m. this Thursday, May 31 at LIVE Ann Arbor (click here to register).

Emil was raised vegetarian and his mother cooked many ethnic foods, so he's well versed in specialized diets and a wide variety of flavors.  Although he's not Jewish, which enables him to work at Hillel during times when work is forbidden to observant Jews, Emil is considered "the Kosher king of Ann Arbor" for the inventive and distinctive dishes he has created in accordance with the dietary laws, as well as for his updates of traditional dishes.  (He can either cook in a home kitchen or in the Hillel kitchen, to certify kashrut standards.)

As Donna, an avowed foodie who keeps kosher, tells me: "When he catered dinner at my home, Emil was wonderful at accommodating all of our dietary preferences, including his delicious vegan dishes that the omnivores enjoyed too."  She also notes that while "Emil's dinners are exceptional by anyone's standards ... if you happen to keep kosher it's an added bonus" that this chef is skilled at preparing meals that go so far beyond the familiar chicken dinner or brisket.  Emil likes to serve "frat boy portions" that are extremely generous, which is great because Donna says "you’re going to want leftovers to enjoy the next day."

Emil is warm, friendly, and immensely likable - if his parking meter hadn't been on the verge of running out, we may very well have kept talking for another hour about everything from Jewish cuisine to the Pixies.  I normally need a flow chart to follow my own tangents, and Emil's quick thinking and gregarious nature even put me to shame!  Not only would you enjoy the food he prepares, but he would be wonderful to work with in planning an event, as well.

Emil very generously shared two different Jewish-influenced recipes: the Carrot Ginger Kugel pictured below and one for Home Cured Salmon, both of which would be perfect for light summertime meals.  From the Hearth Food's website also gives sample menus, to give an even better overview of his abilities and offerings.

You could prepare these dishes yourself, of course.  But as Emil says, because of his very small "family-type business," when you hire him you're "directly supporting" him and his wife and those he hires for events, rather than any large entity or corporation.  So why not let Emil cater a summer event - small or large scale - so you can taste for yourself the amazing dishes that Ann Arborites are so enamored of?


Chef Emil Boch
FromtheHearthFood@yahoo.com
734-645-7308

Easy Carrot Ginger Kugel

4 cups finely chopped carrots, peeled (5-6 medium-sized carrots)

1 cup finely chopped apple, peeled and cored (approximately 1 large apple)

1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

6 eggs

Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease a 9" round cake pan with butter or oil.

Process carrots and apple in food processor until finely chopped.  Add all other ingredients and process until well mixed, fluffy, and foamy.  Pour mixture into prepared pan(s) and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool slightly and serve warm, or chill overnight and serve cold.

Home Cured Salmon

1 whole side of salmon, 2-3 lbs

1 cup kosher salt

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 tablespoons pink peppercorns

1 tablespoons lemon zest

1. Place your salmon filet on a cookie sheet.

2. Rub filet on both sides evenly with the salt, sugar, lemon zest, and spices.

3. Place in a ziplock bag or "brining bag" and place in the refrigerator for up to 24-48 hours, turning over every 12 hours.

4. Rinse the salmon of all of the seasoning and pat dry.

5. Brush lightly with olive oil and garnish with fresh dill and tarragon.

Food and Fun at IKEA

My first trips to IKEA, I have to say, were less than stellar; I am on record as actually having called the place "a circle of Hell that Dante never envisioned."  The crowds, the noise, the lack of windows, my utter inability to navigate without getting lost, having been bored while accompanying others on missions of their own ... oy.  IKEA, to me, was nothing but a source of stress.

But then my friend Sassa, a native Swede, invited me on a food tour; she wanted to show me the fabulous items she'd grown up eating.  Sassa is intensely - and justly - proud of her country's cuisine, which showcases the beauty of fresh, simple ingredients and lets their flavors shine without a lot of complication.

Well, an opportunity for food, fun, and friendship?  Of course I accepted!

And so Sassa, my BFF Wendy, and I went on a Girls' Day Out to IKEA, the primary importer of Swedish foods in this area.  And you know what?  I had a fabulous time!  IKEA is now a place where I can truly say I've enjoyed myself - it has been redeemed!

Wendy saved our table - yes, we managed to find a free table in the cafeteria on the weekend! - while Sassa and I gathered up some goodies.  Some of the items, like hot dogs and french fries, were there solely to appease American children; we had no use for them.  Other items, however, were authentically Swedish and thus found their way onto our trays.

Sassa recommended the gravlax - salmon marinated in salt, sugar, dill, pepper, and spice - which came with a thick and tangy mustard-dill sauce and a light salad.  It was rich, meltingly tender, and deeply flavorful without being overpoweringly "fishy."  Wendy is not usually a fan of fish, but even she was won over by the subtlety and luxury of the dish.  (And as a side note, this could even have been a Frugal Floozie Friday feature given that the gravlax cost only $4.99.  The entire rest of our meal - a sweet treat plus beverages - totaled less than $5 as well.)

Our dessert was a fragrant apple cake.  Its shortbread crust was tender and almost bread-like, rather than resembling crumbly cookies; and the apples were sweet, spicy and just crisp-tender (with a bit of extra emphasis on the "tender").  Sassa pointed out that it's typically Swedish to serve a light vanilla sauce as an accompaniment to cake, rather than serving ice cream as is done in the U.S.  I was polite and shared with my friends, but must admit that I probably ate two bites of this for every one that they did!

Lingonberries are a beautiful red fruit with a tart flavor that is somewhat reminiscent of cranberries; they are most noted for being made into jam, but at IKEA there is also a ruby-colored lingonberry-flavored juice drink that is sweet and very refreshing.

Another drink that is classically Swedish is a beverage made with elderflowers, which come from the elderberry tree.  It came in a juice box and was very lightly flavored - almost a bit like a lightly brewed, sweetened green tea.  It was unique and distinctive, and yet also not entirely unfamiliar.  Sassa told us that it's common to take a bunch of elderflowers and soak them in lemon and water for three days before straining the liquid and bottling it.  She said that the tree's berries aren't typically used until after the first frost, which then intensifies their sweetness when cooked into a syrup.

After our light lunch, we meandered through the store a bit admiring the simple beauty of Scandinavian design, the vibrant colors of household accessories, and the inexpensive pricing that seduces a shopper into buying a little of this ... one of those ... oh, and that too! ... because it's all just so enticing and accessible and aesthetically distinctive.  This was the first chance I'd really had to peruse and investigate, rather than being on a single-minded mission.  And it was fun!

But our primary purpose was to learn about the food, and so we then found ourselves in the small grocery section tasting chocolate samples, inhaling the fragrance from the famous cinnamon rolls, and listening to Sassa offer us the proper and beautiful pronunciation of glögg [glOOg] - the famous spiced wine punch.

Sassa told us that the anchovies from back home are distinctly different than the ones available in the U.S., so I made sure to buy a can of them.  (Just as it is with the rest of the items in the store, if you meander around the grocery section of IKEA your head spins as you see 83 different things you want to get!)  The anchovies are a critical ingredient in many dishes from Sweden and - of course! - I intend to try a few new recipes.  Scandinavian shrimp are sweeter than what we usually have access to, so a bag of them came home with me as well.

A mix for a beautiful, dense, dark brown bread was available; all I needed to do was add water to the carton, shake vigorously, let it rise a bit and then bake it.  This is not my usual m.o., but it was admittedly much easier than hunting down the rye flakes, linseed, and barley malt I would have needed to make my own authentic multigrain loaf.  The bread's slightly sour flavor was exceptional when served simply with sweet creamy butter; combining it with the lovely Ost Lagrad cheese, which is firm and also a bit sour, made an ideal breakfast the next morning.  (Needless to say, I'd rushed home from the store and immediately baked the bread so I could play with my new ingredients and enjoy my treats!).

I couldn't leave the store without a jar of the famous lingonberry jam.  And although it's not pictured (I'd already opened the vacuum-sealed bag), I bought some espresso to use in the wonderful new machine Jeremy gave me for Christmas, because coffee is an essential part of Swedish culture.  Sassa told us that coffee parties are a lovely social gathering at which it is traditional to serve seven different types of sweets, from pastries to cookies.  In the past, it was the quaint social custom that a guest would be invited to partake of the goodies three times before finally succumbing to temptation; it would have been considered rude to leap in any sooner.

Many, many thanks to Sassa, who was a most charming hostess, for the grand tour of Swedish foods!  I came, I saw, I ate, I learned, and I had an absolutely wonderful time!

The Lunch Room's Pie Party

The Lunch Room, a vegan food cart that is part of the fabulous courtyard array at Mark's Carts here in Ann Arbor, held a pie party last Wednesday evening to share samples of eight new dessert offerings.  The owners and staff have been incredibly busy during the off-season, devising new treats and temptations for their customers to enjoy once the cart re-opens on April 1.

The moment I saw on Facebook that there was an opportunity to sign up for the event, I staked a claim to two spots - one for Jeremy and one for me.  Of course, I didn't tell Jeremy that I was going to feed him a vegan meal; I merely invited him to eat pie for dinner!

The festivities were held in the normally spacious kitchen where the Mark's Carts vendors prepare their food.  But 60 lucky revelers were crammed into the room, happy and hungry, so the space was a bit cramped.  People sat on a few chairs and benches, stood in corners, and even sat on the floor; two of our hosts very sweetly brought stools for Jeremy and me to sit on as they watched us trying to balance our trays on our knees.  Because these were good, kind people who wanted to support a local business and celebrate the beauty of pie, everyone was gracious and cooperative.  It was a truly festive and friendly atmosphere!

But you're ready for me to tell you how wonderful the goodies were - I know!  So let me give you the tour of my tray, clockwise from top left:

- Apple-Raisin Cream Pie: The generous pieces of tender apple were perfectly complemented by the raisins, whose sweetness shone through a very light custard.  The streusel topping infused each bite with a hint of spice.  Zehnder's of Frankenmuth holds an annual contest for the best apple pie in Michigan, and Jeremy stated without hesitation that he believes this one could win it all!

- Key Lime Pie: #2 on Jeremy's list of favorites, the sweet-tart custard was blissfully free - as one would expect of a vegan pie featuring wholesome ingredients - of artificial colors or flavors.  The brightness of the citrus was intense and refreshing.  It pains to me to say that Jeremy doesn't ordinarily like citrus desserts - including one of my very favorites, lemon meringue pie.  But he loved this!

- Strawberry and Kiwi Tart: Jeremy's favorite, featuring luscious fresh fruits, a perfect crumbly shortbread crust, and a rich almond-flavored custard.  The piece shown above does not, unfortunately, do justice to how gorgeous the dessert looks when first presented, with the colorful fruits arrayed like the stained glass in a cathedral's rose window.  One could say that the tart was too beautiful to cut, but it was even better to eat it than to admire its physical attributes!

- Cherry Pocket Pie: Featuring gorgeous bright red fruit and a beautifully flaky crust, this was a delicious sweet-tart treat showcasing the fabulous cherries that our state is so proudly known for.  This adorable square of pastry tied for first as one of my very favorites, and would be perfect packed in a lunch bag or a picnic basket.

- Sweet Potato Pocket Pie: Sweet and spicy, with a filling that was mostly smooth but still offered texture from tidbits of perfectly tender sweet potato, this hand-held pie was substantial and filling and delicious.

- Berry-Ginger Pocket Pie with Lemon Glaze: My other favorite, showcasing intensely colored fruits that were perfectly enhanced by the brightness of the lemon glaze.  The flavors were so vivid!  And one thing I particularly liked about the pocket pies was the charm of their rustic beauty, as the generous fillings seeped out of the tender crust and teased with just a hint of the delicious promise within.

- Chocolate Banana Cheesecake: Dense and rich, the banana flavor shone through and was ideally complemented by the chocolate.  As a native New Yorker, I prefer my cheesecake to be drier rather than pudding-like; The Lunch Room got the texture just right.

- Chocolate Raspberry Tart: Sultry and seductive, with a sharpness from the raspberry flavor shining through the richness of the chocolate custard, this tart was creamy and decadent.

Our charming hosts for the evening were The Lunch Room's owners Bill Shea and Phillis Englebert, who had worked tirelessly with their staff to prepare for the party and yet were vivacious and enthusiastic all evening.  They offered warm welcomes, huge smiles and big hugs for everyone.

I offer rounds of applause to Bill, Phillis, The Lunch Room staff, and everyone who played a part in the pie party.  Jeremy and I can't thank you enough for welcoming us to eat pie for dinner ... and wonderfully delicious pies, too, which had clearly been made with great care and love.

Until April 1, when we can indulge in all of your wonderful dishes and baked goods again!

Sauteed Apples à la Mode + Giveaway Winner

So, who won the Hodgson Mill certificate that I offered as a giveaway last week???

Well, on Sunday morning at 8:05, I counted entries. I plugged numbers into Random.org's Sequence Generator, and out rolled #7. (Chris, of Nibble Me This, offered a great suggestion for capturing the results. But I don't use Firefox and I'm a Neoluddite technodolt, so we're still doing the cheap copy/paste method ... sorry!)

Random Sequence Generator
Here is your sequence:

7

And who is Seven, other than a character on "Star Trek: Voyager"???

The Domestic Diva - Mazal Tov!!!

I wish I had enough certificates to give to everyone, 'cause it would have been fun to play Santa! But alas ....

So now, on to the food!

I was in the mood for something apple pie-ish the other night, but didn't want the crust from a pie. I also didn't want to wait for something to bake; I needed immediate gratification.

So I essentially cooked up something reminiscent of a pie filling, and I plopped an incredibly generous scoop of butter pecan ice cream on top of it ... because I'm worth it!

In about 10 minutes - less time than it would have taken me to drive to the grocery store to get my fix - I was able to create a warm, fragrant, homemade dessert featuring beautiful fall apples in a rich caramel sauce.

Is there anything better on a chilly evening?

Sauteed Apples à la Mode

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 Honeycrisp apples, cored, peeled, cut into 1/2" dice
1/2 cup caramel ice cream sauce
2 scoops butter pecan ice cream

In a medium skillet, melt the butter and the vanilla together over medium heat. Add the apples and stir to coat them with the butter. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the apples are just tender. Uncover the skillet and stir in the caramel sauce; cook for 1 minute.

Divide the apples among 2 serving dishes and top with the ice cream. Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

Frugal Floozie Friday -- Kilwin's

Today's Frugal Floozie Friday post features the consummate, classic Fall treat - caramel apples from Kilwin's.

These aren't just any ol' caramel apples, made with little cellophane-wrapped squares ... nope. These are hand-dipped into caramel that has been tended in copper kettles, from the original recipe developed by Don Kilwin himself.

To their credit, Kilwin's uses Granny Smith apples, whose tartness perfectly complements the sweetness of the caramel, which tantalizes with just a hint of butterscotch. The texture is perfection - firm enough to adhere to the apple, soft enough to bite or cut directly into the sublime treat without resistance.

The apples that are dipped into nuts are just over our mandatory Frugal Floozie Friday budget; but the plain ones - a term which is woefully dismissive of a truly luxurious indulgence! - are a perfect $5.

I walk by the windows at Kilwin's on a regular basis, gazing at the beautiful rows of caramel apples each time; they are lined up in formation, ready to go to a good home. It is easy to be seduced by them when you see them in their beautiful simplicity. And once you've eaten one, you'll want to return again and again and again ....


Kilwin's
107 East Liberty Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-769-7759



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Apple Almond Kugel for Rosh Hashanah

My friend Debbie Vanni at The Culinary Cellar very graciously invited me to write a guest post for Rosh Hashanah. Thank you, Debbie, for the fabulous honor!

So go visit her fabulous site devoted to recipes and cookbooks, and you'll find us celebrating the new year and reviewing the past one while sharing a sweet treat: Apple Almond Kugel. 'Cause it's not a Jewish party without kugel, after all - a traditional creamy noodle pudding with a crunchy, cinnamony topping.

I've baked a lot of kugels over the years, but Jeremy told me that this is "the best one you've ever made!" Pretty high praise ... :)

Shana Tovah!!! [shah-NAH toh-VAH]

May you have a sweet new year!

Note: Debbie plans to post the recipe tomorrow, for the first full day of Rosh Hashanah. If you must see it now, check it out on AnnArbor.com ... but still be sure to visit Debbie and say "hi!"

The Saga of the Broken Apple Tart

'Tis the season to pick apples, fa la la la la la la la la. Whether you pick them at an orchard or at a farmers' market or at a grocery store is up to you. But you must pick them!

And while there are lots of cobblers and crisps and applesauce in all of our futures after we pick our apples, I thought I might make something a bit more elegant and also use the tart pan I just found again after moving last month.

I made a Caramel Apple Tart ... sigh.

Of course, I have to admit that my cooking venture with the apples didn't start out as a tart; my original plan was to make dairy-free caramel apples for my co-workers, one of whom has a dairy allergy. But the caramel was too hard, and became too brittle to bite into.

So I smashed the caramel off the apples and melted it with a bit more of the non-dairy milk substitute I'd used in making the original batch. I poured the now-liquid mixture into a greased pan, refrigerated it, and hoped to cut it into soft caramels.

But ... the ingredients separated and the greasy butter substitute rose to the top, coating everything in a layer of slime. It was pretty disgusting! (Remember, just 'cause I write about food doesn't mean that everything I make is a success! We all have our trials, our errors, our experiments, our humiliations ....)

So, then, after venting in frustration as my plans had gone so significantly awry, I still had apples to use up.

Et, voila! An apple tart!

I contributed some caramel sauce and some leftover streusel topping from a different baking project to the cause, and thus was able to clear some items out of my refrigerator while also redeeming my afternoon of kitchen adventures.

And the tart turned out beautifully - gorgeous, with tender apples coated in sweet caramel.

My ego was restored!

That is, until I tried to slice the tart for its photo op. I just didn't have any "mazal" - luck - with my apple ventures on this particular day. Each time I tried to cut a piece, the back crust crumbled or the bottom crust only came up partially from the pan ... oy! Sometimes it's easier to just go to the grocery store!

But once again, I pulled a proverbial trick out of ye olde hat. I simply scooped up the crust, filling and topping and plopped some onto a serving plate. A never-unwelcome scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, and ... voila!

I present to you an elegant French dessert which will now be known as Tarte Cassée de Pomme [tart cah-SAY deh POHM]: Broken Apple Tart.

Broken Apple Tart

Tart:
1 pie crust, at room temperature
8 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4" slices
2/3 cup caramel ice cream sauce

Streusel:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup cookie crumbs (from Nilla wafers or graham crackers)
1/2 ounce sliced almonds
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place the pie crust into a false-bottomed tart pan (or a pie dish). Press crust into the bottom of the pan and up the sides; use a knife to trim excess dough.

In a large mixing bowl, combine apple slices and caramel sauce; pour into the crust.

In a small bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients; sprinkle over the apples.

Place the tart pan onto a larger baking sheet because the caramel sauce seeps a bit, and bake for 50 minutes until top is golden and the apples are tender when pierced with a knife.

Let cool to room temperature, then try to serve it in slices. When it won't cooperate, simply scoop it up, place it on a serving dish, and offer it with ice cream or whipped cream ... and no explanations of what its original incarnation was supposed to be!

Makes 8-10 servings.

Caramel Apple Crisp Pie ... Oh, My!!

Two weekends ago, WEMU/89.1 FM in Ypsilanti -- where my friend Jessica Webster, head of the Food & Drink page for AnnArbor.com, is a DJ on Sunday afternoons playing "jazz and stuff" (as she once phrased it) -- was holding a pledge drive. (They still need to raise $300,000 to meet their Fall fundraising goal, so any contributions would be most gratefully appreciated; click here to donate.)

Somehow, before Tom and I tuned in, Jessica and others in the studio with her at the time had started a discussion of listeners' favorite pies. Well, that was easy -- Caramel Apple Crisp Pie! I had already been planning to make one, so the idea had been swirling around in my brain. First of all, it's just the proper thing to do in the Fall; but also, Tom is not an apple pie fan (gasp!), so I had to bake this in order to redeem the treasure that I believe the dessert to be.

Tom and I made a pledge to help the radio station, and I claimed Caramel Apple Crisp Pie -- combining a trifecta of desserts: apple pie, apple crisp and caramel apples -- to be my very favorite. It's apple crisp baked in a pie crust, topped off perfectly with a drizzle of caramel sauce ... an idea to which I give full credit to Jeremy, who suggested it several years ago in a moment of sheer brilliance.

And so, then it was necessary to bake this glorious specimen ... and bake I did. If I'd been at home rather than at Tom's, I'd have added a bit of cornstarch and a touch of cider to the apple mixture, then cooked it on the stovetop to give it a bit of a gel to bind the filling together better.

But since I didn't have either of those ingredients with me, I made it according to the instructions given below and that means the apple chunks have a bit of a tendency to fall out of the crust. Oh, well ... it hardly impacts the flavor, only the aesthetics. It's still luscious and sweet and slightly spicy and just wonderful!

So if you're tired of plain ol' apple pie, I invite you to bake this one. It's quick, it's easy, and it's absolutely divine ... :)

Caramel Apple Crisp Pie

1 crust for a 9" pie pan

Filling:
1 3-pound bag apples
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Topping:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 packet instant oatmeal (I used Maple Nut)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
6 ounces caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 425F. Place crust into a 9" pie pan.

Filling: Peel, core, and chop the apples into 3/4" pieces. Place into a large bowl and mix together with the sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Place the apples into the pie crust and dot with the butter.


Topping: Combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, oatmeal and walnuts in the same mixing bowl that you used for the filling ('cause there's no reason to wash extra dishes, right???). Spread over the apples. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the top of the pie.


Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F and bake for 30-40 minutes more until apples are tender when poked with a knife. (There's a lot of variation for this last step, depending upon the type of apple used, the juiciness, etc.) Check on the pie mid-way through the baking; if the topping is getting too dark, cover it with a piece of foil.


Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

(Entering this recipe into the Kitchen Corners November Cook-Off: "I Love Apples.")

Shanah Tovah! (Happy New Year!)

Rosh Hashanah -- the Jewish new year -- begins tonight at sundown. This is my favorite holiday of them all, and I celebrate everything from Hallowe'en to National Peanut Butter Cookie Day!

Tonight represents not just the culmination of my chaotic summer at work, preparing for the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement on September 18). It is a celebration of both the completion of another year and the anticipation of a new one. What have you accomplished since the first of Tishri in the year 5770 (according to the Jewish calendar)? What goals do you have for this year, 5771? How have you, as a person, evolved? What have you contributed to the universe, both positive and negative?

Whereas New Year's celebrations in the secular world are all about football and hangovers and Dick Clark, in Judaism it is a time of both joy and introspection. There is a brief moment each year -- right before I leave work with everything completed to the best of my ability -- that I cherish. The white curtains have been hung in the Sanctuary, covering the ark that holds the beautiful Torah scrolls. Flowers have been placed by the bima ([BEE-muh] = altar), and 1000 empty seats (pews as well as rented chairs, since the High Holidays lure in folks who don't set foot in a religious institution all the rest of the year) await crowds of well-wishers.

Tonight will be full of song and celebration and lots of treats at the reception after services. People will dip apple slices into honey -- and the dish pictured above is my own apples 'n' honey serving dish -- in hopes of enjoying a sweet year. There will be grand festivities!

But in that brief moment I just mentioned there is only peace in the Sanctuary, where I sit alone and literally find sanctuary from the final hectic preparations. I always take a few moments to just assess where I am, how I got here, where I hope to be going. I offer thanks for the blessings I have received throughout the year, and am always grateful to realize how very many there have been even if I didn't necessarily register them at the moment they arrived. I offer thoughts of regret for my multitude of transgressions throughout the past year, always hoping that I will do better the next. And then I take a deep breath and go back out into the world, anticipating the excitement of the evening.

I wish you all a happy and hearty Shanah Tovah [shah-NAH toh-VAH] -- a very sweet new year ... :) May you be showered with blessings and abundance!!!