Delicious Risotto, Literally - Golden Delicious Risotto

I am a product of American Pop Culture.  I admit it, I have come to terms with it, and accept this in myself.

Every time someone mentions Pork Chops, I hear Peter Brady's imitation of Humphrey Bogart in the back of my mind saying, "Pork Chopsh and Apple Shauce, ain't that Shwell?"  And thus it is that, through the Brady Bunch, I learned to equate apples with pork.  True, there is the proverbial whole roasted pig with the apple in it's mouth, but I don't normally roast a whole pig.  And by "normally" I mean never.  So, for me, it was the Brady Bunch. 

Now, I am not saying that I actually "eat" said apple sauce with my pork chops.  It's not that I think the combination particularly odd or anything.  After all, if Peter Brady thought it was "shwell", then it must be, right?  Cause it was on TV, right?  If it wasn't "shwell", then why would the writers give him that line?  No, it's simply because I rarely have apple sauce around the house, and if I do, it has usually been utilized for Apple Sauce Cake or Apple Muffins, or some such other tidbit of deliciousness.  But, I finally got to wondering about the pairing of apples with pork and decided to give it a try.

Now, me being me, I had to walk a path less traveled by; possibly not at all...  By anyone... Ever.  This led to a little experiment (you saw that comin' didn't ya?) with a Golden Delicious Apple.

Now I am not a big fan of the Golden Delicious Apple, simply because they are so sweet.  I loved them as a kid, but only when they were green.  And let's face it... Produce moves around this country so fast now days that the farmers don't pick things as green as they use to.  Which has it's pluses, but in this case, the Golden Delicious Apples in the stores are almost always fully ripe.  But for this recipe, I thought I could get away with the apple being on the sweeter side cause I was gonna hit it hard with a crisp white wine and "savor-ize" it up with some Parmigiano-Reggiano and Mascarpone. 

If those ingredients ring any bells you probably guessed right.... I made an Apple Risotto.

The verdict on the experiment?  I thought it was tasty... So did my little brother... Savory with a hint of spiced sweetness.  Then again, we both like Cheddar on our Apple Pie so this dish is a natural fit.  My sister-in-law is not a risotto fan, no matter what the flavor so she opted out completely.  Dad was on the fence and Mom hated it.  I don't know... I would call 2 "likes", 1 undecided and 1 "no" a fairly favorable reception considering this side dish's unorthodoxy.

I am still trying to decide if I should have forewent the "hint of cinnamon" and opted for a "whisper of nutmeg" instead.  Personally do not care for nutmeg with apple.  Mace, yes, Nutmeg, no.  I am really more of a Cinnamon person.  I love sneaking Cinnamon in savory dishes when no one is looking.  Any excuse to buck the "system" that has regulated poor Cinnamon to only sweets.  Nutmeg, on the other hand, shows up in Bechamel as well as Spaetzle, Quiche (Lorraine and Florentine) and Scalloped Potatoes (like Pommes de Terre à la Dauphinoise) with a frequency that attests to it's escape from the same predicament as the ill-fated Cinnamon.

Delicious Risotto

4 cups Chicken Stock
2 TB Olive Oil
3/4 cup Golden Delicious Apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 TB unsalted Butter
1 Shallot, minced
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc (I chose one in the Green Apple and Gooseberry range)
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 TB Mascarpone
1/16 tsp Cinnamon or 2 grates of Nutmeg (your choice)

Bring the Chicken Stock to a simmer in a small saucepan and dice the apple.

In a large skillet, heat 1 TB of the Olive oil over medium-low flame.

Add the apple and cook for about 10 minutes, just until it begins to soften slightly.

Remove the apple from the skillet and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 TB Olive Oil to the pan along with the Butter.

When foaming subsides, add the shallot and sweat until soft.

Add the Rice and saute for a couple minutes, until it begins to smell nutty.

Add the Wine and stir until it is absorbed.

Begin adding stock, 1 ladle at a time, stirring until each ladel-ful has been absorbed before adding the next.

After 10 minutes of cooking (when the risotto is about 1/2 done) add the diced Apple to the rice, then continue adding stock and stirring until the risotto is still a little al dente. (you may not use all the stock)

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, Mascarpone and Cinnamon or Nutmeg.

Cover and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes.

Stir everything together and serve.

Peter Brady was right, Apple and Pork really do play together well.  

So the next time you are serving Pork chops, or Pork Loin chops or even a Pork Tenderloin, I urge you to give this a try.

Yep, Pork Chopsh and Apple Rishoto, it's Shwell.

Mangia!!
~~

Little Green Apples in My Cake - Apple Cake with Bourbon Sauce

This delicious apple cake is courtesy of Linda Monforte, one of the ladies from the church we attended when I was a child.  It is my favorite apple cake.  Granted, she did not pour bourbon sauce over it when bringing it to church potlucks, but I think it is a welcome addition to this delectable apple cake.

I find my favorite apples for this cake, even though they are not necessarily green, are Braeburns or Winesaps, as they seem to hold their shape a little better when cooking in the batter.  This is one of my strange quirks.  I like my Pie apples tart and cooked completely and my Cake apples a little sweeter and to have some tooth to them, so I know they are there.  I think it has to do with the nature of the two desserts.

With Cake, the cake itself is soft and spongy, so the apples cannot be cooked to mush or the whole thing would just be a soggy mess.  A little tooth to the apples lends interesting texture that helps to bridge from the spongy cake to the crunchy nuts. 

In Pie, the flaky pastry crust lends the contrast to the softer, completely cooked apple filling.  If the apples are toothy, or worse, still crunchy, then you end up with a big slice of "ewww!" on your plate that NO amount of cheddar cheese, caramel sauce or ice cream can fix.

Not that I am opinionated or anything.  ;-)

Linda Monforte's Apple Cake

2 large Eggs
1/2 cup (118ml) Light Oil (such as Safflower)
2 cups (400g) granulated Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
2 cups (250g) AP Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt
1 cup (110g) Pecans, chopped
4 cups (500g) Braeburn Apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 4 apples)
Bourbon Sauce (see below)
Whipped Cream

Butter and Flour a 13x9 inch baking dish. (it's vintage Corningware P-21 for me, but a Pyrex dish will work too)

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees
In a small bowl, combine Flour, Baking Soda, Cinnamon and Salt; whisking to combine.

In a medium bowl, combing Eggs, Oil, Sugar and Vanilla, whisking well until homogeneous.

Toast the Pecans for 8 minutes in the oven, then give them a nice rough chop.

Peel, core and chop the apples, then place them in a large bowl.

Pour both the Flour mixture and the Egg/Oil mixture over the Apples.

Fold them all together until there are no dry spots, then add Pecans and fold until well dispersed.

Pour the batter into your prepared Baking Dish.

Smooth the batter out a little, so it's level.

Bake for 45 minutes to 55 minutes.

Until all nicely browned and delicious looking, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs.

Place on a rack and allow it  cool while you make Bourbon sauce.....  OK, it's really more of a Bourbon Caramel Sauce, but, well...  It's a saucy caramel. (in more ways than one)

Bourbon Sauce

1 cup (200g) Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup (100g) Brown Sugar
2/3 cup (156ml) Water
4 oz (113g) Unsalted Butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup (59ml) Bourbon (I like Maker's Mark)
1/3 cup (78ml) Heavy Cream

Combine both Sugars and Water in a medium saucepan set over medium flame.

Stir until the Sugars dissolve and the syrup comes to a boil.

Place a thermometer in the syrup and bring to 300 F Degrees.

When the caramel hits 300, remove from the heat and stir in the butter with a whisk (

Once the butter has melted into the caramel and there is no further risk of crystallization,

remove the sauce from the heat and add the Bourbon and Heavy Cream. (careful, it will bubble and steam again

Pour into a heat proof pitcher and allow the caramel to cool.

Serving.....

Once the Apple Cake has finished baking, and has cooled to room temperature, cut 3-inch square pieces and place on a plate,

drizzling liberally with warm Bourbon Sauce...

and top with whipped cream... Oh yeah, baby!
 

Mangia!!
~~

First Apples of the Season - Yellow Transparent Crumble

Sorry I have been absent for so long...   Corningware411 has been keeping me uber busy and there have been some "challenges" going on since returning from the Snake River.

But that is not what this post is about... This post is more exciting than that; for it has finally happened!  The very first apples from my parent's trees have arrived.  The time is NOW for the Yellow Transparent.  A very small apple with very BIG flavor...

The only problem with them is that they cook down into applesauce very easily, so though they are one of the most flavorful of tart apples, they don't hold up well in pie. (that title really belongs to the Newtown)  But if you don't mind slightly saucier apples, they work great for things like Buckle, Crisp, Crumble, Grunt, Slump, Pan Dowdy and Brown Betty.  Oh yes...  and that is exactly what I am gonna do....  Wait!  I am not making all of them, just the Crumble.

I think of all of the above, the Crumble is my favorite.  The oatmeal in the topping makes me feel like it's somewhat healthy.  True, it's a stretch, but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

If you are using Yellow Transparent apples for this, you will need 2 extra cups, simply because they cook down so much.  With most other apples, except maybe Gravenstein (which it's still a little early for), you will only need 4 cups.

Yellow Transparent Apple Crumble

1/3 cup AP Flour
1 cup Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
4 TB Unsalted Butter
6 cups Yellow Transparent Apples, diced (or 4 cups of Newtown/Winesap/Stayman/Suncrisp)
1 TB Lemon Juice

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and butter an 8 or 9 inch round baking dish.

Combine Flour, Oats, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon and Salt in a small bowl, tossing to combine.

Add the Butter....

and work it into the mixture with your fingers until crumbly.

Peel, slice and dice the apples, then toss with lemon juice to prevent browning.... (some apples brown significantly faster than others, as is apparent with the Yellow Transparents).

Pour apples into the dish.

Sprinkle the crumble topping all over.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Cool to room temperature before serving. (I actually like it warm, over Ice Cream.  Alas, I was out.... Poor planning on my part)

Be that as it may, the tart apples are an excellent foil for the sweet crunchy bits on top.
It may not be very pretty, but it sure is tasty!  Even without the Ice Cream.



Mangia!!
~~