We experienced such a lovely fall terra cotta afternoon yesterday. We had a nice Idyll at Masker orchard in Warwick, New York, where we picked apples.
How can this sight not bring a smile to your face?
Beautiful, delicious apples-ripe for the picking!
I like pumpkin spice lattes (though considerably less than I used to,) pumpkin pie and pumpkin anything (though the fall/pumpkin connection seems to be getting a bit ubiquitous to the point of overkill.) I must say, however, nothing says fall to me like a crisp, fresh apple. Or, perhaps, apple crisp, apple pie....the list is quite long.
One of my favorite things to make with apples, is something I don't get around to every year. It's an apple cake with a brown sugar brandy sauce, and it is heavenly-it's the culinary equivalent of a big warm blanket. The taste of a big hug from a friend. In other words, warm and comforting-just the ticket for a cool fall evening. It does require mashed apples (I use my food processor for mashing, but if you don't have one, just chop them aggressively,) and I would leave the skins on-you don't gain anything by removing them, and indeed, you might be losing time and effort by peeling them.
I'm proud of the sauce that goes on top of the cake. While a lot of brandy sauce recipes want you to whisk egg whites, add lots of cream or use confectioner's sugar, I don't. I start mine with butter and brown sugar, then add an egg yolk, and then add brandy shortly after. It helps thicken the sauce, and the sauce takes on a really dark, almost butterscotch flavor (but the sauce is light, and doesn't weigh the cake down.)
This is my take on a recipe I first made in 2008-the original version is by the great James Beard. His is perfect the way it is, but I like the warmth and dark taste I get from brown sugar (among other little changes.)
About the seasoning: I think anything like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc would be lovely. I like the aromatherapy I get from simply taking out the bottle of cinnamon-just opening and smelling that dark, round spice puts me in a better mood.
Ingredients
1 stick of room temperature unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of cinnamon (pumpkin pie spice would also be nice)
2 tablespoons of milk or almond milk
1 tsp vanilla or 1 tablespoon rum
1 cup coarsely ground or finely chopped unpeeled raw apples (again, I use the food processor)
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease your loaf pan and chop the apples in the food processor.
Phillip-San (the ceramic turtle) is in charge of apple chopping in my house.
3. Sift together the flour, leavening and cinnamon.
4. Cream the butter and sugars together.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
6. Add the milk-I normally just take my container and let it go "glug-glug" and I don't actually measure it.
7. Add the vanilla.
8. Add the cup of apples.
9. Add the dry ingredients, and be careful not to over mix-you'll get a gummy, chewy cake otherwise.
10. Transfer the batter to the pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes. Make the brandy sauce while you wait.
Brown sugar brandy sauce
Ingredients
1 stick of unsalted butter
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4-1/2 cup of brandy (to taste)
1/4 cup of milk (I used 2/%, but you can use any, or cream, or omit it)
pinch of salt
Method
1. Melt butter in the pan over a gentle heat.
2. Add the brown sugar as the butter is melting.
3. Add the egg yolk and whisk thoroughly-again, use a gentle heat-if the heat is too high you'll scramble your egg yolk.
4 Bring the heat to medium. Right before the mixture comes to a boil, add the brandy-it will sizzle a bit, that's OK.
5. Though it won't look like much, keep whisking over low heat-the sauce will reduce and will coat the back of the spoon. Taste it-it should taste heavenly, not grainy or blotchy.
Not much to look at, really. I've just added the brandy here-the sauce will thicken as you whisk it.
6. When the cake comes out of the oven and has cooled a bit, drizzle the sauce on top of it.
7. Eat greedily.
Apple cake-simple and comforting.
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