Kategorie: Cooking, Baking and Everything

After finishing the onerous autumn duties like bringing garden chairs and sunshades to the cellar, putting the plants first into the living room because of imminent danger of freezing and then distributing them all over the house and the cellar last weekend, we deserved a reward:

Apple Cake with Cranberries

Source:	Adapted from: Elke Blome – Backen, was allen schmeckt, Falken-Verlag, 1984 October 14, 2007 by Sus
Categories:	Cake, Baking, Apple, Cranberry
Yields:	1 Cake

Ingredients:

		Batter:
200	gram	Butter or Margarine
200	gram	Sugar
3		Eggs
100	ml	Whipping cream
50	gram	Cranberries; cut in halves
2		Organic lemons; grated peel and juice
400	gram	White flour
1	pck	Baking powder
	some	Milk
		Fruit:
2	large	Tart apples (Boskop)
50	gram	Cranberries; whole
		And:
		Margarine for the baking tray or spring form

Preparation:

1. Beat the butter or margarine with the sugar in a bowl until fluffy.



2. Successively stir in the eggs and the grated lemon peel.



3. Combine the baking powder with the flour and mix in slowly. Add some milk, if necessary. Add the cranberry halves.



4. Put the dough onto a greased rectangular baking tray or in a large round spring form (30cm diameter) and make a smooth surface.



5. Peel and quarter the apples. Remove the cores.



6. Cut the apple pieces evenly from the outer, round side as if you wanted to get slices, but do not cut through. Soak the pieces immediately in lemon juice. Otherwise they will get brown.



7. Spread the apple pieces on the cake, with cut round side up. Put the whole cranberries between the apples. Press the fruits lightly into the dough.



8. Put the cake in the middle of the preheated oven (225°C) and bake for about 30 minutes.

Note:

My spring form has a diameter of 26 cm, so the batter was a bit higher and the cake needed about 40 minutes in the oven.

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Tags: Recipe, Cake, Baking, Apple, Cranberries, Blog Event

To be honest: I do not like walnuts. So at first I didn’t want to participate in this cooking event. But on Friday, when I went to our farmer’s market, I got a sample of „Turkish Walnut Pesto“ which astoundingly didn’t taste bad at all. Of course, I didn’t get the recipe and I decided to create my own.

All owners of walnut trees are groaning this year because of the huge crop of walnuts. So I was able to get way too many some on short notice.

Lamb Steaks with Red Walnut Coating

Source:	October 14, 2007 by Sus
Categories:	Walnut, Lamb, Tomatoe, Pesto
Yields:	3 Servings

Ingredients:

6		Lamb steaks
		Paste:
150	gram	Walnut kernels
50	gram	Dried tomatoes
4		Garlic Cloves
		Harissa
5-8		Peppermint leaves
1	dash	Olive oil (or Walnut oil)
1/2	teaspoon	Cumin; ground
		Salt, pepper

Preparation:

Blend the walnuts, tomatoes, peppermint leaves and the garlic in a mixer to a smooth paste. The ground walnuts will emit some oil. If this is not enough, carefully add some olive oil (or walnut oil for those who have it). Add spices to taste.

Spread the paste thickly on the lamb steaks, using about half of the amount, and let them marinate for at least two hours.

Heat some oil in a pan and sauté the the steaks (with the paste) for three minutes on each side.

When serving, add some of the unused paste to the plate.

The steaks were accompanied by a potatoe&courgette gratin with and without goat’s cheese.

Notes:

– The harissa may be substituted by any other hot spice. The paste is supposed to be spicy, but not too hot.
– Do not blend the walnuts too long, because the paste might get bitter.

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Technorati: Recipe, Walnut, Mutton, Blog Event

The picture on the right side shows this year’s potato crop. I admit, it isn’t much, but I didn’t have to lift a finger for them! They are all self-seeded or left-over potatoes from last year. So I think the amount is quite acceptable.

The weather on Sunday was marvellous, the chicken legs waited for their preparation, but we didn’t feel like barbecue. And we weren’t keen on any other elaborate preparation. So we dug out the good old Römertopf (see notes below), cut up the vegetable lying around and put everything in the oven. The potatoes I cooked and served unpeeled.

Paprika Ginger Chicken

Source:	October 07, 2007 by Sus
Categories:	Chicken, Römertopf, Ginger, Paprika
Yields:	4 Servings

Ingredients:

4		Chicken legs
3		Bell peppers, red, yellow and green
4		Onions
1		Lime; grated peel and juice
8		Garlic cloves
1	piece	Ginger
1	tablespoon	Paprika (= ground red peppers, slightly hot)
1/2	teaspoon	Cinammon
1	tablespoon	Dark sesame oil
		Salt, pepper
	Not much	Chicken oder vegetable broth

Preparation:

Prepare (rinse, clean and dry) the chicken legs.

Grate the ginger and the garlic into a small bowl. Also grate the lime peel and add the lime’s juice. Mix with sesame oil, salt, pepper, cinammon and paprika.

Spread this paste evenly all over the outside of the chicken legs and – as far as possible – beneath the skin.

Moisten the Römertopf thoroughly (about 20-30 minutes). Peel the onions and cut them – according to size – into halves or quarters. Clean and quarter the bell peppers. Put both vegetables into the Römertopf. Add a little bit of chicken or vegetable broth. Put the chicken legs on top.

Close the Römertopf and put into the not preheated oven at 200°C. After one hour remove the lid, set the oven to 175°C and let the chicken legs get brown and crisp for 15-20 minutes. Use the oven’s grilling function, if necessary (I forgot that. )

Notes:

– A Römertopf is a clay pot with a clay lid. When the pot is soaked in water before use, it will slowly emit steam in the oven. The food will be cooked in steam and does not dry out.

– Unfortunately the chicken legs were not very red at the end. Maybe the paste needed some more oil (and paprika)?

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Technorati: Recipe, Chicken, Römertopf