MAPLE WALNUT CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR FROSTING

• MAPLE WALNUT CAKE WITH 

  BROWN SUGAR FROSTING
  
  
  We tried a new dessert this year to share for Thanksgiving at his parent's home.  It was really good.  The frosting is particularly tasty. 
  
  
  For The Cake
  
  
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup chopped walnut halves, toasted

• For The Frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans (2 inches deep) with cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper; lightly coat parchment with cooking spray. Flour parchment and sides (tapping out excess); set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on high until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on medium-high, add maple syrup in a slow, steady stream. Add flour mixture in two additions, alternating with milk, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl as needed. Fold in walnuts.
3. Divide batter between pans; firmly tap pans on a flat surface several times to remove air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks, 15 minutes, then invert onto racks; peel off parchment. Invert cakes again and let cool completely on racks. With a serrated knife, trim domed top from each cake to make a flat surface.
4. Make frosting: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and brown sugar on high until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Assemble cake: Place one layer, top side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread top evenly with 1 1/2 cups frosting. Top with second layer, top side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and around sides of cake.
   
   

Sweet Potato Fries with Brown-Butter Marshmallow Sauce

Here are a couple of the new side dishes we tried this year for Thanksgiving.  This was a great new way to serve sweet potatoes - the dipping sauce was a big hit!

SWEET POTATO FRIES WITH BROWN-BUTTER MARSHMALLOW SAUCE

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup marshmallow topping
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. On sheet, toss sweet potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and bake until tender and golden brown, about 40 minutes, flipping once.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat butter over medium, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown and most of the foam has subsided, about 8 minutes. Immediately pour into a small bowl and let cool slightly. In a medium bowl, whisk together marshmallow topping and sour cream, then stir in brown butter and salt to taste. Serve sweet potato fries warm with sauce and sprinkle with pecans, if desired.
   
   

Thankful for Small Things

So, for the past two weeks, we have been dealing with our own little crisis.  Our 1 year old cat, Sookie, stopped eating.  We didn't notice it initially but after 3 days, she was showing signs of weight loss and lethargic behavior and we couldn't get her to eat.  We tried everything - babyfood, tunafish in water, tunafish with oil, nothing interested her.  Grace, our cat that died last year, developed the same problem and died.  We were nervous that Sookie might also have pancreatitis.  We took her to her vet and after a couple days at the vets office - the most we could find was that she had fatty liver disease as a result of not eating.  She was put on medication and we attempted to feed her by mouth with a dropper.  She kept throwing up the food - so two days later, we had to admit her into the hospital.  We thought she was going to die.  Again, no other diagnosis other then the fatty liver disease.  She just wouldn't eat.  5 days and $8000.00 (vet hospitals - don't get me started!) later, we got her home the day before Thanksgiving.  The hospital had to insert a feeding tube in her neck and she finally stopped rejecting the food and water.  However, we now have to feed her 3 times a day with a syringe through her feeding tube.  Poor thing.  They shaved her in 10 different places and she has to wear this embarrassing cat paw print surgical bandage around her neck but at least she is better and we are really happy to have her back.  Nothing is more sad then to have to visit your animal in a vet hospital with all these other very sick animals in cages around her.  I give vets a lot of credit because I would be crying all the time over these poor animals.  This is what we are thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Oven Roasted Brisket and Carrots Agrodolce

We were going to make ribs this weekend but the butcher was out of ribs and we decided to  roast brisket instead.    Yum!


OVEN ROASTED BRISKET AND CARROTS AGRODOLCE

4 Pounds Brisket

1/4 cup packed dark - brown sugar

1/4 cup paprika

41/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1.  Line rimmed baking sheets with foil, and place a wire rack on top.  Transfer brisket to the wire rack.

2. Using a sieve, sift sugar, paprika, salt, cocoa, cayenne, and cumin together into a small bowl. (Use the back of a spoon to break up any lumps and to press ingredients through a sieve.)  Stir to combine.

3. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of brisket.  Lightly rub mixture in to the meat to coat completely.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate on rack at least 20 minutes ( or up to 2 hours for maximum flavor).

4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds.  Cook brisket  on racks on sheets, switching positions of baking sheets about halfway through.  11/2 to 2 hours.  

5. Increase heat  to 425 degrees.  Allow brisket to caramelize  and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes.  

(**Note we experimented with an added sauce but completely unnecessary - the rub was great!)

CARROTS AGRODOLCE

1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks ( cut carrot in half crosswise, then slice into lengthwise slabs, stake slabs on top of each other and finely slice into matchsticks)

1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

2 tablespoons minced onion

3/4 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh mint ( optional)

1. Place the carrots, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/3 cup water in a large saucepan over high heat.  Bring to a boil and cook until the water has evaporated, about 7 minutes.

2. Stir in the onion and cook for 1 minute.  Add the sugar and mix.  Add the vinegar, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir until there is a glaze coating the carrots, about 30 seconds.  Remove from the heat and stir in the mint, if desired.  

Farming Bovina and The Bovina Public Library Holiday Event

All, We are involved in a great charity event for the Holidays.  We are looking for some assistance.



On Dec. 3rd, in a joint effort, The Bovina Public Library in partnership with Farming Bovina will host an event to benefit the library and promote this regional farm cooperative in its infancy. 

The Bovina Public Library (www.bovinalibrary.org) is a rural association library now in its 94^th year as a NYS Regents affiliated branch of learning and lending. Located in Bovina, N.Y. (www.bovinany.org) the Bovina Public Library provides essential services to the community as both a social and cultural center in town, along with providing reference, reading and audio materials as well as public access computers and wireless among other services.

Farming Bovina (www.farmingbovinany.org) is a brand-new farm cooperative located in rural Delaware County in the Catskills of upstate New York. Bovina, New York, whose butter was once prized and served at the White House during the 19^th century, has a long and rich history of farming. Farming Bovina has organized in order help family owned and operated farms survive in the global economy as well as to promote the regional slow food movement and rural small businesses that farms are.
Thank you for your support!


The dinner event will start at 5:00.  It is BYOB ( Yay!!!) Come Hungry! Let me know if you would like to purchase tickets or just donate. Tickets are only $12.00 a person and it goes to a really great cause. 

Walnut Apple Crisp with Nutmeg Cream

Experimenting with dessert recipes for Thanksgiving.  This was simple and very good.  We plan to test a whole batch of desserts between now and the Holidays - we will gain a hundred pounds - can't wait!

WALNUT-APPLE CRISP WITH NUTMEG CREAM

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 pinches salt
6 large granny smith apples
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup chopped walnuts , toasted
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix the lemon juice and a pinch salt.   Peel, core and cut the apples into 3/4 inch thick slices and stir into the lemon juice mixture as they are cut.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and granulated sugar.  Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture into the apples and transfer to an 8 cup round or square baking dish.  Stir the walnuts and another pinch salt into the remaining crumb mixture, then spoon over the apples.  Bake the crisp until the top is golden-brown and the apples are tende, about 1 1/2 hours.

3. Just before serving, using an electric mixer, beat the cream, confectioner's sugar and nutmeg on medium-high speed just until the cream holds soft peaks.  Serve the crisp warm or at room temperature, dolloped with the whipped cream.

Chicken Pie with Polenta

One of the last warm Fall weekends, so we had lots to do outside and needed a simple meal on Saturday night.  This was a great recipe using leftover roasted chicken and stock items in the pantry - yum!

CHICKEN PIE WITH POLENTA

5 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
3-4 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 large bay leaf
2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. flour
1 32 oz. container chicken stock
1-1&1/2 lbs. chopped cooked chicken
11/2 cups milk
1 cup quick cooking polenta
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1 tbsp orange zest
11/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the broiler. In a large skillet with a tight fitting lid, heat the olive oil and 3 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat.  Add the celery, carrots, onion, bay leaf and thyme, season with salt and pepper.  Partially cover the pan to sweat the vegetables, 7 to 8 minutes.  Sprinkle the veggies with the flour and stir for 1 minute.  Whisk in 2 1/2 cups chicken stock and cook until thickened.  Add the chicken and heat through.  Lower the heat to a simmer.

2. Meanwhile, simmer the remaining 11/2 cups stock and the milk.  Whisk in the polenta to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in the cranberries and orange zest, then the remaining 2 tbsp. butter and half of the cheddar.

3. Spread the polenta over the turkey mixture; top with the remaining cheddar. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes.