Ever since Chris’ work schedule got more busy, he hasn’t been able to be my photo go-to guy.  Which is kind of a bummer for me, because now I have to learn all about taking my own pictures and stuff like that.  Fortunately he’s very [...]]]>

Ever since Chris’ work schedule got more busy, he hasn’t been able to be my photo go-to guy.  Which is kind of a bummer for me, because now I have to learn all about taking my own pictures and stuff like that.  Fortunately he’s very patient at teaching me all the technical things, but it’s still frustrating because my pictures never turn out as well as his.  So, you might have noticed that the past few posts, the pictures haven’t been very good.  I haven’t figured out how to light food properly yet, and I’m impatient so I don’t bother to put the camera on the tripod so the pictures are blurry, etc…  Plus we’re living in a new apartment, so I haven’t completely figured out the best place to take pictures yet.  I’m learning, slowly.

The pictures on this post were taken by me and Chris, so no, I haven’t suddenly gotten good at photography, it’s really all him =p.

On the plus side, have you noticed how I’ve been frenetic with my posts lately?  Working from home means I’m cooking a lot more, which means I’m posting a lot more.  I’m almost a little embarrassed to be posting almost a recipe a day, but…oh well.  Just don’t expect it to keep up at this pace =).

This tart was really beautiful, but sadly, a bit lacking in the flavor department.  Which was a little disappointing, because Norman apple tart was one of the things I LOVED when I lived in France.  I only got to eat it when my friends’ moms would bring it to parties, and usually I only got a tiny sliver, but I still remember how delicious and apple-y it tasted.  Now, maybe it’s my apples.  I got them from a local apple farm, and the girl swore to me that these apples would not fall apart when baked, and they certainly did NOT fall apart.  In fact, they barely softened even after 40 minutes in the oven. No I don’t remember what they were called.

The recipe has promise, though.  A good Gala apple I think would MAKE this.  I think I’ll save it and try it again at a later date.  I LOVE frangipane (the almond filling) so I’m really hoping this tart succeeds better someday.

Strangely, it tasted much better the next day, after the flavors had developed a little bit.

Norman Apple Tart
Recipe adapted from here

Tart Shell
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
1 stick cold butter, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Frangipane Filling
1 stick softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup almond flour

3 to 4 medium apples, sliced thin
apricot jelly, for serving

1.  Make the tart shell.  Mix dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, salt), and rub butter in with your fingertips.  Add egg gradually while stirring with a fork.  With your hands, press together to form a mass of dough.  If dough is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of ice water at a time.  Form into a disk and chill in refrigerator.

2.  Make filling.  Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until uniform, fluffy, and pale yellow.  Gradually mix in the egg and egg yolk.  Add almond extract.  Add almond flour gradually while mixing, until incorporated.  Put in the fridge until needed.

3.  If you haven’t sliced your apples, do so now.  You may need to add a teensy bit of lemon juice to prevent them from browning.

4.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Roll out the tart shell and place inside a tart pan, pressing up sides.  Alternatively, skip the rolling and just press the dough into a tart pan.  Spread the frangipane inside the shell.  Fan the apples out over the tart, overlapping them closely.  Sprinkle with a bit of extra sugar, if desired.

5.  Bake the tart at 400 F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F and bake for another 20 minutes, until apples are tender and tart is slightly browned.

6.  Cool and glaze with apricot jelly for serving, if desired.

Hello loyal readers!  Thank you for being patient with us as we traveled through East Asia and went through a major move from China back to the United States!  We have been in a whirlwind of events in the last few weeks – spending two [...]]]>

Hello loyal readers!  Thank you for being patient with us as we traveled through East Asia and went through a major move from China back to the United States!  We have been in a whirlwind of events in the last few weeks – spending two weeks in Japan, then a week in Hong Kong, and finally flying back to Southern California.  We’re back here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future, so you can expect a lot more cooking in the future now that I’ll have access to a real kitchen.

A post detailing the highlights of our trip to Japan is coming soon.  In the meantime, the apple tree at my parents-in-law’s house is bearing clusters of delicious, slightly tart fruit, and I had to make an apple pie to celebrate the season.  Yes, apple trees do grow in Southern California, though only certain types are adapted to the warmer climate here.

I’m amazed by the sheer variety of fresh produce that is available in Southern California.  I mean, not only is the food industry’s transportation system amazing, but there is just so much available locally and seasonally.   My in-laws’ have grapefruit ripening slowly on the tree, loads of lemons, persimmons soon to be ripening, not to mention the large numbers of apples.  Now THAT is local!  Straight from your own backyard!  That is something that as a Canadian living in a big city, I did not have the opportunity to enjoy, especially during the frigid winter months.

The crust was a tried-and-true recipe from this cherry pie that I made earlier this year, and the filling was somewhat adapted from this apple pie at SimplyRecipes, and turned out really well.  It’s hard to go wrong with tart apples, a bit of cinnamon, sugar, and allspice, baked until bubbling and juicy.

Apple Pie

Crust
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, chilled and cubed
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup ice water (or more)

Pie
3 lbs apples (I used about 5 good sized ones)
3/4 cup white sugar (or a mixture of white and brown)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp flour

Egg Wash
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a bowl place the flour, sugar, salt and cubes of chilled butter.  Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, until largest pieces are about pea-sized.  Add ice water little by little while mixing dough.  When dough holds together when you squeeze it, it’s ready.  Gather into a ball.  Divide into two equal balls, wrap in plastic, and chill in fridge while making filling.

Peel and cut apples into chunks (I cubed mine to see how it would turn out, which made my pie kind of lumpy looking, so you might want to just slice them about 1/3 inch thick).  Toss with sugar, cinnamon, allspice, flour and vanilla.  Let sit while you roll out dough.

Take out one ball of dough and roll out into a 12-inch circle.  Fit into pie plate.  Mound pie shell with filling.  Take out the other ball of dough and roll into a slightly smaller circle.  Place over pie.  Fold edges over and crimp to seal.  Make a few slits in the top crust to let steam out.

Mix egg yolk with milk and brush over top crust of pie, but not the crimped edges.

Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.  Then lower temperature to 350 F and bake for another 30-40 minutes.  Pie is done when juices are bubbling and crust is browned.

I was craving some cake the other day. I had a bunch of apples, so why not make apple cake? My usual cinnamon apple cake is really good, but I was in the mood for something new. I decided to try this [...]]]>

I was craving some cake the other day. I had a bunch of apples, so why not make apple cake? My usual cinnamon apple cake is really good, but I was in the mood for something new. I decided to try this “Swedish Apple Cake” recipe from Dorie Greenspan that I had been eyeing for a while.

First of all, this cake is incredibly easy. Yes, it uses a lot of butter, but there’s no creaming it with the sugar or any other elbow work that I try to avoid as much as possible since I don’t have an electric mixer (well, I do have one, but not here in China). You just melt the butter, beat it into the eggs and sugar, and then add a small amount of flour and baking powder. Then you can top it with whatever you like – I used apple slices, but you could drop some tart cherries on top, or some sliced almonds, and you could dust it with confectioner’s sugar, whatever!

The texture of this cake is really interesting. In fact, if I had to use a word to describe it, I would say it’s a bit like a gooey cookie. And not in a bad way at all. It’s buttery and a little crispy around the edges. Or you could say it’s a bit like a tart – the edges crisp up and brown, forming something like a crust, while the inner part with the apples in it stays moist and rich.

Either way, this is definitely a cake for afternoon tea or dessert, but probably not for breakfast. I mean, okay, I DID have it for breakfast, but it’s really too sweet and rich for you to eat a whole lot of. Not that that stopped me.

Dorie Greenspan’s Swedish Apple Cake
From Serious Eats

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 extra-large egg or 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled (you should have about ½ cup of melted butter)
1 to 1 1/2 apples, peeled and sliced
Apple or apricot jam, for glazing the cake

Preheat oven to 350 F or 175 C (though I ended up reducing the heat by about 25F because my oven runs quite hot).

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

In another bowl, beat the egg, the vanilla and the sugar until pale and smooth. Add the cooled melted butter and beat until smooth and shiny. Add the flour mixture, and mix with a spatula until everything is well incorporated.

Scrape into a buttered 9-inch pie dish, cake pan, oven-proof skillet, or whatever. Top with apple slices.

Bake about 35-40 minutes until top is nice and browned and apples are tender.

Heat a bit of apple or apricot jam in a saucepan until liquid (if needed add a bit of water), and brush the glaze over the cake.

For best results, serve while warm.

Now, I realize that I don’t have a lot of meat recipes up on this site yet.  Um…like…any.  That’s not because Chris and I are vegetarians.  Oh no, quite the contrary.  While we can appreciate the fact that raising meat creates exponentially more [...]]]>

Now, I realize that I don’t have a lot of meat recipes up on this site yet.  Um…like…any.  That’s not because Chris and I are vegetarians.  Oh no, quite the contrary.  While we can appreciate the fact that raising meat creates exponentially more greenhouse gases, and that North Americans eat way too much meat for their own good, and that a diet based on vegetables, legumes, healthy oils, and fish helps you live the longest (aka the Mediterranean diet)…we couldn’t really envision giving up steak.  Or chicken.  Or bacon.

The reason, plain and simple, is that our freezer is a bit wonky, and only one of the 3 freezer drawers actually freezes (we live in China, friends).  Which makes it a bit complicated to store a lot of meat at once, and I’m generally too lazy to walk to the supermarket every time we want meat for a meal.  When faced with the choice between a walk (that might actually constitute exercise), and well, just using what’s in the crisper drawer…I’ll vote for vegetables every time.  I’m really not too sure how my health account sheet balances on that.

But with the realization that Chris needs protein in his diet to maintain his wonderful muscular figure came the realization that I really ought to cook some meat once in a while so the poor guy doesn’t have to rely solely on peanut butter for his protein fix.

So here we are.  Meat!  Finally!  I actually really like pork tenderloin.  It’s tender and juicy, and here in China, it’s dirt cheap, because China is the land of pork!  And by the way, I should really make this more often, because this dish came together in all of 20 minutes – just the time it took me to slice and season the pork, slice the apples, fry the meat, and sauté the apples.  The pork was juicy, savory, and just slightly spicy, and the sweetness of the apples was the perfect counterpoint.

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Sautéed Apples

Tenderloins vary in size, so for 4 people, plan to buy about a pound to a pound and a half of pork.  You may have to buy 2 tenderloins.

1 to 1 ½ pounds of pork tenderloin (for 4 people)
½ tbsp mild red curry powder
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil

3 apples (I used Galas, but any cooking apple will do)
¾ cup chicken or vegetable broth
pinch of dried herbs (thyme or rosemary or whatever you like…)

Cut the tenderloins into ¾ inch slices (they will cook quicker this way than if you cut them thicker, but if you like the look of a thicker medallion, go ahead and slice them 1 inch thick).  Season each side with salt and pepper, and rub them with the curry powder.

Peel and thinly slice the apples.  Set aside.

In a skillet, melt the butter with the oil over medium-high heat.  Lay the pork in the skillet and fry about 2 minutes on each side until cooked through, turning once.  The pork should be nicely browned on the outside.  Remove to a plate.

Add the apples to the skillet with the pan drippings.  Sauté until apples are browned, then pour in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.  Stir in the dried herbs and any juices that have accumulated on the plate with the pork.  Turn heat down to medium and boil until sauce is thickened and apples are tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Divide among plates and serve.