To a Sweet New Year

One of the more delicious traditions of Rosh Hashana is eating apples dipped honey to symbolize our hopes for a sweet new year. Every year we celebrate the season with apple cakes or honey cakes or combinations of both apple and honey. I have seen and tried many different kinds of cakes and breads. Most of these honey cakes are rich and dense, sweet and a bit sticky.

Where as the apple cakes can be anything from apple breads to applesauce cakes, and dried apple pieces tossed into your bunt cakes. This year I searched for a soft, light cake with soft apples (baked) and honey to make for dinner before temple.

Apple Honey Cake

Serves 10 to 12

Adapted from

Baking Illustrated The Practical Kitchen Companion

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, softened but cool, plus 2 tablespoons for greasing the pan

1 1/4 cups sugar, plus 6 tablespoons for the pan

3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons light brown sugar for the pan

2 tablespoons cinnamon

3 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) plain cake flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

Apples:

2 large Granny Smith apples (about 1 pound), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

The juice of 1 lemon

1. For the cake: Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 350. Grease a standard 12-cup bundt pan with the 2 tablespoons of softened butter; dust the sides with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar then evenly distribute the remaining 4 tablespoons of the granulated sugar in the bottom of the bundt pan. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the granulated sugar, breaking up large lumps with your fingers.

2. Whisk the eggs and yolks in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup to combine. Add the cream and vanilla and beat until thoroughly combined.

3. In a bowl of a standing mixer set at the lowest speed, combine the flour, the 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, about 30 seconds. With the mixer still running on lowest speed, add the butter 1 piece at a time in 1-second intervals and beat until the mixture resembles course meal, with butter bits no larger than small peas, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes ( If the butter is too soft, it will make the batter smooth and soft instead of course).

4. With the mixer still running, add 1/2 cup of the egg mixture; at the lowest speed until Incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. With the mixer still running, add the remaining liquid in a steady stream (this should take about 30 seconds). Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat at medium-high speed to combine , about 30 seconds.

5. For the apples; Toss the cubed apples with the lemon juice, light brown sugar, cinnamon, honey and distribute in an even layer over the sugar in the pan. Add the batter in 4 evan portions and gently level with an offset spatula or the back of a soup spoon.

6. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, springs back when pressed with a finger, and a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, place a 12-inch square of foil onto a wire rack. Immediately invert the cake onto the foil-covered rack. Cool at least 1 hour, then slide onto a serving plate; cut into slices and serve warm and drizzled with warm honey and vanilla ice cream.

Happy Rosh Hashana

Happy Rosh Hashana!

For Rosh Hashana we were invited to our friends home for dinner before temple. I love eatting holiday foods. Everything was so wonderful, I wished I had more than one stomach to put away even more food. We even had a wonderful homemade challah with dinner. Yum! I love holiday dinners. All of the traditional foods and some new favorites like the vegetable tian.

Delicious Noodle Kugal with a Brown Sugar Crust

and

a Slice of Apple Cheesecake

Chicken Marbella from Silver Palate Cookbook

4 chickens, 2 1/2 pounds each, quartered

1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed

1/4 cup dried oregano

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup pitted prunes

1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives

1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice

6 bay leaves

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white wine

1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.

With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauce boat.

To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juices over chicken.

Homemade Chopped Liver

The Barefoot Contessa's Parisian Vegetable Tian

Good olive oil
2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound medium round potatoes, unpeeled
3/4 pound zucchini
11/4 pounds medium tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brush a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish with olive oil. In a medium sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only one layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, or until browned. Serve warm.

L'shanah tovah!

Chicken Salad

This recipe is adapted from many recipes.
 It is really much better the next day!

4 chicken breasts or 5 chicken thighs, bone in
1 handful of green grapes, sliced in half
1 large handful of red grapes, sliced in half
1  1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 pinch garlic powder
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup pecans or almonds or walnuts
1/2  apple, diced (optional)
2 stalks celery, diced

    This recipe is a favorite of mine, it is so easy to make and even easier to eat the whole bowl by yourself!  There are many ways to make the chicken. I will sometimes bake it with salt, pepper and olive oil or  poach it with carrots and onions. You can also grill the chicken or use a rotisserie chicken. Also, if you make too much chicken, just wrap it in foil and put it in the freezer for the next time you make this chicken salad.

Slice the chicken into small 1/2 bite-sized pieces, stir in nuts, apples (opt), celery, thyme, olive oil, grapes and garlic powder.  Starting with 2 very heaping tablespoons of mayo, mix until creamy. You can add the remainder of the mayo if you need it. Salt and pepper to taste, cover tightly and refrigerate for 5 to 10 hours.

Road Block

As you see, my co-bloggers are not really helping me :) !

I have hit a wall, a road block, construction has taken over my mind. If you are keeping track, it has been 9 days since I am blogged. So what do I do? What do I give you tonight? For the last few days I have been cooking up a storm, but my mind goes blank when I try to tell you about everything. I have pictures and great recipes from a dinner that I made for my mom's birthday, cooking cinnamon rolls and chocolate silk pie with friends and I even made a awesome, lemony, kick ass cake! So what is going on when I sit down to tell you about it? Can anyone help me!!!

I sometimes wonder if there is anyone out there who cares if I post each week and if or if not you all have something to read or have recipes to make. Are you even out there?

So I asking for help... what helps you out of a funk? What helps you with writer's block? What do you do to clear your mind, clear your thoughts, clear your head?

I am offering up my plight to you. If you are out there, if you actually read my blog, I am asking help. I am asking for you to leave me comments on your ideas, suggestions, and anything else you think might help me. I appreciate any and all help you might give. Thanks!

The Hydrangeas of Nantucket

Nantucket has some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen, especially the hydrangeas. The bloom in multiple colors and can range in color from pink, blue, purple, white, and my favorite mixture of multiple colors.

The hydrangeas can come in many different sizes and shapes, my favorites are the cones and lace caps. The lace caps look a bit like Queen Anne's lace with surrounded by beautiful hydrangea blossoms.