A Kitchen Keeper Original - Cran-Apple Cream Cheese Pound Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While we have another warm spell ahead of us, fall is here. Its first signs appeared in late August when the angle of the sun changed and we no longer had direct sunlight on our deck. Summer's passing caused a momentary sadness, but my nesting instinct kicked right in, and rather than mope, I headed out to stock fresh supplies of cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. I've been so busy that we missed the cranberry harvest in Bandon, but thanks to the u-pick orchards outside of town, I have apples and pears and sugar pumpkins in a quantity that would feed a small third world country. The cake I'm featuring tonight is a personal favorite and it will be made several more times before our rains begin in earnest. It is a pound-type cake, but it has a richness that eludes most cakes of its type. It is a moist, fragrant cake that has a fine crumb and texture that is velvety on the tongue. Save for the chopping, it has the added virtue of being simple to make. I do have one caution to share with you. Pan size is important here. Whatever pan you use, fill it no more than 2/3 full. You have been warned. I used a bundt pan tonight, but my preference is to use a long pullman loaf pan when I bake the cake. Unfortunately, my favorite pan is on loan this weekend and I had to make do with a 12 cup bundt pan and a small bread pan to hold overflow batter. The choice and my preference is aesthetic and has nothing to do with the taste of the finished cake. I prefer neat slices of equal size because I think it makes for a prettier presentation at the table. You may prefer to use a bundt pan. I do hope you'll make this one. It is drop dead delicious and will have your socks going up and down. Really! Here is how it's made.

Apple Pecan Pancakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you are looking for something simple to serve on Christmas morning, you might want to consider these pancakes. They lack the eye appeal needed for a company breakfast, but if you'd like to treat your family to something that is out of the ordinary, you might want to give these delicious pancakes a try. They are simple to make and the recipe, which, by the way, can be cut in half, is straight forward and easy to follow. I have, however, encountered one small problem with the batter as it cooks. It contains a lot of sugar and that, coupled with the shredded apples, means the pancakes can burn or char easily. I suggest you use an electric griddle or keep the heat under the skillet you use for stovetop cooking at a moderate level to prevent that from happening. Despite their raggedy appearance, the pancakes are delicious and I know your family will enjoy them. Here is how they are made.

Tossed Salad with Crisp Apples, Candied Walnuts and Cranberry Vinaigrette

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Tucked in among the fancy and time consuming dishes that appear on my Christmas table, you will find a few that are nearly effortless to prepare. This salad is one of them. It uses bagged salad greens and sundry ingredients that can be purchased or made well ahead of time. I prefer to make my own candied walnut because I can control their sweetness, but you can buy excellent candied nuts in any large grocery store. If you'd like to make your own, my recipe can be found here. The cranberry vinaigrette adds wonderful color to the table and it is tart enough to clear a palate that may have been sampling too many rich appetizers. Given my druthers, I'd prefer to serve the salad at the end of the meal, but I've learned, the hard way, I might add, that not everyone subscribes to the French way of doing thing, so, if we have guests at the table, salad starts the feast. I individually plate this salad and bring it to the table with dressing drizzled over the greens. That preserves their lovely color and assures that everyone gets a fair share of the components that make the salad special. I do hope you'll keep this recipe in mind, if not for Christmas, then perhaps for another occasion. Here is how this colorful salad is made.

Norman Cider Chicken

From the Kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a lovely dish to serve on a cold winter night. It combines the sweetness of apples with savory mushrooms, heady brandy and cream, and if you close your eyes very tightly, you might have visions of skipping through a Norman orchard at apple blossom time. My recipe is very loosely based on the classic bistro favorite, Poulet Vallee d'Auge, but it's much simpler to make. It was originally a slap-dash creation that I threw together for a family dinner back in the day when I was working and we still had a full compliment sitting at the table.  I don't want to mislead any of you who have had the authentic dish. I've taken shortcuts aplenty, but I think even Francophiles will enjoy this quick and simplified version. The recipe is self-explanatory, but I wanted to share a couple of tips with you. Whenever I make this dish, I make it a point to have all the chopped ingredients the same size. While it may be a personal quirk, I don't like to mix strips and cubes in dishes such as this one. I think it makes even cooking very difficult and the finished dish looks confused. For quick braises such as this one, I like to use 1-inch cubes for everything save the shallots. While I prefer to use heavy cream or crème fraîche in the sauce, half-and-half can be used if you are concerned with fat grams and calories. Hard cider is used in most classic versions of this recipe. That can be difficult to come by at this time of year, so I use a combination of brandy and cloudy cider and that works pretty well. I also peel the apple cubes I use in the dish, but I add them in two parts, once when the chicken cooks and again when the chicken is re-warmed in the sauce. I suspect the reason those chefs of old did not peel the apples was to prevent them from dissolving in their long-simmering sauces. My two-step method uses half the apples for the sauce, while the remainder are used to add texture to the finished dish. This cooks very quickly, so watch it carefully to avoid overcooking the chicken. The chicken can be served with rice or noodles, but these days I prefer to serve it with potato pancakes or rösti. I think the potatoes add a lovely counterpoint to the sweetness of the chicken. I hope you'll give this uniquely flavored dish a try. Here's the recipe.

Norman Cider Chicken...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 cup quartered white mushrooms
1 large sweet apple, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes to yield about 2 cups
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken cut in 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoon brandy (preferably apple-jack or Calvados)
1 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon
1 cup cloudy cider
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until they soften and color slightly, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they soften. Add half of apples and toss to coat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and turn heat to medium-high. Add chicken to pan and cook, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add brandy and return pan to heat. Boil until brandy nearly cooks away, about 1 minute. Transfer chicken mixture to a plate with a slotted spoon.
2) Add cider and chicken bouillon powder to pan and cook until mixture become syrupy, about 2 minutes. Return chicken and accumulated juices to pan. Dissolve cornstarch in cream. Add cream, tarragon, remaining apples and cider vinegar to pan. Bring contents of pan to a simmer, reduce heat and cook gently for 5 minutes longer or until chicken is heated through. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Braised Kale with Pasta

Two Years Ago Today: Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte

Apple and Escarole Salad with Blue Cheese and Toasted Hazelnuts

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a terrific salad to serve with pork or ham. I found the recipe in Fine Cooking magazine this past summer and I thought it would be a perfect addition to our Thanksgiving meal. It was. The few changes I've made to the recipe are simplifications rather than outright changes, and, if you share my penchant for salads, I think you'll want to give this one a try. The salad plays bitter against sweet and begins with a layer of apples that are lightly dressed with a mustard vinaigrette. The apples must be one of the sweeter varieties because no sugar is used in the salad or its dressing, and a touch of sweet is needed to balance the bitterness of escarole and the bite of blue cheese. I'm able to purchase hazelnuts that are already chopped and toasted and that allows me to completely bypass the second step of the recipe below. While many of you are unable to purchase hazelnuts, I've found that chopped and toasted almonds can be used as a substitute. I've also discovered that feta  can replace blue cheese when it is necessary. The dressing for the salad can be made hours before you plan to use it, but the salad should not be tossed until you are ready to serve it. As with all leafy green salads, it's best to put the dressing in the salad bowl before the various elements of the salad are added. This prevents the salad from being weighed down by the dressing and makes for a prettier presentation. I don't like sopping salads, so I only use half the dressing suggested by this recipe. This is an easy salad to make and I hope you'll give it a try. Here's how it is made.

Apple and Escarole Salad with Blue Cheese and Hazelnuts...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Fine Cooking magazine

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces whole shelled hazelnuts (about 1/2 cup), toasted and skinned
1 pound (about 2 large) sweet apples best enjoyed raw (such as Fujis or Galas), quartered, cored, and sliced into thin wedges
1 large head escarole, torn or cut into bite-size pieces (about 6 cups)
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced length-wise (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1) Whisk vinegar, shallots, mustard and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Whisk in oil in a slow and steady stream until incorporated.
2) Place nuts in a zip-top bag, force out air, seal bag, and break nuts with a meat pounder or a heavy skillet into uneven pieces.
3) Toss apples with 1 tablespoon of dressing in a large bowl. Add escarole, cheese, onion, parsley, and hazelnuts. Toss with some of remaining dressing and serve. Yield: 6 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Quick-Fix Orange Ginger Chicken

Two Years Ago Today: Cranberry Layered Cheesecake

Three Years Ago Today: Appetizer Cheese Bites

Raw Apple Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These simple apple muffins are perfect for a fall brunch or coffee. They are easy to make and they are packed with flavors that come straight from fall's harvest orchards. The muffins need no special equipment to prepare and if you have a few bowls and a wooden spoon, you can have a table ready treat in a bit less than an hour. The muffins are similar in taste to Jewish or Shaker apple cakes and because they are so packed with fruit, they stay moist and flavorful for several days after they are made. The recipe was originally developed by Marion Cunningham, the author who rewrote The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. She died at the age of 90 this past summer and while perusing an old copy of her Breakfast Book I came across this recipe which I thought would be a perfect tribute to her skill in the kitchen. I know you will love these. They are not refined and may lack style, but I promise you'll find them to be delicious. Here's how the apple muffins are made.

Raw Apple Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Marion Cunningham's Breakfast Book

Ingredients:
4 cups peeled and cored  apples cut  in 1/4-inch dice
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease or insert paper liners into 16 standard size muffin cups.
2) Mix apples and sugar in one bowl and set aside.
3) Combine eggs, oil and vanilla in a second bowl and stir to blend well.
4) Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a third bowl and stir until blended.
5) Add egg mixture to apples and sugar and mix well.
6) Sprinkle flour mixture over egg and apple mixture and mix well. This batter is very stiff and you may have to use your hands to assure ingredients are properly mixed. Fold raisins and walnuts into batter and mix until they are evenly distributed in  mixture. Spoon into prepared muffin tins.
7) Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of a muffin. Turn muffins onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm. Yield: 16 muffins.

One Year Ago Today: Creamed Spinach

Two Years Ago Today: Fusilli with Spinach and Ricotta Cheese

Three Years Ago Today: Wasabi Glazed Salmon

Tossed Salad with Apples, Candied Walnuts and Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette

From the Kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This seasonal tossed salad is lovely, but its flavor is heightened even further when it is dressed with the maple-mustard vinaigrette that is also featured in this post. The salad and the dressing can both be prepared in about 15 minutes. While the vinaigrette can be made well-ahead of time, it's best to prepare and toss the salad just before it is served. The apples will begin to oxidize and brown if they sit for any length of time. I've tried treating them with diluted lemon juice but have found it affects their taste, so I leave the assembly of the salad ingredients until the last minute. While candied walnuts can be purchased in any large grocery chain, I prefer to make my own. I have an easy and inexpensive recipe for them that you can find here. If you haven't tried a fall salad that combines apples and mixed greens, I hope you'll give this recipe a try. It makes is a very nice salad. Here's how it is made.

Tossed Apple Salad with Apples, Candied Walnuts and Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Beth Dauenhauer and Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
Salad
9 cups torn mixed salad greens
2 large tart apples, chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped candied walnuts
Vinaigrette
1/4 cup thawed frozen apple juice concentrate
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Combine salad greens, apples, onion and walnuts in a large bowl. Whisk apple juice concentrate, vinegar, oil, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Yield: 8 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Walnut Cheesecake Squares

Two Years Ago Today: Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder With Root Vegetables

Three Years Ago Today: Cran-Apple Crisp