Dessert tonight...

I'm serving mine with vanilla ice cream.

Caramel-Apple Crisp

There's no better partner for caramel than a nice, crisp apple. Here, that great combination gives added appeal to a simple winter crisp.

8 to 10 servings 

Recipe by Sarah Patterson Scott
Photograph by Tom Schierlitz

March 2009

Ingredients

topping

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 10 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced

filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 Pippin or Golden Delicious apples (about 2 3/4 pounds), peeled, quartered, cored
• Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preparation

topping

• 
  
  Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small moist clumps form. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

filling

• 
  
  Preheat oven to 375°F. Stir sugar and butter in large skillet over medium heat until smooth sauce forms. Add lemon juice and cook, stirring, until caramel is deep brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in salt, then apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated, about 1 minute. Scrape apples and caramel into 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish; spread evenly. Sprinkle topping evenly over.
• 
  
  Bake crisp until apples are tender, sauce is bubbling thickly, and topping is golden, about 50 minutes. Let crisp cool 15 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/03/caramel_apple_crisp#ixzz10CWbgeja

(X) I've made this food and
    (X) Loved it
    ( ) Thought it was OK
    (X) Would try it again with changes: serve with vanilla ice cream
    ( ) Wouldn't make it again

( ) Haven't made this yet

Taste The Past - Muster Cake

PERFECT FOR FALL!
As part of the 2010 Food for Thought partnership with the Indiana Humanities Council, Conner Prairie featured historical recipes. The cake is actually a classic English fruitcake or plum cake. The original cakes included molasses, spice, raisins, and currants were used in this cake. Later brandy was added. A modern version of this interpretation can be found here. The simpler, more traditional version is below.

(photo: modern muster cake)

Muster Cake
2/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups flour
2/3 cup molasses
2/3 cup butter
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
¾ tsp baking soda
1 egg

Heat 2/3 cup brown sugar, 2/3 c molasses, 1 tsp each of ginger and cinnamon, ½ tsp cloves to the boiling point.  Remove from heat and add ¾ tsp baking soda, then pour over 2/3 c butter in large bowl.  Stir until butter has melted, then stir in 1 egg and 5 cups flour.  Turn onto board and knead thoroughly. Gather into ball. Chill until firm enough to roll easily, cut into 3 inch squares and bake on greased pans.
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About Muster Cake a.k.a. oak cake, Training Cake, Election Cake was a popular 18th and 19th-century cake to make to feed the volunteers and troops when a general muster was called. The “muster” was a calling for all troops and able-bodied men ranging in age from 18 to 45. Men signed up to serve and were assigned to companies and given chores. The military training would begin early in the day.

The “Call to Muster” was a time of festivity, usually bringing families and friends to observe and support the men. Everyone needed to be fed so the receipts (recipes) had to be large in order to feed them all. An example of the Muster Cake receipt would be: “One gallon of molasses, one and a quarter pounds of butter, quarter pound of soda stirred in a half tea-cup of sweet milk, flour to make a stiff dough, …” and of course, ginger.

Ginger was found to have preservative properties during the Medieval time period. For this reason there were many recipes for rich ginger breads, flat, crisp ginger cookies, and highly spiced ginger cakes. All could be stored for long periods of time without the fear of spoiling. Ginger was also used to cover the taste of meats that had been preserved and were beginning to age. During Roman times this spice was heavily taxed due to its use. For these reasons, ginger was behind pepper as the most highly traded spice.

Ginger is a spice that comes from a rhizome that is often called a “hand”. The next time you go to the grocery, look at the ginger root. It looks like a fat little hand with fat little fingers. This spice was originally from Malaysia although it is now grown in Jamaica. It is still used as a “hot herb” to soothe an upset stomach as well as to prevent colds. It is also used to flavor foods and can be found in sushi.

An alternate recipe with more instructions resides here. 

( ) I've made this food and
    ( ) Loved it
    ( ) Thought it was OK
    ( ) Would try it again with changes
    ( ) Wouldn't make it again
( X ) Haven't made this yet