100 YEAR-OLD APPLE SOUFFLÉ

Witamy!

The recipe, not the soufflé!  It’s nearing the end of September and in Northern Virginia we’re still taking the kids out to pick apples off the trees. Many varieties are available in regional orchards or at local farmers’ markets.  This is the time to take advantage of nature’s bounty.  We’re thinking apple pie, apple cake, apple sauce, apple compote, baked apples, etc. etc.

Here is a recipe that Peter’s mother received from a childhood friend who received it from her mother who probably got it from her mother.  So that must make it at least one hundred years old – a perfect example of classic heritage cuisine! 

Fresh Applesauce

4 medium cooking apples (tart), cored, pared & quartered

1 cup water

½ cup brown sugar (more or less to taste)

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Place the apples in a pot with the water; heat to a boil then simmer for ten minutes or until very tender and mushy.  Add in the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Stir and break down the apples to a sauce-like consistency.  Cool and place in sealable jars for later use.  (Yes you can use store-bought applesauce but making your own will enhance the flavor of the soufflé.

Apple Soufflé

Serves 4

1½ tablespoons butter

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs at room temperature, separated

2 tablespoons lemon juice

15 ounces applesauce

1/8 teaspoon salt (to taste)

½ cup breadcrumbs

Rind of one orange, grated

Cream the butter, adding sugar a spoonful at a time, the egg yolks and lemon juice.  Using a mixer, blend for 5 minutes more.  Add the applesauce.

Combine the orange rind and breadcrumbs.  Combine salt with the egg whites and whip until stiff.   Gently add the egg whites to the apple sauce mixture, alternating with small amounts of the bread crumbs.  Mix it all well but gently.

Turn the mixture into a deep 1 ½ quart casserole dish which has been buttered and sprinkled with more breadcrumbs.  Bake in a 375 °F oven for 35 minutes.  Serve very warm. 

Smacznego! 

Apples & More Apples - Apples Everywhere

Witamy!

It's apple season!  Apple tree branches at local orchards are heavy with fruit and bent low, offering their luscious fruit to anyone strolling by.  This is such a great activity for this weekend’s family time.  When our daughter was young we visited orchards as often as possible...berries, peaches, apples, and later for pumpkins, hayrides and toasted marshmallows (not so Polish but sooo good when skewered on a  crooked stick and held over an open fire in the farmer’s field).  And now our daughter carries on the fall tradition with her own family and our 3-year old granddaughter.  Last weekend they came back with bags of yummy apples just waiting to be enjoyed in a dozen different ways.  Today we want to share with you an incredibly flavorful way of using apples for dessert – in a somewhat healthier way than donuts, chocolate brownies or fried Twinkies.

Stuffed Apples  (Serves 6)

• ·       3 tablespoons honey
• ·       3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
• ·       3 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
• ·       2 tablespoons orange liqueur  *
• ·       6 medium apples  (not tart)
• ·       3 teaspoons butter

 Preheat oven to 375 °F.  Mix the honey with the walnuts, cracker crumbs and liqueur  * or substitute with 2 tablespoons orange juice plus ½ teaspoon orange zest.    Cut the tops off the apples and core to remove the seeds.  Fill the holes with the stuffing.  Top with ½ teaspoon of butter  and cover with the apple tops.    Place close to one another in a baking dish and bake for 1 hour.  Serve warm. 

Apple Mousse  (Serves 6)

This dessert only takes only ten minutes and is especially useful for using up any left over egg whites and using up all the apple sauce you made after the last orchard trip!

• ·       3 egg whites
• ·       1 envelope plain gelatin
• ·       3 tablespoons cold water
• ·       1 tablespoon boiling water
• ·       4 tablespoons sugar
• ·       ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ·       1 pound apple sauce (about 2 cups)
• ·       ¼ cup almonds, chopped
• ·       Cinnamon (optional)

Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Add boiling water.  Place the gelatin cup into a shallow pot with hot water and stir until dissolved.  Keep warm.

Whip the egg whites until stiff.  Add the sugar one teaspoon at a time while beating constantly.  Add the almond extract.  Mix in the gelatin slowly by pouring in a thin stream while beating until completely incorporated..   Fold in the apple sauce and mix gently.  Place mousse in sherbet glasses.  Sprinkle with chopped almonds and dust with the optional cinnamon.  Chill thoroughly in refrigerator before serving. 

Smacznego!

POLISH CLASSIC DESSERTS Goes Gluten-Free

At their last few book signing events Laura and Peter were often asked if there are any gluten-free recipes in their books.  Celiac disease and intolerance to gluten is a relatively recent concern (recent meaning the last few decades) and researchers aren’t quite sure why its incidence is on the rise.  But it is, and anyone in the cook book business should be aware of it.

Off the top of Laura’s head she knew their books contain recipes based totally on fruit and a delightful coffee custard recipe, but not being totally familiar with the gluten-free diet restrictions she wasn’t sure if other recipes fit the bill or were adaptable.  So she decided to do a little research on what a gluten-free diet is.  Here is the short version of what she discovered:

Gluten-free excludes the protein gluten that is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye.)  Many foods such as beans, nuts, seeds, fresh eggs, meat, fish and poultry, fruits and vegetables and most dairy and some grains such as quinoa, white rice, potato flour, cornstarch are allowed foods.

Armed with this information Laura reviewed the pages in Polish Classic Recipes with a new perspective and found six recipes that fit the definition - without any changes or substitutions.


1. Gypsy Mazurka - Page 14
2. Mocha Torte - Page 38
3. Dried Fruit Compote - Page 81
4. Strawberry Kissel - Page 82
5. Poached Pears - Page 85
6. Coffee Custard - Page 86

Then, Laura made a field trip to a few local grocery stores to see what gluten-free products were available.  She was pleasantly surprised to find several gluten-free flour options on the shelves of two big-brand grocery stores.  She purchased a box of stone ground white rice flour to try in a couple of recipes, in place of all purpose flour.

First were almond cookies (Page 26).  The one cup of all purpose flour was replaced with the white rice flour and yielded excellent results.  There was no discernable difference in the taste or texture of the finished cookie.  However, the dough could not be rolled as thinly, resulting in a slightly thicker cookie and a smaller yield - not a big deal.

Peter whipped up batch of crepes using a 1 for 1 exchange of rice flour for the all purpose flour.  The resulting crepes were no different in taste or texture from the original.  He does recommend using whole milk to give the batter a little more body.

Several other Polish Classic Dessert recipes are easily adapted for the gluten free diet, with a minor substitution of readily available gluten free products:

Almond Cookies - Pg 26:  substitute rice flour instead of all purpose flour.

Krakow Cheesecake - Page 61:  Replace the bread crumbs in the crust with a gluten-free product such as crushed rice or corn chex or bread crumbs made from gluten-free bread. Replace the flour in the filling with something like rice or potato flour.

Plum Dumplings - Page 77:  In the dough, use potato flour in place of the all purpose flour.

Crepes with Sweet Cheese - Page 78:  Try gluten-free rice flour to make the crepes.

And there are more for anyone comfortable with a little experimentation.

In closing, Celiac disease and gluten intolerances now affect many more people in the world than when most Polish classic recipes were first created. A quick internet search suggested that scientists are not sure why the occurances of Celiac disease are increasing but there is a feeling that it is an evolutionary result of increased consumption over time of wheat flour and other glutens - at least according to one scientist working with the US Department of Agriculture.  Regardless of the why or wherefore, gluten intolerance is a reality of today’s life and anyone in the cookbook business should be aware of this and other common food allergies.