Salted Caramel Apple Pie

A few years ago I took a Sur la Table class called "Take and Bake Pies" for Thanksgiving.  I absolutely loved the recipe for this salted caramel apple pie and you will too!  This is a great recipe to make with kids.  Sometimes as parents we don't realize what our kids are actually capable of doing unless we let them try.  Children also have more desire to try new things if they had a part in making it.

My son had a blast making the leaves, 

peeling the apples, 

mixing the caramel and pouring the mixture into the pie.

And then with the left over dough and apple peels and cores he decided to make a "penguin snowman and his fish".

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients
My Pie Crust Recipe

Salted Caramel Sauce:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp corn syrup
3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt

Crumble Topping:
1 Cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Apple Pie:
1 pie crust (above)
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced
2 gala apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
Salted caramel sauce (above)
Crumble topping (above)

Directions:
For the caramel sauce: in a saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water over medium low heat until the sugar dissolves.  Increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. Use the pastry brush to wash down an sugar crystals on the side of the ban to avoid the caramel from crystalizing.  Boil the liquid until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 4 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the cream.   The mixture will bubble up furiously.  (Don't panic.) Gently stir in the butter and salt.  To finish, pour the caramel in to a container and allow to cool.

For the crumble topping: combine the dry ingredients and stir to mix well.  Stir in the melted butter and mix to form crumbles.  Set aside.

For the apple pie: preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl combine the sugar and flour and toss with apples.  Pour half of the prepared caramel sauce over the apples and stir well.

Arrange the leaf border after laying down one 9-inch pie crust.  Add the apples to the pie crust and cover with topping.  Use your hands to press down the topping all over the apples evenly, forming a compact crust.  Insert a pairing knife in the center through the topping to allow steam to escape.  (Do not slice the pastry!)

Place the prepared pie onto the hot baking sheet and bake until the pie is brown and the juices are bubbles, about 1-1 1/2 hours.  (If the pie browns too soon, cover it with foil.)  Cool to room temperature, slice, and drizzle with remaining caramel sauce.

Best ever banana bread

Banana Walnut Bread

When we were young my mom would always have banana bread on hand.  I don't know how she did it or when she had the time but somehow there was always banana bread in the house.  My favorite way to eat it was for breakfast.  I take a slice and put it in a bowl and drench it in milk.  Then I would break into small pieces and eat it with a spoon like cereal.

Banana bread reminds me of comfort and warmth.  I almost get excited when I see the bananas are getting brown in the fruit basket because no one has eaten them.  This recipe allows you to make the bread and freeze for up to two months!  Just warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds and it's amazing.  It is really moist and the walnuts give it a good textural contrast.  The trick is to stop at just one slice.

Banana Walnut Bread Recipe
Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 large, very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch metal loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 1/4 cups of flour with the baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil, sugar and mashed bananas. Stir the banana mixture into the dry ingredients.  Fold in the walnuts.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for about 50 minutes, until the bread is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool for 15 minutes, then turn the bread out onto the rack and let cool completely. Cut into slices and serve.

Father's Day Cake

Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

If you don't already know, I dislike raisins.   I actually refuse to eat carrot cake just because of the raisins.  I got some organic carrots and thought this was the perfect opportunity to make a carrot cake without the raisins.  The special father's day touch?  White chocolate butter cream instead of the traditional cream cheese frosting.  It makes the cake much lighter and a little more elegant for Father's Day!

Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream
Adapted from Ron Ben Israel

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1 1/2 ounces chopped walnuts 

1 1/2 ounces chopped pecans

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3 cups carrots, shredded 

Ron's White Chocolate Buttercream:

3/4 cups sugar
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
3 sticks unsweetened butter, softened but still cool
4 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, attach a parchment circle to the bottom of each pan, grease and flour again.

Mix well the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cayenne in a bowl. Toss in the walnuts and pecans to coat.

Using a stand mixer, whisk the sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs for 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the carrots and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix for 1 minute on low speed to incorporate.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, and then remove the cake from the pans onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before applying the frosting.

To frost the cake, place a small dollop of the Ron's White Chocolate Buttercream in the center of the serving platter; this will help affix your cake to the platter. Then, put the first layer of cake on the platter. Apply a generous amount of buttercream to the top center of the cake. Using a flat spatula, spread the buttercream, starting at the center and moving outward to the sides of the cake. It's important to use enough buttercream and to let the spatula only touch the top of it, so you don't pick up any crumbs from the cake.

Next, fit the second layer on top and repeat. Then, refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes to harden the fillings/buttercream.

To serve, cut into strips the length of the cake and 2 inches wide and 1-inch thick rectangular cake slices.

For the buttercream:

Place the sugar and egg whites in large metal mixer bowl set over simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar melts and the mixture is very thin and warm.

Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Continue beating on low speed until cool, about 7 more minutes.

Beat in small pieces of the cool but soft butter on low speed. The mixture may curdle before coming together. Gradually beat in the melted and cooled white chocolate.

Re-beat occasionally while frosting the cake to maintain a smooth texture.

strawberry season

Strawberry Mostachon Cake

A stunning way to celebrate the beginning of strawberry season! The sweet and tart strawberries add freshness to the lightness of the meringue cake. Perfectly balanced with lightly sweetened cream cheese and crunchy walnuts.

Mostachon is a traditional cake from Mexico and it means macaroon in Spanish.  Typically Maria crackers are used in the batter but I substituted vanilla wafers instead.

Therapeutic topic of the week: Treating depression with a specific diet?

It's obvious, what we eat affects how we feel. Food should make us feel good. It tastes great and nourishes our bodies. When eaten in too little or in excessive quantities, however, our health and appearance can be altered, which can create negative feelings toward food.

A recent study published in Nutritional Neuroscience by a group of scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain determined the effect of the classic Mediterranean diet (with some slight modifications) upon levels of BDNF in patients who suffer with major depression and in those who did not. BNDF is a protein that is responsible for many important brain functions. 

The Mediterranean diet is characterized by the consumption of fruits and nuts, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, cereals and fish, with a low consumption of dairy products and meat, and a moderate intake of alcohol. The nuts chosen for this study are rich in monounsaturated (almonds) and polyunsaturated (walnuts) fatty acids as well as many different antioxidants. Fruits, vegetables, and red wine are rich in polyphenols that exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

The patients were followed for three years! The reason is that dietary changes often affect brain function rather slowly and the full impact of any diet may take many months to be realized. Patients with prevalent depression who consumed the Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts showed the greatest increase in blood levels of BDNF. Participants who were not clinically depressed showed no change in their blood levels of BDNF. These results were consistent with prior epidemiological reports of an inverse relationship between a healthy diet and the prevalence of depressive symptoms.

By Gary Wenk, Ph D. author of "Your Brain on Food"

Strawberry Mostachon Cake Recipe

Adapted from Marcela Valladolid

Ingredients

Cake:
Nonstick cooking spray
4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
One 11-ounce box of vanilla wafers, chopped

Frosting:
8 ounces (1 cup) cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds sliced fresh strawberries, for garnishing

Directions
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch nonstick springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar slowly, then the vanilla, baking powder, and salt while beating, about 2 more minutes. Turn the power off and fold in the walnuts and Maria crackers. Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

For the frosting: In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form and the mixture is smooth.

To assemble: Remove the cake from the oven. Let cool for 15 minutes. Remove the springform. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting all over the cake. Garnish with the strawberries and serve.

Dates and Walnuts

Date and Walnut Bread

A delicious way to start your Eid with a cup of coffee and this simple bread.  Even better, use this simple recipe and invite friends over for tea and impress them with your baking skills.

Health benefits of dates are uncountable, as this fruit is full of natural fibers. Dates are even rich in several vitamins and minerals. These natural products contain oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium,phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are great for health. It is said that consumption of one date daily is suggested for a balanced and healthy diet. Dates help in fighting intestinal problems, weight gain, heart problems and sexual problems.

Date and Walnut Bread Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup pitted dates, chopped

3 tbsp orange juice

1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with butter.

In a small bowl, soak the dates in 1 tbsp of orange juice for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together dates with juice, walnuts, baking soda, salt butter, and water until combined. stir in the sugar and eggs, then stir in the flour just until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake until the bread is puffed and browned about 50-60 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely   Unmold onto a serving plate and turn it right side up.  Spoon remaining  juice onto the bread, a little at a time, so that the bread absorbs all of it.  Cut into slices and serve.

Sticky fingers

Sticky Buns

Delicate, buttery pastry rolled in cinnamon and baked to perfection.


Adapted from Ina Garten's Easy Sticky Buns Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 
• 1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
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For the filling:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, brush the pastry with the vanilla extract, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and walnuts out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.