Handsome Is As Handsome Does - My Recipe Rotation - Apple Tart

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Sometimes there is more to handsome than a pretty face. As of late, there have been a slew of recipes that produce dishes that look beautiful, but fail miserably when subjected to taste tests. My intent is not to take anyone down, so, rather than focus on the negative, I've decided to shout from the roof tops when I come across a recipe that actually delivers the promises it makes. This recipe, developed by Patricia Wells, is in my permanent rotation and I make it whenever I can. It is making an encore performance on One Perfect Bite because it is so very, very good. As we prepare for our trip to the mountain kingdoms of Asia, I wanted to put together a collection of recipes that I think are outstanding. Some produce gorgeous dishes, others do not, but any recipe that appears in my permanent rotation is delicious and, if you are even slightly adventurous, I know you and you family love them. I wanted to start the month with this magnificent Golden Cream and Apple Tart. Here is what I had to say about the recipe when it first appeared on my blog.

Waist Watchers Special - Apple and Sweet Potato Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This quick and easy soup is simple to make and has the added advantage of being filling, while remaining figure friendly. It is thick and creamy, and because no dairy products are used in its preparation, the recipe may be of interest to those of you are interested in vegan soups. It has gorgeous color and the apples and maple syrup enhance the inherent sweetness of the potatoes, making it a soup that will have special appeal to most young children. The soup can be table ready in 30 minutes, but, whenever possible, I make this the day before I plan to serve it. It's a bit like an engagement. The flavors need time to court and the soup will be at its best if it sits for a day before it's ladled into bowls. This is a thick soup that you will probably want to thin before serving. I also like to add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the pot as it reheats. The vinegar helps balance the inherent sweetness of the soup. This recipe originally appeared in Family Circle magazine and according to their calculations the soup clocks in at 221 calories per serving. That makes it perfect for a soup and salad lunch. Here is how this unusual soup is made.

Curried Apple and Parsnip Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple soup makes a fabulous lunch or first course for a special dinner. I make it several times during the course of the winter because my family enjoys soups that are fortified with curry powder and I find they help ward off the damp chill that is so pervasive at this time of year. It is quick and nearly effortless to make, especially if you have a food processor and immersion blender. Don't be put off by the parsnips in the soup. They are a mildly flavored root vegetable and they blend beautifully with the companion apples and curry powder. So, the next time those North winds start to blow I hope you'll remember this lovely soup. Here is how it's made.

Countdown to Christmas - Apple Cinnamon Yeast Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There will be more cookies to come, but I wanted to take short break from them, so I could share some holiday breads with you before Christmas arrives. This recipe was developed by Bernard Clayton who was a bread guru long before the no-knead breads became so popular. It is not the kind of bread that I normally would experiment with, but a thumbs up review by Moomie, of Moomie's Famous Hamburger Buns, tweaked my curiosity, and before I knew it, I was knee-deep in apples and the aromas of cinnamon and yeast were wafting from my kitchen. While I had some trouble determining when the fragile loaf  was done,  I really like this bread and want to recommend it to those of you who are have some experience baking bread. This would be wonderful for a holiday breakfast or brunch and I know you will enjoy it. Here is how it is made.

Apple Cinnamon Yeast Bread with Streusel Topping...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Bernard Clayton

Ingredients:
Dough
3-1/4 to 4 cups all purpose flour
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup dry milk powder
1-1/4 cups hot warm water (120 to 130 degrees F)
1-1/2 tablespoons shortening
Apple Mix
1 cup apples, chopped into 3/4 inch cubes
1 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped into pea size pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Streusel Topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
Glaze
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1) In a mixing bowl combine 1-1/2 cups flour with yeast, salt, and milk powder. Pour in hot water and stir in shortening. With strong strokes, beat batter 100 times by hand, or for 2 minutes with a mixer.
2) Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, to make a dough that can be lifted from bowl and placed on the work surface. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, for 10 minutes.
3) Place dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside to double in volume, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Place on a floured work surface. Roll and press dough into a square, about 1/2 inch thick. Let dough rest for a few moments. Spread chopped apples uniformly over surface of dough. Pour beaten egg over apples. Add nuts. Sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon. Fold dough into a package. This, by the way,  is the last time there will be any semblance of order in preparing bread.
4) Using a dough scraper or large knife, chop dough with random blows into pieces about 1 inch in size. Uniformity is of no great consequence. When apple dough has been well chopped, toss or scoop pieces into a greased loaf loaf pan, two-thirds full. Cover pan with parchment paper, and put aside to rise slightly above the edge, about 40 minutes.
5) To prepare streusel, combine flour and brown sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle risen loaf with streusel mixture.
6) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake about 45 minutes or until loaf is  a rich golden brown. Test for doneness with a cake tester. If it comes out clean and dry, bread is done. Carefully, turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Bread is fragile while hot and should not be cut for at least two hours, or until completely cool..
7) Whisk together confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a bowl. Drizzle over top of finished loaf and let set before serving. Yield: 1 loaf.

      

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Fresh Apple Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If your holiday menus are not yet set in stone, you might want to consider these light, fresh apple, scones for Thanksgiving breakfast. They are simple to make and a perfect way to begin the long holiday weekend. I make and freeze these, and other scones and muffins, well before the holiday, in order to minimize any interference with dinner preparations that need to be started in the morning.  To serve, I defrost the scones in a microwave for about a minute and then transfer them to a toaster oven to warm and crisp for another 5 minutes or so.  The recipe for these scones is an adaption of one that I found in Midwest Living magazine. If you enjoy soft and cake-like scones, I think you'll be very pleased with the results you can achieve using this recipe. Here is how the fresh apple scones are made.

Fresh Apple Scones...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Midwest Living magazine

Ingredients:
Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar + additional sugar for sprinkling
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup whipping cream + additional cream for brushing tops of scones
3 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup peeled and finely chopped apple
Cinnamon sugar
Glaze
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons orange or lemon juice
1 teaspoon melted butter
1 teaspoon milk

Directions:
1) Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chopped apples. Make a well in center of flour mixture.
3) In a small bowl, whisk together egg, whipping cream and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Using a fork, stir until moistened and a dough forms.
4) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Pat or lightly roll dough into an 8-inch square or circle. Cut into 8 rectangles or wedges.
5) Place scones 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with additional whipping cream and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly golden. Transfer scones to a wire rack. Cool about 10 minutes.
6) Meanwhile, combine confectioners' sugar, juice, butter and milk in a small bowl. Mix well. Drizzle over or ice still warm scones. Serve warm. Yield: 8 servings.

      

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Remains of the Day - Cranberry Kolaches

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you have some time and your holiday leftovers include a cup or so of cranberry sauce, you might want to give this recipe for cranberry kolaches a try. It comes from Taste of Home magazine and the rolls are quite easy to make. While the recipe below is fine, I do have one suggestion for those of you who plan to try them. Finely chop or dice, rather than grate, the apples. The grated apples have a porcupine like mien that I think spoils the appearance of the kolaches. While I often dispense with a glaze on this type of roll, the cranberry sauce is tart enough to warrant its use here. The rolls can be table ready in a bit less than two hours and I think you will enjoy them. Here is how they are made.

Cranberry Kolaches...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
Buns
4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 large egg
Filling
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 cup grated peeled tart apple
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
2) In a saucepan, heat milk, water and butter to 120 - 130 degrees F. Add to dry ingredients beating just until moistened. Add egg and beat until smooth.
3) Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Do not knead. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5) Using back of a spoon, make a 1-1/2-inch wide well in center of each roll.
6) Combine cranberry sauce, grated apple and cinnamon and spoon into each well.
7) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.
8) Combine confectioners' sugar, extract and enough milk to achieve drizzling consistency. Drizzle over rolls. Store in refrigerator. Yield: 18 buns.

      

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Apple-Oatmeal Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These muffins remind me of the ones my father enjoyed. His favorites were made with oatmeal and bran and they were gnarly enough to scare any self-respecting germ away. His pronouncement as he ate them was always, "Now these will grow hair on your chest." Imagine the effect that had on a literal-minded girl child. I was scarred for life, and to this day I can't look at a bran muffin, much less eat one. At any rate, these apple-oatmeal muffins are nearly as gnarly and almost as good for you as the ones my father loved, save for the fact they taste better and do not encourage hair growth. Better still, they are very easy to make. If you are looking for a healthy, fully loaded muffin, I think you'll enjoy these. Here is how they are made.

Apple-Oatmeal Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Good Housekeeping magazine

Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (1 to 2 medium) shredded Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 16 standard muffin-pan cups.
2) In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.
3) In a medium bowl, with fork, beat buttermilk, oil, and egg until well blended; stir in shredded apples. Add apple mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until flour mixture is moistened. Batter will be thick and lumpy. Stir in chopped walnuts.
4) Spoon batter into prepared muffin-pan cups. Bake 23 to 25 minutes or until muffins begin to brown and toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean. Immediately remove muffins from pan. Serve warm, or cool on wire rack to serve later. Yield: 16 muffins.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Pumpkin Sausage and Sage Rigatoni

Two Years Ago Today: Spiced Pumpkin Fudge

Three Years Ago Today: Clam Fritters

Four Years Ago Today: Cranberry Souffle

Winter Apple and Cherry Shortcake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you like the simplicity and down-home goodness of old-fashioned desserts, I hope you'll give this newfangled interpretation of shortcake a try. It pairs fall harvest fruits with spiced biscuit layers to create a dessert that is delicious and well worth the minimal effort that it takes to prepare. The recipe was created for Midwest Living magazine, and their developers took an already simple dish and made it easier still. They paired a canned pie filling with frozen cherries and used the combination to fill and top the shortcake. I made one small change to their recipe. I used 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon oil in place of the vanilla extract called for in the recipe below. I thought the cinnamon flavor was more in keeping with the fall nature of the dessert and hoped it would better mask any tinny flavor that might be associated with the canned apples. You can purchase cinnamon oil on the King Arthur website if you are unable to find it at your neighborhood supermarket. This makes a nice fall dessert, so I do hope you'll grab your can openers and give the recipe a try. Here is how the winter shortcake is made..

Winter Apple and Cherry Shortcake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Midwest Living

Ingredients:
Shortcake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 beaten egg
2/3 cup milk
Apple-Cherry Filling (see recipe below)
3/4 to 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease an 8 x1-1/2 inch round cake pan. Set aside.
2) To make shortcake: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Mix egg and milk in a small bowl, then pour into flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Split into 2 layers.
3) Meanwhile prepare filling using recipe below. Spoon half of warm filling over bottom shortcake layer and top with half of whipped cream. Top with second layer, remaining filling and whipped cream. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Apple-Cherry Filling

Ingredients:
1 (21-oz.) can apple pie filling
1 cup frozen tart red cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
In a saucepan, combine apple pie filling and cherries. Cook and stir mixture till heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Mocha Pudding Cake

Two Years Ago Today: French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon

Three Years Ago Today: Inside Outside Ravioli - Pasta Nudi

Four Years Ago Today: Straw and Hay

Apple and Apricot Pie with Streusel Topping

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a dessert for apple lovers who want to spread their wings. The addition of dried apricots adds a hint of tartness that helps to balance the sweetness of the apples and the streusel topping that are used in the pie. This is not a sweet dessert. I suspect that those of you who are fond of barely sweet European pastries will enjoy this, but if you crave sweets you'll probably be happier with an old-fashioned apple pie. This is an easy pastry to make, but the streusel topping is not the type you fling over a filling. It is more cake-like and must be chilled before it is pinched into small pieces that are used to cover the apple and apricot mixture. I cut my apples into 12 segments and I've found that that is a perfect thickness for the slices used in this pie. At the end of an hours baking, they'll be fork tender and juicy but will still retain their shape. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. If you are not so inclined, I hope you'll at least throw some dried apricots into your favorite apple pie and see what transpires. In the meantime, here are the instructions for this pie.

Apple and Apricot Pie with Streusel Topping...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Pastry for single crust pie
Crumb Topping 
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
Filling
5 large apples (2-1/2 pounds), such as Granny Smith— peeled, cored, quartered and thickly sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup diced dried apricots (2-1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small dice

Directions:
1) Roll pastry to fit a 9-inch pie or quiche pan. Refrigerate until ready to fill. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) To make streusel: Combine butter and sugar in a small bowl. Blend with a fork until creamy. Mix in egg white and almond extract and stir until incorporated. Sift flour and salt into butter mixture and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3) To make filling: In a bowl, toss apples with sugar and apricots, zest, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of flour. Scrape apples into pie shell and dot with butter. Crumble topping over apples leaving some fruit showing so steam can escape as pie bakes.
4) Bake pie in lower third of oven for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 400 degrees F. and bake until topping is nicely browned and filling is bubbling slightly, about 1 hour. If topping becomes too dark, cover with foil during last 20 minutes of baking. Let pie cool completely before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Stir-Fried Broccoli with Ginger and Garlic

Two Years Ago Today: Rhubarb and Raspberry Swirl Brunch Cake

Three years Ago Today: Apple Cider Quatre Quarts Pound Cake

Four Years Ago Today: Cranberry Dressing

Seasonally Simple - Pecan and Fresh Apple Quick Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While I'm still working my way through the stash of apples we collected last weekend, our local farm markets have begun the annual push toward Halloween, their big holiday of the year. In anticipation of the big day, minor events are held on the weekends that precede the holiday. One of them is called the Apple Daze, and this is a time for family's to gather in the pumpkin patches and local orchards to collect produce and fruit samples for their own fall kitchens. We had near perfect weather for the weekend, so activity in the those pumpkin patches and orchards, while normally pastoral, displayed elements of Armageddon this year. The wait for parking and a shortage of pickin' buckets didn't bring out the best in some of the pluckers, so the Silver Fox and I headed to the Loraine Valley for the relative calm of the grape harvest and a glass of wine on the terrace of the King Estate. Once home, I decided to give this apple bread a try. It came together quickly and had a wonderful aroma as it baked, but I must admit it debuted to mixed reviews. One bite nearly sent me into sugar shock, but the Silver fox loved the nutty sweetness of the loaf and actually continues snack on it. I suspect those of you who have an intense sweet tooth will also love this bread. It is a moist loaf and while apples are used, the dominant flavor in the loaf is that of the pecans. For best flavor, toast them before folding them into the bread batter. I hope those of you who enjoy really sweet desserts will give this bread a try. Here is how it is made.

Pecan and Fresh Apple Quick Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Just A Pinch

Ingredients:
Apple Bread
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cup peeled and finely diced granny smith apples
1 cup chopped pecans
Drizzle
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf loaf pan.
2) Peel and chop apples. Cover and set aside.
3) Combine brown sugar with sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Beat on low speed until well blended.
4) Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low until all ingredients are mixed evenly.
5) Fold apples and half of pecans into dough.
6) Scrape dough into prepared pan, patting top down evenly. Sprinkle top of batter with remaining pecans and press them slightly into batter.
7) Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8) Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before removing from loaf pan. Place on a wire rack to finish cooling
9) To make drizzle: Combine brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for about one minute until it thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and drizzle over top of the bread. Yield: 1 loaf - 8 to 10 servings.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Grape Harvest Cake

Two Years Ago Today: Blueberry Yogurt Coffecake

Three Years Ago Today: Georgia-Style Brunswick Stew

Four Years Ago Today: Pumpkin Roll