Spork or Foon?

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

This pie may be the best apple pie I have ever made or tasted.  And I was so excited, because I saw Martha Stewart's Thanksgiving dessert special on the Food Network and on it, she made made a lattice crust.  

It's funny, now whenever I watch Martha Stewart, I can only see Ana Gasteyer playing a topless Martha Stewart on Saturday Night Live, where all of her baked goods were the only things covering her bosom (yes, I just said bosom. It's an underused word in my opinion). It was the 1996 Christmas Episode and now, whenever I watch Martha, all I can picture her is shimmying her shoulders to Jingle Bells. 

This pie doesn't actually have anything to do with Martha Stewart, but hey, it's Christmas, and nothing says Christmas like a topless Martha Stewart. 

Now, I have never made a lattice crustI had the most wonderful photos of this pie, the crisp juicy apples sprinkled with wintery spices and brown sugar, drizzled with the most delicious salted caramel, and then step-by-step photos of how to make a lattice crust.

But of course, my laptop ran out of space and that must have made my camera very upset, because it deleted about 300 of my step-by-step photos (Aren't you glad I didn't subject you to 300 photos of lattice weaving?).  

So instead, look how pretty. 

Ooooohhh. Ahhhhhhh.

This flaky crust blankets soft, tender apples fragrant with cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg and just smells like warmth and happiness, Thanksgiving and Holly all in one.  The sweet, salted caramel adds a wonderfully complex element. And if you want to really go crazy, drizzle some reserved salted caramel right on top of the pie right before serving and top with some vanilla ice cream. I basically forced our Thanksgiving dinner guests to do just that. 

Guest: Hey, Teanna, can you pass me a slice of the pie?

Me: PUT SOME SALTED CARAMEL ON IT!

Guest: Teanna, can I have a slice of the pie?

Me: (plunging the bowl of salted caramel in their hands) SALTED CARAMEL!

It's that good that it makes you want to assualt your guests with caramel. They'll thank you for it.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

click here for a how-to on lattice top crusts. 

For the crust - from Dorie Greenspan's - Baking: From My Home to Yours

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 T) very cold (frozen is fine) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 1/2 T very cold (frozen is even better) vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
About 1/4 cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening care cut into the flour. Don’t overdo the mixing — what you’re aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing the machine on and off, gradually add about 3 tablespoons of the water — add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again and keep going that way. then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn’t look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water as necessary, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Big pieces of butter are fine. Scrape the dough out of the work bowl and onto a work surface.

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling. (If your ingredients were very cold and you worked quickly, though, you might be able to roll the dough immediately: the dough should be as cold as if it had just come out of the fridge.)

To roll out the dough: Have a buttered 9-inch pie plate at hand.

You can roll the dough out on a floured surface or between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a rolling slipcover. (I usually roll this dough out on the floured counter.) If you’re working on a counter, turn the dough over frequently and keep the counter floured. If you are rolling between paper, plastic or in a slipcover, make sure to turn the dough over often and to life the paper, plastic or cover frequently so that it doesn’t roll into the dough and form creases.

If you’ve got time, slide the rolled-out dough into the fridge for about 20 mins to rest and firm up.

Fit the dough into the pie plate and, using a pair of scissors, cut the excess dough to a 1/4- to 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the dough under itself, so that it hangs over the edge just a tad, and flute or pinch the crust to make a decorative edge. Alternatively, you can finish the crust by pressing it with the tines of a fork.

Apple Filling

5 or 6 medium to large apples (a mixture of Granny Smith apples and Cortland is nice), peeled and cored and cut into 1/4" slices

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl to coat fruit. Set aside until ready to use. (My apples got a little watery after setting it aside. This is where I'm supposed to give you blogger-ly advice that this is totally fine - I don't know if it is, but it didn't affect my apples that much. So I guess it's fine :)). When ready to use, toss filling in juices and drain before you put on crust. 

Salted Caramel

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream (room temperature)

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Cook the sugar and water together over low heat until just dissolved. Add the butter and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking at a low boil until the mixture turns a deep, golden brown color, almost copper.
Cook's Note: This process can take awhile depending on the heat source. Keep an eye on it, if the caramel begins to smoke, you've burned it and you'll have to start over.

Once the mixture has turned a copper color, remove it from the heat and immediately add the heavy cream- the mixture will bubble rapidly and steam - be cautious as the sugar will be very hot.

Whisk the final mixture together well over low heat and sprinkle in the sea salt. Set the caramel aside while you prepare the apple filling.

 

To assemble

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Pile apples in chilled pie crust.  Top with crumbled topping.  Bake in oven for 40 minutes.  After 40 minutes, reduce heat to 350 F and bake for another 20 minutes.

If pie is browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil. 

Remove from rack and let cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream (in my opinon :))

Chocolate Cake with Toasted Marshmallow and Malted Chocolate Frostings

I haven't had much time to write, and I have to keep this one short, but I couldn't hold this one back anymore - this cake, also known as a Campfire Cake from Sweetapolita, is RIDONCULOUS.  And it is by far the best looking cake I have ever made.

Soft, incredibly light layers of chocolate cake are layered with a toasted marshmallow frosting (yes, you read that correctly) and then the outside of the cake is frosted with a delicious malted chocolate frosting.

Are you drooling yet?

I had to make some adjustments to the original recipe, adding a bit more powdered sugar to the toasted marshmallow frosting and minimizing the amount of marshmallow fluff that I used on the inside layers. I also made this cake a three-layer cake as opposed to a six-layer cake, because, let's face it, I just don't have enough patience to make a six-layer cake. Especially on Thanksgiving morning, when I made this cake.

This cake is a for reals party stopper. For reals, for reals. 

And as I re-read that sentence, I realize that the term is "show-stopper", not "party stopper".  Who would want a party stopping cake? That would be a pretty crappy cake. 

If you want to check out the cake in all of it's glory, head over to Sweetapolita.  And have some fun around that site - she is unbelievable. 

Chocolate Cake with Toasted Marshmallow and Malted Chocolate Frostings (AKA Campfire Cake) - adapted from Sweetapolita

Rich Chocolate Cake Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup premium Cocoa Powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup strong black coffee 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1.tablespooon pure vanilla extract Method: Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 3 x 8" cake pans with butter and flour or parchment paper. In bowl of electric mixer, sift all dry ingredients. Add all remaning ingredients to bowl with the dry ingredients and with paddle attachment on mixer, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed (you may need the plastic splashguard that comes with mixer) and pour into prepared pans. Batter will be liquidy. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate pans in oven. Cakes are done when toothpick or skewer comes clean--approximately 35 minutes. Try not to over bake. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes then gently invert onto racks until completely cool. Malted Belgian Chocolate Frosting          Ingredients: 1 lb butter (4 sticks or 2 cups) at room temperature 4 cups icing sugar (confectioners’ or powdered) 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup Ovaltine Classic  8 oz premium bittersweet chocolate chocolate, chopped  1/2 cup heavy cream Method: Place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat heavy cream over medium high heat until it comes to a simmer.  Immediately pour over chopped chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.  With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix heavy cream and chopped chocolate until the chocolate is fully melted.  Set aside to cool  In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the icing sugar and butter and beat on low speed for about 1 minute. Add vanilla and malt powder, and beat on low until well combined. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes).  Best used right away. Toasted-Marshmallow Frosting           Ingredients: 16 large white marshmallows 1 1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioners’ or powdered) 1/2 lb butter (2 sticks, or 1 cup) at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 7.5 oz Marshmallow Fluff Method: Place marshmallows on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place on lower rack of oven, and broil marshmallows until nice and brown on top, between 30-60 seconds. Remove pan from oven and gently turn the marshmallows over, and broil until they are golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on them–they burn very, very quickly. Combine butter and icing sugar in electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, on low until blended (about 1 minute). Add vanilla and mix on high for about 3 minutes. Add marshmallow cream and toasted marshmallows, and mix on lowest setting for about 1 minute. To Assemble Place one layer of chocolate cake on a turntable or flat plate and spoon toasted marshmallow frosting on top. Spread evenly to cover layer. Repeat with remaining layers.  Frost with Malted Chocolate Frosting.

 

Eggnog Pumpkin Oatmeal

I'm one of those people that starts celebrating Christmas is September. I wish I could say that I pull out my Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Rat Pack, et al Christmas CDs and dust them off and pop them in my CD player. That sounds so much more romantic. But really, it's 2011. So what I actually do is scroll through my iPhone and press play. 

Sometimes technology ruins nostalgia. 

I'm normally a "decorate the day after Thanksgiving" type of girl, but Jack is really obsessed with Christmas and begged to decorate the day after Halloween.  I had to put my foot down. That was, even for me, just too early. So we comprimised and decided to decorate for Christmas this past Sunday while watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music and drinking eggnog.  

Of course, people feel that it's just TOO early to start celebrating. "Honor Thanksgiving!"  They exclaim. 

So here, is my perfect way to honor the bridge between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Eggnog Pumpkin Oatmeal.

Now, if you've been reading this blog, you know how I feel about oatmeal (hate it).

But this oatmeal may have just changed me forever. 

Wow. I mean, really, just wow. I don't even have words for how good this is. This is so good, I didn't even get a chance to cook it. I just kept eating it, spoonful after spoonful.  I couldn't stop myself. 

I was going to compare it to a Friends episode where Joey doesn't share food, but really, I talk about Friends way too much on this blog. 

Deep pumpkin flavor, fragrant spices, and the taste of delicious creamy Eggnog (how do you describe egg nog's flavor? Really... I just can't do it. Everytime I try to think of adjectives to describe eggnog, all I can say is "It just tastes like eggnog".  So eggnog is now a flavor adjective). 

Make this. Right now. I'm not kidding. 

Pumpkin Eggnog Oatmeal

1 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup Silk Vanilla almond milk (you can use skim if you'd like but I really like the flavor and consistency of Silk Almond Milk) 

1/3 cup eggnog

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

Optional Additions:

Brown Sugar

Dried Cherries

Nuts

To make:

Listen... in all honesty, I don't like hot oatmeal (I know, judge me if you must), so I just combine everything and just eat it. But if you want to cook it:

In a saucepan, combine oats, spices, pumpkin, eggnog, and milk. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix. Put the pan on the burner over medium-high heat.. Cook just till bubbly. Turn the burner to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring now and then. Remove the pan from heat and split into four servings, adding optional toppings. . Serve immediately. 

Cinnamon Sugar Topped Chocolate Swirled Pumpkin Biscotti

I was inspired to make these when I saw a tweet from Kayln's Kitchen about The Perfect Pantry's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Biscotti.  I had leftover pumpkin sitting in my fridge from a recent foray into making my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies  and, really, who can have enough pumpkin and chocolate?

I know biscotti is perfect for dipping into coffee, but frankly, I'm not too much of a fan of hard biscotti.  I usually will only eat the harder biscotti if one end is dipped in chocolate.  And then, I'll just break off the chocolate end and put the non-dipped end back in the cookie pile.

Yes, I am totally that person who eats halves of things and leaves the rest. I'm always trying to watch what I eat, but I can't help it, I love dessert. At office cupcake parties, I would cut out a quarter slice of a cupcake and leave the 3/4 on the table. Whenever I go home to my father's house, the first thing I do is open the cookie jar. He usually has oreos. So I eat half a cookie and throw the other half back in the jar. His cookie jar is filled with oreo cookie halves.

You may say, that's ridiculous Teanna! Yes, it is, but at least it's not like I'm taking the part with the Oreo cream and then just leaving the gross top of the outer cookie there!  I'm a sharer and a carer!

That said, when I make biscotti, I usually try to make a softer, lighter kind of biscotti, and these are those kinds of biscotti. Perfectly tender, with just a small crunch to them, topped with Cinnamon Sugar and swirled with semi-sweet chocolate. These cookies have just the right touch of sweetness, perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizer, side dish, pre-workout, after-workout, midnight snack. 

And they were really supposed to be chocolate chip biscotti and not chocolate swirl biscotti, but I my have chopped the chocolate too finely, because it created this swirl. But it's all how you sell it! Chocolate chip turns to chocolate swirl and it sounds so fun!  Like the sea of swirly twirly gumdrops from Elf! 

Ok I'll stop now. Check out The Perfect Pantry's great recipe as well! 

Ingredients

• 3-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for cinnamon sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, 1/2 tsp nutme, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1 tbsp cinnamon and salt together. 

With a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup white sugar together at medium speed for 3 minutes. The sugars will look crumbly. Add the eggs one at a time and continue to beat for another 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. The dough will be soft and sticky.  

In a separate bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1 tbsp white sugar.  Set aside.

Scrape half the dough onto one side of the baking sheet. Using your fingers and a rubber spatula  work the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. The log will be more rectangular than domed, and bumpy, rough and uneven. Form a second log with the remaining dough on the other side of the baking sheet.  Sprinkle both logs with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet for 1 hour.

Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board and, with a long serrated knife, trim the ends and cut the logs into 1-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet standing up and return to the oven. 

Bake the biscotti for another 20 minutes, or until they are golden and firm. Transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.

Quick and Easy Dinner - Cider Glazed Chicken with Apple Fennel Salad

Here's another quick and easy dinner. Juicy, tender baked chicken topped with an apple cider glaze, accompanied by a side salad of thinly sliced Granny Smith Apples and fennel in a delightful shallot and apple vinaigrette.  A wonderful quick, easy, healthy Fall dinner. 

Wow, is that really all I'm writing today? You must be thanking the stars above!  Don't get used to it! I've got some doozies coming up! :) 

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 lb. total)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple
• 1/2 small shallot, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed into a powder, or Dijon Mustard
• 5 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 cups mixed baby lettuces
• 1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced lengthwise with a mandoline or sharp knife

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper; set aside. Cut 1 small slice from apple; finely chop to make 1 Tbsp. minced apple. Transfer minced apple to a small bowl. Add shallot to bowl. Whisk in 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar and mustard. Let mixture macerate for 10 minutes. Whisk in 3 Tbsp. oil; season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.

 Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until cooked through, 12–14 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, reserving skillet; set aside.

 Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add cider, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan; boil until liquid is reduced by half, 2–3 minutes. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. vinegar. Remove pan from heat and swirl in butter. Season cider sauce with salt and set aside.

 Thinly slice remaining apple and transfer to a medium bowl; add lettuces and fennel. Drizzle some vinaigrette over, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Divide salad and chicken among plates; spoon sauce over chicken.

 

 

 

 

 

Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad

This is an incredibly quick and easy salad that is going to result in an incredibly quick and easy post (I swear!)

This salad takes all of 5 minutes to make and is definitely going to make an appearance at my Thanksgiving dinner this year. The crisp kale, shaved brussels sprouts, toasted almonds, and sweet, chewy bing cherries coated with a delicious vinaigrette with hints of mustard and lemon make an incredibly dynamic salad that serves as a side or a meal. 

Did you know that Kale is a cruciferous vegetable?  I have no idea what that means, but I bet it means crunchy. 

Actually, I just looked it up and apparently it means "bearing a cross" or "belonging to the cruciferae, the mustard family of plants".

I like my definition better. 

I know, you're bored by all of this science talk. It's like the Friends Episode "The One that Could Have Been" where Monica's boyfriend talks about nuts.

Monica's Boyfriend: Yeah. Y’know, the hazelnut actually not a nut, it’s a seed.

Joey: (not impressed) Wow!!

Monica's Boyfriend: Can anyone else name a well known seed that’s been masquerading as a nut?

Joey: Oh dear God, let me think. (Starts to sarcastically think about it.)

Monica's Boyfriend: Y’know what honey? I got to get back to the hospital.

Monica: Okay.

Monica's Boyfriend: (kisses her) Okay.

Monica: Bye.

Monica's Boyfriend: Bye-bye. (Gets up to leave.) Oh uh, by the way, the answer is, the Brazil nut. (Exits.)

Chandler: Was his question "What’s more boring than him?"

OK, I need to stop quoting Friends for everything in my life. But it's just always so apt! 

Click Here for the recipe! 

 

Funfetti Cake

I don't know if all of the other bloggers out there deal with the same thing I do, but whenever someone is tasked with picking out a cake for my birthday, they always try to pick out some fancy, gourmet cake with fruit or some strange flavor combination, when all I really want is a good, Carvel Ice Cream Cake. Extra crunchies.  

My friends and I at my last job would always find a reason to order ice cream cake. National Middle Child Day? Ice Cream Cake.  Martin Luther King Jr. Day? Ice Cream Cake (complete with photoshopped Birthday Hat on MLK and his speech playing in the background). National Speak Like a Pirate Day? Well... we actually didn't have time to get the cake that day, but we wanted to, complete with asking the person at the counter to write "Arrrrrrrr" on the cake. 

Needless to say, I miss those days of wreckless ice cream cake eating. 

A few months back, one of the members of our Carvel Cake Clan (I just made that up), got a new job, and for her goodbye party, we of course got ice cream cake, but then we needed something else. So I offered to make this funfetti cake. 

For some reason, I was very nervous about making this cake. You see, there is a reason why the Funfetti cake box mix is so popular. Because it's freaking AWESOME. Why reinvent the wheel when something is so perfect?

But I wanted to be different. I typically don't ever use box mixes for anything (unless they are cake balls - it allows me to eat them faster) so I didn't want to use a box mix for this. 

I used my go to white cake recipe and then threw a ton of sprinkles in it. Most recipes call for 2 or 3 tbsp, but I went big and doubled that. I knew that was probably a bad idea... but I just couldn't stop myself. I love sprinkles.

I popped the cake in the oven and allowed it to bake.  The smell of sugary sprinkles baking filled the air. I started to get nervous. I've never smelled sprinkles before. I flicked on the oven light and saw a tie dye of rainbow sprinkles atop the top of the cake.  I got nervous that the sprinkles were caramelizing and melting into the cake, but I let the cake finish baking. 

Luckily, although the top of the cake was somewhat frightful, the rest of the cake was wonderful. Light, airy, and speckled with a colorful rainbow of wonderfully bright jimmies. 

Topped with some vanilla frosting, decorated with more sprinkles, and then grab your party hats people, it's cake time. 

I didn't get any cut shots of the cake, because I was worried that people would judge me if I was taking photos of my own cake in the conference room, but let me just tell you, it was beautiful. 

And you know what's amazing? Funfetti cake topped with Carvel Ice Cream Cake. Watch out now. Now it's a real party. 

Funfetti Cake 

Cake recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated (I also made a 3-layer cake, but this recipe is for a 2-layer cake.  To add the 3rd layer, increase ingredients by 1/2)

2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), plus more for dusting the pans 

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature 

6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces) 

4 teaspoons baking powder 

6 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

1 teaspoon table salt 

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool

Set oven rack in middle position. (If oven is too small to cook both layers on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions.) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray the paper rounds, dust the pans with flour, and invert pans and rap sharply to remove excess flour. 

Pour milk, egg whites, and extract into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended. 

Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining. 

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Add sprinkles. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer. 

Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. (If oven is small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion to allow for air circulation.) Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. 

Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Layer cakes with vanilla frosting, frost outside and decorate as you wish! 

Vanilla Frosting Recipe

1 cup butter, softened

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

In a bowl combine butter, sugar and salt. Beat till blended.

Add the milk and vanilla and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.

Caramel Lemon Meringue Cake

I made this cake so long ago, that I can hardly remember anyhting about it besides that fact that it is TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME.

Like, super awesome. 

Yes, it's time consuming. But man, is it totally worth the work.

I have nothing funny to say about this cake... because I can't remember my experience with it. I do remember that I made it with the full intention of bringing it to work, but for some reason I didn't, which meant that I had this bad boy in my fridge for a few days, which was so bad, because I just kept taking slivers.  That's what I do. I take tiny slivers. So then, for me, it doesn't count in my calories. It makes me feel better about myself. But sometimes, I lose my willpower and instead of taking one sliver, I take 5. (See: Funfetti Cake Balls). But this cake REQUIRES you to cheat. Because it is damn delicious.

I never thought to combine lemon and caramel in a cake, but it totally makes sense.  Creamy lemon curd, complex, sweet rich caramel nestled in between fluffy layers of chiffon cake and a luscious meringue topping that wows. This cake is a total showstopper. 

The best part is torching it with a creme brulee torch. People love that stuff. It's like Beavis and Butthead "Fire, Fire... heh heh... Fire".

Ugh... can we just talk about Beavis and Butthead? I hated it in the 90s and I hate it now. Why must they be back in my life???

 

Check out this great step by step on Crumbly Cookie

Lemon Meringue Cake (from Tartine, by Elisabeth Pruett and Chad Robertson)

Makes a 10-inch round cake

I made ⅓ of this recipe and divided the batter between two 6-inch pans. I cut each layer in half to create 4 even layers. Mark has the recipe amounts for an 8-inch cake.

Chiffon Cake:
2¼ cups (11.25 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ cups (10.5 ounces) sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
1½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
10 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line the bottom of a 10-inch cake or springform pan with 3-inch sides with parchment paper cut to fit exactly; don’t grease the pan.

Sift together the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add 1¼ cups (8.75 ounces) of the sugar and the salt and whisk to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Make a well in the flour, add the yolk mixture, and then whisk thoroughly and quickly for about 1 minutes until very smooth.

In another large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy, then add the cream of tartar and beat on medium-high speed until it holds soft peaks. Add the remaining ¼ cup (1.75 ounces) sugar slowly while beating on medium-high speed until the whites hold firm, shiny peaks. Add a third of the egg whites and fold into the yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in the rest of the whites until just combined.

Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing the top if necessary. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once completely cool, run a thin knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake an then release and lift off the pan sides. Invert the cake and peel off the parchment.

Caramel:
⅔ cup heavy cream
¼ vanilla bean
1¼ cup (8.5 ounces) sugar
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
¾ teaspoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Pour the cream into a small, heavy saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape the seeds from the pod halves into the milk. Place over medium-high heat and bring to just under a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low to keep the cream warm.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, salt, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then cook, without stirring, until the mixture is amber colored, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

The mixture will continue to cook off the heat and become darker, so make sure to have your cream close by. Carefully and slowly add the cream to the sugar syrup. The mixture will boil vigorously at first. Let the mixture simmer down, and then whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Cut the butter into 1-inch chunks and add to the caramel one at a time, whisking constantly after each addition. Then whisk the caramel periodically as it continues to cool.

Lemon Cream:
½ cup + 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
¾ cup (6 ounces) sugar
pinch salt
16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter

In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine the lemon juice, eggs, yolk, sugar, and salt (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Whisk them together constantly until very thick, or 80°C (180°F) on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and let it cool down until warm to touch (60°C or 140°F on a thermometer). Place the lemon cream in a blender and with the motor running, add the butter in small pieces. Allow to cool completely. (You may refrigerate it, but allow to come to cool room temperature before using.)

Lemon Syrup:
⅓ cup water
⅓ cup (2.5 ouncs) sugar
⅓ cup lemon juice

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Transfer to a cool bowl, let cool for a bit, then chill for half an hour. Stir in the lemon juice.

Assembly:
Split the chiffon cake horizontally into four equal layers. Place one layer on your serving plate (which I lined with wax paper around to cake) and moisten evenly with ¼ of the lemon syrup. Spread ⅓ of the caramel over the cake, then ⅓ of the lemon cream. Repeat with 2 more layers, using up the remaining caramel and lemon cream. Top with the fourth cake layer and moisten with the remaining lemon syrup. Cover the cake completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

Swiss Meringue:
7 egg whites
1¾ cup (12.25 ounces) sugar
pinch of salt

In a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt and whisk until the whites are hot to the touch, about 120F, about 5 minutes. Beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick and holds stiff, glossy peaks.

Unmold the cake and spread the meringue all over. Use a spatula or a spoon to create dramatic swirls. Using a propane torch if available, scorch the meringue, blackening the tips and swirls.

 

The Most Glorious Brown Sugar Apple Crumble Pie

Please forgive me - I never got a final photo of this pie. So you're getting the "raw" version - quite literally. I'm still trying to work out my blogging kinks.  You'll see why... I have some ridiculously odd posts coming up.

Two ago, I had my family over to our previous apartment. The one with a stove that is the size of half of a stove, that was on a slant and whose temperature was at least 25 degrees higher than what I set it at... and I never quite knew what I set it at because the numbers on the dial were faded.  But that is the beauty of living in Manhattan, right? Crappy rental kitchens?

Well, I wanted to make my family a delicious apple crumble for dessert. It is my father's favorite dessert, and I love it too. I make the crust from scratch and it turns out beautifully. The apples, cooked ever so nice and tender, nestled inside of the crust smelled sweet with brown sugar and cinnamon. I dusted the top with crumble. For some reason, I was never good at making crumble, and this time was no different. It glopped on top and didn't look right. But I forged ahead.

Fast forward to 40 minutes later, and the apartment reeked of burning sugar. I opened the stove only to see my apple crumble crumbled. The crumble somehow melted and crusted over, the crust burned. My father looked at it and laughed. 

"That's apple pan doody!"

I looked at him - "What???"

"Apple pan doody! Haven't you ever heard of apple pan dowdy? Well, that's apple pan doody!" He said, his shoulders bouncing up and down as tears of laughter ran down his face as he cracked himself up (which he does often).

Well, I've never heard of Apple Pan Dowdy, but I got the point.

A few months later, I tried again, trying to prove myself to my father, with the SAME result. Burned crust, atrocious crumble.

He shook his head. "Apple Pan Doody", he said, smiling. 

Well, Jack and I bought our first place back in August.  A beautiful 2-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side that has a full, albeit narrow, kitchen, with a full stove! A real, live full stove!!! That cooks at the right temperature! Glory of glories!  With a timer on it!  No more setting my iPhone timer! This stove has TWO different timers! HOLLA!

So I tried one last time. If I didn't get it this time, I didn't think I'd ever get it at all.

Well, the pie went in beautifully. And it came out, even more beautiful than when it went in. I never got an "after" photo... but WOW was this good. I decided to serve it with homemade vanilla ice cream.

But unfortunately, my ice cream never froze. There is something wrong with my ice cream maker - and I think because there is something wrong with my freezer (which froze itself shut for 3 weeks because the ice maker made too much ice, creating a glacier in my freezer - something I guess SubZero's do.). So I served my beautiful apple pie with vanilla... sauce?

I guess you can't win them all. 

Brown Sugar Apple Crumble

 For the crust - from Dorie Greenspan's - Baking: From My Home to Yours

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 T) very cold (frozen is fine) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 1/2 T very cold (frozen is even better) vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
About 1/4 cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening care cut into the flour. Don’t overdo the mixing — what you’re aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing the machine on and off, gradually add about 3 tablespoons of the water — add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again and keep going that way. then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn’t look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water as necessary, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Big pieces of butter are fine. Scrape the dough out of the work bowl and onto a work surface.

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling. (If your ingredients were very cold and you worked quickly, though, you might be able to roll the dough immediately: the dough should be as cold as if it had just come out of the fridge.)

To roll out the dough: Have a buttered 9-inch pie plate at hand.

You can roll the dough out on a floured surface or between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a rolling slipcover. (I usually roll this dough out on the floured counter.) If you’re working on a counter, turn the dough over frequently and keep the counter floured. If you are rolling between paper, plastic or in a slipcover, make sure to turn the dough over often and to life the paper, plastic or cover frequently so that it doesn’t roll into the dough and form creases.

If you’ve got time, slide the rolled-out dough into the fridge for about 20 mins to rest and firm up.

Fit the dough into the pie plate and, using a pair of scissors, cut the excess dough to a 1/4- to 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the dough under itself, so that it hangs over the edge just a tad, and flute or pinch the crust to make a decorative edge. Alternatively, you can finish the crust by pressing it with the tines of a fork.

Apple Filling

3 lbs granny smith apples, peeled and cored and cut into 1/4" slices

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl to coat fruit. Set aside until ready to use. (My apples got a little watery after setting it aside. This is where I'm supposed to give you blogger-ly advice that this is totally fine - I don't know if it is, but it didn't affect my apples that much. So I guess it's fine :)). When ready to use, toss filling in juices and drain before you put on crust. 

 

Crumble Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oats (I used Quick Cooking Oats)

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until topping becomes nice and crumbly. 

 

To assemble

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Pile apples in chilled pie crust.  Top with crumbled topping.  Bake in oven for 40 minutes.  After 40 minutes, reduce heat to 350 F and bake for another 20 minutes.

If pie is browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil. 

Remove from rack and let cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream (in my opinon :))