Apple Coffee Cake & Happy Thanksgiving!

Although Thanksgiving is not part of our culture, we embraced the speacial day ever since we have been here. Every year, we invited friends over to spend Thanksgiving with us. This Thanksgiving, however, we are back in sunny Malaysia, surrounded by our family for the first time in many years.

We are glad to be home, of course. But we also miss the time spent preparing the big meal. This year, we are lucky to have traditional homecooked meal prepared by mum. I know many of you are travelling today, so I hope you'll have a safe trip home!

From the "Fresh from the Oven" household, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving!

I don't have any Thanksgiving recipes to share, but may I recommend this Apple Coffee Cake for your post Thanksgiving breakfast? It's easy to make, yet the recipe yield a moist and generous serving. OCT colleagues loved it when he brought it to the lab meeting before we came back. I hope you will like it too!

Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze
adapted from FoodNetwork.com

1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples
Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Brown Sugar Glaze:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm.

note: I omit the glaze, because I think the cake is sweet enough.

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Apple Galette

I love fruits picking. There's an indescribable satisfaction of biting into the ripe fruit that one just picked from the tree. A few weeks ago, I persuaded my friends who have never been to fruits picking for an apples picking session at an apple orchard 2 hours drive from Atlanta. Needless to say, we had a great time that day.

Upon returning with a lot more apples than we could consume, my friends C and T turned to me for an apple pie demonstration. Instead of teaching them the classic apple pie, I opted for a simple apple galette recipe from Cook's Illustrated. A recipe source I know will not disappoint. And I am happy to report that the crust is one of the flakiest I have made. The video demonstation on the site is easy to follow and helpful for bakers of all experience levels.

Although the recipe used food processor, we made the dough by hand, with a pastry cutter. I offered my friends C and T who have never worked with pie dough the following pointers, which I hope you will find them helpful too:

1. Remember to have all the starting ingredients COLD. (the butter, water and flour).

2. Add the ice water slowly. One tablespoon at a time, until a dough ball is almost formed, but not quite yet. There will be some flour left at the bottom of the bowl, but that's ok. You can easily incorporate them into the dough when wrapping it into a circle for chilling later.

3. Handle the dough with a light hand and as little as possible. You don't want to overwork the dough or it will turn out tough after baked.

4. Let the dough rest and chill,for at least 30 minutes, after mixing and forming.

5. Don't be afraid of the dough and have fun!

Although we had a little problem cutting and arranging the apple slices in an appealing fashion like the video demonstration,our apple galette turned out just as delicious. I didn't have apricot preserves, so I substituted it with raspberry preserves which explains the dark hue of the galette. That maybe the only aspect that could be improved on. That could easily be fixed with some chopped nuts scattered on top for color constrast.

The Apple Galette is a simple and elegant alternative to the classic American Apple Pie. You will be amazed by how fast it's disappearing from the plate. And if you are like me, you'd regret not cutting a bigger slice for yourself first before serving the others.

Apple Galette
adopted from Cook's Illustrated

Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter , cut into 5/8-inch cubes (1 1/2 sticks)
7-9 tablespoons ice water

Apple Filling
1 1/2 pounds apples (3-4 medium or 4-5 small-use granny smith, empire or golden delicious)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons apricot preserves ( I substituted with raspberry preserves)
1 tablespoon water


CUT IN BUTTER:
Using Food Processor: Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, and sugar in food processor with three 1-second pulses. Scatter butter pieces over flour, pulse to cut butter into flour until butter pieces are size of large pebbles, about 1/2 inch, about six 1-second pulses.
Using pastry cutter: Mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl, scatter butter pieces over flour, and cut the butter into flour until butter pieces are the size of large pebbles.

ADD WATER:
Using Food Processor: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon water over mixture and pulse once quickly to combine; repeat, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulsing, until dough begins to form small curds that hold together when pinched with fingers (dough should look crumbly and should not form cohesive ball).
Using pastry cutter: Sprinkle water over mixture and lightly mix with hand, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough begins to form small curds that hold together when pinched with finger. It is ready when it looks crumbly and should not form cohesive ball.

FORM MOUND:
Empty dough onto work surface and gather into rough rectangular mound about 12 inches long and 5 inches wide.

FRAISAGE AND CHILL:
Starting at farthest end, use heel of hand to smear small amount of dough against counter, pushing firmly down and away from you, to create separate pile of dough (flattened pieces of dough should look shaggy). Continue process until all dough has been worked. Gather dough into rough 12 by 5-inch mound and repeat smearing process. Dough will not have to be smeared as much as first time and should form cohesive ball once entire portion is worked. Form dough into 4-inch square, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until cold and firm but still malleable, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

CUT APPLES:
About 15 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Peel, core, and halve apples. Cut apple halves lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

ROLL AND TRIM DOUGH:
Place dough on floured 16 by 12-inch piece of parchment paper and dust with more flour. Roll dough until it just overhangs all four sides of parchment and is about 1/8 inch thick, dusting top and bottom of dough and rolling pin with flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Trim dough so edges are even with parchment paper.

FORM BORDER:
Roll up 1 inch of each edge and pinch firmly to create 1/2-inch-thick border. Transfer dough and parchment to rimmed baking sheet.

LAYER APPLES AND BAKE:
Starting in one corner, shingle sliced apples to form even row across bottom of dough, overlapping each slice by about one-half. Continue to layer apples in rows, overlapping each row by half. Dot apples with butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake until bottom of tart is deep golden brown and apples have caramelized, 45 to 60 minutes. Check the bottom of the galette halfway through baking-it should be a light golden brown. If it is darker, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

GLAZE:
While galette is cooking, combine apricot preserves and water in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium power until mixture begins to bubble, about 1 minute. Pass through fine-mesh strainer to remove any large apricot pieces. Brush baked galette with glaze and cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. Cut in half lengthwise and then crosswise into individual portions; serve.

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An apple a day...

I bought a huge bag of apples the week before thanksgiving for munching and baking. OCT and I love eating the honey crisp out of hand and Fuji in a Chinese dessert soup.(See photo at the bottom of this post) While I used most of the apples in the Normandy Apple Tart, I found 3 Granny Smith sitting awkwardly in the fridge a few days ago.

If they can think, they must be wondering when will be their turn to shine, like their cousins Jonathan, golden delicious and MacIntosh in the gorgeous Normandy Apple Tart. The thing I like about apples is, they have a long fridge life. There was once I bought some apples and totally forgot about them until a month later. They were tranformed into an apple pie and tasted just as delicious as those plucked from the tree one hour ago.

I asked the Granny Smiths if they wanted to be apple pie in their afterlife, but they promptly declined. They wished to be something sophisticated. "How about cheesecake?" I suggested. "Sounds yummy" Granny Smith granted me their approvals.

So apple cheesecake it is. I turned to the one apple cheesecake recipe I have bookmarked since last year and started to peel, core and slice the apples. They were then tossed with lemon juice to prevent discoloring. In the original recipe, cinnamon graham crackers are used for crust. But I opted for the vanilla wafers because I have some approaching expiring. Crushing them with my pestle in a mixer bowl until they become fine crumbs. I consider this as my dose of exercise for the day while watching Rachael Ray cooked on TV.

Next, I sauted the apple while leaving the crust to bake in a 350F preheated oven. When the crust has turned a golden hue after about 10 minutes, I removed it from the oven and turned the temperature to 325F. A higher temperature, as most experienced bakers would know will cause the cheesecake to crack, and lend it an unappealing look.

When the apples are soft and slightly caramelized, I let it cool on a spot near the window before laying them on the crust. Moving on to the cream cheese filling, I creamed 2 blocks of 1/3 Less Fat Neufchâtel cream cheese and one block of original cream cheese instead of using 3 blocks of original cream cheese. This is to save myself and other eaters some calories, so that we can have a bigger serving. After creaming the cream cheese + sugar mixture, I hesistated for 30 seconds, debating with my unadventurous self if I should add the 1/4 tsp of ground ginger into the mix. As much as I love using fresh ginger in my savory dishes, I am not familiar with its ground version. I dumped it in nevertheless, hoping that Tish Boyle is right.

At this point, the crust and cooked apples are cooled and ready to be used. I tasted one slice of the apples, find them addictively tasty and reached for second. Then I remembered I was supposed to line them on top of the crust..Opps. Luckily I have enough apples to cover the naked crust. Cream cheese filling was then poured in before I sent the cake into the 325F sauna oven.

According to the recipe, the cake is to be baked in a hot water bath but my roasting pan was already packed after Thanksgiving, ready to be given away. So I improvised by adding a pan of hot water in the 9x9 inch square baking pan on the lower rack.

Fast forward 40 minutes later, when I went back to check, the cheesecake cracked in the center, and all around its sides! I suspect my oven temperature is a bit off after working incessantly for the past years. I doubted the past tenants have it worked as hard as I do. Anyway, I make a mental note to get an oven thermometer soon.

I did my best to cover up the crack in the center with the remaining cooked apple slices, and rendered it a rustic look (cracked sides and all). Appearance aside, the apple cheesecake was surprisingly delicious. I am not blowing my own trumpet, it is afterall, Tish Boyle's brilliant recipe.

The cinnamon and ground ginger added a subtle but intriguing warm undertone to the cheesecake, while the cooked apple, slightly tart granny smith, cut through the creamy cheesecake and bear the reminiscent of an apple pie. My mouth is salivating while recounting the flavor of the cheesecake. I know my descriptions simply doesn't do it justice. So I urge you to give this cheesecake a try, if I may be ever so pushy. The granny smith hiding somewhere in your fridge will thank you.

Even better if you have that fancy schmancy butane/propane torch. For the original recipe - Apple Cheesecake Brulee has a layer of caramelized sugar covering the top. I can only imagine how fantas-licious it would be. I have to add the torch in my Christmas wishlist.

Other desserts that I made with the mixed bag of apples:

A refreshing and nourishing apple dessert soup I learned from my ex-housemate. Piggy also made a more elaborate version with recipe, here.

And of course, most of the apples went into this Normandy Apple Tart

Apple Cheesecake
adapted from Tish Boyle's- The Cake Book

apple layer
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons (1 oz/28g) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons (0.9 oz/ 25g) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream

Vanilla Wafer Crust
1 1/4cups (5.3 oz/150g) vanilla wafer
3 tablespoons (1.3 oz/ 37g) granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (2 oz/57g) unsalted butter, melted

Cream Chesse Filling
3 blocks of cream cheese (1 original and 2 1/3 Less Fat Neufchâtel ), softened.
1 1/2cups (10.5 oz/300g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup (4.2 oz/ 121g) sour cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Brulee topping (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x3 inch springform pan and wrap the sides with heavy duty aluminium foil.

To make the apple layer,
Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/4-inch. Toss with lemon juice until all slices are evenly coated.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is bubbling, add the apple and saute for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over apple and continue to cook, stir frequently until the apple slices are nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Add in cream and cook until apples are tender,about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set it aside to cool.

To make the crust,
In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, melted butter and granulated sugar. Pat the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. (I like to use a 1/4 measuring cup for this task.) Bake for 8 minutes until the crust turns golden.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325F after the crust is baked.

Let the crust cool on wire rack while working on the cream cheese filling.

When the apples are cool, arrange a tight circle of slices, without overlapping them, around the edge of the pan, on top of the crust. Arrange another circle of slices in the center, covering the crust completely. (Save the remaining apples for garnish/ camoflauge the cracks later)

To make the filling,
In a bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium low speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add granulated sugar and beat until blended. Add the vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, sour cream and cornstarch and mix until well blended. At low speed, add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Scape the batter over the apple layer. Place the pan in a roasting pan or a large baking pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about 1 inch up the side of the springform pan. Bake the cake in the water bath for 70 to 80 minutes (Mine was not baked in a water bath and hence was done in about 45 minutes.) until the center is set but slightly wobbly (the cake will continue to set as it cools). Remove the pan from the water bath, if using, and set it on a wire rack to cool completely.

Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.

To make the topping (optional),
Let the cheesecake chilled for at least 4 hours. Run a knife between the edges of the pan and the cake to loosen. Remove the side of the pan. Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the cake, covering it with a very thin, even layer. Caramelize the sugar using a butane or propane torch, holding it about 2 inches from the surface of the cake and slowly moving it over the top until the sugar melts and turns golden brown (the sugar will not brown evenly; be patient- this process can take a while, depending on the kind of torch you use)

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My third Thanksgiving in St Louis

Time flies and last Thursday marked my third Thanksgiving in St Louis. It seems only like yesterday when I confronted my first turkey breast. Although it was only 7 pounds, it was nonetheless the biggest piece of meat I have ever handled.

I remembered back then I was hesitant to invite anybody over as I wasn't sure my first turkey would be edible at all. When we finally decided to extend the invitations to friends, we didn't have a particular menu in mind. Needless to say, our first Thanksgiving meal wasn't a conventional one. Turkey breast with ready-made gravy and stuffing, uneven chunks of "mashed" potato, steamed vegetables and two quiches. I cannot recall what was dessert although I suspect it must be something made of chocolate.

That was how it began. That Thanksgiving dinner marked the beginning of many parties at our little one bedroom apartment, and the revelation of my pleasure from caring and serving others with home-cooked meals.

Thanksgiving is also a time I reflect on the kindness others have showered me, and their acceptance of me into their lives. I count my blessings and thank God for friends and family in my life. With that, I cooked and baked for the people I care. It has always been my way to say "Thank you" and "I love you".

These feelings were epitomized with the Normandy Apple Tart. The apple sauce was made painstalking by sieving over my only strainer, which was unfortunately too fine for such a task. The resulting apple sauce used for the filling of the tart was very smooth, making me feel that all the time and effort spent were worthwhile. I first saw the Normandy Apple Tart in Dorie Greenspan'sBaking: From My Home to Yours, and subsequently saw it made by Anita and Christine. Their beautiful tarts and the abundance of apples at the farmer's market inspired me to overcome my inertia to finally making it.

Although mine didn't turn out as stunning as theirs, I gave myself a pat on the shoulder when our friends commented that the tart was delicious. The credit was all Greenspan's, who came up with the recipe; and of course the farmer who grew the apples.

This Normandy Tart is not a difficult recipe, I believe anybody can make it with some prior planning and lots of patience. Although one can use the store-bought apple sauce, I agree with Greenspan that homemade apple sauce, (especially in this time of year) made a difference in the Normandy Tart. I don't have a mandoline, so I used a very sharp knife to finely slice the apples for topping.

I baked the tart on the Thanksgiving morning, and believe that it would taste even better if I have the time to bake and serve it straight from the oven. The filling was a bit loose, but can easily be disguised with some fine ice cream (which I did!)

Seeing that the topless tart has been selected as the theme for this month's "Waiter there's something in my ..." by Cooksister, I am submitting the Normandy Tart as my entry.

In case you want to know, these are what we had on Thanksgiving. The mostly Gourmet inspired recipes:
Stuffed Turkey with Lemon, Oregano and Red Onion (I used rosemary in place of oregano, and added in some white wine in the basting liquid)
Make Ahead Mashed Potato
Quick Stovetop Gravy
Roasted Japanese Sweet Potato with Scallion Butter
Italian Sausage and Bread Stuffing
Roasted Asparagus
Normandy Apple Tart
Alice Medrich Fastest Fudge Cake (as a backup in case the Normandy Apple tart was inedible ;p)

No photos on the meal, as I was a little behind the schedule, and I couldn't bring myself to let the guests wait on hungry stomachs!

Normandy Apple Tart
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan'sBaking: From My Home to Yours and as seen in Dessert First and Hot.Sour.Salty.Sweet and Umami

Pâte Sablée

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoon butter, very cold, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk

Applesauce
2 pounds baking apples,(about 6 medium) such as Empire, Cortland, McIntosh, or Pippin
1/4 cup water, or more
1 tablespoon (packed) light brown sugar
1-4 tablespoons sugar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon pure Vanilla extract (optional)

Topping
2 medium-sized, firm apples,(preferably firm Golden Delicious or Granny Smith, not the mealy type you used for applesauce)
1 egg, beaten with 1/2 teaspoon water, for egg wash
1/3 cup apple jelly for glaze (I used apricot jelly)

To make the applesauce:
Peel and core the apples, and cut into chunks. Toss them into a 2-3 quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan. (or leave the skin on for a rosier color) . Add in the water and brown sugar, and stir to combine.

Cover the saucepan and cook the apples over the medium-low heat.Don't go far from the stove and stir the apples from time to time to keep them from scorching.

If the water is boiling away too quickly, add more by driblets. When the apples are soft enough to be mashed with a spoon, about 20-25 minutes, remove the pan from heat and pass the apples through a food mill or press them through a sturdy strainer into a bowl.

If the applesauce seems thin (if liquid accumulates around the edges), return the sauce to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes, until the sauce is just thick enough to sit up on a spoon. Taste the sauce , adding granulated sugar if you think it needs it (bearing in mind that the applesauce for this tart was not very sweet)and vanilla, if you want it.

Pour the applesauce into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface, and refrigerate until it is no longer warm before using. (The applesauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.)

For the tart shell:
Combine the flour, confectioner's sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the pieces of cold butter and pulse until the butter is cut into pea-sized pieces. Add the egg yolk and combine in several pulses until the dough starts to become clumpy. Taking care not to overwork the dough. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, knead dough lightly to incorporate any dry ingredients that escaped mixing.

If you are using a pastry cutter, combine all dry ingredients and cut butter into the sizes of peas. Add in eggyolk and mix until all ingredients come together into a ball. Add in one or two tablespoons of cold water if the ingredients is too dry.

Butter a 9-in fluted tart pan with removable bottom.Lightly press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the fridge to patch any cracks after the crust is baked.

Freeze the tart shell for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer. Bake it in a 375 degrees.

To partially bake the tart shell:
Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminium foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until the shell is dry and lightly colored. If any places have cracked, repair with the extra dough. Let cool on a rack until room temperature.

For the tart:
When ready to finish baking the tart, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill the tart shell almost to the top of the rim with the applesauce and smooth the top. Place the tart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat.

For the topping:
Peel,core and quarter two apples. Cut each apple quarter into about 7 slices.

Arrange the apple slices over the top of the applesauce in any pattern that strike your fancy, overlapping slices slightly as they will shrink a little after baking.
Make a egg wash by beating the egg with a teaspoon of water. Using a pastry brush,paint the egg wash over the sliced apples.

Bake the tart in the oven for about 50 minutes- it will look as though the applesauce and apples have risne a bit. The apple should be golden, a little burnt around the edges and soft enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. If you'd like to enhance the color around the edges of the apples, run the tart under the broiler just unitl you get the color you're after. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack.

To make the optional glaze:
Bring the jelly and water to a boil. When the jelly is liquefied, brush a thin layer over the topof the tart with a pastry brush. Return the pan to the rack and cool the tart until it is just warm or at room temperature.

The tart can be served when it is only just warm or when it reaches room temperature. Try to eat it as soon as it is baked,to prevent it from getting soggy.

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