March 23, 2004
Apple lattice cake
It seems that these days I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, baking. All those March birthdays, I'm sure. So here is a recipe for the bakers among our readers. This is the best ever apple cake. It's a bit time-consuming (the apple cutting takes time) but it's well worth it.
Note to US American bakers: I've calculated the cup-equivalents for you guys and they are, of course, not always "fitting". It came out as something like "a cup plus three teaspoons". We Germans believe in precision in our baking, that's why we prefer the metric weight system, you see. ;-)
The dough is what we call a "Mürbteig". My dictionary gives me "short pastry" as the English expression. I'd appreciate a pointer whether this is the correct word. OK, let's begin with a list of ingredients:
Dough:
300 g all-purpose flour (2.5 cups, plus a tsp)
200 g butter, cool (5/6 cups)
175 g fine sugar (1 1/3 cups)
1 egg
lemon peel to taste
Apple filling:
1 kg tart apples (2.2 pounds)
1 lemon
50 gr rasins (1/3 cup)
50 g sugar (1/3 cup, roughly)
cinnamon
Royale:
2 eggs
3 Tbs milk
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs instant pudding powder (vanilla)
Sift the flour into a bowl and make a little ditch in the middle in which you place the egg (without the shell, of course). Sprinkle the sugar around, then cut the cool butter into little pieces and add around the ditch as well.
Beat the egg a little with a fork and work some flour into it. Then, I suggest you use your hands. Dig right in and knead until you have a nice, firm dough. Work quickly so that the butter doesn't get too warm -- the dough will get very sticky then. Wrap the dough with plastic foil and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour, better two. You can also prepare the dough a day in advance. The trick with this dough is that it should never get warm, so work swiftly and always place those parts of the dough you're not working with back into the fridge.
For the filling, peel, core and slice the apples into small pieces -- roughly the size of a quarter. Mix with lemon juice, sugar, raisins (if you like, I usually leave them out), a dash or two of cinnamon. The recipe doesn't call for it but I like to add some crunch in the form of some crushed almonds or other nuts. Also, a dash of cloves works well. Set the apples aside and prepare the royale: In an extra bowl, mix eggs, milk, sugar and pudding powder well. Set aside.
Butter a 26 cm (10 in) spring form. Divide the dough into two equal halves, put one half back into the fridge. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 2-3 mm thickness (0.1 in). Using the spring form as a template, cut out a 26 cm circle and place it into the form. Dab a couple time with a fork to create small vents.
Again, place the leftover dough back into the fridge and use half of the cooled dough next. I know, this whole dough-cooling seems excessive but I swear, handling is very easy as long as the dough doesn't get too warm. Then it will be all sticky and you'll curse me for putting you through this. So bear with me and use cool dough only.
So, use half of the remaining dough and roll it into one or more little sausages, about 2 cm in diameter (0.7 in). Place those into the spring form around the edges of the dough circle, and press slightly upwards to create the outer rim of the cake. Dab a fork into the rim a couple of times.
Fill in apples and spread evenly. Cover apples with a lattice of dough -- roll out the dough, cut it into strips and arrange those strips on top of the cake. Then pour the egg-milk mixture over the apples, using a brush to make sure the lattice is nicely coated with the mixure.
Bake at 200 C (390 F) for 50-60 minutes or until the top of the cake is nicely browned. Done!
This cake is best eaten the day after, when the apples have softened the crisp dough a little. Serve with whipped cream -- yum!
Posted by claudia at March 23, 2004 11:54 AMThis recipe looks oddly familiar. A sweeter pie crust than I am used to. You don't bake or double up the crust before the filling? Do you ever use ice water for the dough? The custard top sounds delicious.
I should send you the recipe for the Norske Nook's famous Sour Cream Raisin Pie. (And some others; how is Romania with regards to brown sugar? I am guessing that maple flavoring is out.)
C.
Posted by: Carlos at March 23, 2004 04:47 PMNo, the crust doesn't need to be pre-baked and no ice-water for the dough, either. It comes out just right and the sweetness of the crust complements the tartness of the apples.
Do send me that recipe. I'm not a raisin-fan but Doug and Alan are, so there. Brown sugar is no problem, maple flavoring is a no. We do still have some (real) maple syrup, would that work?
Claudia
Warning: I've never made this pie. I have, however, eaten it. It's from the Norske Nook, in Osseo, Wisconsin, off the main road between Madison and Minneapolis, and home to the best pie in the known universe. The recipe is taken from their cookbook, and unfortunately for the Balkans, the metric system hasn't quite reached Wisconsin yet. But it's quaint, like reading a Russian novel where all the distances are in versts.
Sour Cream Raisin Pie
For one 10-inch pie.
2 cups sour cream
4 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 heaping teaspoons flour
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 baked single-layer crust (the classic American cold butter/shortening and ice water farm wife crust)
meringue (12 egg whites worth)
(Some prior cooking knowledge assumed here.)
1. Stir the sour cream and the egg yolks together in a heavy medium saucepan.
2. Add the sugar. Dump in the flour, then the raisins, and mix using a wooden spoon.
3. Cook over medium heat until the raisins are plump and the filling is glossy (about 5 minutes after a full boil, or just a little longer, depending on your burner).
4. Cool the filling slightly, then pour it into the cool crust.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare the meringue and spread it on the pie.
6. Put the pie in the oven. Watch closely for 15 to 20 minutes, then take it out when the peaks are golden brown. Let it cool. Eat immediately or keep in a cool room. Do not refrigerate unless keeping it overnight.
Helen Myhre, the founder of the Norske Nook, writes that the quality of the sour cream is very important:
I'm so used to getting these pure milk products from our milkman, I never had to make any adjustment until I tried it in New York. [Tell me about it. -- CY] When I put the flour and sugar and everything in, it was just like the sour cream melted, and when I put it on the stove to cook, it turned brown instead of white. In Wisconsin, our sour cream is real thick and when we stir it in, it stays white. Here at home, I use four teaspoons of flour to thicken the filling; out there, I was using tablespoons to get the same effect. So depending on the quality of your ingredients, you may have to experiment and adjust the amount of flour to get it right. If the filling seems runny at first, don't worry, you can mend it; just add a little flour at a time as the filling cooks, and it'll turn out fine.
Ms. Myhre also prefers a lard crust to a butter one, but only if the lard is high quality.
There's also a recipe here for venison bologna, should the Drescher or Muir family be interested... well, maybe not. It's a little microbiotic. And I've never dared to make the ammonia cookies. But they have a recipe for rosettes! Lutefisk and lefse, dandelion wine and pickled peaches, meatloaf and hot dish... I am homesick for the simple fare of my people.
C.
Posted by: Carlos at March 25, 2004 02:59 AM