Food ... Life ... Music

I love when I discover new music--or it discovers me.  I heard Movement 10 of this composition today on NPR while driving to work. I had to pull over to the side of the road because I was so moved and excited! Amazing, I never heard this score until now.

This is a great conductor. So young and so exuberant ... but, more importantly, his emotions are safely shared and expected with his orchestra.

I love this whole piece ... but, if you want to be blown away and don't have time or the patience .... fast forward to 27:17. Turn up the sound. Twist in the ear plugs, dear Pilgrims. And you will understand why Maude from the movie classic "Harold and Maude" said, "Music is the dance of the Universe."

I think of my father when I hear Movement 10. I think of the eulogy I will one day have to deliver when he is gone. I think of him now suddenly alone and I am sad I am not closer. And I think of the music I will choose to celebrate his life. Perhaps it is this.

As I get older, I get more jaded. Few things keep me grounded. But the purity of music is one. Nature is another ... and, then, of course, the simplicity of good food ... and great wine. What do all three have in common? Well, it might be better to explain what they don't have in common: violence, anger and hatred, division, hunger.

Dear Pilgrims, we must continually strive to center our vision on that which is not just  good ... but GREAT! That, which is filled with hope. That, which is filled with the unadulterated promise of a Future for Us and our Planet.

Movement 10 ... reminds promises me great potential and unselfishness as a species on an incredible, productive Planet.

Cornbread: The South vs. The North

Tall. Light and Airy. What's Not to Like about Corn Bread?

Nothing sparks controversy here in the South as cornbread. Authentic cornbread, Southern style, uses little, if any flour, no sugar, and white corn, not yellow. It is just the opposite of Yankee cornbread which here is considered more of a sweet cake.

Southern cornbread is also always baked in a hot, cast-iron skillet that has been well-larded with bacon grease. When baked, it is flipped out of the pan to reveal the crunchy exterior which contrasts to the warm, moist interior. It is always cut into wedges or "pones" and never baked in a square pan or cut into rectangular shapes.

Less dense than a Northern-style cornbread, the loose crumb lovingly sops up melted butter, honey or maple syrup. And, of course, pot-liquor from greens, such as collards. Cold cornbread is often dunked into buttermilk.

As with most arguments, I tried to reach a happy medium with this recipe. I used "polenta" for the cornmeal base to achieve a more authentic texture and taste. I used less flour and only a few tablespoons of sugar. While I am not adverse the joys of bacon, I left out the bacon grease because I wanted this plain with honey and jams.

The verdict? Man, this was some good cornbread! This was all about the corn. While baking, the smell permeated my apartment. The outside was crunchy and the interior was wonderfully moist with specks of yellow from the corn. I loved the loose crumb and the pronounced corn taste. It really wasn't sweet, but it didn't need to be.

I put this under the broiler for just a minute or two after baking to give a crisp crust.

My black cast iron skillet is too large for this recipe, so I used a 9-inch, enamel-lined cast iron skillet greased with peanut oil. It worked well, but I should have allowed it to cool a bit more before flipping it from the pan since the middle didn't loosen. But I will never ever bake cornbread in a square baking pan again. I can see how the addition of bacon grease would pair well with corn taste.

Bit of a crack after I flipped it out of the pan .... But
note the crispy exterior.

• 1 1/4 cups coarsely-ground corn or "polenta" (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar 
• 1 1/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2-3 tablespoons oil or bacon grease for the pan.

Place the oil/bacon grease in a nine-inch iron skillet and place in 375 F. degree oven while pre-heating so it is hot when you are ready to add the batter. Ideally, you are supposed to hear a bit of a sizzle as you add the batter. 

Meanwhile .... 

In a medium bowl, mix the milled corn, flour, salt and sugar. Set aside.

Add the egg to the buttermilk and whisk. Add the baking soda and melted butter. Stir. (Do not add the baking soda to the dry ingredients.)

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just to incorporate. Allow to sit for a few minutes so the corn has time to absorb some of the liquid.

Using a hot pad, carefully remove pan from oven ... it will be HOT. Pour in batter and smooth the top.

Return to oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool ten minutes before flipping out of the pan. If you are nervous about this part, first cut out a slice and then carefully use a small spatula to loosen the bread from the pan. (Most people do use bacon fat and I have watched in awe as the baker removes the pan from the oven and confidently and simply flips the whole corn bread out onto a board!) 

Serve with fresh butter, honey, jam or maple syrup.

Cinnamon-Pecan Coffee Cake

Warm from the oven . . . cinnamon, nuts, vanilla. A crunchy topping and moist dense cake. What's not to like?

Perfect any time of the year. For summer, serve with a side of fresh berries or peaches.

When I want a morning coffee cake, this is the recipe I use. It's totally uncomplicated and mixes up in a snap. The topping is sweet and crunchy and contrasts nicely with the moist, dense vanilla interior. It's perfect with that first cup of java or for a snack later on with a cold glass of milk.

For this cake, I used a 7-inch spring form pan. An 8 x 8 pan will work as well. If you double the ingredients, use a 13 x 9 pan or a large Bundt pan. Adjust baking times depending on what you use.


Batter:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder*
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Topping:

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon softened butter
• 1 teaspoon McCormick's Apple Pie spice or one teaspoon cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients until crumbly and pecans are coated. Set aside.

Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder on a sheet of wax paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. Mix in sour cream. Add sugars and beat on medium until fluffy and sugar is dissolved, 1-2 minutes. Add egg and beat on medium-low for 1-2 minutes. Stir in vanilla.

By hand, mix in the flour mixture just until well combined. Mixture will be thick. Pour into a buttered/sprayed pan (see above).

Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar/butter/pecan mixture evenly over the cake.

Bake at 350 F degrees anywhere from 30-45 minutes depending on the size pan you use and until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If necessary, loosely place a sheet of tin foil over cake the last ten minutes or so if you find the topping getting too dark. Allow to cool a bit before cutting.



*Just to be honest, I left out the baking powder when I made this batch ... just to see what would happen. And, guess what? Nothing happened. The cake rose nice and high ... but I did bake it in a smaller pan. And the texture was different ... a finer, dense crumb as opposed to a lighter, crumbly crumb. Next time I will just add 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon baking powder. 

Apple Rum Cake

Since I work in the produce department of a grocery store, people often ask what we do with "old" items. It's simple. We donate them to a soup kitchen. Most grocery stores do--from dairy to bakery to market. Volunteers usually arrive in the late morning after we have "culled" the shelves to discard dated/bruised items. Even so, there is still much "throw away." There have been times when taking out the trash that I've stumbled upon "dumpster divers" carrying away food. It breaks your heart.

Lately, I've been "rescuing" apples. The bruised. The dented. The split. The misfits. How could anyone throw away anything named Honey Crisp or Pink Lady? Don't even get me started on dated, fresh-cut flowers . . . . 

But, back to food . . .

This is a beautiful cake with a delicate, moist crumb. Use a crisp apple, such as Honey Crisp. Or Jazz. The rum is nuanced, not pronounced, and it complements the white-wine savor of pure apple flesh.

And, please, use the required 8-inch spring-form pan. You want your cake high, not flat.

Next time, I will chop some of my apples into chunks larger than the one-half inch dice I used here and maybe increase the amount to almost two cups instead of the 1 2/3 cups (8 oz.). I used McCormick's Apple Pie Spice. If you don't have it, just use cinnamon or mostly cinnamon with a bit of allspice/nutmeg thrown in.

The addition of cream cheese makes this cake stand apart from other apple cakes. And White Lily Flour, the flour of the South as opposed to the North here in the United States. Cake flour works as well. Both will give a noticed tenderness to crumb texture. If using either, pay close attention to substituting all-purpose flour with it. The recipe below is for all-purpose flour.

As difficult as it may a seem, a cake such as this is best left uncut for a day to allow the flavors and the moisture from the apples to absorb into the cake. I like the top "crunchy," so I leave it uncovered but wrap a piece of foil around the circumference.

About 30-60 minutes before assembling the cake:

• Peel, core, and dice two-three large crisp, tart apples into a 1/2 - 3/4-inch dice. You want at least 8 ounces or 1 2/3 cup. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons rum and 1 teaspoon flour. Set aside. Stir every-once-in-a-while to macerate flavors.

Meanwhile .....

• Mix two teaspoons apple pie spice with four tablespoons white sugar. Set aside.

• Butter/spray an 8-inch spring-form pan. Heat oven to 350 F.

Batter 

Whisk the following and set aside:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, beat together the following:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar (depending on sweetness of apples)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time.

Take two tablespoons of the cinnamon/sugar mixture and mix into the flour mixture. Reserve the rest.

Blend the flour mixture into the butter/egg mixture to create a smooth batter. Mix in apples.

Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. 

Baking time will depend on moisture in apples. Bake until cake pulls aways from sides a bit anywhere from 55-75 minutes.

*If using cake flour or White Lily Flour, adjust amount of flour according to package directions.