Chocolate Beetroot Cake

The original red velvet cakes were made with pureed beetroot or beet juice to deepen the color of a chocolate cake; not to mention the benefits of texture and sweetness coming from an economically grown vegetable. Butter and sugar have at times been rationed or expensive throughout history, but beetroot is easy to grow and readily available to most.  Cooking sweets with vegetables can also add fiber, vitamins, and minerals to a recipe, making them more nutritionally beneficial. This delicious chocolate cake is rich, smooth, and full of flavor.

Ingredients:

1 Large or 2 medium (about 1/2 lb) beets

1/2 Cup Sonrisa Farm whole wheat flour (available at the Main St. Farmer's Market)

1/2 Cup all purpose flour

3/4 Cup cocoa

3/4 Cup sugar

1 1/2 Tsp baking powder

1/2 Tsp kosher salt, plus 1 pinch

3 eggs

One 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar (60% cocoa solids or higher)

1/2 Cup canola oil, olive oil, coconut oil, or melted butter

2 Tbs B&B liqueur, or a spiced brandy

Extra butter, sugar, & cocoa for dusting the cake tin

Fresh cream & liqueur for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare an 8 inch spring-form cake tin by coating with butter, shortening or oil. Then sprinkle granulated sugar all over the inside, followed by an even dusting of cocoa powder.

Wash beets, trim root and stems, and chop into chunks or wedges.  Place in a saucepan with enough water to cover.  Add a pinch of salt and a Tbs of B&B liqueur. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on medium-low heat until the beets are tender.  Drain the liquid and puree in a blender until smooth.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, cocoa, and baking powder.  Stir in the sugar and salt.

Break the chocolate bar into pieces and place in a pyrex jug with the oil or butter. Melt in the microwave and stir together.  Alternately you can melt them in a double-boiler over the stove.

Whisk together the eggs and beetroot puree

Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer for 3-5 minutes, or until completely smooth.  Stir in a Tbs of the B&B Liqueur, then fill the prepared cake tin.

Bake in the center of the oven for 60 - 80 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the cake tin and let cool.

Serve with fresh cream spiked with Liqueur

Tarte Normande and Apple Custard Tart

Cuisines that define cultures may seem to be a constant in the myriad of changes over time.  There are family and cultural favorite recipes that are passed down for generations, but often substitutions are made based on the availability of ingredients.  This became starkly evident in researching recipes for an apple custard tart.  I recently inherited a couple of my mother-in-law's cookbooks.  The oldest book was Good Cookery By W.G.R. Francillon and G.T.C.D.S.  This book was originally published in 1920, but was revised at the start of the second world war. This reprinted version was from 1948; a time in British history when rationing was at it's most severe level.

Unfortunately, this old volume was not much help in providing a classic apple custard tart recipe, but certainly gave some context to how events like, war, social and economic policy, and resource management can dictate (more that one would expect) what we eat.

The next book on the shelf was The Constance Spry Cookery Book, 1956.  This is a massive volume of post-rationing recipes and cooking techniques that clearly draw on the expertise of classic French and continental European cuisine.   This book was issued to students of the Winkfield Place finishing school and Cordon Bleu Cookery School.  In reading through some of the recipes, it seems to reflect a hopefulness and celebration of better times; a sentiment shared by much of the world in the 1950's.  In addition, it does, most excellently, provide a superb apple custard tart recipe called Tarte Normande.

 Here is an adaptation of Tarte Normande (providing a more specific ingredient list):

Tarte Normande

Adapted From The Constance Spry Cookery Book, 1956

Ingredients:

1 Recipe for short crust pastry

1 lb Fruit (apples, gooseberries, etc.)

1 oz Butter

1 oz Sugar

Cream:

1/2 oz Flour

1 gill of milk or cream (I used approx. 6-8 oz of cream)

1 Egg

1 oz Sugar

2 Tbs (or more) of DOM B&B Liqueur

Method:

Line a 10-inch flan ring (or spring-form tart pan) with pastry. Make sure there are no cracks in the pastry and that the slices of the flan are high.  Peel, core, and cut the apples into thin slices, then set aside.

Place the butter in a saucepan with 1 oz of sugar and a tablespoon of the liqueur.  On medium heat, stir the mixture until it becomes bubbly and begins to darken in color. Spread the caramel mixture into the bottom of the pastry. Arrange the apples in a fan pattern inside the pastry.

Whisk together the flour, egg, 1 oz of sugar, cream, and liqueur.  Pour over the apples.  Bake at 375 to 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until the tips of the apples darken, and the custard has risen and just set.

~~~~~

In an effort to compare modern versions, an online search for similar recipes produced a plethora of adaptations.  It would seem that our present culture has not only ready access to ingredients produced throughout the planet, but the privilege to customize recipes to our specific health and dietary needs.  Here is a delicious gluten-free/Dairy-free adaptation which appears to be the most common special-diet trend at this time:

Apple Custard Tart

(gluten and dairy free)

*Crust:

1 1/2-2 cups Almond Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

2-4 Tbs Coconut Oil

1-2 Tbs Honey, Pure Maple Syrup, or Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1 Egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix salt into almond flour. Combine wet ingredients in a separate jug or bowl, then mix into the almond flour with a fork.  Add more almond flour, if necessary, to form a dough that is not crumbly and not too sticky.

Divide the dough into four equal parts.  Press evenly into the bottom and sides of four 5-inch tart pans, taking care to not have any holes or parts that are too thin.   Alternately, you can make one larger pie in an 8-inch pie plate or tart pan.

Place the blind crusts in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until they begin to darken in color and are slightly more firm to the touch.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Filling:

2 Apples (about 1 lb)

Juice from 1 lemon

dash of Cloves

dash of Cinnamon

1 large Egg

1/2 cup cold-pressed unsweetened Coconut Milk

2-4 Tbs DOM B&B Liqueur, or similar flavored brandy

1 Tbs Honey, Pure Maple Syrup, or Sugar

Method:

Peel apples, then divide into 8 wedges.  Cut away the core from each wedge, then slice the wedges thinly (about 1/8th of an inch thick). Place the apples in a bowl and gently toss with the lemon juice and spices. Take care to not break the slices.

Place the apple slices into the prepared crusts, arranging them in an overlapping circle around the edge of the tart base. Then lay the slices in a fan pattern, with the tips of the slices going from the center to the edge of the pan. Pour about 1/4 cup of the custard mixture over the apples. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the apples darken on the tips and the custard has risen and just set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove the tarts from the pans and serve warm.

*Thank you to CSA member Oriel Wiggins for sharing this delicious Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free pie crust recipe. 

Butternut Squash Buttermilk Waffles

This recipe is prepared for serving as a savory waffle.  However, it is still delicious with maple syrup.  Our favorite way to eat them is topped with a soft boiled egg, apple smoked cowboy bacon, and sliced tomato. If you like a sweeter batter, simply add some warm spices and a little sugar to the recipe.  This waffle recipe is for thinner Scandinavian style waffles.  It has not been tested on a deep-holed Belgian style waffle maker...so if you have one of those, let us know how they turn out!

Ingredients:

1 Small butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and grated (about 2 cups)

1 Cup whole wheat flour

1 Cup all purpose flour

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 Cup canola oil

2 Small eggs

2 Cups buttermilk

Method:

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, oil, and buttermilk.  Pour the wet ingredients onto the flour mixture, along with the grated squash.  Stir until combined.  The batter should be pourable and not too thick.  Add more buttermilk to thin the batter if necessary.  Ladle appropriate quantities of batter into a hot waffle iron as directed by the manufacturer.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate and warm in a toaster oven as needed.

Makes about 12 waffles.

Ann Keener's Butternut Squash Galettes

Ann Keener was selling some of these delicious Butternut Squash Galettes at the Main Street Farmer's Market last winter.  I bought more than I probably should have, but they were worth it.  When this year's butternut squash harvest was ready I couldn't get the ginger-coconut sweetness wrapped in flaky buttery pastry taste out of my mind. So now we have a blog full of tasty butternut squash recipes that happened while I was trying to pluck up the courage to ask Ann for hers. Fortunately, she is kind enough to share her galette recipe with us all.  Thank you Ann...you are the best.

Ingredients:

Pastry Dough:

1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cups + 1/2 cup whole wheat)

1/2 Cup plus 2 T cold unsalted butter, or 1 1/4 sticks

1/2 t salt

1/2 Cup ice water

Blend butter into flour and salt with finger-tips or pastry blender.  Toss ice water in gently with a fork or hand til all the dough is just moistened.  Chill in fridge at least 2 hrs before using.

Filling:

1 1/2 Cups butternut puree

1 Cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1/2 Cup sugar (I like the mild taste of the raw can sugar they sell at Whole Foods in the bulk bin, but obviously substitutions can be used)

1/2 Heaping tablespoon of coarsely grated fresh ginger root, or to taste (hint: it's the ginger that makes it awesome)

Pinch of salt

Mix filling just before using, the sugar will begin to liquefy it otherwise.

Method:

Divide dough as desired and roll into circles (it's ok of they're not perfect) about 1/8 inch thick- not too thin- or about 6-7 inches for small.  This recipe will make about six 5-inch galettes. Use about 1/3 cup filling for small galettes, and smooth it out on dough, leaving a 1-2 inch border.   Fold dough over filling, overlapping alternately as needed.  Sprinkle a little coconut in the middle of each, for a pretty contrast.  I usually form these on the baking sheet so that I don't have to move them around too much- give about 2 inches between each one.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and stick galletes in freezer for about 10 minutes before baking (this helps make the crust extra crispy).  Bake about 15-20 minutes

Roasted Butternut Squash Baked Custard

After these came out of the oven I immediately thought that if I had a blow torch I might have covered them in sugar and called it brulee.  The texture is soft like a pie, but less eggy than a true custard.  If you do want to make a pie, or light up a blow-torch to make a sugary shell for fun; this custard-like filling would be appropriate, but neither is required.  As is, this warm baked custard is sufficiently delicious. Also, for anyone with allergies: This recipe is gluten and dairy free.

Ingredients:

1 Medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 -2lbs)

1 large or 2 small farm-fresh eggs

1 can unsweetened full-fat coconut milk (cold pressed)

1 Tbs local raw honey

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Kosher salt

Ground ginger

2 Kaffir lime leaves, dried or fresh (optional)

Olive or canola oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel the butternut squash, remove seeds, and dice into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a baking dish and toss with a little oil.  Season with a sprinkle of kosher salt and a generous dash of ground ginger.  Place in the oven and bake for 60 - 90 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn dark brown, the squash is soft, and has lost a good bit of moisture. (See: How To Prepare Winter Squash).

About 15 minutes before the squash is done, place the coconut milk in a medium saucepan with the kaffir lime leaves and let simmer on the lowest heat setting.  Do not boil. Once the squash has caramelized, remove from the oven and add to the coconut milk.  Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Remove from heat and let cool. Discard the kaffir lime leaves.  Place the squash and milk mixture in a blender.  Add the honey and lemon juice then puree until combined.  Taste and adjust seasonings, honey, or lemon juice as desired.  Add the egg(s) then puree until smooth.  Pour or spoon into ramekins.

Place filled ramekins on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Baking time will vary depending on the size of the ramekins.  If baking as a pie, reduce temperature to 350 degrees and cook for about one hour.  The custard will puff up and be set when done.  Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 20 minutes.  Serve warm or cold.