"Boscoe Bakes"... Zesty Apple Crisp

I've loved apple crisp since I was a little kid, and that's a long time since I'm 6'5". Maybe it was the apples that triggered the tall gene, I'll never know for sure.  One thing I do know, is that I became fanatical about perfecting the balance between the sweet crunchy topping (YUM) and the tart, semi firm composition of the luscious apple filling. I didn't want the topping to be too crunchy or overly sweet, and I wanted the apple filling to be just a tad tart and not mushy or too hard. So after years of experimenting with apple varieties, sugar, flour and or oatmeal toppings, wiping out countless apple orchards and playing around with the tartness and mouth feel components, I came up with the following recipe. I found that Granny Smith apples were the perfect starting point. They were firm, tart and held up nicely under fire. A topping made with flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg seemed to marry nicely with the apples, and a touch of zest added a special touch that made for a very harmonious union.  This delicious dessert is simple to make, elegant enough for company and guaranteed to disappear. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or lots of home made whipped cream. It is also wonderful at room temperature or even cold. If I have it made up in my freezer, I often serve this dessert with home made apple crisp ice cream. Now that's really taking it over the top, but the extra effort is certainly well worth the accolades you'll get in return. The recipe for this yummy dessert follows, and I'll post the recipe for my apple crisp ice cream in the near future. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

12 Granny Smith apples

1 zest of one orange

1 tablespoon dark rum

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon (heaping) cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

Peel, core and slice the apples. Cut slices into 1-inch chunks. Toss the apples with the zest, rum and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the apple mixture into an ungreased 13x9 inch baking dish. Using a pastry blender or your food processor, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until they resemble coarse bread crumbs. If doing this in your food processor, take care not to over blend. Scatter the topping evenly over the apples. Tap the dish a couple of times on the counter to settle in the crumbs.  Bake for 50 - 55 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Check apples with a skewer for your desired level of  firmness.   

"Boscoe Bakes"......Gingersnap Raspberry and Grand Marnier Ganache Sandwiches

I've found that it is infinitely more fun if I just open up my "Cookies" Book and pick a cookie recipe at random, as opposed to the structured format that I mentioned earlier....i.e.......start at the beginning and work through to the end. And since all of this is supposed to be about fun, I'm going to maintain this approach from now on.  So random it is...........and tonight's selection from Martha's "Cookies" is "Gingersnap Raspberry Sandwiches" on page 103.  This subtle gingersnap was a wonderful choice. It is scrumptious with the raspberry jam, and very decadent with the Chocolate Grand Marnier Ganache. Enjoy!

Ina Garten "Rubs" Out Bobby Flay in Second Round......

Yesterday afternoon while thumbing through magazines, cookbooks and assorted recipes,  I began to agonize over what to serve for dinner tonight. I kept waiting for that "AHA" moment to occur, but alas it was not meant to be. You see, tonight I was having friends for dinner, and wanted to treat them (and us......of course!) to something special.  I had narrowed the field to two contenders..........pork loin and sirloin strip steaks, but didn't have a clue how I wanted to prepare them. Suddenly I remembered a fantastic steak house rub that Bobby Flay published in an old issue of Gourment, and having used it twice before with fantastic results, I declared his recipe the winner.  The rest of the meal..........Maytag blue cheese souffle, honey and brown sugar kissed baby carrots, garlic toast, and tossed salad just fell into place. And, for dessert, we'd enjoy a luscious chocolate and caramel cheesecake with Grand Marnier ganache. This morning with the menu firmly in place, I set about to gather up the numerous ingredients for Bobby's rub, when suddenly my copy of Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten called out to me in earnest.  It was sitting on the center island in the kitchen behind the computer, and definitely wanted my attention.  So I opened the book, and as if I were being guided, it automatically brought me to to page 121........... the recipe for Beef Bourguignon, one of my classic favorites.  Now call me superstitious, but the weather outside today is gloomy, damp, cold and calls for more rain this evening. This would mean grilling in less than favorable conditions, asking my guests to keep an eye on the souffles in the oven and a lack of total control over the meal which I insist upon.  (I'm anal)  Or............it could mean that the sirloin strips would be a lovely substitute for the beef chuck and that the entire sumptuous entree could be prepared inside and without any assistance. Well I hate to say this..............but sorry Bobby, you've been eliminated. Ina wins..... And it did rain tonight, and the sirloin was melt in your mouth tender and I'm so glad that I didn't have to get all "wet" and bothered over it. The bourguignon was superb as always, and I'll publish the recipe later for those of you who don't have a copy of Ina's wonderful book. The recipe for our decadent dessert follows below:

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake** with Grand Marnier Ganache

Ingredients:

1 Crumb-Crust Recipe* (Recipe below cheesecake ingredients) 

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream

8 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate ( I used Ghiradelli 60%)

1/2 cup sour cream

3 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs - room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

Crumb Crust Recipe*

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups (5 0z) finely ground dark chocolate wafers. I use Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Stir together crust ingredients and press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a buttered 24 centimeter springform pan. (I used a 9" pan) Fill right away or chill up to 2 hours.

Preparation:

  

Preheat oven to 350' F.  Cook sugar in a dry heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork, until melted and pale golden.  Cook caramel without stirring or swirling the pan, until deep golden. Remove from heat and carefully add heavy cream (mixture will vigorously steam and caramel will harden). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring until caramel is dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until smooth. Stir in sour cream. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy, then beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions. Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. (I used a cookie sheet) Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan/ cookie sheet( to catch drips) in middle of oven 55 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken. Run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen and cool completely in springform pan on a rack. (Cake will continue to set as it cools.) chill cake, loosely covered, at least 6 hours. Pour ganache over chilled cake and rotate pan quickly to cover surface up to 1/2" from the sides, keeply ganache "inside" well area. Return cake to refrigerator to chill ganache completely, about 1 hour . When ready to serve, remove side of pan and transfer cake to a serving plate. Bring to room temperature before serving. ** Original recipe is from Gourmet Magazine - November - 1999.

"Cookie Doctor" Grand Marnier Ganache

Ingredients:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine ( I used Ghiradelli)

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons Grand Marnier

Heat cream in a heavy bottom sauce pan till slightly boiling.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate. Stir slowly and continuously until chocolate and cream blend together. Add the Grand Marnier and stir to incorporate thoroughly.  Let cool until proper consistency. Stir again before spreading.

Top Chef Inspiration.........Chocolate Cake

It's a very windy and rainy Saturday night and my roommate and I are watching Top Chef Finale 2007 Part 3. We are eating my relatively healthy oven fried chicken with tossed salad greens and one of the finalists mentions that he's going to make a chocolate cake and present it at the beginning of his presentation.  Bingo........I'm hooked.  I need something rich and decadent to wash down all of this lean chicken and roughage, so ignoring the rest of the show (not really) I grabbed my favorite chocolate cake recipe, and set to work.  This recipe is a classic Epicurious Recipe and stands proudly on its' own, however me being me, I had to tinker with it just a tad.  Let me know what you think.............

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

 with Grand Marnier Chocolate Ganache Frosting

For cake layers
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1 1/4 cups hot espresso coffee

1/4 cup Kahlua
3 cups sugar
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup olive oil
1 ½ cups well-shaken buttermilk
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon dark rum
For ganache frosting


1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut


1 cup heavy cream


2 tablespoons sugar


2 tablespoons light corn syrup


½ stick (¼ cup) unsalted butter

2 teaspoons Grand Marnier
Special equipment
two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans

Preparation:

Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.
Finely chop chocolate and place in heat proof bowl. Place hot coffee in pyrex measuring cup with Kahlua and heat till hot. Add coffee mixture to chocolate. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, chili powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Make frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth. Add Grand Marnier and whisk to incorporate.
Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).
Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.