Caramels and Apples for October's National Apple Month!

In the United States, October has been designated National Apple Month.  Just in case that is not good enough, October 21^st is National Apple Day.  Over the many years of writing this food column, I have shared many a recipe revolving around apples.  Pies, cakes, donuts, cider, even as an addition to a main meal dish.  I was wondering how I missed out writing about caramel apples, then figured out that I sort of had already.  San Juan Record, October 9, 2018 column was on Caramel Apple Cake.  ….and so, the trek into caramels and apples now begins.

Turning apples into a candy seems kind of redundant.  Apples are basically Mother Nature’s natural candy; crunchy, sweet, and satisfying.  A good bite fills the mouth and as one chews, the juices get the taste buds tap dancing. Of course, there are so many varieties of apples available, some not so sweet, but perfect for making treats, like Granny Smiths.  There is something about its tartness, mixed with spices and sweeteners, that make the final products irresistible.

Take, for example, Newark, New Jersey candy-maker William W. Kolb.  In 1908, he wanted to make something eye catching for his store’s display window.  How to show off all those chocolatey Christmas candies, how to make them catch a customer’s eyes?  One popular hard candy was red cinnamon; it certainly spiced up the tongue and mouth, but was not very sweet.

Now hold on, cinnamon goes in apple pie, apples are popular during the holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas; what if?  Yes, he did it.  He made a mixture of those red cinnamon hard candies, melted down with sugar, inserted sticks into the center of apples, and dipped them into the mixture.  They rested on wax paper until cooled, adorned with silver ribbon, and nestled amongst piles of chocolates.  Here was this bright red, candied apple, drawing eyes to it, and the chocolates keeping it company; of course, sales went up!

Traveling forward in time to 1950, Kraft Foods employee, Dan Walker, experimented with leftover caramels which did not sell during Halloween.  There had to be a way to use them, to create a new, and profitable, product for the company.  Taking a cue from candied apples, he melted the caramels, dipped the apples, and the recipe for caramel apples was born.  The recipe was printed onto new packages of caramels, and for Thanksgiving and Christmas, became the newest treats for adults and children alike.

As time went on, enhancing candied and caramel apples took on a whole new world of experimentation.  After dipping the apples, they were rolled in a variety of different candies or chopped nuts; or drizzled with chocolate, vanilla or peanut butter sauces.  Only the imagination was the limit.  Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (Cortez or Durango, CO, or Farmington, NM) have a large variety; and make sure to have a napkin at the ready for the drool coming out of your mouth.  Our favorite is tiger butter, a mixture of creamy peanut butter, white and semi-sweet chocolates, and caramel encasing a large and juicy Granny Smith apple.

 

However, not everyone can bite into a caramel apple, so does that mean they will never get to taste one?  The only person, who can limit imagination, is yourself.  As I mentioned, in the first paragraph, I made a cake to simulate the caramel apple experience.  Recently, I experimented with my cinnamon roll and apple pie recipes, and you guessed it, simulated the caramel apple experience.  Wow, sounds like a ride at Disneyland; The Caramel Apple Experience!

 

For the cinnamon rolls, instead of coating the dough with melted butter, I brushed on caramel sauce, then sprinkled cinnamon and chopped up bits of apple.  This was going to be super sweet, so the dough was cut into a baker’s dozen (13 for those not in the know), so a smaller roll would be baked.  Serve one of these, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, prepare to go to dessert heaven.

 

 

 

 

For the apple pie, instead of having the sliced apples sit in sugar, or brown sugar, to release some of their juices, I poured a half cup of caramel sauce over them. After brushing the top crust with egg wash, brown sugar was sprinkled over to create a shiny caramelized topping.  Once the pie was cooled though, a quarter cup of more caramel sauce was drizzled over the crust.  How good was it?  Roy asked me to please hide the pie, as he could not stop eating it, and did not want to go into a diabetic coma.   

 

So, there you have it, the wonderful world of caramels and apples.  What, you do not have a recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls or apple pie?  Shocking!  Do not fret, my recipes are available on my food blog, or you can do a search of my articles at the San Juan Record website.

Enjoy National Apple Month!

Mary Cokenour

 

Trifling Around.

 Welcome Fall, and the beautiful cool weather it has brought.  Soon, the leaves will be bursting with colors of red, orange, yellow, and gold.  Whether driving into the mountains, to be up front and personal, or looking up from down below, the colors are an eye feast.  This is also the time for farmers to be plowing, and seeding, fields for winter wheat.  In other words, it is time for second harvest, the picking, eating, jarring, freezing, or other types of processing the last of the fruits and vegetables.

Of course, if you do not have a home garden to break down, going to local or farmers’ markets might just get a good supply.  Be aware that many of the produce could be on its last leg, and needs to be used up immediately.  Make a list of what items would be beneficial to have during the winter months, and how they should be stored.  Also, think about what might be tasty to cook or bake up too, to eat now, or to store as well.

And so, it came to pass that I was craving one of those quick and easy, no bake, pudding pies.  You know the type, pudding and whipped topping mixed together, spread out into a graham cracker encrusted pie pan, cooled to firmness and oohed-aahed later on.  Right, get the ingredients out, ready to start and then I notice bananas on the counter, very ripe bananas.  Well, I could make banana bread, but I did not feel like baking.  Could just slice them up and add to the pie mixture, and there I sat, stumped.  Or was I?

Sitting in my dish rack was a 2-quart, deep Tupperware container and it started to talk to me.  Alright, it did not really begin talking, but it was giving clues to a delicious idea.  What if I made a dessert, that fit perfectly into that container, was not the typical no-bake, but kind of unique in itself?  Instead of grinding up graham crackers, what if they remained whole, or slightly broken?  What if I used them like I would ladyfingers, when I made tiramisu?  (San Juan Record, November 15, 2017 edition for the tiramisu recipe) In other words, make a trifle!

 

While the trifle is more associated with England, the name origin is French, trufe, truffe, or truffle.  This referred to a mushroom tuber, melanosporum vitt, which primarily grows in the Provence region, of France, from December to March.  They are difficult to acquire, and quite costly, so, of course, craved by the wealthy.  Wait, what about the candy?  The truffle type candy got its name from the resemblance to the mushroom.  These, of course, are more easily found, are a very sweet treat, and less expensive than the real thing.

The English trifle was an attempt to use up stale cake.  Soaking the cake in sherry, or wine, it was layered, in a glass bowl, along with fruit and whipped cream.  It was a quick dessert to make, and very pretty to serve and eat.  When the English came to North America, recipes came with them.  The trifle became very popular in the South, especially with the fermentation of corn which created various forms of whiskey and bourbon.   A nickname for trifle was "Tipsy Parson" as it was said to have lured many a preacher off the wagon, literally.

Back to the bananas which ended up being sliced, and a component of a lovely trifle.

 

Trifle

 

Ingredients:

2 (1 oz.) boxes pudding, any flavor works, and sugar free can be used.

4 cups cold 2% milk

1 individual package of graham crackers (usually 3 in a box, so need only 1)

1 (8 oz.) tub whipped topping, lite or sugar free can be used.

Fresh fruit: 2 bananas cut into ¼ inch slices, quart box of berries, apple slices, or any type of           

                     fruit that goes with the pudding flavor being used.

 

Preparation:

In a medium sized bowl, beat together pudding and cold milk, for two minutes; set aside to firm up.

In a small bowl, crush the graham crackers, but small bits can be left; does not have to be a fine texture (see Option). 

To layer the trifle, a 2-quart deep bowl or container is required. 

First layer: Spread half the crushed graham crackers.

Second layer: Spread out 1/3 pudding over graham crackers

Third layer: Spread out half of the fruit.

Fourth layer: Fold together remaining pudding with 1/3 whipped topping; spread out in bowl.

Fifth layer: Spread out remaining graham crackers.

Sixth layer: Spread out remaining whipped topping.

Seventh layer: Spread out remaining fruit.

 

 

 

Layered View

Place lid or plastic wrap over bowl or container.  Place in refrigerator for one hour to allow all layers to settle and set.

Makes 8 servings.

Option: If some of the graham crackers are very fine, set aside, two tablespoons, before beginning the layers.  Sprinkle over the top before placing in the refrigerator.

 

 

While out, enjoying the color change of the leaves, why not have a fall themed picnic, and do not forget to bring the trifle for dessert.

Mary Cokenour

 

The Stromboli Affair

 Alright now, where are all the film buffs in the area?  We need to travel back to the early 1950s in which a movie created a scandalous affair.  Too vague for that era?  Stromboli, aka Stromboli, Land of God, is a 1950 Italian-American film directed by Roberto Rossellini and starred Ingrid Bergman.  It was a box office flop, Rossellini and Bergman were married, but not to each other, and their affair resulted in a “love child”.  In the 1950s, this was a scandal as far as Americans were concerned, but in Italy it was just amore being a beautiful thing.

The movie, Stromboli, may have been a flop, the invention of a sandwich, with the same name, was a huge hit though.  Romano's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, in Essington, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, takes first claim to the creation.  To honor the grand opening of the movie, owner Nazzareno Romano, an Italian immigrant, experimented with "pizza imbottita", or "stuffed pizza", and added ham, cotechino sausage, cheese and peppers into a pocket of bread dough.  It was a huge success, so renamed his creation, stromboli, after the movie itself.  Now why would he do that if the movie tanked at the box office?  Ah, that was when it debuted in the United States, but in Italy, it was awarded the Rome Prize for Cinema for best film of the year (1950).

However, in 1954, Mike Aquino, owner of Mike's Burger Royal in Spokane, Washington, claimed to make a turnover dedicated to the movie.  His version consisted of capicola ham and provolone cheese, covered in an Italian chili sauce, on a French bread roll, and called it stromboli.  So, created four years after the movie flopped in the USA, and claims he created it first, before Nazzareno Romano made his culinary creation.  Sorry Mike, but I am calling, “Shenanigans” on you!

What exactly is stromboli?  Similar to the half moon shaped calzone, but made with a square of Italian bread dough, or pizza dough.  Ingredients, such as sliced cheeses and cold cuts, are layered out along side each other, then rolled; the roll is place in the center of the dough square.  The dough is sealed on the long seam, and at the ends, placed on a jelly roll pan and baked.  A traditional stromboli would be with Italian cheese, cold cuts and basil leaves; when the stromboli is cut in half, the inside has the colorings of the Italian flag, green, white and red.

A stromboli does not always have to be made in the twelve-inch size, and then cut into servings.  Six-inch and four-inch individual portions fit containers much better when packing a picnic basket; also, for sending off as lunches for school and work.  My hubby, Roy, says, “These are like homemade hot pockets, and taste way better!”.  Cold cuts do not have to be the meat of choice; the mixtures for cheese steaks, tacos, even buffalo chicken can become a stromboli.

The ones I recently made contained the ingredients for cheese steaks, but I added homemade pasta sauce plus mozzarella cheese, to give an Italian flair.  By the way, not in the mood to prep your own dough, then frozen bread dough works great.  I have used the Rhodes brand, with not one complaint, so this is the one I recommend.  Not available in your store, then use what you know is quality.

 

 Italian Cheese Steak Stromboli

 Ingredients:

2 loaves bread dough (if frozen, Rhodes brand is recommended)

1 lb. chopped ribeye steak (can be found frozen and labeled for cheese steak use)

1 large onion, julienned

1 small green, yellow and red bell pepper, seeded and julienned

2 cups homemade pasta sauce

10 slices mozzarella cheese, divided in half

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided in half

Water for sealing

1 egg, beaten

Preparation:

 

Dough should have been allowed to rise twice before using for the stromboli.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, brown the steak along with the onion and peppers; drain liquid.  Add in sauce and let cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let ingredients cool down for 20 minutes (hot food will melt the dough).

 

Preheat oven to 350F and line jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

Roll out each bread loaf to 14” x 14”, or as close to possible (sides do not have to be perfectly straight).  Down the center, lay five slices of mozzarella cheese, leaving one-inch space from top and bottom edges. Spoon half the skillet ingredients down the center, over the cheese, again one-inch space from top and bottom.  Sprinkle half cup of shredded mozzarella over the filling. 

 

 

 With a brush, or fingertip, wet the edges of the dough, all around with the water.  First fold over the one-inch edges at the top and bottom.  Next take one side of dough and fold over the filling; then fold other side over.  With the beaten egg, brush over all exposed areas of dough, including seams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place both completed strombolis onto parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes, or until dough is puffed and golden brown.  Remove to cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes before moving to cutting board and slicing up portions.  Each stromboli will make four 3-inch portions.

 

 

Personal opinion of both Roy, and myself, is frozen hot pockets might be convenient, but they will never beat homemade.

 Mary Cokenour

 

The Mystery of Joseph Smith and the Washboard Cookie.

Besides using actual cookbooks, there are often times I research recipes, and their origins, online.  Alright Google, give me some interesting results for, “Utah pioneers and recipes they cooked”.  First item was a blogger who referenced newspaper articles and cookbooks, gave recipes, and stated which Mormon “figure head” the recipe was a favorite of.  One such reference was for “Washboard Cookies”, a favorite of Prophet Joseph Smith, and came from The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook which I have used, and referenced, myself. 

Strange, I thought, but while the love of Johnny cakes was linked to Smith, many of the recipes within mentioned Brigham Young more often.  Now there is no index in this cookbook, so turning the pages slowly, my eyes scanned for the recipe, and the mention of Smith.  Nothing.  Alright, let me ask around, and see if those more educated in the Mormon culture could verify this for me.  Hit a roadblock there.  Then I thought to find the origin of washboard cookies, and see if that could get me a linkup.

Washboard cookies, aka lavadores, are Portuguese cookies which have horizontal lines, made with a fork before baking, and resemble the ridges of a washboard.  The original recipe uses lemon for flavoring, but the origin story is basically nonexistent; seems this cookie just always was.  Rereading the countries represented, by the Mormon emigrants who traveled to Utah, Portugal was not one of those countries.  Could there have been folks of Portuguese descent?  Maybe, but too few to get a mention in the cookbook.

Something else that bothered me about the blogger’s cookie recipe, and reference to Smith.  This was supposedly a recipe used by the 1847 pioneers, and instead of lemons, coconut was the main flavoring ingredient.  In 1869, the Mineral Point Tribune, a Wisconsin newspaper, printed the first ever recipe which used coconut as a main ingredient.  Hawaiians did not begin settling onto USA mainland soil, mainly in California, until the late 1800s, and they brought coconuts with them. 

Third issue I have with the blogger’s article was the timeline of how Joseph Smith could have possibly partaken of the cookies made by Utah pioneers.  He could not!  Joseph Smith, the founder and leader of the LDS religion, and his brother, Hyrum Smith, were killed by a mob in Carthage, IL, on June 27, 1844.  They were awaiting trial, in the town jail, but became victims of vigilante justice by those in the anti-Mormon movement.  So, to that blogger, I call, “Shenanigans!” on her article, her made up historical reference, and any reference to the cookie recipe in The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook.

Now I am picturing, editor Bill Boyle, of the San Juan Record, rolling his eyes, as he reads my article, and thinking, “There goes Mary pretending to be Miss Marple; it’s just a cookie recipe for heaven’s sake!”

Have I piqued your curiosity about washboard cookies?  I certainly hope so, as I will be giving you an original recipe.  Since I have mentioned a recipe which uses coconut, I will give you that one too.  The original recipe is from Chef Gorete, born in the Azores, is of Portuguese descent, and, of course, can cook and bake the recipes of her ancestry.

 

 

Portuguese Washboard Cookies (Lavadores)

(https://www.food.com/recipe/portuguese-washboard-cookies-lavadores-537531)

Ingredients:

1⁄2 cup butter, room temperature

1 1⁄2 cups sugar, divided

4 large eggs, room temperature 1

 lemon, rind of, grated

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 dash salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix the butter with 1 cup of the sugar on medium high-speed for 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each, until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon rind.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder & salt to combine. Fold the flour into the butter mixture using a spatula, mixing well. Gently knead the dough in the bowl for about 5 minutes.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow dish. Using a small cookie scoop, shape pieces of dough into balls, then roll in the sugar. Place the cookies on a parchment lined or lightly greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies gently using the tines of a fork or make the horizontal lines.

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until a light golden color. I like to rotate the cookie trays from top to bottom, halfway through the cooking process.

Cool on the cookie trays for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy.

Now the second recipe which does not appear in the cookbook, as a blogger claims, but I will share it anyway.  Even though the origin of the cookie is Portuguese, over the many, many years of creating them, many variations have developed within the country itself.  So, I would rather give credit, for this recipe, to Portugal, and not a blogger with “imaginary facts”.

 

Washboard Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup boiling water

1 cup shredded coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Preparation:

Cream together sugars and shortening and beat in eggs. Dissolve soda in boiling water and add to above mixture. Blend in coconut and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and blend into mixture. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and flatten with fork. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

Would Joseph Smith have liked washboard cookies?  It is very unlikely we will ever know.  However, something tells me, if cornmeal had been used, the answer would have been a resounding, “Yes!”.

Mary Cokenour