mordecai-
i like to compare and combine elements of recipes i like. with apple
cake , or pie, i like to mix apples-definitely granny smith with
cortland, gala, winesap empire, macintosh. (for ANY fruit or vegetable
"like the old days" find a farmers market in your town for LOCAL
produce, IN SEASON . most fruits in supermarkets have been picked
before ripe, frozen and shipped. they get mealy as they defrost. i
had officially sworn off peaches, until i saw a man with a roadside
stand selling fresh jersey peaches. i can only have them for a month
each summer, but i make a cake or pie every week.)
back to apples . following the instructions of rose levy's book (pie
and pastry bible), i try to peel and cut 6 apples about an hour in
advance, and mix with sugar, brown sugar (1/2 cup total), 1T lemon
juice, some cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/4 t salt. i think the salt draws
juice from the apples. let that sit and prepare crust or cake dough.
drain fruit. put liquid into a pan over medium heat. add 2 T butter.
keep swirling this until it thickens/carmelizes.meanwhile, mix 1T
cornstarch into apples (or arrange apple slices on cake batter, no
cornstarch . for cake, i scatter nuts over fruit).put fruit into crust.
pour thickened juices over fruit and bake
gret