Apple Fritters

From America's Test Kitchen, September 8, 2012. Makes 10 fritters.

We like Granny Smith apples in these fritters because they are tart and crisp. Apple juice doesn’t have enough flavor—you really do need the cider.
 
FRITTERS
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon  salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup apple cider
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 cups peanut or vegetable oil

GLAZE
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 
1. Spread prepared apples in single layer on paper towel–lined baking sheet and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in large bowl. Whisk cider, eggs, and melted butter in medium bowl until combined. Stir apples into flour mixture. Stir in cider mixture until incorporated.

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Following step 1, use 1/3-cup measure to transfer 5 heaping portions of batter to oil. Press batter lightly with back of spoon to flatten. Fry, adjusting burner as necessary to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees, until deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet. Bring oil back to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining batter. Let fritters cool 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk confectioners’ sugar, cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg in medium bowl until smooth. Top each fritter with 1 heaping tablespoon glaze. Let glaze set 10 minutes. Serve.

Mashed Potatoes with Parsnip & Horseradish

A Geisen family favorite.

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" rounds
3/4 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/4" rounds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/3 cup warmed half-and-half or heavy cream, plus more as needed

Place potatoes and parsnips in a large pot with steamer basket and 1" of water. Cover and bring water to boil. Steam vegetables until very tender when pierced, about 15 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl.

Empty pot and wipe dry. Return vegetables to still-hot pot and add butter, horseradish, salt and pepper. Mash with potato masher until smooth. Add 1/3 cup half-and-half or cream and mash again. Add more liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Transfer to serving bowl and serve immediately.

Beef Stroganoff for Two (or more)

For a scaled-down version of beef stroganoff, time management was key. Tender filet steaks cook to medium-rare in no time. By cooking the meat first and then slicing it, we were not only able to build considerable fond in the pan (a boon for sauce flavor) but we could also better control the temperature of the meat, preventing overcooking. Cooking the egg noodles right in the skillet as the sauce thickens not only saves time but means this meal for two can be prepared in just one pan. We achieved judicious creaminess by way of a dollop of sour cream and freshened it up with a few snips of chives. Serves 2 - to double, simple cook the dish in a dutch oven. Look for a steak that is 1½ to 2 inches thick. White wine or vermouth can be used in place of the brandy.

You can use a cheaper cut of meat like a flank or strip steak, if doubling this recipe. Look for a steak that is 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. White wine or vermouth can be used in place of brandy.

8 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 (8-ounce) center-cut filet mignon, halved crosswise
1 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 1/4 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 ounces (2 cups) wide egg noodles
1/4 sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1. Microwave mushrooms in covered bowl until volume has decreased by half and liquid is exuded, about 4 minutes. Drain mushrooms and set aside.

2. Pat steaks dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Cook steaks until well browned on all sides and meat registers 125 degrees, 8 to 10 minutes, reducing heat if fond begins to burn. Transfer meat to plate.

3. Add mushrooms and onion to now-empty skillet and cook until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in broth, brandy, soy sauce, mustard and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Add noodles and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low , and simmer, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender and sauce is thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, slice steaks against grain to 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Stir mean and any accumulated juices into noodles and cover until warmed through, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in sour cream and chives and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Saganaki

In an effort to relive some of the fun had during Dave & Ashley's much anticipated "wedding of the century", here is the recipe for our much loved Greek appetizer.


8 ounces Kasseri cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
1 ounce brandy


Slice cheese into 3/8 inch slabs. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the oregano. Dip each slice of cheese in egg, shake off excess, and coat in flour.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Quickly cook cheese in olive oil until golden, turning once. Pour brandy over and flame for effect. Shout Opa! Squeeze lemon juice over.

Arrange cheese on a plate, season with black pepper, and garnish with lemon wedges.

Tomato Chowder with Mollet Eggs

I'm posting a recipe that isn't from America's Test Kitchen. I can't believe it! But Dave and I love to watch Jacques Pepin - especially when he's making cous-cous - because he's so fun to listen to with that silly French lisp. And because Create on PBS is the closest thing we have to the Food Network (although I would argue that it's actually better).

I watched Pepin make this Saturday morning, and although we have yet to try it, I can't stop thinking about it. Can't wait to make it this weekend with some Gruyere grilled cheese. Nom Nom. 

A French favorite, mollet (moll-ay) eggs are similar to poached eggs in texture, with runny yolks and soft whites. The eggs are cooked in their shells in barely boiling water for about 6 minutes, then thoroughly cooled and carefully shelled. This basic tomato soup, topped with the eggs and large croutons made from country-style bread, can be made vegetarian by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock or water. Serves 4.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1 1/4 cups)
6 scallions, trimmed (leaving some green) and chopped (3/4 cup)
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups homemade chicken stock or low-salt canned chicken broth
12 ounces cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1 15-ounce can plum tomatoes

GARNISHES
4 slices country-style bread, preferably stale, for croutons
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small garlic clove
4 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Gruyère or Emmenthaler cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large stainless steel saucepan. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the onion, scallions, carrot, and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top of the mixture, stir thoroughly, and cook for 1 minute longer, stirring. Mix in the stock.

Meanwhile, process the cherry tomatoes in a food processor until coarsely chopped. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups.) Add the cherry tomatoes to the soup, along with the salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. Process the can of plum tomatoes for 5 seconds, and add to the soup. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.

MEANWHILE, PREPARE THE GARNISHES: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Brush the bread slices with the olive oil and arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until nicely browned. Rub one side of the croutons with the garlic clove, and set them aside.

Using a thumbtack or pushpin, make a hole in the rounded end of each egg. Gently lower the eggs into a pan containing enough boiling water to cover them and cook for about 6 minutes in barely boiling water. Drain the hot water from the pan and shake the pan to crack the shells of the eggs on all sides. Fill the pan with ice and water and set the eggs aside to cool completely.

When the eggs are cool, peel them carefully (so as not to damage the yolks, which are still runny) under cool running water. Keep the eggs in cold water until just before serving. (The eggs can be cooked up to a few hours ahead and refrigerated in the cold water.)
At serving time, drain the cold water from the eggs and replace it with hot tap water. Let stand for 5 minutes, so the eggs are lukewarm inside.

Bring the soup to a strong boil, and ladle it into four bowls. Place an egg in the center of each bowl, and wait for a couple of minutes for the eggs to warm in the center. Place a crouton in each bowl and serve, sprinkled with the cheese.

Really Good Pumpkin Bread

Dave is getting seriously spoiled this week. TWO pumpkin baked items in one week. We had cream cheese and pumpkin puree left over from the Maple-Pumpkin Stack Cake so I whipped up a loaf of this last night (halved the recipe). I absolutely love when I have all the required ingredients already in the pantry. That doesn't happen often! 

Published September 1, 2012.  From Cook's Illustrated.
Canned pumpkin puree often lends a raw, metallic flavor to pumpkin bread. We cook down the puree to eliminate those off-putting flavors. Instead of dirtying more dishes, we mix the quick bread right in the pot, adding cream cheese and buttermilk for their tangy flavor. A quick-to-assemble topping adds texture and keeps the loaf from getting soggy the next day. 

The test kitchen’s preferred loaf pan measures 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches; if using a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness five minutes early. Makes 2 loaves.

TOPPING 
5 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
 
BREAD 
2 cups  all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (15 oz) can unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed  light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces cream cheese , cut into 12 pieces
4 large eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped fine (optional)

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Using fingers, mix all ingredients together in bowl until well combined and topping resembles wet sand; set aside.

2. FOR THE BREAD: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl.
 
3. Combine pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until reduced to 1½ cups, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat; stir in granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and cream cheese until combined. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until no visible pieces of cream cheese remain and mixture is homogeneous.
 
4. Whisk together eggs and buttermilk. Add egg mixture to pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine. Fold flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until combined (some small lumps of flour are OK). Fold walnuts into batter. Scrape batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle topping evenly over top of each loaf. Bake until skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let breads cool in pans on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove breads from pans and let cool for at least 1½ hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Maple-Pumpkin Stack Cake

"I have no words for this." Dave 

I quartered this recipe and made one giant piece for Dave and I to split last night. I let it under-cook by just a tad so that it was very doughy and passed on the pecans - just how we like it.

For an impressively tall cake that combines two of our favorite fall flavors, we started with four layers of tender, moist cake reminiscent of pumpkin pie, thanks to canned pumpkin puree and a jar of pumpkin pie spice. We sandwiched fluffy whipped cream sweetened with real maple syrup between the layers and topped the whole thing off with crunchy toasted pecans. From Cook's Country, October/November 2012

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups sugar 
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
15 ounces canned pumpkin, unsweetened
1 ½ cups heavy cream, chilled
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, then flour pans.
 
Whisk flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat sugar, butter, and eggs on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add pumpkin, and mix until incorporated. Slowly add flour mixture and mix until only few small flour streaks remain, about 30 seconds. Spread one-fourth of batter (about 1 cup) in even layer in each prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 12 to 14 minutes.
 
Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert each cake onto large plate, peel off parchment, and reinvert onto lightly greased rack. Cool completely. Reprep pans and repeat with remaining batter.
 
TO ASSEMBLE: Using dry, clean bowl and whisk attachment, whip cream and maple syrup together on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Place 1 cake layer on cake plate or pedestal, then spread one-fourth of whipped cream (scant cup) evenly over top. Repeat with remaining cake layers and whipped cream. Sprinkle pecans on top and serve.