Autumn 2024

Hi everyone! It’s been a number of weeks since my spate of posts in August/early September. While I had hoped I’d have some baking projects to share with you during this my very favorite month of the year, alas, a variety of life events have taken up both Steve’s and my time and attention.

Our October days of late have been pristine, crisp, bright and beautiful with brilliant blue skies and colors that have been late in coming but are now popping out all over. The changing slant of the sun’s rays gives the light an ethereal quality, and the recent full moon only added to the thrill of the natural world we experience.

A bit fuzzy but you get the drift

I’m itching to make a caramel apple tarte to go with the butter pecan or vanilla ice cream that I managed to make with a bit of available kitchen time these past weeks. Now I just have to whip up a fresh batch of pâte brisée and fill it with some of the wonderful Michigan apples we’ve been eating.

Did you know Michigan is in the top three apple producing states in the US? Yes sir!

Here’s just one example of a caramel apple tarte I made for a family supper earlier this year.

Yum!

Anyhoo! I’m plotting out some cookie projects for a couple of upcoming classes. Here’s one I tested back in the summer. It’s a Scandinavian recipe and quite tasty indeed. I’m calling them caramel/almond slices.

I also plan to test out some meringue type recipes using aquafaba (chickpea water) in place of egg whites for a vegan dacquoise/passionfruit/raspberry dessert - hope it turns out.

Meanwhile I hope all of you are enjoying your autumn baking and experimenting with new things. Here’s to sharing more goodies with you in the upcoming weeks.

Take care!

Apfelstrudel in Salzburg

As is my wont when traveling in Europe, I like to incorporate a pastry class or two into my itinerary. Even if it’s a topic with which I’m familiar, I love to quietly observe the instructor, the process, the group interactions and invariably pick up a tip or two. I might even chime in with a baking nugget of my own.

My only recollection of making apple strudel was back in the early days of my pastry schooling at Apicius in Florence. Since strudel is classically Austrian, one might ask - strudel in Italy?? Why yes as it turns out. Part of the curriculum at Apicius focused on specialties from all regions of Italy, each having its own culinary charm. In Northern Italy strudel is popular in the Trentino-Alto Adige which borders on Austria and, as a matter of fact, once belonged to Austria. As I envision the Apicius teaching kitchen, I see in my mind’s eye a large sheet of dough that we stretched and pulled until paper thin before rolling it around an apple filling and baking it to perfection.

As Steve and I were planning this trip I looked for a strudel class in or around Munich but alas, no dice. But never fear - the trusty internet led me to Edelweiss Cooking School in Salzburg, Austria just over the German border. We had Salzburg on our hit list so it seemed like the perfect thing to do.

View of Salzburg’s altstadt

We took the train from Munich to Salzburg, the bus into the old town then a short walk to Ursulinenplatz 9 where we found the school, literally built into the rock of Mönchsberg, a large part of the backdrop of the old city. Steve dropped me off and ambled off for some cemetery tromping.

The school’s space is cave-like with light and shadows playing off each other. Quick aside - I’ve done my best to lighten and reduce the shadowing in my photos - please understand!

Chef Johann was on hand to welcome me along with the 5 young German women from Augsburg who appeared just behind me. They were on a much belated bachelorette outing (thanks COVID) with some surprise activities planned for the bride-to-be (who actually was married three years ago!!). We were ready for action.

Johann began with a demo of mixing the apple filling and the initial rolling out of the strudel dough which had been made and allowed to rest for a couple of hours before the class. He then gave us a stretching demo to shape the dough into a larger rough square, thin enough to see through.

Preliminary round

All stretched out

He proceeded with the filling and rolling up of the strudel and then it was our turn. My compatriots grouped off at two tables as a pair and a trio, while I was stationed at a table alone with Johann as my partner.

First up - the apple filling. As Johann pointed out, strudel is very forgiving and something you can adjust to your whims. Add a bit more sugar or cinnamon to the apples, add dried cherries or cranberries instead of raisins, add nuts, use apricots or a savory filling like cabbage - all kinds of options.

The apple work had been completed for us - peel, core, slice about 4 cups of apples (e.g. Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala or even a mix), sprinkle on a couple tablespoons sugar, a couple of shakes of cinnamon and a couple tablespoons raisins. Mix it up and set aside. Remember - your dough must be made ahead and ready for you, so wait to mix up your apples until assembly time.

Johann’s dough recipe is simple: 210 g / 1.66 cups flour (recommended ~12% protein which FYI is in between King Arthur’s all purpose and bread), 125 ml / 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon neutral oil like sunflower or canola (consider olive oil for a savory strudel) and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Blend all in a bowl and knead by hand to a smooth, silky dough. Lightly oil the dough, cover and rest two hours.

NOTE: I did a quick review of a couple of other strudel recipes, both of which use egg yolk and vinegar (helps tenderize) in the dough and one which utilizes a long mixing time and an overnight rest in the fridge before proceeding. Hmmmm . . . . . . future project methinks.

Rolling and stretching time! It’s very helpful to have a square table, something you can walk around to stretch the dough. Cover the work surface with a large tea towel, linen or oilcloth tablecloth, flour it and place the dough in the center. Flour the dough surface, turn over and flour again; roll out to a round (mine is rather oblique). Johann cautions not to lift/rotate the dough as you might for tart or pie dough - just roll.

Now using the backs of your fisted hands, get under the dough and stretch it out all around to a rough square. The dough may tear but is forgiving and will be wrapped up around the apples anyway.

Whoa! Mine isn’t nearly as nice as Johann’s.

Trim the thicker, irregular edges with a pizza cutter then drizzle 2-3 tablespoons melted butter over the dough (don’t brush since it may tear the dough) then a couple tablespoons bread crumbs. These help absorb some of the liquid from the apples during baking.

Place the apple mixture over the lower third of the dough, fold the sides over and the bottom up . . .

then using your cloth as a lifter, roll up the whole thing, leaving it seam side up. Snug it up a bit at the ends if needed so it will fit into your pan. Pretty rough and tumble, eh?

Have a buttered or parchment lined 1/2 sheet pan or metal 9-ish by 13-ish baking pan at the ready and, using Johann’s method, pick up the strudel with your towel or cloth and gently roll it onto/into the pan so the seam side is down. Brush melted butter over it and bake in a preheated 400º oven for about 30-35 minutes.

We all gathered round the table for a lunch of delicious goulash and a sampling of the soufflé-like Salzburg specialty Nockerl (a future post perhaps?) that we had whipped (literally!) together during class.

Salzburger Nockerl

Then it was time to sample our strudel, dusted with confectioner’s sugar and hot out of the pan.

Crisp crust, mellow apple flavor, not too sweet - all in all a worthwhile endeavor and a fun experience in old Salzburg. Thanks Johann! I look forward to making it at home, especially when autumn rolls around.

Steve and I finished our Salzburg visit with a boat ride on the Salzach River and a stroll through Mirabellgarten (Sound of Music anyone?) before our return train ride back to Munich.

Happy spring and take care until next time. Who knows what I may have up my sleeve.

Caramel apple tarts

Yippee - it’s officially fall! The recent autumnal equinox dawned bright, crisp and clear with morning temps in the mid-40s, perfect for walking, baking or pretty much anything one might feel like doing. My time of year!

Apples are everywhere - farmers markets, grocery stores, orchards and farm stands - and one can choose the pick-your-own thing or simply buy your favorite of the many varieties available here in west Michigan.

Having a go-to simple apple tart in one’s repertoire is a beautiful thing. As is my practice, I periodically assess my freezer stock of various doughs and decide when it’s time to use something up. This time it was one of the pâte sucrée doughs that I like to use for rustic galettes.

Here’s a printable PDF of the recipe/process using pâte brisée (another fave!).

The approach is very straight forward, not unlike the Provençal tomato tart I just wrote about, although this time there’s no blind baking involved. Gotta like that.

First line the tart rings. In this case I’m making four 100 mm/4 inch diameter tarts, just enough to share with a few folks for dessert. Once lined, I sprinkle a mixture of equal parts sugar/flour (almond flour or fine bread crumbs work too) on the bottom to protect against sogginess from juicy fruit. With apples it’s not as much of an issue as it might be for juicier fruits like berries or stone fruits, but it’s a good practice nonetheless.

If I happen to have some diced/sautéed apples on hand, I put a smattering of those into the tart shell too.

For the remaining apple filling I thinly slice a few medium apples and toss them with some vanilla sugar (1/2 to 1 tablespoon per cup of apples, or to taste). You can switch to brown sugar if you prefer that bit of toffee like essence. I generally keep the apples as the centerpiece of flavor and forego adding cinnamon or other spices, but those are popular options with many apple tart/pie bakers. You decide.

I’ve used a number of different apples over the years and love the combination of Jonagold/Fuji or Granny Smith/Macintosh. During my internship in Paris back in 2007 Chef Pascal Pinaud used Golden Delicious for his apple tarts, and they were mighty fine too. Isn’t it fun to experiment?

NOTE: a pound is about 3-4 medium or 2-3 large apples and should yield 3-4 cups. That worked well here with a handful of slices left over. I go for the more the merrier, especially since I like to pile ‘em on.

I drizzle a little melted butter over the apples then pop the tray into the freezer while I heat the oven to 400ºF. Start the bake on the lower rack for 10-15 minutes, then move up to the middle rack, turn down to 375ºF and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Some of the apple slice tips start turning brown and I’ll begin to see some juiciness and bubbling developing along with the lovely aroma of baking apples and nicely browning crust. At this point I’ll often turn down to 350ºF and give them another 10-15 minutes. In a nutshell I typically plan a 35-40 minute total bake time for these tarts.

Once out of the oven I drizzle my homemade caramel sauce over and give them 3-4 minutes more in the oven to set the caramel.

Looking good.

Served with vanilla ice cream (Steve believes everything is better that way), these were a tasty end to the meal. Très délicieuse!

Here’s to many more autumn baking adventures!!