Oma Ingrid's German Apple Cake

With Halloween behind us, the next holiday, Thanksgiving, is already looming over our heads again. This is another holiday I did not grow up with, but have come to love as well. Seriously, what's not to like about a holiday that is pretty much centered around good food, family and friends? There are so many delicious eats that are hard to resist. From the wonderful cooked turkey, to great sides and last but certainly not least, amazing seasonal pies and cakes.

I usually make a few very traditional dishes for our feast, but my German touches are never far. Our Thanksgiving dessert table also holds an assortment of "American" pies and at least a German cake or two. Today's featured apple cake is one that my mom (Oma Ingrid to my kids) has been baking for as long as I can remember and was also one of the first cakes I baked for my husband. Apple desserts are some of my favorites and this one is irresistible by having a fantastic nut topping. Served with some whipped cream it is a true family favorite.

The cake has three components. A crust, reminiscent of ones that are used in sweet tarts. A grated apple filling that really let's the apples shine without overpowering them with spices, and a nut crust made from butter, sugar, finely ground nuts and heavy cream. The crust is made quickly with the use of a food processor, but can also be made in a stand mixer. After pressing the crust into a greased springform pan it is set into the refrigerator while the apple filling and topping are prepared. Use your favorite apples in this, Cameo, Gala, or Honey-crisp are great choices that lend the perfect balance of sweet and tart, without getting too mushy after baking. The apples are grated before mixing them with a bit of lemon juice, sugar and flour, then placed inside the crust. Finely ground almonds or hazelnuts (my favorite) are mixed together with melted butter, sugar and heavy cream and then spread over the apple filling making sure to cover the entire cake before baking.

The cake takes a little bit time to put together, but is well worth the effort. It might not be the prettiest or most colorful cake you've ever seen, but let me tell you it makes up for it in flavor and has a wonderful rustic charm that fits so well into the season. This is a cake that is requested over and over in our home and is never missing on our Thanksgiving table. I do hope if you give this recipe a try, you'll enjoy adding some German touches to your table as well!

Oma Ingrid's German Apple Cake

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

250 grams all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

100 grams sugar

125 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 large egg

For the apple filling:

6 medium apples

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the nut topping:

125 grams finely ground hazelnuts or almonds

75 grams melted butter

100 grams sugar

3-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.

For the crust: Add flour, baking powder and sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse again until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Add the egg and once again pulse until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface and quickly knead until dough comes together. Press dough into the bottom and up the sides of the prepped springform pan. Set pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling and topping.

For the filling: Peel, core and grate apples. Add them to a large bowl and toss with flour, sugar and lemon juice. Set aside while you prepare the nut topping.

For the topping: In a medium bowl combine the ground nuts, melted butter, sugar and heavy cream. Stir to combine until the mixture is like a paste.

Putting it all together: Remove springform pan with crust from the fridge. Pour apple mixture into the formed crust and spread evenly. Spread nut topping over top of the apples, making sure to cover apples completely. Bake in preheated oven for about 50 - 55 minutes. Check after 45 minutes and if the topping and crust get to dark, cover with a piece of aluminum to prevent over browning.

Remove cake from oven and cool for about 20 minutes before removing sides of the pan (make sure to run a sharp knife around the edges before attempting). Let cool completely before serving.

Adapted from: My mom

"Bloody Olivia"

 ~ Welcome to a Progressive Party ~
 I know, right now most of you are saying "what?", but let me explain. It is actually the fantastic brainchild of Casey over at TasteStopping. It boils down to 6 different bloggers, 6 different assigned dinner courses, 1 product, kitchen tool, or ingredient, equaling one fun, unique internet party like no other. You can find more info about all of this over at Kitchen Play since Casey has a much better way of explaining than I do, but think of it kind of like Iron Chef meets Chopped.

This month the ingredient is sponsored by Lindsay Olives who happen to produce a fantastic array of different olives for any occasion. My assignment: A cocktail. The mission: Create a signature cocktail using Lindsay Olives that is NOT a martini. Sounds easy enough? Well, yes and no. Let's just say my husband had a glorious time sampling different drinks. In all honesty, those that know me are aware of the fact that I'm not an olive kind of girl and my drink of choice is usually on the sweeter side. My husband on the other hand had absolutely no problems helping me out, and in the end I was surprised that I liked the finished cocktail as much as I did.

I was trying to figure out which direction to take this drink and then it hit me. What better way to create something that also represents my geographical living area than coming up with a Southwest inspired cocktail? And what better way to achieve this than with Lindsay's Spicy Jalapeno Queen Olives. After experimenting with a few different drinks, I decided to intertwine one of my favorite drinks (the Margarita) with one of my husbands favorite drinks (the Bloody Mary) and born was the "Bloody Olivia"!

The main ingredient of a Margarita is tequila and a Bloody Mary is made with tomato juice and vodka. Trying to figure out how to combine these two drinks into one was fairly easy, but how could I showcase these great supplied olives? After a few trials and errors it came to me that I could infuse the most flavor by not just using the olive brine from inside the jar, but also by taking one of the Spicy Jalapeno Queen Olives and adding it to the drink. To do just that, I decided to break out my blender, and it worked like a charm. The drink gets additional flavor from a few spices, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and last but not least, another traditional margarita ingredient, lime juice. After blending the tomato/olive base together, all that was left to do was stir in the tequila and enjoy.

I served the drink in a Chili-Lime Salt (which I found at a liquor store with the specialty salts) rimmed glass over ice and as a garnish I added a pickled jalapeno along with another stuffed Lindsay Spicy Jalapeno Queen Olive. This made for a tasty cocktail that had quite a kick to it. With all of the holidays and get-togethers coming up, I'm happy to have another great cocktail in my repertoire so I guess I better stock up on a few more Lindsay Olives!

"Bloody Olivia"
(Makes 1 drink)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

8 oz. vegetable juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 tablespoon Lindsay Spicy Jalapeno Olive brine (the liquid from inside the jar)
1 Lindsay Spicy Jalapeno Olive
1 1/2 oz. Tequila
Ice
Chili-Lime Salt to rim the glass (for garnish)
Pickled Jalapeno (for garnish)
1 Lindsay Spicy Jalapeno Olive (for garnish)

Preparation:

In a blender add vegetable juice, salt, pepper, celery salt, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, lime juice, olive brine and 1 jalapeno olive. Blend until mixture is combined and smooth. Stir in tequila. Carefully pour over ice into a salt rimmed glass. Add the pickled jalapeno and olive for garnish. Serve immediately!

Last, but certainly not least, these progressive parties have a great way to get all of you, my wonderful readers, involved. You have the chance to win $100  cold, hard cash and all you have to do is either make my signature cocktail and blog about it, or pick any of the other party recipes to make and blog about it. You can also make all 6 courses for 6 entries to increase your chances of winning. To find out more info and all the the rules that come along with this contest, hop on over to Kitchen Play. This is a great opportunity for some easy money and who couldn't use that  right before the holidays?  Don't wait though, you have only until November 30th, 2010 to enter.

....And the Halloween Food continues

 

The Halloween fun continues today on Susi's Kochen und Backen with a couple more ghoulish treats. Earlier this week I featured fun drinks like "Swamp Juice" and appetizers like "Eye of Newt" and today is no different with a couple more fun party foods like "Vampire Blood Shots" and "Puff Pastry Intestines". Now, who wouldn't want to come to THAT party?

When trying to come up with a themed party my planning always starts with the food. A good mix of finger food is easiest to serve, since it allows your guests to walk around and be social. I like to have a good mix of cold and warm appetizers, some that contain meat and some for all the vegetarians . If in doubt, a vegetable platter, cheese tray or fruit platters are always a hit and they can round out your buffet.  One of my big requirements for "fun" food is that it has to be appealing to the eye as well as the taste buds.

Kicking it off today are the "Vampire Blood Shots". Now, I need you all to humor me and pretend that I'm serving these fun shooters in Test Tubes rather than shot glasses. I had ordered a test tube set to display them in, but of course, I'm still waiting for them to be delivered. Plan B to the rescue. While not quite as cool looking as test tubes, serving the "Blood" in shot glasses works just as well. The blood happens to be a very quickly cooked, but incredibly tasty tomato soup that can easily be made a day ahead. Since tomatoes aren't at their prime anymore, I went with a couple of cans of whole tomatoes which are always flavorful and at their best taste. A smooth soup is key when you are serving it  "drink-style" and with that I relied on my food mill to get the right texture. A fine mesh strainer will do the job as well though.

Second up are the "Puff Pastry Intestines". I found them on The Knead for Speed who had adapted it from canarygirl.com and the second I laid I eyes on this fun treat I was hooked. My boys coming home from school, seeing them on the counter and exclaiming "most awesome guts EVER!" confirmed my excitement. They are pretty simple to make, all you need is a bit of time. Puff Pastry is cut into strips, filled with a meat filling, then pinched together to form one long continuous roll before being placed in a 9 x 13 inch pan (here is a great tutorial). Red food coloring adds a bit of gore. The puff pastry sheets were pretty easy to work with in the beginning, only towards the end it became difficult and started to fall apart on me when transferring to my baking dish. Not a big deal though since intestines aren't all that neat anyway. This recipe can also be made ahead and refrigerated until ready for baking. They are great fresh out of the oven but still tasty at room temperature.

I hope you all enjoyed the recipes featured this week on my blog. I figured with so much candy around and more treats and sweets to come in the next couple of months, it would be fun to show a different food side of Halloween.

Since I'm trying to get ready for this weekend, I'm wishing you all a Happy Halloween at this point! Enjoy yourselves, whether you are hosting a party, going to a party, or simply getting into the fun by handing out candy to all the little ghosts and goblins out there. See you next week!

Vampire Blood Shots

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Pinch of sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:

In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add the whole tomatoes and crush with a potato masher. Add the bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, sugar, basil, oregano and cook covered for about 15 minutes.

Pour mixture through a food mill, discard solids or alternatively pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer, making sure to press all the liquid out of the mixture.

Return strained soup to the pot. Check for additional seasoning. Add the heavy cream and balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use and re-heat.

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original Recipe

Puff Pastry Intestines

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 (17.3 ounce) package frozen puff pastry

Meat filling (recipe to follow)

1 egg, beaten

red food coloring

small paintbrush

Directions:

Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Cut each puff pastry sheet lengthwise into 6 strips. Lightly flour a big work area, table, or kitchen island and lay each strip next to one another. (I did 4 strips at a time) Press and seal the seams between the strips.

Spread the filling down the entire length of the dough, leaving a bit of space on each side to pinch closed.

Pinch the entire length of the dough closed, stretching the dough slightly around the filling as you go.

Carefully lift intestine into your baking dish, seam-side down, and form an "intestine-like" pattern.

Brush puff pastry with beaten egg. Dip small paintbrush into red food coloring and draw "blood" in the creases.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Meat Filling for "Puff Pastry Intestines"

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey

1/4 medium onion, finely diced

1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon ketchup

Directions:

Brown meat in a pan until no longer pink. Add onions, corn, taco seasoning, water and ketchup. Cook for about 5 minutes or until water is dissolved. Let cool before filling the puff pastry. 

Adapted from: The Knead for Speed and canarygirl.com