Apple Cake

McKenna recipe

Mix in a bowl:
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Add (it will be thick):
3 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp soda
1 tsp salt

Fold in:
3 cups chopped apples
1 cup chopped walnuts

Bake in greased and floured 9x13 pan, at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla

Mix in a pan and boil for 2 1/2 mins. Pour over hot cake. Let stand overnight or until fully cooled.

Winter Crunch Salad

from Whole Foods magazine:

1 cup small broccoli florets
1 cup small cauliflower florets
3 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 apple, chopped

Salad dressing
1 tsp orange zest
2 T orange juice

Toss together and top with toasted, salted cashews.

Curried Apple-Sweet Potato Yogurt Soup

1 T olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced carrot

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped very small (optional)

2 cups apples, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 cups of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 cups of chicken or veggie stock

curry powder

1-2 cups of yogurt

Chop and saute onion, celery, carrots (ginger, if using) until golden.

Add large chunks of apple and sweet potato and 2 cups of chicken broth.

Cook until apples and sweet potatoes are soft (about an hour).

Puree in the blender, food processor, or with immersion blender. Return to pot.

Add curry powder (1 tsp to 1 T, depending on how flavorful you like it).

Stir in yogurt. 

Gently warm through. Serve.

Tarte Tatin

roll out  11 inch circle of 10 oz of pie crust or puff pastry on parchment paper. Chill in fridge.

3 to 4 pounds of tart apples, quartered, cored and peeled

Preheat oven to 400. In a cast iron pan, on med-high, heat 2 T butter and 6 T sugar. Cook to caramelized. Remove from heat. Add apples lengthwise.

Place pastry over apples. Cut 3 or 4 small slashes. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove. Cool for a minute or two.

Place the serving platter over the pan and flip quickly.

Serve with creme fraiche, vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Grown Up Applesauce

from Fine Cooking:

8 apples, peeled and cored, cut into chunks
3 T unsalted butter
3 T water
1/2 vanilla bean, split
3 - 4 T granulated sugar
1 - 2 T brandy

Cook apples, butter, water, vanilla over medium heat for 25 minutes. Add sugar and brandy. Cool. Can save in frig up to a week.

Apple Tart

Preheat oven to 400. Place puff pastry on baking sheet. Prick lines 1/4 inch from edges and all over within that border. 

Arrange apple slices over pastry, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake 30 mins.

Combine 1/3 cup apple jelly and 2 T water in a saucepan, boil 30 seconds, stirring. Glaze apple with melted jelly. Bake 10 mins longer. Glaze again with jelly and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar.