An Apple a Day

Now that fall is here, and apples are in season, are you eating your apple a day? Well, there are a few ways you can do that, and one of them is this delicious caramel apple cake. The day I saw the recipe in a magazine, I decided I would make it, first chance I got. My husband's birthday is in October, so when I was planning his birthday dinner, I asked if he would like to try it. He was game.

 I made the recipe almost exactly the way it said to, but I didn't have a three-inch cake pan (and I was a bit short on time) so I turned them into muffins instead of a whole cake. I wouldn't make their caramel sauce (much too tedious and its not that good...) I would make this one instead. The addition of orange juice to the batter is great, and the use of baking powder and baking soda makes these muffins puff up very nicely.

The jist of the dessert goes like this: lay some apple pieces in the bottom of each muffin cup, pour in cake batter. While its baking, make the sauce. Pop out muffins, pour sauce on. This is my condensed version. Their version takes 2 1/2 hours, mine, about 30 minutes.

You decide.


Caramel Apple Muffins

1 Recipe Caramel Sauce

For the batter

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 cup sour cream
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
4 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

Preheat the oven to 400. Grease muffin pan.
Combine all cake batter ingredients, except for the apples, in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium high for about 5 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides. Add apples and fold in.
Divide batter between muffin pans. Bake for 15-25 minutes. Test for doneness.
Meanwhile, prepare caramel sauce.
Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes. Turn out onto plates or serving platter. Top each muffin with a ladle full of caramel sauce.

This sauce (Caramel Sauce)

I was debating about what to write for the month of April. I was thinking about the wonderful produce that is beginning to fill the aisles of my favorite grocery stores. A thought kept popping into my mind that I just couldn't dismiss. I have to tell you about this sauce.
A few years ago I was working in the banquet department of a very French restaurant. It was one of the most wonderful experiences I ever had. I had the privilege of being around good food all day long, trying new things, watching the chefs at work-I loved it! (Honestly, I took the job because I was hoping I would end up in the kitchen) I believe we had a very talented chef there, his version of many sauces and dishes were some of the best I have ever had. Anyway, one day we made bananas foster and I tried the sauce. It was amazing! I asked him what it was and he told me the THREE ingredients. It was unbelievably simple! Soon after I found myself attempting the sauce to show my husband. It was amazing. I made it for my whole family! The only complaint we could even scrape up was that on ice cream the sauce hardened a bit, which is understandable from a candy standpoint.

I adjusted and tried again. Of course each time we had no problem finishing it off, I just wanted to perfect the consistency. Finally, when making a syrup recipe, I applied a similar principle for boiling and it turned out perfectly.

Now, what I like to do with this recipe is to take some fruit, namely, nectarines, and cut them into slices. Dip the slices in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon, and fry them in butter until a nice little crust forms. Place four or five nectarines over a scoop of ice cream and add the syrup. Garnish with some freshly grated nutmeg and you are in for a real treat!


Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) cut into pieces

1/3 cup apple juice

1 cup brown sugar

Nectarines

2 nectarines, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter (for frying)
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Increase heat to high and boil for two minutes.
In the meantime, melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Dredge half the nectarine pieces and saute for about 2 minutes per side, until a nice, dark brown crust forms. Set aside and repeat with remaining pieces.
Place one scoop of vanilla ice cream in a bowl, top with nectarines and sauce. Enjoy!
Serves 4-6.

Variations: This sauce is also great with sliced bananas and ice cream, or like traditional bananas foster with crepes and bananas.
You could also grill the nectarines for a summertime treat!