Episode 4: Apple Bread from the Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library

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Recorded on Superbowl Sunday, Lisa makes an embarrassing admission as she bakes Apple Bread from the Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library. While cooking she talks about the difference between enriched bread dough and having inclusions in the bread. She also talks about the history of Betty Crocker and theorizes why recipe cards indexes became so popular in the 1970s.





The original recipe card. I would reduce the baking time just slightly. My apple bread was a little over baked even though I only baked it for 30 minutes.





Turning the bread out onto a plate was a bit scary, but it came out ok. If you make the dish, remember to run your knife around the perimeter of the cake to help separate it from the baking dish.





My apple bread doesn’t look nearly as nice as the one in the original picture, but I blame that on it being a bit over baked.





It may not be pretty, but it sure is delicious. I couldn’t remember the name of the apple I used when I recorded the episode, but I checked later. They were gala apples. They had a slight tartness which worked well with the sweet caramel.

Apple Chutney Recipe

About a week ago I bought a bag of small apples, and I just haven't been able to eat all of them. THERE WERE SOOOOO MANY APPLES!!  (I ate about 3 a day for the last week).  I'm not much of a fan of soft apples, so I decided to whip up a chutney with the rest. This is the simplest of the chutney recipes that I have created.

If you aren't a fan of raisins, feel free to replace them with some other dried fruit (I think chopped, dried apricots would be delicious - I just didn't have any).

I also wanted to lighten up the recipe a little. I cut back on the sugar and eliminated the oil.

Ingredients

Cooking Spray
1/2 tsp chile flakes
1 cup diced yellow onion (approx. 1 medium onion)
5 cups apple - cored and diced (approx. 2 medium apples)
1 cup unsweetened apple cider
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey or brown sugar
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Zest of one orange

Preparation
Spray a sauce pan with the cooking spray, heat the pan, and add the chile flakes. Be careful not to burn the chile, just toast it long enough to toast the chile flakes. Add the onions and sweat until soft.

Gradually add the diced apple.

Add the apple cider, cider vinegar, honey/sugar, curry powder, and pumpkin pie spice mix. Stir to combine. Add the raisins, salt, pepper, and orange zest. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

I used a mild yellow curry powder but feel free to use a spicier blend if you wish.

Pear-Apple-Cranberry Chutney

Well, I'm addicted to chutney.  I might have to start a support group, but before I take that drastic step, I decided to make some more chutney.

This recipe is based on my old recipe but without ginger and groundcherries (because I didn't have any). 

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp chile flakes

1 cup diced yellow onion (approx. 1 medium onion)

3 cups pear - cored and diced (approx. 2 medium pears)

2 cups apple - cored and diced (approx. 2 medium apples)

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup unsweetened apple cider

1/3 cup cider vinegar 

1/3 cup demerara sugar (or light brown sugar)

1 tbsp curry powder

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Zest of one orange

 

Preparation

 

In a sauce pan heat the oil and add the chile flakes. Be careful not to burn the chile, just toast it long enough to flavor the oil. Add the onions and sweat until soft. 

Gradually add the diced pear and apple. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cranberries.

Add the apple cider, cider vinegar, demerara sugar, curry powder, and pumpkin pie spice mix. Stir to combine. Add the raisins, salt, pepper, and orange zest (if you're using a grater, be careful of your knuckles). Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

I used a mild yellow curry powder but feel free to use a spicier blend if you wish.

Apple-Cranberry-Groundcherry Chutney

First off, I don't know how I made it almost 33 years without this chutney.  Sweet, bitter, sour, tangy, and slightly spicy, it is absolutely fantastic.  Now here's the story behind the chutney:

In the not too distant past, I became the proud owner of a bag of groundcherries.  I wasn't very fond of the flavor, so I decided to make them into a chutney.  I did some research, found a mango chutney recipe that was a suitable base for my recipe, and got to work.  As it turns out, the foundational recipe bears only a passing resemblance to the chutney that I made, but that's just the way I roll.

The chutney is fairly mild but has surprising depth.  The sweetness of the apples and the tangyness of the cranberries makes this a perfect accompaniment for naan bread, toast, or Quorn fillets, or you can eat it straight out of the jar - which is probably what's going to happen to the batch that is currently chilling in my refrigerator.

If you can't get groundcherries, feel free to replace them with one cup of cranberries or diced apple (or cherry, if it floats your boat). 

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp chile flakes

1 cup diced yellow onion (approx. 1 medium onion)

1/8 cup minced fresh ginger

3 cups apple - peeled, cored and diced (approx. 3 medium apples)

1 cup groundcherries (aka cape gooseberries)

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

2/3 cup unsweetened apple cider

1/3 cup cider vinegar 

1/3 cup demerara sugar (or light brown sugar)

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Zest of one orange

 

Preparation

 

In a saute pan heat the oil and add the chile flakes. Be careful not to burn the chile, just toast it long enough to flavor the oil. Add the onions and sweat until soft. Add the ginger sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add the diced apple. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cranberries and ground cherries.

Add the apple cider, cider vinegar, demerara sugar, curry powder, and pumpkin pie spice mix. Stir to combine. Add the raisins, salt, pepper, and orange zest. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

I used a mild yellow curry powder but feel free to use a spicier blend if you wish.

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Butternut Squash and Apple Soup Recipe

When it comes to making delicious seasonal food, there is nothing more inspirational than seeing what's available at the local farmer's market.   Here's a seasonal soup that is made from some of the bounty that fall has to offer.  (Even I have to admit that that last part was a little corny, but fall just brings the corniness out in me).

Ingredients
1 butternut squash*
2 apples*
2 tbsp melted butter*

2 tbsp of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
½ tsp of black pepper
½ tsp of salt
1 quart vegetable stock
1 ½ cup apple cider
½ tsp cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp butter
pinch of nutmeg

(You may need to add more salt, pepper, cinnamon, or nutmeg depending on the size of the butternut squash. This recipe is also delicious with a touch of curry powder!)

Roast the butternut squash
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Cut the butternut squash in half and scrape out the seeds.
Place squash halves on a lined baking sheet, flesh side up, and brush the flesh liberally with melted butter.

Bake the apples
Peel, halve, and core 2 apples.
Rub all four halves with butter.
Place the apples cut side down on a lined baking sheet.

Bake both the butternut squash and the apples at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The apples will take about 30 minutes before they become fork tender, but depending on the size of the squash, it may take 30-90 minutes for it to soften. (I ended up having to toss a sheet of aluminum foil over the squash to help it along after 60 minutes, and it still took another 30 minutes in the oven).

Prepare the soup base
While the apples and squash are in the oven, chop a large onion and sweat it in 2 tbsp of olive oil until it starts to become translucent.

Season the onions with ½ tsp of black pepper and ½ tsp of salt.

When the onion starts to brown, add 1 quart of vegetable stock and 1 ½ cup of apple cider to the pot.
 and
Simmer the soup base. When the apples are fork tender, mash them with a fork and add them to the soup base. Add ½ tsp of cinnamon and 2 bay leaves.

Continue simmering the soup. When the butternut squash is fork tender, scoop the flesh out of the squash. If you have one of those fancy immersion blenders, dump the squash into the pot and go to town with the immersion blender until the soup is smooth. If you have a regular blender, put the squash in the blender and puree it before adding it to the pot. If you're like me and have neither, mash the squash with a fork or potato masher (I call it “rustic”).

Add a tsp of apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp of butter, and a pinch of nutmeg.  (If you are adding curry powder, add it now.)

Stir the soup and taste it. If you would like it to be a little sweeter, add a tbsp or two of honey.  Add more salt, pepper, or cinnamon according to your personal taste preferences. If you used an especially large squash, you may need to adjust the seasoning quite a bit.

Allow the soup to simmer for at least 15-30 minutes. Serve hot.


* Quick option**: Skip roasting the butternut squash and apples.  Peel and halve both fruits.  Remove the seeds and cut the flesh into cubes.  Toss the cubes into the soup base and simmer them until they are soft.  When they are soft, go to town with a potato masher and finish the job with an immersion blender (or regular blender).  Add the additional seasonings, butter, and apple cider vinegar as directed in the recipe.

** Quicker option:  Skip the butternut squash and apples completely and just use one 29 oz can of Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin (make sure that you aren't using the "Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix") and one cup of unsweetened apple sauce.  Add the additional seasonings, butter, and apple cider vinegar as directed in the recipe.



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