Granny Sielert's Applesauce Cake

 

Growing up in Poplar Bluff, we had some awesome neighbors. One in particular, Granny Sielert, was more like family than just a friend. I was going through some of my mom's old recipes and found one that I hadn't seen before, it is titled "Granny Sierlert's applesauce cake".  You can tell it is an old time one, by the use of lard instead of butter or shortening.   The recipe, like a lot of old recipes, took a bit of deciphering, but this is it. Sounds like it would be a good one.

 

Cream together: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup lard (you can use half butter) and 2 eggs.

Mix together 2 cups unsweetened applesauce with 2 teaspoons baking soda and set aside.

Mix together in a large bowl, 3 cups flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp. cocoa powder, and 1 tsp. salt.

Beat the lard, sugar and eggs together, then add the applesauce, mixture and dry ingredients. Beat in the 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans). Bake in a well greased tube pan at 350 degrees for about an hour.  Cool in the pan about 10-15 minutes before removing and cooling completely.  

Baked Apples

Baked apples are an old timey dessert that you don't often see anymore, a shame too, as they are very tasty and easy to make.   When I was a child, every so often mom would make them for my dad.  They were always well received.  I tend to make mine on the simpler side of things, as some use chopped nuts, raisins and other things in the filling.     They are good served as they are, topped with ice cream or even some plain unsweetened heavy cream over the top.    No matter how you eat them, they are good!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.   Wash, halve and core apples, about one apple per person and place in a shallow baking dish that will just fit the number of apple halves.   Sprinkle the apples with a good quality cinnamon, then put about a tablespoon of brown sugar on top of each half, then top each one with about a teaspoon of butter.   Put a little water in the bottom of the pan and put it in the oven.   Bake about 45 minutes or until the apples are very tender.    Allow the apples cool slightly before serving and serve warm.    Top each serving with some ice cream or plain heavy cream.      And as always, enjoy!   

Instead of apples, you can also use halved and cored ripe pears or halved pitted peaches or apricots.   The peaches and apricots may not take as long to cook, so start checking for tenderness after 30 minutes for those.  

German Apple Cake

While this is called a cake, it actually closer to an apple pie or crisp.   Middle and Eastern Europe doesn't really have a "pie" tradition as such.   This is pretty much as close as they get to what we would call an apple pie.  This one has all the requisites of a good apple pie though:  lots of tender sweet apples, with just a hint of cinnamon and lemon.   The top is a buttery streusel and the bottom of the "cake" is a tender shortbread.    It does take a while to bake, but is well worth the wait.   Before cutting, do allow it to cool completely, giving the apple juices time to set up and not be runny.   Top it with some heavy cream, whipped or not, or some ice cream and you will not be disappointed.    While it is supposed to be eaten the same day as baked, I actually like it better the next day or later.  The bottom crust soaks up the apple juices and then actually has more of a cake like texture.    Fresh or a day or two later from the fridge, you are still going to love it!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.    

3 1/2cups all-purpose flour divided (500g)

1 1/2 cups butter divided (340g)

1 ¾ cups granulated sugar (70g)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

4 cups chopped apples

1 1/2 cup applesauce sweet or unsweetened

½ cups brown sugar

1 tsp lemon zest freshly grated (optional)

juice of one lemon (optional)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

     Peel, core and chop the apples, you want about 4 cups of chopped apples.  Add to a large bowl and then add the applesauce, brown sugar if using and the cinnamon.  Lightly grease a 9x13-inch cake pan and set aside.   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter, ¾ cup sugar, vanilla extract, 2 cups all-purpose flour. Press into the bottom of the cake pan and set aside.   Spread the apple mixture evenly over the bottom crust.     Now make the streusel topping:  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the remaining soft 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter with 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1 cup sugar The mixture will be crumbly.  Use your fingers to crumble the crumbs on top. Press some crumbs together to form bigger crumbs, you don't want the crumbs to be too fine. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until the crumbs are lightly golden.  Let the cake cool off completely. It will be a little bit soft while hot.

    Other options:   replace the apples with firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped.   Add raisins or dried cranberries to the apples, say 1/2-1 cup.   Use cooked dried peaches in place of the apples and applesauce, use firm ripe plums, pitted and sliced.  If using plums, I would suggest in a teaspoon of cornstarch or flour when tossing with the sugar and cinnamon and omitting the apple sauce.   Pitted cherries would probably be good too, but again you would need flour or cornstarch.

    To make this a gluten free treat, just substitute your favorite gluten free all purpose baking flour or even just gluten free oat or sorghum flour.   It will be tasty no matter what you use!   

Brussels Sprouts with Country Ham

I love Brussels sprouts and always looking for new ways to cook them.  Usually I will just roast them with salt and pepper, but sometimes I like to do something a. bit different.   This is one I tried and it turned out to be one that I liked, a lot!   If you can't find or don't care for country ham, you can used regular ham or even some cubed bacon and you fry until crispy.

Brussels Sprouts and Country Ham

1/4 cup bacon fat
4 ounces country ham, finely diced
1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 apples, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
1 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and sprouts shaved 1/4-thick crosswise on a mandoline
1/2 cup apple cider or juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the bacon fat in  a large skillet over medium heat. Add the country ham and cook, stirring frequently, until the ham just starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the shallot, apples and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring, until wilted and almost shiny, 4 to 6 minutes. 
Add the apple cider and vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the liquid has reduced to about 1/4 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, season to taste with salt and black pepper, and remove from the heat. Continue to stir until the butter has completely melted and formed a creamy sauce. Serve.

Oven Pork and Apple Stew

Last weekend I made the most delicious pork stew. I did it in the oven and used pork shoulder cut in cubes, then added apples, onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms. I flavored it with some apple juice, a small bit of thyme and some crushed red pepper. I was wonderful. Even Aaron liked it and took all the leftovers home with him. Here's how I did it.

I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Then I took a deep roaster and layered the ingredients in it:

1-1/12 cups each, chopped carrots and celery
8 oz. pkg of sliced mushrooms, I used baby bellas as I think they have a better flavor, but use what you have
1 large onion peeled and chopped or chunked
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cubed

Over that I sprinkled: 1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca, about 1/4 tsp. dried thyme, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.

Then I cubed about 3 pounds of pork shoulder, trimmed of fat (you could also use cubed boneless country style ribs). Finally I poured over this a can of chicken broth and about 1 1/2 cups apple juice and quater cup of apple cider vinegar. If you happen to have some hard cider around, you could use a bottle of that in place of the apple juice and it would probably be even better.

Then I baked it about three hours, stirring it about 3 times. When the meat it tender and the gravy thickened, it is ready to eat. I served it with some crusty bread and it was a delicious meal.   Feel free to change the vegetables, any root vegetable would be good in this.   Also feel free to use whatever herb or seasoning you  like best. 

Applesauce Pie

I have been on an applesauce kick lately.   It started when I went through a bout of diverticulitis and didn't much like eating anything too substantial.   So I ate applesauce and more applesauce.   The more I ate of it, the better it tasted.   So when I got to feeling better I made applesauce cakes.   The folks at work loved them.   But this weekend I wanted to try something different and thought about making an applesauce pie.   I did several searches and came up with tons of recipes....some sounded good, others not so good.   I combined some of the features I liked best from several different places and came up with one of my own that was very simple and very tasty.   Here is what I ended up with:

1 1/2 cups applesauce
3 tbsp. flour
1/4 cup melted butter, for a richer flavor you could slightly brown the butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon (or apple pie spice)
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Beat together all of the ingredients until smooth and pour into the pie shell.   Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the pie is set and knife inserted into the center comes out clean.   Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.   Store pie in fridge.   Enjoy!

You could vary the spices according to what you happen to like best.   For something like this, however, my personal preference is keeping it the simpler the better.

Apples

If I had to pick one fruit that I couldn't do without, it would have to be apples.   I love a good apple and Topeka is lucky to have a really good local orchard, Rees Fruit Farm.   Not only do they grow some of the best apples I've ever eaten, but they also make the absolutely best fresh cider I've ever tasted!   I could drink it by the gallon, if I'd let myself.

There are hundreds of different kinds of apples:  apples for eating fresh out of hand, apples for cooking, apples for fresh cider, apples for fermented cider, etc.   There are several kinds of apples I like to eat, but I think my favorite all around apple for eating or cooking would have to be the Jonagold.   The fruit is very pretty, with a thin skin of gold and yellow.   The flesh is tender, a bit yellow and very juicy, with a perfect blend of sweetness and acid.   I also like how it cooks to a meltingly tender flesh, not mushy, yet not too firm either.   It is easily my favorite apple.

Old varieties of apples are making a big come back lately.   Many of the old fashioned apple varieties have incredible flavor, but not as pretty as the Red Delicious types most people are familiar with.   When I was a kid, on the old farm place there was an ancient orchard of a variety called Grimes Golden.   It was probably the most delicious apple I've ever tasted.   I often wish I had some of those apples again.   Unfortunately, the old orchard finally died off.   If I ever get a place where I can plant some fruit trees, this will definitely be one I'll want to try planting.

So, dear readers, do you have a favorite apple?   If so, how do you like to eat it?   Fresh out of hand?   Cooked in some way?  In salads?   What do you do with your apples before you eat them?   I look forward to hearing your apple story!   And, as always, enjoy!

Oh and in case  you are looking for new ideas about how to use apples or are interested in their history, check out the book, In Praise of Apples.    It is an interesting read.

Apple crisp

One of my favorite ways of cooking apples and other fruit is making it into a crisp (or as our British friends call it, apple crumble).   I love the tender, juicy fruit, covered with the sweet crispy crumb topping.   Apple would have to be my favorite, but it is also very good made with pears and peaches.   Here is how I do it.

enough peeled, cored and thinly sliced apples to make about 6 cups
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup white sugar
cinnamon to taste

Place the sliced apples in a nice baking dish.   Mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon, then pour the melted butter over it.  With a fork mix it all together until you a bowl of gravely looking crumbles.   Sprinkle them even over the top of the apples.   Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees, about 30-45 minutes, or until the apples are very tender and topping is lightly browned.   Cool to room temperature before serving.   It is delicious served with a bit of heavy cream poured over the top or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Variations:

For peaches, add a bit of cloves to the cinnamon, flour and sugar mixture.   Make it with pears just like for the apple crisp.    If you happen to have a quince, peel and slice it, mixing it with either apples or pears.  It will add an incredible aroma and taste.

Some crisp recipes call for using brown sugar and oatmeal.   That is very good too.   Here are the proportions for using those:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
cinnamon or apple pie spice to taste (usually about 3/4 tsp)
1/3 cup melted butter

Mix together the dry ingredients, then pour in the melted butter and stir to mix well, making the crumbly mixture as above.   Cover the sliced apples and bake at 350 degrees about 30-45 minutes, again until the apples are tender and the topping browned and crispy.

Aunt Laura's Apple Cake

This is a recipe that I can remember my Grandma making all the time and it was always one of my favorite recipes.   I have the recipe in front of me on a piece of faded, stained and tattered paper.   I can barely make out Grandma's handwriting, but luckily I know the recipe well enough that I know what it calls for.   One thing about this cake.   It is a bit heavy and when first made a bit dry.  However, after sitting for a few hours or overnight, the moisture in the apples makes this a very moist and delicious cake.   I think you will enjoy it.

1 cup Wesson oil (other oils will work, this is just what the recipe calls for)
2 cup sugar (dark brown is the best but you can use white, too)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups flour
3 cups, peeled and chopped apples
1 cup black walnuts (I leave them out because I don't care for them)

Beat together the oil, sugar eggs and vanilla, then add the apples and allow to sit for a few minute.      Then stir in the cinnamon, baking soda, salt and flour and mix until smooth.   Fold in the nuts if using.    The batter will be very stiff.    Spread in the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch cake pan.   Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.   Allow to cool completely before cutting.   It is best made several hours ahead of time.    Enjoy!