Applesauce

I have never made applesauce before. But after an apple-picking trip in Wisconsin with some of my booze pie enthusiasts, I lugged home a half peck of Ida Red, Jonathan, and Cortland apples to cook up. I made an apple pie in Wisconsin so I wasn't interested in doing that again (although the Joy of Cooking recipe for pies is excellent).

This recipe is also adapted from the Joy of Cooking which I find to be my default I-need-a-basic-recipe source. It was really good! gws made me break up the chunks so it was a little smoother but you can put it through a food mill to make it more like the store bought stuff. I like it with bits of apple though. It would taste really good with ice cream.

Peel, core and cut into 1/2-inch slices

3 pounds cooking apples

Combine in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or pot with:

1/2 - 3/4 cup apple cider depending on juciness of apples

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice depending on tartness of apples

1 cinnamon stick

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft but not mushy, about 20 minutes.

Stir in:

1/2 to 3/4 cup turbinado sugar or 6 tablespoons mild honey

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon mace

1/4 teaspoon ginger

Cook one minute longer to dissolve the sugar, uncovered, stirring frequently. If you would like a smooth sauce, run through a food mill. If you want it chunkier, just break up the bigger bits with a wooden spoon.

Vintage

A recent purchase.

This is going to be fun. My 1970 "The Joys of Jell-o" cookbook is on its way.

Custard Tarts

We went to Portugal and ate pasteis de nata every day. And at least 2 per day. They are delightful custard tarts dusted with sugar and cinnamon. I bought a cookbook in Lisbon so I could try to bake them at home. The first batch turned out OK--the pastry was a little under-baked but they were still delicious and reminded us both of a great trip. They are a bit fussy but with time I think they could be really good.

Roasted Rhubarb

Holy crap. This is probably the best thing I've ever eaten. Seriously. I made it for lunch tomorrow, to eat cold. But when I tasted it to check the flavors I had to force myself not to hoover the whole thing. It's from a great site called Orangette. I have never eaten anything bad courtesy of that author. And this recipe couldn't be simpler. I am going to try this tomorrow with a bit of Greek yogurt or sweetened crème fraîche. Perhaps a garnish of mint....

Roasted Rhubarb

Inspired by Canal House Cooking, Volume 3

2 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths
½ cup sugar
½ cup crisp white wine
1 vanilla bean, split

Set a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the rhubarb in a Dutch oven or other deep oven-safe pot. Add the sugar, wine, and vanilla bean, and stir to mix. Bake (uncovered) for about 30 minutes, or until very tender, giving the pot a gentle stir about midway through to ensure that the rhubarb cooks evenly.

You can eat this cold or warm.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Easter Braid

Here is my annual Easter bread--a yeast bread braid. It is a family recipe so that means it's secret. I will say I added in orange zest and crushed anise seeds. My mom adds saffron threads. I still haven't mastered the recipe yet but at least it looks right.

Tagine

Not too much going on in these parts but I will put a stop to that. I got a tagine for Christmas. It is Le Creuset and red and beautiful and cooks like a dream. I christened it by cooking a little recipe out of, what else?, the instruction manual. Beef with olives, cinnamon, and cayenne. Delicious.

I am a true convert to cast iron. Stainless steel, copper, aluminum be damned.

Meat and Cheese Loaf

This is my favorite meatloaf recipe. It's from the New York Times Heritage Cookbook. 

2 pounds ground beef chuck (or a mixture of 1/3 ground beef chuck, 1/3 ground veal, 1/3 ground pork. This comes as a package in the grocery meat case as meatloaf mix)

1 1/2 c. grated swiss cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon celery salt

2 c. milk

1 c.  dry bread crumbs

4 slices lean bacon

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix all the ingredients except the bacon together. Pack into a large loaf pan (glass or metal). Top with the bacon and bake one and one-half hours or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees in the center of the loaf. Dad likes it best when you bake it with ketchup on the top.

Yield: Eight servings