'Baking in Oregon' is moving...

After some consideration of the sites available to host this blog, I've decided to make a move to WordPress - mostly for the easier editing of posts. I'll leave this existing site in place for now so folks who might like to look back at some of my previous posts can check them out.

Blogger has been a great place to start, but I'm looking forward to a few new options for design and a slightly easier format for posting and editing my blog.

Thank you to everyone who visits this site, I hope you'll continue to check out the new site.

You can find my new site by clicking on this link: Baking in Oregon

A Need to Knead...

Last year on this blog, I wrote a post about conquering one of my baking fears: Cheesecake. All went well and my first cheesecake turned out, dare I say it, nearly perfect. Knowing I had that accomplishment behind me, I decided to attack another one: Bread.

Now, why should bread be a big deal? We eat it all the time, it's everywhere, and even a machine on your countertop can make it with very little input from you. Well, for me, the yeast and the kneading are those components of breadmaking that worry me. As a reminder, the reason I have any fears in baking are this: I hate to fail. I have this need to do things right the first time, I hate do overs. Is that realistic? Is it reasonable? Not really, it's just me. Unfortunately, not only do I hate to fail, I know I'm going to fail at certain things, so I tend to play it safe in the kitchen and avoid those things that lead to failure. My big 3 fears as I learn more about baking are these: Cheesecake, Bread and Pie Crust. Now, I know some of you reading this probably look at this list and laugh, thinking, "those are so easy, no problem". Well, for some of you, I'm sure they are quite easy, and, as I said, the cheesecake turned out to be no problem at all. But I don't have anyone training me, I'm learning from books, TV and the internet, which, while good, just isn't the same as hands on training. Nevertheless, I needed to move on, and King Arthur Flour gave me the little boost to get rolling.

The Baker's Banter blog at King Arthur Flour had a post for High-Fiber Cinnamon Swirl Bread. It looked really good, and the step by step posts on the blog made it look fairly easy. So I decided to give it a try. Having made scones using my food processor to do the dirty work, I was looking forward to baking bread using my trusty Kitchen Aid Mixer for my mixing and kneading. Only problem, we're out of town on vacation, and though I have a full kitchen at my disposal, I didn't have my stand mixer. So, hand mixing and kneading it would be.

I mentioned one fear of mine being yeast. Seems simple enough, but I get caught up with activating the stuff and the different types I find at the store: Active, Rapid Rise, Instant. I just followed the directions on the recipe and I had a beautiful, bubbling little blob to start my recipe. No problem, the little buggers did fine. As for the kneading, well, I consulted some of my references and dove in hands first. The only thing I wasn't sure about was how long to knead. I know both under kneading and over kneading can cause problems for a recipe, but I seemed to recall something about kneading for about 15 minutes. Right or wrong, I decided to play it a little safe and go for 12 minutes because I have pretty strong hands and was probably working it fairly hard.

Well, long story short, I was pretty pleased with the end result. The loaf wasn't beautiful, but it did rise, had good texture and tasted and smelled wonderful. Good stuff. Fear of breadmaking can now be put aside. I'll be more likely to try some bread recipes now that I have performed this task without a major failure. Thanks KAF for giving me the inspiration to tackle the second of my baking fears. The last remaining, pie crust. Stay tuned.


High-Fiber Cinnamon Swirl Bread from King Arthur Flour
Dough:
2 tsp instant yeast or active dry yeast
1 cup (8 ounces) lukewarm water
1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened or melted
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur, Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup (4 2/4 ounces) Hi-Maize
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (1 ounce) Baker's Special Dry Milk or 1/4 (5/8 ounce) nonfat dry milk
3 tbsp (1 1/4 ounces) sugar
Filling:
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, to brush on dough

1. If you're using active dry yeast, dissolve it with a pinch of sugar in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.


2. Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remainder of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together - by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle - till you've made a smooth dough. Adjust the dough's consistency with additional flour or water as needed; but remember, the more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 5 minutes at second speed and the dough should almost clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should become soft, smooth and elastic.


3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk. Rising may take longer, especially if you've kneaded by hand. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.


4. While the dough is rising, make the filling by whisking together the sugar, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons flour.


5. Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface. Gently stretch and pat it into a 6" x 20" rectangle.


6. Brush the dough with the egg/water mixture; you won't use all of it, but save what's left. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the filling, leaving one short end bare.


7. Starting with the short (6") end covered with filling, roll the dough into a log. Pinch the ends to seal, and pinch the long seam closed.


8. Transfer the log, seam-side down, to a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" (medium) loaf pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.


9. Allow the bread to rise till it's crested about 1" over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour. Again, it may rise more slowly for you; let it reise till it's 1" over the rim of the pan, even if that takes longer than an hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degress F.


10. Brush the top of the bread very lightly with some of the reserved egg/water mixture, and sprinkle with additional cinnamon-sugar. Bake the bread for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after the first 20 minutes. The bread's crust will be golden brown, and the interior of the finished loaf should measure 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.


11. Remove the bread from the oven, and loosen the edges with heatproof spatula or table knife. Turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
    

Yield: 1 Loaf

Additional notes on my loaf: I didn't have an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan available, so I used a 9" x 5" and it seemed to work fine. I didn't have Hi-Maize, so after checking with KAF, I added a 3rd cup of AP flour in place of the Hi-Maize. To help improve my rising since I was kneading by hand, I let the dough rise in a gently warmed (but off) oven. For my preference, I might add a little more of the cinnamon/sugar mixture inside my loaf. Finally, my load deflated a bit on one side - I'm not sure why, I may have bumped it when I was getting ready to put it in the oven. Overall, it was fantastic. Below are some photos of the process:

Activating the yeast.






Getting ready to mix the ingredients.

Ready to rise.

Spreading the cinnamon/sugar.

Sealing the seam.

The finished loaf. The hole is from the thermometer.

Another view.

The inside - for a first ever loaf of bread, I'm pleased.

A cake to share and share and share....

There are few baked items I like more than cake. But not just any cake mind you. In my opinion a great cake has to be sweet, but not too sweet, moist but not too moist, and dense. I know there are those out there who prefer a light and airy Angelfood Cake to a heavy and dense Pound Cake and for those in the Angelfood arena, I say, good for you - it leaves more Pound Cake for the rest of us! Seriously though, just as there are those who prefer crunchy cookies and those who prefer them soft and cakey, there are different tastes and preferences when it comes to cake. I am amazed at the seemingly endless variety of cakes out there. And whether they are scratch baked, made from a mix or a hybrid of both, I am rarely displeased by any cake sent my way.

Some years back, we received a copy of a recipe from a friend accompanied by a bubbling pale goo safely stored in a ziploc bag. Now, some of you may have already made the connection here, but for those of you who perhaps have not heard of this phenomenon, I'm referring to Amish Friendship Bread. A quick search of the web will bring many hits back on this recipe that has been circulating for who knows how long. Variations abound as do the stories about how it came to be. Well, I'm not here to give a history lesson, nor to debate how 'Amish' this recipe may actually be - there are other bloggers out there who have taken on that task and done a fine job already. No, for me, I'm just interested in the end result.

For this particular recipe, the end result achieved by following the directions supplied are two loaves of a sweet, cinnamony (real word??), dense and moist cake/bread. The finished texture and density are close to that of Banana or Zucchini bread and is, I find, good both cold or warm, with or without some butter. Both my wife and I have made this recipe numerous times and have never failed to find someone who doesn't just love the stuff. Since the directions lead you to produce 2 loaves at each baking cycle (we'll get to that shortly), we usually find that we have more than the 2 of us can eat. So, until our daughter is old enough to contribute her mouth to the consumption of this treat, we will continue to share a loaf each time we bake. With that out of the way, let me get back to the recipe.

Remember the bag o' goo I mentioned? It's really a 'starter' that was portioned out of someone else's batch of starter which they have lovingly cared for and fed. There always seems to be an air of mystery surrounding the contents of the starter, perhaps that is part of what keeps this recipe circulating. In reality, it's a simple collection of yeast, flour, sugar and milk, in the correct proportions, allowed to ferment and grow with feedings of additional flour, sugar and milk. The fermentation of the yeast contributes to the wonderful aroma and flavor in the final bread that is so critical to this and other yeasted goodies like sourdough bread. The process is simple and takes approximately 10 days from the portioning of the starter to the next baking day. If you have never had someone give you the starter before or don't know anyone who has it, don't worry, it's easy to create the starter yourself and begin the whole process of involving the community of friends and relatives around you in this fun game of baking and sharing.

Before I dole out the recipe and the instructions, allow me to say this as well. This starter is very versatile and can be modified and used in many different ways. Again, a search of the web will give you many different ideas for the use of this starter - muffins, pancakes, etc. are all possible with this recipe base. So be creative! Experiment. The photo above is of one possible way to prepare this recipe. For this one, I took the low fat route - no oil at all, completely replaced with unsweetened applesauce - this reduced a lot of fat, and, in the opinion of myself and the group of folks that wiped this cake out - didn't hurt the flavor or texture. Second, I used Whole Grain White Flour by King Arthur Flour - again, no flavor or texture compromise, but more healthy fiber. Third, I added the optional box of vanilla pudding to the mix. Fourth, I added 2 very ripe mashed bananas to the batter. Fifth, I added an extra teaspoon of baking powder for a little extra lift. Lastly, I baked, as you can see, in a fluted bundt style pan as opposed to splitting the batter between 2 loaf pans - heck, this was for Mother's Day brunch, I wanted something that looked a little prettier. The result - everyone devoured this cake, even my brother who doesn't like banana bread. It was a winner, again.

The way this recipe is set up, every 10 days, you'll be baking if you've saved some starter for yourself. The recipe generates 4 separate 'starters' every 10 days, which, in theory, allows you to keep one for the next batch and give 3 away to family and friends. This works well until you've given them out to everyone you know. What to do then? Well, some folks have suggested you can freeze the starter on day 1 for up to 6 months, pulling out of the freezer and starting on day 1 again. I haven't tested this fully yet, but have 2 bags in the freezer to try later. You can also bake all of your starters yourself - the bread/cakes freeze very well for later use. Ultimately, if you get tired of baking, let the starter go - you can always start over again. In the end, it's just a lot of fun, tastes great, and is a good excuse to stay in contact with all of those long lost friends.

Recipe instructions - be sure to copy all of the following directions on to a sheet of paper and include a copy with the starters that you share:

Amish Friendship Bread

You have just received a starter for Amish Friendship Bread. By following the instructions below, you'll 'feed' the starter, keeping the yeast alive and growing your batch to divide and share. By following this recipe, you'll bake two loaves of sweet Amish Friendship Bread every 10 days. There are other recipe uses for this starter available, search the internet for some options. For a simple modification to this recipe, try adding chocolate chips, nuts, fruit or various flavors of instant pudding mix (be sure to add these ingredients just before baking, not to your starter). You can also try alternatives like whole wheat flour, whole grain white flour or substituting part or all of the oil with unsweetened applesauce (which works very well, by the way).

DO NOT USE METAL SPOONS, BOWLS OR WHISKS FOR MIXING OR STORAGE

DO NOT REFRIGERATE THE STARTER - KEEP AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

It is normal for the starter to rise, bubble and ferment. Be sure to let the air out of the bag or storage container periodically.

Day 1: Do Nothing (this is the day the starter is divided)

Day 2: Mix the starter (or knead the bag if using plastic storage bags)

Day 3: Mix the starter

Day 4: Mix the starter

Day 5: Mix the starter

Day 6: Add to the starter: 1 Cup Flour, 1 Cup Sugar and 1 Cup Milk, mix thouroughly

Day 7: Mix the starter

Day 8: Mix the starter

Day 9: Mix the starter

Day 10: Baking Day - follow these directions:

1. Pour all of the starter into a non-metallic bowl
2. Add 1 1/2 Cups Flour, 1 1/2 Cups Sugar and 1 1/2 Cups Milk. Mix with a wooden or plastic spoon. The batter may appear lumpy. You should now have approximately 6 cups of starter.
3. Measure out (4) 1 cup portions of starter into individual containers or plastic storage bags, cover or seal. Give (3) away to friends with a copy of these instructions. Record today's date (day 1) on the container for reference.
4. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
5. To the remaining starter (approximately 2 cups) add the following: 3 Eggs, 1/2 Cup Milk, 1 Cup Oil and 1 TSP vanilla. Mix well. (for a lower fat option, replace the oil with 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce OR 1 cup unsweetened applesauce).
6. In a second bowl, add the dry ingredients: 1 Cup Sugar, 2 Cups Flour, 1 TSP Baking Soda, 2 TSP Cinnamon, 1 1/2 TSP Baking Powder, 1/2 TSP Salt (optional: add 1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix). Mix dry ingredients together.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well (the batter will now be about the consistency of cake batter). Now is the time to add fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, etc. if desired.
8. Grease two large loaf pans, a 10 cup bundt pan or a 9x13 cake pan (it's okay to use metal pans for the baking process). Mix together 1/2 Cup Sugar and 1 TSP Cinnamon. Dust the pan(s) with the sugar/cinnamon mixture, holding the remaining aside.
9. Divide the batter between the loaf pans or add all of the batter to a single larger pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture.
10. Bake for 1 hour (loaf pans, 9x13) or 1 hour, 15 minutes (bundt). Check after 55 minutes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Turn cake(s) out onto a cooling rack. Store loosely covered.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For those who don't have a starter, here is the recipe to get things going:

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) Package Active Dry Yeast

1/4 Cup Warm Water (110 degrees F)

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Milk

1. In a small bowl, disolve the yeast in water, let stand for 10 minutes. In a 2-quart non-metallic container, combine flour and sugar, mix together. Slowly add milk and disolved yeast mixture, combine well using non-metallic spoon or whisk. Cover loosely and let stand. The mixture will become bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of your first 10-day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
2. On days 2 through 4, stir the starter with a spoon. On Day 5, stir in 1 Cup Flour, 1 Cup Sugar and 1 Cup Milk. Days 6 through 9, stir the starter.
3. On Day 10, stir in 1 Cup Flour, 1 Cup Sugar and 1 Cup Milk. Remove 2 cups and follow the baking recipe above. You should have approximately 4 cups of starter remaining. Divide into 1 Cup portions and distribute per the directions above. Consider the day you divide the mix as day 1.

Final note: If you miss a day or two, the starter is usually fine, just continue from where you left off.

The 'Not so Triumphal' Return...

It's been a long time since I've had a chance to sit down at the computer and publish a post on this blog - too long. Thankfully, I haven't been as absent from my baking, just the free time to write about it. So, after a long absence, I had to consider what would make a great and triumphal return to posting on this blog? Perhaps something spectacular like a towering masterpiece of a cake or perhaps more exotic? Well, I may have found the time to throw up a post or two, but with baby in the house, I've got to keep the baking a bit simpler for the moment.

I'm always looking for an opportunity to turn on the oven for something other than dinnertime. I've put it out there that I enjoy baking and I'm happy to contribute something for a family gathering, ladies tea, whatever. For some reason though, hardly anyone asks. "You're too busy, we don't want to bother you" "It's too much work, we'll just pick something up from the store" "From the store???" I don't know about you, but I have a really hard time remembering the last time I bought a baked item from a store or bakery that made me say 'wow, that was really good, I need to learn to make that'. Maybe I'm a bit of a snob, but even the good bakeries around here don't seem to match the flavors and textures of even a simple home baked dessert. I don't know what it is, maybe it's the mass production, maybe it's the extended shelf life, who knows. What I do know is that when I make something for a gathering, if I don't get at least one 'wow', 'ohhhhh', or at least a recipe request, I haven't done my job. When is the last time you've brought a dessert from the store and got asked for the recipe?? My guess is never. (I will make one side note here, I did make a request to a local in-store deli for a recipe for a Pesto Tortellini Salad that was amazing - they gave it to me and I now make it whenever I have fresh pesto on hand - delicious - perhaps I'll share it here some day).

So for my 'not so triumphal' return, I needed to select a dish that got the 'ooohhs' and 'aahhs' I so crave from my desserts. What blows my mind is how simple it can be sometimes. Even when I use some 'non-scratch' components, I believe it is still possible to impress. Enter the latest gathering, a birthday party for my niece's husband. They asked us to bring a dessert and I wanted something that people would remember. Unfortunately, with my schedule, it would have to be very quick and simple. My wife suggested a store bought item, and I cringed at the thought - I can whip up something quickly and, I might add, less costly, than the store bought items. My mind went back to a dessert someone brought to the office last year and had stuck in my mind as a 'got to try it' item. I recalled that I had the recipe in a cookbook I received as a gift.

The choice - Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cake. Now, if by some chance you are not aware of this decadent little dessert, allow me to enlighten you. Imagine a somewhat over-the-top concoction of yellow cake, cream cheese, butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and more butter, all whipped up into a creamy, gooey almost too sweet easy but impressive delicacy. Paula serves this in her restaurant for good reason - everyone who tries it gets hooked on the first bite.

This is an easy dessert to make and, more than likely, you will have most if not all the ingredients on hand. To me, the recipe sounded a bit odd at first, but following Paula's simple directions will give you wonderful results. There is one variable that concerned me, and that is the cooking time. This dessert, when baked properly, will seem underdone when you pull it out of the oven, kind of like a custard, but this is the point - if you want gooey, you've got to pull it out before it's overdone. For me, this happened when the top of the cake had started to brown like a marshmallow in a fire - not burned, but that nice brown when everything is just right. I had to pull it out a full 5 minutes short of the recipe's suggested time - it was ready.

The results? Well, like I expected, everyone, and I do mean every single person, loved it. There were 4 different desserts available that day, and only this one got raves and several requests for the recipe. How long did this take to throw together? A grand total of about 20 minutes. Now who couldn't find 20 minutes to spare to impress your family and friends? If, like me, it's been awhile since you've been in the kitchen, give this a shot and show them how good you really are.

I typically post a photo with my entries, but, unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of this one. I'll try to update with one later when I make this again. I will say it wasn't the most beautiful of my desserts, but the raves weren't about the looks. Triumphal? Maybe not in the sense of a grand baking accomplishments, but definitely in the satisfaction of those who indulged.

Gooey Butter Cakes (from The Lady & Sons Just Desserts, Paula H. Deen)

Cake:

1 18.25oz box yellow cake mix

1 egg

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 16-ounce box confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioner's sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgement call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point! Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares. Just remember that these wonderful little cakes are very, very rich, and a little will go a long way.

Variations:

Pumpkin Gooey: You can substitute chocolate or spice cake for the cake mix, but Paula's favortie is the yellow cake. Follow the original recipe, adding a 15-ounce can of pumpkin pie filling and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Bake as usual, remove from oven, and allow to cool. Cut into squares and top each square with a pecan half. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Pineapple Gooey: Add a 20-ounce can of drained crushed pineapple and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Lemon Gooey: Use a lemon cake mix in place of the yellow cake. Add the juice (approximately 1/4 cup) and zest of 2 lemons to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Carrot Cake Gooey: Use a spice cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Peanut Butter Gooey: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. You can sprinkle the top of the batter with 1 cup chopped peanuts if you like. Proceed as directed above.

Chocolate Chip Gooey: Use either yellow or chocolate cake mix. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped nuts on top of the filling. Proceed as directed above.

Banana Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix. Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas and an extra egg. Proceed as directed above.

Nutty Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts to the cake mixture. Proceed as directed above.

Chippy Gooey: Stir 1 cup white chocolate chips, peanut butter chocolate chips, butterscotch morsels, Heath Almond Toffee Bits or Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits into the filling. Proceed as directed above.

Yields 20 to 24 servings.

Where are you???

I've had a number of posts and questions from those who check my site as to my sudden and prolonged absence from posting to my blog.

First, let me apologize for my absence. The last 6 months or so became so busy that I had to put my new little blog on the backburner, so to speak. Even my cooking got pushed aside for many quick meals from the freezer or a restaurant.

My wife and I had a baby in 2007, plus we embarked on a major remodel of our home. That coupled with a change in my job that added additional resposibility and hours led to a dramatic decrease in the amount of time I could put into my hobbies.

That being said, be assured that all is well, and I do hope to make a return to posting on my blog. I have a great appreciation for everyone who has visited my site and have left such wonderful comments on my posts.

Please keep checking back. That urge to bake has not been quelled, and so, I must press on in search of dessert perfection.

I look forward to leaving something of interest for you in the near future.

Until then, enjoy your time in the kitchen.

Erik
Baking in Oregon

Apples and Scones - Irish Style?

One of the fun parts about baking for me is exploring my family roots through food. Like many Americans, I have a bit of a 'Heinz 57' heritage - a little bit of everything. I've done some family history research and have found some interesting things - I have relatives that came over on the Mayflower (fully documented, I am a member of the Mayflower Society), which came over from England. I have family that emigrated from Denmark and Germany. My two strongest ties, however are to Ireland (I still carry that family name) and Sweden (I still have family with whom I am in contact there). Since my grandmother and aunts were born in Sweden, I grew up exposed to many of the wonderful foods of that country - in fact, I plan to use them in several blog posts to come (although I can guarantee that Herring Pudding will never grace this blog site - yech!!). That being said, I have no expressions of the Irish side of the family - most of my ancestors died very young and lived under very tough and poor conditions once they came to the US, so they didn't take much time to record information to pass down the line. So, my list of Irish family recipes is fairly short - zero. I'm very interested in knowing more about what my family may have been eating some 100 years ago when they emigrated - as well as what the Irish people in general like to eat.

I've found a number of recipes online that claim Irish heritage or at least popularity, but it can be difficult sometimes to sort out the truth from the other stuff out there in cyberspace. Maybe some of my visitors can recommend some good sites for Irish recipes and history?

In the meantime, as I take a short vacation on the Oregon Coast, I begin looking ahead to the change in seasons to my favorite time of year - Fall. I love the weather, cool, foggy, crisp, clean. When I sense those changes coming, I can't help but begin thinking of fall cooking - comfort foods - and for me, my favorite Fall ingredient has to be apples. Of course, we can get apples here year-round, but fall is the time when the best of the harvest come in and everyone's thoughts start to turn to baking with apples.

So, looking at my pile of fresh Granny Smiths, and considering how I might explore some of that Irish heritage, I came across a recipe on Joyofbaking.com for an Apple Scone Cake. Now, if the description of this recipe as posted on Joy of Baking is to be believed, the Apple Scone Cake is one of the most popular desserts made by home bakers in Ireland (can anyone confirm that??). It certainly sounded like an interesting recipe to try - and, for all I could tell, seemed as if it could be a real 'Irish' dessert. Why not give it a try? The concept is interesting - it's not really a 'cake' as I would think of it - it's really more of a cross between a cake and a pie. Imagine apple pie, but instead of the traditionally flaky pie crust, a more 'cakey' scone crust instead. Since I'm not yet experienced in the fine art of pie crust, but have successfully made scones, this seemed like a great gateway recipe to my first ever 'pie'

Overall the results were very good. Having made this, I would probably make the following changes the next time around: a bit more sugar/cinnamon in the apples - I used more apples than the recipe called for, but didn't add more sugar to account for that change. Second, I would bake it just a bit longer - I like my apples a bit softer, but this was still pretty good. Third, I might add just a few small pats of butter (not margarine) in with the apples. Lastly, I might add just a touch more sugar to the scone base. With all of that being said, I am including the full original recipe with no modifications so you can start at the same point as me. This is a hearty and tasty dessert - perfect for a cool fall evening - I will definitely be making this again.

Apple Scone Cake (originally from Joyofbaking.com)

2 Cups (280 grams) All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup (100 grams) Granulated White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup (113 grams)(1 stick) Unsalted Butter, Cold and cut in pieces
2 Large Eggs, Divided
1/2 Cup (120ml) Milk, Divided
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Filling:
1 Pound (454 grams) Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch (2.54cm) chunks
2 - 3 Tablespoons (30-45 grams) Granulated White Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Garnish:
Granulated White Sugar

Preheat over to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in the center of oven. Butter (or spray with nonstick cooking spray) a 9-Inch (23cm) glass pie plate.

In a small bowl, whisk together one egg and 1 tablespoon from the 1/2 cup milk. Set this aside for later use as a glaze for the top of the cake.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter in small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like course crumbs. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the remaining one egg, remaining milk and vanilla extract and add to the flour mixture, stirring just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times. Divide the dough in half. Pat one half of the dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate.

In a separate bowl, toss together the cut apples, sugar and cinnamon. Spread the apples evenly over the bottom of the dough in the pie plate.

Roll the remaining dough into a 9 inch (23cm) circle, on a lightly floured surface. Gently place the dough over the apples. With your fingers, seal the edges of the top and bottom crusts. Brush the top of the dough with the egg and milk glaze and sprinkle with white sugar. Cut a slit in the center of the dough to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-45 minutes or until the pastry is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Serves 6 to 8

Additional notes from Erik: I prefer to freeze my cut butter before working it into the mix, it helps keep it from melting, which is important to scone making. You can also bring this dough together in a food processor to help speed the process of cutting the butter into the flour mixture - I use this same method when I make scones and it works very well. This is a 'rustic' recipe, so don't worry if your crust doesn't look perfect. Lastly, I used 'decorators sugar' instead of regular sugar on the top of the cake - I like the look and crunch of the bigger sugar crystals.

Freakin' Good Frittatas

While this blog is primarily about baking sweet treats and other goodies, I must confess that I have a soft spot in my palette for all things breakfast. Given the choice, I would probably prefer to eat breakfast than any other meal of the day. With my work schedule, it's so rare that I get to have a hot breakfast (unless it's from a drive thru) that when I do get the chance, I can get pretty excited. For that reason, breakfast for dinner is a pretty regular occurance around our house. Pancakes, waffles, breakfast burrittos, breakfast scrambles, Swedish hotcakes, omelettes - bring 'em on. Part of the purpose of this blog is to help encourage me to be a bit more adventurous and to cook things I've never tried before - it's just too easy to stick with what you know and not bother with learning a new recipe. That being said, when I see a new breakfast/brunch recipe, it tends to peak my interest. So it was while watching one of my favorite Food Network chefs, Giada De Laurentiis when she made 'Mini Frittatas' one day - they looked so good, I didn't wait for the show to finish before I headed to the kitchen.

Giada's recipe uses a basic frittata base, adds a few basic ingredients, then, unlike a traditional frittata, which would be cooked in a skillet and finished in the oven, she cooks them in mini muffin pans to make some great little bites. I knew I wanted to make a few changes, so I grabbed some potatos I had on hand and rather than using the mini muffin pan, went for the regular size muffin pan - I wanted something a bit more than a little bite. Like an omelette, frittatas lend themselves very well to customization. You can add pretty much anything that strikes your fancy and that won't offend any potential taste subjects. Put it all together, bake, and you have a tasty, portable and attractive little meal. These can be eaten warm or cold and lend themselves quite well for traveling - a great idea for picnics or even a roadside snack for a long trip.

Mini Frittatas (adapted from Mini Frittats by Giada De Laurentiis on Food Network.com)

This is the recipe as made with my modifications...Makes 14-18 frittatas depending upon the size of the pans and how full you fill them.

8 Large Eggs

1/2 Cup Whole Milk (I used non-fat)

1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

2 Medium Potatos, peeled and shredded

1/2 Medium Onion, minced

1 Cup Cooked Ham, chopped

1 Cup Sharp Cheddar, grated

Fresh Basil, finely chopped

Olive Oil

Spray Oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a medium skillet, saute the shredded potatoes and onion in the olive oil over medium heat until the potatoes have softened and the onions are translucent - about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, basil, pepper and salt in a large bowl to blend well.

4. Spray muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each cup with approximately 2 tablespoons of the potato/onion mixture. Add approximately 1 tablespoon ham and 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Fill the cups with the egg mixture, about 7/8 full. Once the cups are all filled, tap the pan on a hard surface to make sure the egg mixutre has filled in around all of the ingredients.

5. Bake for 14-18 minutes (individual ovens will vary) until lightly browned and somewhat firm. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the frittatas to loosen them from the pan. Turn the frittatas out on a wire baking rack. Serve warm or cold with (in my opinion) a dollop of sour cream.