Harvest cooking: layered apple cake

My friend gave me lots of apple (thank you, Carol!) so I baked a layered apple cake. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe so here it is.

Layered apple cake

Ingredients:

 

Dry ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup farina cereal or semolina

1 cup sugar

1 table spoon baking powder

1/2 tea spoon cinnamon

a dash of salt

7 tart medium apples or 13-14 small ones / about 6 cups when shredded. If your apples are sweet you may want to reduce the amount of sugar.

1/4 tea spoon nutmeg

1 stick cold butter (has to be refrigerated until needed)

rectangular baking pan

cooking spray

wax paper or parchment paper

How to make an apple layered cake:

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, divide the mix into 3 parts.

2. Prepare your apples: remove core, seeds and peel. Shred them with vegetable shredder, mix with a nutmeg and divide to 2 parts.

 

3. Preheat your oven to 350"F degree. Prepare your baking pan: spray it a cooking spray, line with a sheet of either wax or parchment paper and spray the paper.

4. Arrange the layers in your baking pan: spread 1st part of dry ingredients, then add apples on top. Repeat one more time, then add the remaining dry ingredients as a last layer. We got 3 dry ingredients layers and 2 apple ones.

 

4. Take your butter out of refrigerator, quickly shred it on the same vegetable shredder and arrange on top of last layer.

5. Bake at 350'F for about 45 minutes until the cake will turn golden brown. Remove from the oven, cool it down, slice and serve. It will pair well with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Roasted red pepper pasta

I first heard about this recipe while I was walking on a treadmill at our gym while watching an episode of Pioneer Women (oh, the irony of diet and exercise!). It seemed very easy to make so when I got home I pulled out the ingredients and made it for dinner. It was delicious. So, definitely a keeper for me. Try it and you will like it, too.

 You can find a recipe here. 

I made my version similar except I used a different brand roasted peppers, a different type of noodles, lighter cream (half and half), thai basil and water instead of chicken broth to make it lighter. Delicious and quick!

 

Pappardelle egg pasta

 Tassos Fire Roasted Florinas Peppers 

 

Thai basil

How to make a chocolate covered strawberries

Summer is almost here and so is sun, fun and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. My friend Tania* thinks there is nothing better then start your day with a light desert :) she loves strawberries and always makes small batches of this almost guilt-free desert when berries are in season.

Chocolate cover strawberries are quick to make, delicious and look fabulous. All you need to make it is some fresh strawberries with stems, white and milk chocolate and of course, some cooking inspiration.  

As with all berries, this is quickly perishable desert so prepare it on the day of serving.

Here is how to make it:

1. Rinse your berries and dry them thoroughly on a paper towel.

 

2. Use chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate. Melt your white and milk chocolate separate, in a double boiler, stirring until it is melted completely. If you'd like, add about 1/2 to 1 tea spoon of neutral tasting cooking oil to make chocolate more flexible. Do not cover your chocolate to avoid a liquid condensation and dripping into your pan.

3. Remove the chocolates from the heat. Hold your prepared berries by the stem and dip them in either white or milk chocolate. Place on prepared baking sheet lined with a parchment or wax paper. Use the contrast color chocolate and a fork or culinary bag to drizzle over your berries.

 

4. Place strawberries in a refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour until the chocolate is set. Your fabulous chocolate covered strawberries are ready to serve!

*Tania is one of the owners of the cozy guest house by the Black Sea. If you'd like to have a summer vacation right next to the one of the best Crimean beaches, Belyaus, please  contact her through her Instagram (@belayus_homesweethome) She will be happy to hear from you!

 

Mixed citrus marmalade recipe

Since we have 3 citrus trees in our garden, I am trying to find some good ways to preserve it. Last year my favorite was preserved  lemon Meyer (lemons with salt), this year is new quick mixed citrus marmalade and lemon Meyer curd bars. I will be happy to share all of them.

Let's start with mixed citrus marmalade.

You will need:

1 lbs of lemon Meyer

1 lbs orange

3 cups sugar (or add some more if you feel that the mix is not sweet enough for you. I'd say, to taste :) )

2 tablespoon pineapple rum (I used Captain Morgan Pineapple rum)

water (to boil the peel)

Wash your citrus with warm water and wipe it dry. Peel them, then remove the inner white lining with a flexible knife. Discard the lining. Use the electric chopper to chop the peel to a small pieces.

Place the chopped peel into a small pot, cover it with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook on a medium heat for about 1 hour. Strain and discard the liquid.

While peel is cooking, prepare you citrus. Cut fruits in small pieces on a plate, remove the seeds, leftover of white linings and membranes, transfer it to a wide stainless steel pot. Add sugar, mix it and let it stay at the room temperature until the peel is done.

Prepare your canning jars. I am washing mine with warm water and dish soap, then cleaning jars with baking soda, rinsing it well and drying it on a clean kitchen towel. Then I am placing jars without the lids to a baking tray, placing it in the oven and heating it to 200'F to sterilize. They sits there for about 10 minutes or a little longer, so the cooked marmalade will go to a warm sterile jars.Meanwhile, I will place the lids to a glass bowl and add some boiling water on top to cover them. I will let them stay there for about 5 minutes, then transfer them with a kitchen tongues to a clean paper towel. The lids and jars have to be dry so wipe the excess water with a clean paper towel.

Add strained peel to the pot with citrus, mix it well with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook on low for about an hour. Add pineapple rum, stir into mixture and let it cook for another 10 minutes. Pour the marmalade into prepared jars and top with lids and rims. Close them tight and turn them over to cool on a clean kitchen towel.

Store in refrigerator.

Try it, it's delicious.

Lemon Curd Bars recipe

I found this recipe on Allrecipies.com. I was looking for ways to use the enormous amount of lemon curd I made this year and this recipe was exactly what I needed. The bars are delicious, easy to make and you can wrap and freeze them for future use.

I made small changes in their recipe so please see below. If you want to use the original recipe, please simply go here

Here is what you need to make Lemon Curd Bars:

1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

 20 oz lemon curd (purchased or you can make it yourself, the recipe is here)

3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

How to make Lemon Curd Bars:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 1. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Pat 3/4 of mixture into bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

2. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Spread curd over baked layer. Add coconut and walnuts to remaining crumb mixture (step 1); stir to mix. Sprinkle over curd.

3. Bake additional 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut into squares.

So this recipe is definitely a keeper for me.

Enjoy!

Apple butter recipe

The Golden Delicious apples we picked at the apple farm were slightly under ripe so I decided to save some fresh for later and preserve the rest of them. I decided that apple butter made in slow cooker would be the easiest way to cook them. It took all day to make this but there is really little work involved, just cooking time.

So I am glad to share this recipe with you. I used ground cinnamon and cloves but you don't have to if you prefer non spiced apple butter. Here is what you need:

6 lbs organic apples, cored and chopped to about 3/4" pieces

1 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Wash, core and chop your apples. Mix the seasonings, pour into apples and mix well.

Place the apples in a slow cooker, cover and cook on high for about an hour. Stir the apples and reduce heat to low. Cook an additional 8 hours, stirring occasionally. The mixture should become thick and brown. Use a hand blender to get a smooth texture and cook on low for additional hour.

Prepare your jars, wash and sterilize them. Spoon the hot mixture into the prepared jars, cover with a lid and turn them over on a clean kitchen towel. Let the jars cool and store them in the refrigerator.

Enjoy and please let me know how you like it!

Summer eggplant salad recipe

I love the taste of this easy to make eggplant salad. It goes well with a BBQ or fresh baked bread. Delicious! 

You will need:

1 eggplant

1 large carrot, shredded

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

3 garlic clove, minced

bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

olive oil for frying

salt, pepper, white vinegar to taste

Prepare the eggplant: wash it, cut in half and then cut to wedges. Place in a colander, add some salt and mix. Leave for 30 minutes, then wash under running water and squeeze out the water from the wedges.

At the same time, place the shredded carrots in a large bowl and add minced garlic. Fry the chopped onion with the small amount of olive oil. When the onion will turn golden in color, add it to a carrot-garlic mix and stir all together.

Fry the eggplant wedges until soft and golden brown and put in a bowl. Add the rest of vegetables and parsley, mix and add salt, pepper and vinegar to taste. Enjoy!

Peaches are in season!

I went to a grocery store after my morning walk and as soon as I walked in I smell the fresh peach & nectarine's aroma. A perfect summertime smell!

White nectarines

So I bought some of these beautiful fruits and while we love to eat them fresh we still would like to treat ourselves with healthier dessert from time to time. I tried that cheesecake stuffed peaches recipe last year, it was so good that I think it might be a hit for this Fathers Day.

Cheesecake stuffed peach

The recipe was originally published in the August 2011 edition of Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

To make this you will need:

6 peaches, halved

1⁄4 cup butter, melted

3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar, purchased or combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 15 x 10 x 1" baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.

Trim a very thin slice from the round side of each peach half so the halves will stand flat on the baking pan. Dip peach halves in melted butter to coat. Arrange peach halves, cut sides up, in prepared pan. Sprinkle cut sides of peaches with cinnamon-sugar; set aside. 

 In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar, egg yolk & vanilla. Beat until combined. Spoon cream cheese mixture into peach centers.

Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until lightly browned & softened. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I sprinkled mine with powdered sugar:

Try it, I think you will like it!