Apple Cake with Rum Sauce

It was a very snow-y day today....and more to follow. LOTS more! A few posts back, I asked what do you do when you are snow-bound? Well, my answer was bake! And that is exactly what I did this evening.

It is especially comforting for me to have the aroma of cinnamon filling the house when it is cold outside. It is a warm and cozy, home-y feeling. I fixed a nice dinner and then we were able to savor the result of the beautiful fragrance that had been wafting around. This is a very simple but elegant dessert. You can substitute rum flavoring for the real thing. If you like the taste of almond, substitute Amaretto or almond flavoring for the rum. I like to add a few golden raisins to the rum sauce while it is cooking. And if you are using Amaretto, sprinkle some toasted sliced almonds on top of the warm sauce. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla if you want to be more decadent!

Apple Cake with Rum Sauce

Makes 6 servings

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

4 Tbsp butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 cups grated, unpeeled Granny Smith apples

Rum Sauce: 1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup half and half

Dash of ground nutmeg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2-3 Tbsp rum

In small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In large bowl, cream butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in grated apples. Blend in flour mixture. Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. May be cooled and stored, covered, in baking pan. Before serving, reheat at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve with Rum Sauce. In top of double boiler, combine butter, sugar and half and half. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes Cool slightly. Add nutmeg, vanilla and rum. Serve warm over heated cake. Makes 1-1/4 cups.

Apple Brie Quesadilla

We are cheese lovers in our family. And it seems that I am always attracted to appetizer recipes that include cheese. Many (OK...many) years ago in my earlier life of entertaining friends, I thought it was daring to put out a plate of cheese and crackers that included Harvarti, not just cheddar! Yes, that was thinking out of the box for me. As I became more attracted to cooking and baking and learning about new foods, wines and pairings, I found that if I was going to serve something to my guests, a plate of cheese and crackers was not going to cut it. I wanted different things, fun food, creative tastes. Those who know me best, know that I am an appetizer queen. I love to fuss with this course. This recipe is not only a great appetizer, it can be a good snack if you have some flour tortillas left over and don't know what to do with them. And it works as well with pears as it does with apples. Paired with a wonderful chilled, crisp white wine, this is superb to serve your guests. And it's not that boring plate of cheese!

Apple-Brie Quesadillas

Peel core and thinly slice a Granny Smith apple. Saute apples with 1 Tbsp butter.

Add 8 slices of fully cooked and cut-up bacon. Cook for 1 minute.

Spread 4-fajita size tortillas in a non-stick baking sheet.

Divide apples among the tortillas; top apples with 6 oz of sliced Brie cheese and 4 more tortillas. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. (This is tricky, so use a couple of spatulas to do this.) Remove from oven and cut into wedges and serve.

Easy Potato Pancakes with Apples

Do you love potato pancakes but hate the thought of grating potatoes? Once in a while I like to make this as a quick meal. But I have found a really nice work around on that messy grating. At Walmart, I found in the dairy case, packaged grated potatoes. Being a skeptic, I wasn't sure what they would be like, but they were surprisingly good and so easy to use. No messy grating! We like our potato pancakes with applesauce and sour cream. If I feel really ambitious, I make homemade applesauce, but usually resort to the good old Mott's Naturally Sweetened Applesauce. I found a really neat recipe that is a take on all of this and gave it a try. OH YUM! The recipes call for the apples to be cut into matchstick size, and you use this in place of applesauce. The flavor is phenomenal. When I served this, I dolloped a little low-fat cottage cheese on top and sprinkled with cinnamon. I made a couple of omelet sized pancakes. These were awesome!

Apple and Potato Hash Browns

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced into matchsticks

1/2 cup thickly sliced sweet onion

1 pkg. fresh grated has brown potatoes

1 tsp cinnamon

In large skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat.

Add apple and onion and cook until soft (about 4 minutes). For this step, I made sure the onions were pretty thin and I stated cooking them first so they started to caramelize a bit.

Remove and set aside in a covered bowl and keep warm.

Add 1 Tbsp oil to skillet.

Spread potatoes in pan in an even layer and press them down lightly with a spatula.

Cook until golden brown on the bottom (about 5 minutes).

Drizzle with remaining oil and flip potatoes. Cook for about 5 more minutes.

Top potatoes with warm apple-onion mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste.

Caramel Apple Pie

If you are looking for a nice dessert this weekend, this is a great choice. You can use that jar of caramel sauce that has been sitting in your pantry! It gives your home a wonderful aroma while baking and is so delicious.


Apple Caramel Pie
1 single-crust pie dough
Pie:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 cups apples, peeled and sliced thinly
1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping
Topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup butter
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a pie dish with a single crust pie dough. Set aside.
For the pie base:
In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the apples and toss until coated.
For the pie topping: Stir together the brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour and oats.
With a fork, your fingers, or a pastry blender, add in the butter until it is in coarse crumbs.
Evenly place the apples into the pie shell.
Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples.
Drape a piece of aluminum foil over the pie (to prevent burning). Place in the oven for 25 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for 30 minutes, until top is golden brown.
Remove from oven and drizzle with caramel sauce. Cool on a wire rack.