Apple Cream Torte

I’ve subscribed to magazines for years now. It all started with Bon Appetit (which started my original blog) and while I was a faithful reader for many years, I’ve now switched over to Food & Wine to mix it up. I’ve also gotten Sunset for a while and throw in 5280 (formerly a 7×7 in San Francisco), The Sunday New York Times and my book of the moment and I am at no shortage for reading material. After so many years I’ve gotten pretty good about tearing out or taking photos of material I want to remember, so I don’t have to keep the entire publication – but that just means instead of having a pile of magazines in my house, I have a pile of torn out pages.

Every now and then I go through and weed out the recipes that no longer look interesting, or that I’ll never really make, but rarely do I actually choose one to take action against. This weekend I was ruthless in tossing out these pages AND I managed to actually make one of the recipes!

I have many times written about how I love fruit cakes. The really simple kind where there is fruit, batter and maybe just a sprinkling of powdered sugar over the top when it’s done. I love the simplicity and not overly sweet flavor. So obviously this cake caught my eye. I had a slew of apples that were past my prime for eating raw, and figured all things were adding up to me finally trying this torte.

It was great! Just what I like. Not too sweet, a tiny bit of savoriness coming through with the apple and some variety in texture as well. The apples sink to the bottom and the cream batter (there is no butter!) creates this custard-y layer at the bottom. The recipe also starts with whipping the eggs and sugar, which give a slightly crunchy, meringue-like crust on the top.

It was a huge hit with my friends and colleagues and would be a great brunch addition or a just because cake. Isn’t it time you made a cake just because?

Apple Cream Torte – from Sunset September 2016

Biscuits and Herbed Sausage Gravy

Years ago in San Francisco, I went to an unassuming brunch in Potrero Hill and had my mind blown by biscuits and gravy. Having my mind blown by just about anything is so rare these days, I was even more shocked that it was biscuits and gravy that did it.

The meal was an open face biscuit with a poached egg on each half, and the entire thing was smothered in a sausage gravy. The gravy was the most spectacular part, being chock full of herbs, which I have since described as a garden explosion in my mouth. I didn’t grow up on biscuits and gravy and it’s not a dish I have strong relationship with, but after that meal, when people ask about my favorite restaurants in SF, I’ve always mentioned Universal Cafe just because it gave me one of the most memorable meals I’ve had.

Since then, I’ve thought of recreating this dish so many times and it finally happened. A couple of Friday’s ago I took a staycation day and decided to start things off with a highly delectable breakfast. It was so so so good.

It’s amazing how simple it was and just how amazing it tasted – exactly like the garden explosion I had remembered so fondly for so long. I used parsley, sage and dill to brighten up the gravy and since I’ve finally got poached eggs down, it was the perfect combination. I highly recommend giving this a try. It’s rich and delicious and the perfect way to start out a special day.

Biscuits: here. I used only a scant teaspoon of sugar and they tasted great.

Gravy:

• 1/2 lb mild sausage
• 4 tbsp flour
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2-2 cups milk
• 1 handful finely chopped parsley
• ~ 2 tbsp sage
• ~ 2 tbsp dill

Brown sausage in pan and remove. Depending on how much grease is remaining, add enough butter to make about 4 tbsp fat in the pan. Add the flour and stir thoroughly, cook for about a minute. Add a little more than half the milk, bring to a simmer over low heat. Continue to add milk until you have reached your preferred gravy consistency. Add back the sausage and fresh herbs. Continue to add milk if it’s too thick. Cook together for ~5 min to combine flavors.

Apple Cider Donuts & Snow Shoeing

I suppose apple cider donuts scream a little more fall than they do winter, but I felt like they were a perfect treat to enjoy for breakfast before snow shoeing on Saturday!

I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for a while, ever since Emily made them here and I’ve got to say they were tasty! It was my first time making cake donuts, which were surprisingly easy – you make basically a cake bater, freeze it for a bit to stiffen it up, then cut it out and fry it. Easy peasy.

Of course, I have a few self critiques, just to make sure you guys don’t make the same mistakes…

1. The recipe said to use a whisk, but they were just slightly too fluffy for my taste – I like a little denser donut, so next time I’ll have at it with the paddle attachment.
2. They tasted kind of like a churro. I LOVE churros, so yay me, but the apple cider wasn’t as strong as I was hoping and the sugar/cinnamon coatings was a bit strong. Next time use real boiled cider and less cinnamon.
3. The other thing that made them more churro like was the fact that they were pretty thin. I don’t have a true 3″ donut ring, so I used a couple of biscuit cutters. Totally worked, but next time, I would make sure they are thicker.

And that’s it about the donuts. I will probably try to make them again, because I do love a churro, almost more than I love a donut.

Now onto the snow shoeing. SO fun. I’d been wanting to use my hand-me-down snow shoes for years now and finally got my shot. We went up to Jones Pass, which had a clear path with absolutely stunning views. We hiked for just over an hour and had we been really really motivated we would have gone all the way up another 1,000 ft to the continental divide. But maybe next time. Maybe in the summer.

Obviously, everyone loved the donuts too. Recipe here.

Gifting Bread

I was chatting with my dad last weekend and already being caught up on my news, he asked what was new with my friends. I went through one by one, telling the updates of my different girlfriends that are now collectively spoken about with their boyfriend or fiance, the weddings that are fast approaching, the move ins that are happening, and the new jobs being learned. It was nice to get my dad up to date, but at the same time there’s something a little sad in talking about all the things that are moving forward with your friends, yet realizing that you are pretty much in the same place that you’ve been for the past couple of years.

I think that’s part of why I’ve been trying something new every day the past couple of Junes, the reason I got a cat and the reason I look at buying a house (well let’s be clear – it would actually be a small condo)… At the end of the day, I am not the same person I was a couple of years ago either, there’s just not a big life moment to show for it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m terribly happy with my life and am confident that I have made all the right choices for me, but I have to admit that growing up is sometimes kind of a lonely process.

So what do to about this feeling of disconnect? Go forth. Continue doing things that excite me, challenge me, engage me, and make me happy. Continue finding new things to try, continue spending time with my closest friends (and their partners), continue traveling, dating and cooking.

There is something immensely comforting and homey in the smell of fresh-baked bread, which I think also makes it a very appropriate moving day present. I helped my friend and her boyfriend unpack their kitchen in their first shared apartment this weekend and arrived with half a loaf of bread and a bottle of champagne in hand – my kind of housewarming present! This bread is good! I’ve been wanting to make a no-knead bread for a while and finally got around to it this weekend. This one is just a little sweet and chewy because of the oats, but it makes great toast and I’d definitely recommend giving it go. It’s so easy and how could you not want to make your house smell AMAZING one weekend morning.

It was a perfect something new to help me realize that at this point in my life, my days are filled with simple pleasures and little new things, rather than one big thing on the horizon. Eventually I’m sure I’ll be caught up to the other people in my life, and until then I’ll continue to find joy in sharing their joy and find joy in my own little moments.

Maple Oat Breakfast Bread recipe here

Blackberry Syrup & Then Some

I couldn’t really tell you why I haven’t been motivated to blog this year… I haven’t been nearly as diligent about going to the grocery store, cooking for one on a weeknight has be come a bit less appealing, and if I’m really honest, I’ve just been prioritizing other things. I’ve been keeping busy by having dinner with friends, pretending to eat healthy, going to the gym a bit, you know usual life things. The usual life things that I am out experiencing, rather than documenting and blogging about.

At the end of the day, I don’t think it really matters because I feel like most things in life wax and wane at some point, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I’ve still been enjoying cooking and food and as I downloading the pictures from my trip to Seattle last weekend, I realized I have a lot of things to share with you!

I believe I’ve mentioned before my dad’s epic skills in the garden. The thing that he’s been growing the longest and what we all count down to every year are blackberries. He’s continually trying new recipes and methods to make the most of the fruits of his labor – and because of his diligent efforts we’ve enjoyed some of the best pies, jams, sauces and syrups. Of course, not every recipe comes out just right the first time, but we have experienced some happy accidents, like jam not setting and becoming an equally delicious ice cream topping!

This year he gave me some delectable jam and syrup. Since I don’t usually keep ice cream in the house, I have been eating the syrup on all sorts of morning treats like french toast and pancakes – yum! He’s got this recipe just right and I am using is sparingly hoping that it will tide me over until the next blackberry season.

I made bread in June! Loved my pain de mie with its crisp crust and soft lofty center.

It also made the most delectable french toast. Slice thick. Add a splash of almond extract to the egg. Coat in almonds. Fry!mmm… fresh blackberry syrup on buttermilk pancakes

Blackberry Syrup (adapted from Joy of Cooking)

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup blackberries (pureed and pressed through a fine mesh sieve)
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon port

Bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add berry puree, lemon zest and port. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes or until thickened.

Russell’s Tips:

• Be sure to strain your pureed blackberries, as the seeds are not so pleasant in a smooth syrup.
• The recipe called for a cinnamon stick, if you want more of a spiced syrup you can add the stick to the simmering or a bit of cinnamon powder
• Most importantly – TASTE TASTE TASTE! Every batch of berries is a little different, so be sure to taste as you go and adjust to the sweetness of the fruit you are using.

Orange and Red Wine Caramel Yogurt Parfaits

Remember that Sex and the City episode, where Carrie has started dating Mr. Big and made the #1 dating mistake by neglected her girlfriends? Well, I feel like I’ve done an OK job of keeping up with my girlfriends, yet the blog is the one that has suffered in my new relationship. I must say that I have a new found respect for all those blogs I follow where the bloggers seem to effortlessly maintain their sites, significant others, and hopefully their friends too. In life, all things are bound to ebb and flow, so it’s no surprise that hobbies too wax and wane throughout  time as well. I’m still cooking, enjoying food and having fun, it’s just unfortunate that not as much has recently been done with a camera in hand or a blog post on the mind… sorry y’all.

Anyhow, this weekend I had an extra day off of work and soaked in as much home time as possible. Saturday I organized my closet, prepped for a project that I’ll be sharing shortly and strayed out only for a couple of hours for an epic trip to Target. Sunday was slightly more adventurous with watching the 49ers game with friends (SUPERBOWL!!!!), grabbing drinks with a new friend and starting my day with the below parfaits.

I saw these parfaits on the Bon Appétit site and have had them on my mind for a couple of weeks. Such a curious combination of red wine, sugar, citrus and yogurt, they are gorgeous, and pretty tasty too! The red wine flavor is much stronger than I anticipated, but somehow seems to work. I’d recommend not getting too much orange juice in your layers and using quite a bit of caramel to balance out the tart yogurt. Definitely an interesting idea that seems appropriate for dessert or breakfast – as I learned in my cook the book project, it can sometimes be a very fine line.

It always feels good to be back in the kitchen and trying new things. The knife and camera feel so right in my hands, that I promise to try to make the next post not so distant.

Orange and Red Wine Caramel Yogurt Parfaits original recipe here

• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup dry, fruity red wine
• 2 large oranges, I used a variety of Navel, Cara Cara and Tangelo
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds and pistachios, coarsely chopped

Stir sugar, cream of tartar and 3 tbsp of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, swirling occasionally (do not stir) until sugar is caramelized and the color of dark maple syrup, about 8 min – this happens FAST keep your eyes on it. Remove from heat and carefully add 1/4 cup red wine (will bubble vigorously) stir to dissolve. Add remaining 1/4 cup wine. Boil for 30  seconds stirring to make sure all sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely. Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm slightly to loosen before using.

Using a sharp knife, remove peel and pitch from oranges. Segment between the membrane and set aside.

Layer a few pieces of orange in the bottom of small glass jars – make sure to drain or pat dry slices. drizzle with red wine caramel and top with a spoonful of yogurt. Sprinkle with nuts and continue to top of jar.

Christmas: Cinnamon Rolls and a trip to San Diego

When I was growing up, and when my mom cooked more, she would always make cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. I don’t know how long it was a tradition, but it was enough to cement in my mind that cinnamon rolls are synonymous with Christmas morning. As the years went on, the labor of making yeasted dough the morning of didn’t seem worth it, so we moved on to Pillsbury, then to store-bought, then I started cooking. It took me a while to find the recipe that was just right for Christmas morning, but finally did so in a Williams-Sonoma recipe that has the rolls do their second proof overnight, allowing you to create them the night before and simply pop in the oven the morning of – what a delight.

This year we took a family vacation to San Diego for the holidays and got to stop to see some extended family on the way down, which was great. We toured around during the day; read, watched movies, and played games by night; we fashioned a Christmas tree out of a fake plant on a tall stand in the apartment living room; and I made cinnamon rolls (by hand) on Christmas Eve to ensure we’d have as much of home with us as possible on Christmas morning. I wasn’t quite the champion sister I was on Thanksgiving, as this is most definitely not a gluten/dairy free dish, but it is oh so tasty. The flaky dough is rolled with a layer of sugar, cinnamon, pecans and butter in between, coming out ooie, gooey, and very very tasty. I typically frost these with a standard powdered sugar frosting, but could apparently only remember so much for the trip out of town. Nonetheless, these were just as good and easy as ever, and so long as I can help it, will continue to be a King family tradition.

Some of the places visited, in order of photos below:

• Botanical Garden at night time
• The very first California Mission – highly recommended
• San Diego Safari Park – a 4 mo. old baby elephant!
• Cabrillo Point – amazing views, highly recommended

Christmas Morning Cinnamon Roll Recipe here

and a silly photo for good measure

Happy New Year with Orange Marmalade

I can’t believe another year has come to a close (and that this is the 2 year blogiversary of The Bon Appétit Diaries!!) It’s been a pretty great year with one of the highlights being becoming friends with some other food bloggers and embarking on this Cook the Book project with them!

I did slack a bit with the last few chapters here, but really wanted to pull through with a win at the end, so I made Orange Marmalade from the condiments chapter of The Breakfast Book. There were so many interesting things to choose from, but this project for me was a lot of cooking basic things that I’d said I’d been wanting to try and this just gave me the push to go do it! Orange Marmalade definitely falls into that category… I became a fan of this spread when I was living in Germany of all places. The family always had it on the breakfast table and I loved putting it on top of peanut butter on my toast, rather than traditional American peanut butter and jelly.

I love how rich the flavors are and how bright marmalade is; however, this recipe is one that needs a little finessing. You use orange peels so your are really getting the most vibrant flavors of the orange, but mine came out pretty bitter. The orange peels and fruit are cooked down with some lemon as well and quite a bit of sugar, but I think I need to get less pith in my peel next time, or cook down the peels more, so they begin to breakdown. I do think this will be good baked in something though, the flavors are strong and would definitely hold up as part of a recipe!

All in all, I’m happy to have tried it, as I have with all the other recipes along this adventure. More than anything, it was fun doing a project with new friends, and seeing how everyone’s tastes, blogging styles are different and so enjoyable.

Be sure to check out Aimee, Natasha, Rachel, Claudie and Sammy’s blogs to see what they’re up to!

Orange Marmalade from The Breakfast Book

• 3 larger oranges
• 2 lemons
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups water

Peel the oranges and 2 of the lemons, and cut the peel into very thin strips. Remove the pith from the oranges and cut up the fruit. Put the orange fruit and all peels in the water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool over night.

Measure out the fruit and water and add approximately 1/2 cup of sugar for every cup of fruit. Boil water fruit and sugar together for 30-45 min. The sugar is the jelling agent, so test for jell point by putting a bit of marmalade on a saucer and putting in the fridge freezer for a minute or two, it is ready when the liquid jams. Add more sugar and cook down a bit more, if it doesn’t jam the first time.

When the marmalade is cooked, thick and jammy, put into jars for storage.

Cook the Book: Bread Pudding

Chapter: Custards and Puddings – Recipe: Bread Pudding

Ok, technically this recipe is called The Coach House Bread and Butter Pudding, and Marion describes it as “the best bread pudding ever” quite the acclaim, if you ask me. In real life, it’s good. It’s really good. So creamy, yet kind of like clouds in your mouth.

When we were initially choosing recipes in The Breakfast Book, we joked that we should keep tabs about how much butter, cream and bacon fat we went through throughout the course of this series. It’s recipes like this that made us feel like we were going to gain 20lbs after it all. I had some whole milk left over from holiday candy making this past weekend and mixed with the cream, eggs and sugar it was just the ticket for this bread pudding. Just like everything else in this book, this was basically like the base recipe; you could add so many extras to make it special and just the way you like – rum/raisins, spices, bananas/chocolate chips… I’d recommend layering it in between the bread slices. And while we’re talking bread, I’ll let you know I chose to go with a very nice pain de mie from Acme Bakery, which was absolutely perfect. It’s light and airy that allows the bread to nearly dissolve when baked in the custard. I had been meaning to make bread pudding for a while now, and I think this is definitely a go to recipe that I’ll be adapting in the future.

Good luck with this one!! Actually, you don’t need luck. It’s so simple that I’m sure yours will turn out amazingly.

This is our 4th to last cook the book post – can you believe it?! So be sure to check out Aimee, Natasha, Rachel and Claudie this week too.

The Coach House Bread and Butter Pudding, split in half from The Breakfast Book

• 6-7 slices French bread or other light white bread
• ~ 4 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 2 1/2 eggs (I know 1/2 and egg is awkward, but I did just split the recipe in half)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375.

Butter one side of each slice of bread and layer in baking dish, buttered side up.

Mix eggs, yolks, sugar and salt until well combined.

Heat milk and cream in a heavy-bottom saucepan and head until scalded (tiny bubbles around the edge). Remove from heat and slowly add egg mixture while whisking. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture through a sieve over bread slices.

Have enough boiling water ready to come up 2 1/2 inches up the sides of your baking dish when placed in a large pot (I used my oval dutch oven, it was perfect). Place pot of boiling water in the oven, and then put in your pudding dish.

Bake for about 45 min until custard is set with a slight tremble in the center. Let cool slightly. Serve warm or cold. As if the milk and cream in the dish wasn’t enough already Marion does recommend serving it with unsweetened heavy cream poured over!

Apfelkuchen a.k.a. Apple Cake

At this point it should come as no surprise that I ended my European holiday in Stuttgart. After my au pair year, I have friends to catch up with, old haunts to visit and nostalgic food to gorge on. It was a great end to the trip and felt so much like home that I felt like I could have stayed forever. I actually felt that way on my entire trip seeing as that I was staying in apartments and visiting with friends, pretty much some of the same things I do at home – except with more leisure time and better beer.

When I lived in Germany, my closest friends were a group of British expats, as I was determined to steer clear of other Americans, yet couldn’t speak German to befriend native folks. We spent the year going to fests, trying to find spicy curries, taking trips here and there and in general living it up. Since then, the group has dissipated a bit and has returned to their home countries, yet a few have stayed including my good friend Nicola and her husband Joe. They so graciously put me up in their new house for my time in Germany and it was just lovely. Nicola took some time away from work and we spent a day making jewelry and baking a cake (the jewelry being her hobby and the cooking mine). I spied apple trees in the field across from their house and insisted that we trek out there so I could bake up something tasty. I found a supremely simple recipe online and we had a little afternoon tea and cake all displayed on her new tea set in its inaugural usage.

The cake was delicious! It was in the vein of my favorite types of cakes: not too sweet, no frosting and some fruit in there too. I loved the huge chunks of apples and the slightly tart bites that they brought to the cake. The simplicity of this cake is what also makes it amazing, I made the entire cake by hand and was done in what felt like a matter of minutes. This afternoon treat felt like the perfect combination of German and English tradition, bring the best of my au pair experience together.

my new favorite tea spoons from Zara Home

Apple Cake from epicurious

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 4 large apples
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8-inch springform pan and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in small bowl.

Peel the apples, cut them in quarters and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 1- to 2-inch chunks.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until they’re foamy. Pour in the sugar and whisk for a minute or so to blend. Whisk in the vanilla. Whisk in half the flour and when it is incorporated, add half the melted butter, followed by the rest of the flour and the remaining butter, mixing gently after each addition so that you have a smooth, rather thick batter. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the apples, turning the fruit so that it’s coated with batter. Scrape the mix into the pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean; the cake may pull away from the sides of the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes.

Carefully run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the springform pan. Allow the cake to cool until it is just slightly warm or at room temperature.