Apple Custard Cake

Here's what I did with those neat apples I picked myself at Apple Hill: I made Apple Custard Cake. I got this recipe from an amazing blog by a girl named Brandi, better known as The Person Responsible For The Best Dessert I Ate Last Year at Seattle's Delancey.  She's an amazing chef, and she actually shares recipes for her creations on her blog. It's a beautiful thing! This particular recipe is basically from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table- tweaked a little.

Who doesn't want a simple apple cake this time of year, especially one that looks as gorgeous as this, with those tantalizing chunks of apple? I subbed about a teaspoon of real vanilla for the vanilla bean. I also don't own a food scale  and I am including my conversions as parenthetical notes. Feel free to drizzle with caramel sauce and top with whipped cream.

APPLE CUSTARD CAKE
From Look I Made That

3.75 oz AP flour (between 3/4 and 1 c.)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 lb 2 oz chopped apples (I used 4-5 apples)
2 large eggs, room temperature
6 oz sugar (3/4 c.)
1/2 vanilla bean
3 TBSP apple cider
4 oz unsalted butter, melted (1 cube)
unrefined sugar for sprinkling

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter an 8-inch springform cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Sprinkle unrefined sugar on the sides of the pan and tap it around.

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

- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until they’re foamy. Rub the vanilla bean seeds into the sugar and add to the eggs. Whisk until well blended. Whisk in the apple cider. 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 poke it around a little with the spatula so that it’s even. Sprinkle the top of the cake with unrefined sugar.

- Slide the pan into the oven and 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. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 30 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. If you want to remove the cake from the bottom of the springform pan, wait until the cake is almost cooled, then run a long spatula between the cake and the pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment, and invert it onto a rack. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving dish.

- Eat with a generous dusting of Maldon sea salt. And caramel and whipped cream if you’ve got it.

My Life in France

Isn't it incredible how a photograph can transport you back in time, to far away places, to memories you didn't know you still had? Old pictures I recently unearthed in old photo albums reveal a life I lived in France, when all I had to do was look out the kitchen window to be inspired. Just a few pictures tell so much:

Here is a typical French dinner, served by my elderly host, consisting of meat and vegetables, freshly baked bread, fresh fruit for dessert, and of course the famous cheese platter.

This was the room in which I awoke to the street of the Bastille below my window. The bed in which I slept, the journal splayed out to record my adventures. I wonder where that journal is now!

There was time to savor life and food in Paris. Time to stop at a market for lunch supplies, at a boulangerie for a baguette, and a patisserie for at least two pastries per day. (What? I only had 6 weeks to try them all! I was on a pastry tasting mission!)

The view from the top of Notre Dam sums up Paris for me. It remains the most aesthetically pleasing city I have ever visited, simultaneously frustrating and intoxicating, like a bad crush - one I never quite got over and wouldn't say no to even now.

Around My French Table: A Dinner Party

I recently heard about a new trend called a Cookbook Club. A group of friends picks an interesting cookbook and each person chooses one recipe they want to make from that book. They all get together and have a party and try a sampling of great food that they otherwise probably wouldn’t have had time or money to make at the same time. I thought this sounded SO fun and a great excuse to get to make more friends!

For my first Cookbook Club event, I chose Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table", one of the most popular and acclaimed cookbooks to be published in quite some time. All of the guests were impressed with how simple and approachable her recipes were. It proved to us that not all French food has to be intimidating or complicated in order to be satisfying.

My friend Tiffany made a French version of Shepherd's Pie (Hachis Parmentier), which was to die for, and that spinach bacon quiche behind it was great - even for an anti-quiche guy like my husband.

There was olive-cheese bread that was moist and savory, plus that squash I grew (just because we needed more vegetables), and I also made a citrus berry terrine. Dorie talks about how the French don't turn up their noses at gelatin like Americans are sometimes prone to do, and this recipe certainly is easy to love. Plain gelatin plus orange juice forms the base, and fresh berries and citrus segments are stirred into the mixture. It's pretty stunning when you turn it out onto a platter.

My only regret? That we didn't have a dessert. I guess that's a good excuse to do it again!

Citrus Berry Terrine
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table"

Segments from 1 pink grapefruit, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup cold water
2 packets unflavored gelatin
2 cups orange or grapefruit juice
1/3 cup sugar
About 3 cups mixed blueberries, raspberries and blackberries (if you want to add strawberries, look for small berries or cut larger ones into bite-sized pieces)

Place a double layer of paper towels on a cutting board and spread the citrus pieces out on the paper. Cover with another double layer of towels and set the pieces aside until you're ready for them. If the paper gets very wet, change it.

Pour the cold water in a large bowl, sprinkle over the gelatin, and let it soften.

Meanwhile, bring the juice and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour some of the juice over the gelatin, gently stir to dissolve, and then stir in the rest of the juice. Put the gelatin mixture in the refrigerator and let it chill, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly, about two hours. (Mine was ready after 1.5 hours.) (You're looking for a mixture with the texture of egg whites.)

Moisten a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cold water and shake out the excess. Gently stir the reserved citrus segments and the berries into the lightly thickened gelatin mixture, and scrape everything into the pan. Jiggle the pan a little to settle the gel and chill for at least four hours or up to overnight.

When you're ready to serve the terrine, dip the pan into a bowl or sinkful of hot water for a few seconds, and run a blunt knife around the edges of the pan. Wipe the pan and unmold the terrine onto a platter.

The terrine should be served in thick slices. If you'd like, you can dress each serving with more berries, or pour over a spoonful or two of sweetened pureed raspberries.

Alice Waters' Cherry Clafoutis

We never seem to get sour cherries in my neck of the states, but sweet cherries are being sold like crazy in streetside stands and markets everywhere this time of year. I bought a big bag yesterday that were cheap and looked nice, but it turned out they weren't too sweet, so I decided to bake with them.

For help, I turned to Alice Waters, the queen of regional fruit desserts. Decidedly French in spirit if not nationality, Waters' desserts are consistently subtle, light, and almost always feature the very best in fresh fruit.

Well, my fruit wasn't the very best, but when used in a cherry clafoutis, you could hardly tell. This traditional French dessert is sometimes very custardy and rich, but this version is more of a light cake topping over baked sweet cherries. The reserved cherry juice is thickened into a sweet-tart syrup that only heightens the flavor.

WARNING: If you are averse to the idea of perfuming your entire kitchen and the surrounding areas with the heavenly scent of cherry, almond, and lemon, this might not be the dish for you. However, if you are a fan of aroma therapy, by all means make this cherry clafoutis. The smell is to die for, not to mention the taste.

Cherry Clafoutis
From Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook by Alice Waters

1 lb. sweet cherries, washed and pitted (I halved mine)
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. grated lemon zest
A pinch ground cinnamon
1/3 c. sugar (or more, depending on the sweetness of the cherries)
2 eggs, separated
3 T. sugar
2 T. flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/3 c. cream
A pinch salt
Powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter a baking pan large enough to hold the cherries loosely in a single layer. Prepare the cherries and arrange them in the pan. Sprinkle with the lemon juice, zest, cinnamon, and sugar. Bake until the fruit is tender, about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Raise the oven temperature to 375F. butter another dish large enough to hold the cherries in a single layer (I used a medium rectangular Pyrex). Drain the cooked cherries, reserving their juice in a small saucepan. Arrange the cherries in the bottom of your baking dish. Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Beat in the flour, vanilla, almond extract, and cream.

Beat the egg white with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks. Stir a little of the whites into the batter, and then carefully fold in the rest. Pour the batter over the fruit in the baking dish, letting a little fruit show through the top.

Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 20 minutes, until the batter has puffed and browned. While the clafoutis is baking, reduce the fruit juices to a thin syrup. When the clafoutis is done, dust it with powdered sugar and serve warm with a drizzle of the syrup.

Séraphine

I love a good French film. Certain things will be expected in this genre: unsexualized (even unattractive) nudity, blunt conversations, and a fascination with food and the countryside. The sound of the French language is a comfort to me after all the years I spent studying it in high school and college.

This weekend, I was treated to the award-wining film Séraphine, based on the true story of a lonely housekeeper who, at age 41 in 1905, begins painting beautiful floral art. Untrained and using paint her makes herself, she finds inspiration in nature and the stained glass of the cathedrals she regularly visits to sing religious hymns. One day shortly before WWI (around 1914), she is discovered by a German art critic and dealer who recognizes her untainted talent and encourages her to develop it. Below, see examples of her work:

The film portrays the fine line an artist walks between inspiration and madness, and made me long to create something beautiful. I generally consider food to be my main creative medium, but occasionally I feel sad that such beauty can only last as long as it takes one to consume it. Then, it becomes a part of our very bodies, unseen but perhaps still felt and remembered. Still, I feel envious of painters, who have the ability to create something beautiful and enduring. I also would like to return to the French countryside now more than ever. Its beauty could inspire art in anyone!

Restaurant Review: Cafe Rolle

I am passionate about trying new restaurants, so I thought I might begin blogging about some of my most unique dining experiences with you. One restaurant that I have been meaning to try for some time is a local French spot called Cafe Rolle. Located in East Sacramento lies this informal, moderately priced gem where locals find authentic French dishes.

You can expect to be greeted by a charming French waiter as soon as you arrive...

When the weather is mild, do take advantage by dining out front on the patio. The smiling girl is a friend of mine, by the way, and not a stranger who I randomly asked to photograph. Phew! I'm not a complete weirdo blogging nut yet.

The tables are adorned with red and white checkered tablecloths, dotted with postcards from French destinations and carafes of water.


The croque monsiuer is my friend's favorite dish here. Others rave about the fois gras, pate, and sandwiches. Below, you will see the poached salmon sandwich topped with dill creme fraiche and the spring salad, topped with carrots, lentils and an assertive Dijon mustard dressing.


If you ever make it to my neck of the woods, stop by Cafe Rolle, and expect to hear many friendly wishes of "bonjour" and "merci". You will be living La Vie En Rose in no time!

Taking a Trip to Paris

Where would you go this summer if money were no concern? One popular European destination, the city of Paris, is nearly deserted by August when the locals head to the beach for the famous French month-long summer vacation. Maybe I would fancy a trip to Paris...
So I'm going to take a trip to Paris by reading a book written by David Lebowitz (who also writes a killer blog, by the by). This novel chronicles the former Chez Panisse chef's move to the City of Lights, his struggle to adjust to the often ridiculous and prickly way of the locals, and most of all, 50 delicious recipes including his acclaimed dulce de leche brownies. Yum!
Where will reading take you this summer?

Like A Julia Child Recipe, Only Easier

Is there anything more tantalizing than a good cut of meat roasting in the oven? Methinks not. I found a quirky cookbook in small used bookstore in Mendocino called Once Upon a Tart. In it, the French owner of said café shares his recipe for a simple roasted pork loin. It is delicious on its own with an arugula salad and vinaigrette, or sliced and eaten on a baguette for lunch.

French Pork Loin

2 lb. boneless pork loin
2 cloves garlic, sliced
½ c. good-quality Dijon mustard
3 T. herbes de Provence
2 T. kosher salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

Take the pork loin and cut slits all over it, inserting slices of garlic in the slits. Spread the mustard liberally all over the meat, then sprinkle with the seasonings. You may want to use a spatula to spread the spices evenly over the meat. Place the meat in a roasting pan on the rack.

Bake for about an hour or until meat is thoroughly cooked. Remove from oven and let the meat rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.