Apple & Cinnamon Pound Cake With Caramel Icing

For the most part, this blog is dedicated to highlighting recipes that are nutritious and healthy, using locally produced ingredients when available, and making the most of a CSA share.  Admittedly, the term "healthy" is subjective, since we all have bodies that respond somewhat uniquely to things like fats, sugars, glutens, starches and seasonings. But there's no shame in having a slice of delicious, home-made cake once in a while, right?  When I saw the crisp green apples in my box this week, I knew a celebration was in order. This pound cake blends the best of late-summer and early-fall flavors.  Local apples are ready for harvest, bringing on the cravings for caramel apples and apple pie.  Swirled together in the form of a rich and creamy pound cake, this will steal the show at your next gathering. Ingredients: 3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour 1 Tbs baking powder A pinch of salt 2 tsp cinnamon

1 large crisp cooking apple, peeled & diced 1 tsp lemon juice dash of cinnamon

4 sticks of unsalted butter (1 lb), softened to room temperature 1 3/4 cups of sugar 5 large farm fresh eggs, separated 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp almond extract 1 cup whole-milk buttermilk

Caramel Icing: (can double the icing quantity, depending on how much you like) 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup dark or light brown sugar 3 Tbs milk

Method: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan.  In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, mix together the diced apples, lemon juice, and dash of cinnamon. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add 3/4 cup of the sugar while continuing to beat the egg whites.  Set aside. In a large bowl with a hand-mixer or in a stand-mixer, beat the softened butter, then add the remaining one cup of sugar slowly and beat for 3-5 minutes, or until it is fairly fluffy in texture.  Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating one minute with each addition, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.  Mix in the vanilla, almond and buttermilk. Add the flour mixture and blend until fairly smooth.  Gently fold in the egg whites. Fill the bundt pan with 1/2 of the cake batter.  With the back of a spoon, make a shallow well in the batter. Spoon the apple layer into the pan, trying to keep the apples from touching the sides of the pan.  Cover the apples with the remaining cake batter, and spread it evenly into the pan.  Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare the icing.  Melt the butter and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes over low heat while stirring gently.  Add the milk and continue to stir until it boils again. Continue stirring for about ten to fifteen more minutes.  The caramel will begin to thicken.  The total cooking/stirring time is about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool. Stir until smooth before pouring on the cake.

When the cake is done, the exposed part will be cracked and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes.  To remove from the bundt pan, place a plate or cake platter over the top. While holding them together, turn the pan upside-down, (so the curved part of the cake is pointing up) and the plate is resting on a flat surface.  Slowly remove the pan from the cake by lifting it straight up.  When the cake is completely cooled, drizzle the caramel icing over the top.  Slice and serve.

The Perfect Roasted Potato

I have this idea in my head that everyone knows how to roast potatoes in the oven.  Who really needs a recipe for roasted potatoes?  But when I took a bite of those crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, delicious little red potatoes...I had one of those, "I need to take a photo of my food because it's that good," moments. I'm pretty sure the success has to do with the quality of the potatoes.  I have been roasting potatoes in the oven for decades.  Same method every time.  But sometimes they just taste amazing.  The little red potatoes in this week's CSA share were prime examples of when all is good in the world. So if you are standing in your kitchen with your little red potatoes, wondering if you want to steam, mash, saute or roast them for dinner tonight, the answer is roast!  And here is how you do it: 10 small red potatoes 1/4 cup oil, melted butter, or dripping from a roast Sea salt Black pepper Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, etc.), optional Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash potatoes and pat them dry.  Cut the larger ones in half or quarters, and leave the smaller ones whole so that they are all relatively the same size.  Place the potatoes in a glass or ceramic baking dish that is large enough for the potatoes to have a little space between each one. Coat with the oil, butter or dripping.  (I used canola oil for mine and they are delicious, but butter and dripping are fantastic if you want to indulge.)  Generously sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground black pepper over the potatoes. Place in the center or top shelf of the oven and bake for a little over one hour, or until they are golden and crispy on the edges.  Serve hot.

Roasted Vegetable Stew With Beans & Spiced Chicken

This is a great soup to get you in the mood for late-summer and early-fall.  It is rich, hearty, and full of flavor.  The key is finding your favorite spice blend to create a signature flavor.  I tend to habitually reach for the sweet and spicy Jamaican Jerk blend.  But Alchemy Spice, a local spice and herb blender in Chattanooga, has an inspiring selection of blends.  What's best, is the fantastic flavor of freshly milled spices, as opposed to the bland old ones found in a grocery store. You can find Alchemy Spice online, at the Chattanooga Market, and in local specialty food shops. Ingredients: 3 Sweet peppers (any color), seeded and coarsely chopped 3 Medium tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 Yellow onion, coarsely chopped 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced 1 qt chicken or vegetable stock 3 cups beans (black, white or red beans, cooked and drained, or fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces) 1 lb boneless chicken, or leftovers from a roasted hen 1 Tbs your favorite Alchemy Spice blend (like The Jerk, Neo Masala, or Bayou Ya-Ya Cajun blends) Juice from one lime or lemon 1 Bunch cilantro, chopped (optional) Canola or olive oil Sea salt Black pepper

Method: Place the chopped peppers, tomatoes, and onions in a baking dish.  Coat with some oil, then season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bake at 375 degrees for at least one hour, or until the vegetables are black on the tips and have begun to caramelize.  While the vegetables are cooking, season the chicken with the spices and brown in a heavy-bottomed stock pot with a little oil.  If you are using meat from a whole hen, rub the hen with the spices before roasting.  Chop the cooked chicken, and set aside.  Place the roasted peppers, onions and tomatoes in the stock pot with the chicken or vegetable stock.  Pulse with an immersion blender until coarsely pureed, or pulse in a conventional blender and return to the stock pot.  Add the beans, chicken, lime or lemon juice, and cilantro.  Simmer for a few minutes (or until the beans are cooked if using fresh green beans).  Serve with freshly baked corn bread.

Basil & Peach Gelato (Vegan)

I have nothing against cows or the milk they produce, especially milk from those happy grass-fed cows.  But 30% of the world can't digest milk products, and millions more choose not to eat animal-related foods.  That's a lot of people who don't really enjoy ice-cream.  And even for the 70% who do, this coconut-based gelato is phenomenally good. I would love to say I made this up in my kitchen, but the credit goes to CSA member Oriel Wiggins, who scooped out a bowl and handed it to me. She smiled wickedly, as she knew I would want the recipe...and want to share it with the world. It would be immoral to keep her recipe, and this goodness, hidden from the basil-loving, peach-loving, ice-cream-loving population of this great earth.  Don't worry if you don't have an ice-cream maker, David Lebovitz will tell you how to make it by hand in your freezer.

Ingredients: 2 cans unsweetened first-pressed coconut milk, chilled 1/2 cup local raw honey 2 locally grown ripe peaches, pitted 15 to 25 large basil leaves 1 tsp vanilla dash salt

Method:  Put all ingredients in the blender and blend thoroughly. Taste and adjust sweetness to your preference.  You may also add more basil to taste. (note: sweetness and flavors are subdued when frozen so take that into consideration when tasting the mixture) Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturers instructions, or click here to follow the David Lebovitz instructions for making it without an ice-cream maker.

Sweet Pepper Salsa With Peaches & Basil

Most of these ingredients were in the previously posted red pepper chutney recipe, but this raw-food version is amazing, and so lovely on top of grilled meats, in a taco, or with almost anything. Mix the following ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator for up to one day.

4 cups of diced sweet peppers (mixed colors) 1 red chili pepper, diced (optional) 1 cup diced yellow or sweet onion 1 large firm-ripe peach, diced  3-4 cloves of garlic, minced Juice from 1 lime 1 tsp sea salt Freshly ground black pepper About 15-20 10-15 large fresh basil leaves, chopped finely

Summer party Idea: Bite-sized squash fritter with smoked salmon, garlic & herb goat cheese and sweet pepper salsa