Day 308: Caramel Apple Torte

Fresh apples are still everywhere in my area.  Despite the cooler weather and freezing night time temperatures, my favorite fruit stand is still open (God bless them!).  I buy apples every week right now because I know it won't be long before all I'll be able to find is the mushy cold storage apples.  I thought this would be the perfect way to showcase them.  This recipe is very slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Bavarian Apple Torte

10" dutch oven

Crust:

12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling:

2 packages (8-ounce each) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:

3 cups peeled, thinly sliced Granny Smith Apples (about 3-4 apples)
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Caramel ice cream topping

In a medium bowl, combine the first four crust ingredients. Press the mixture into the bottom of a of a greased 10" dutch oven.

In another medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla; mix well. Pour over crust and smooth the creamy layer to the edges.

Combine the topping ingredients except the caramel and mix well. Spoon the coated apples over the cream cheese layer, taking care to even out the apple layer as much as possible. Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes, until the center is set.  Press gently on the top of the apples to check for doneness. When there is not a lot of “give” and the center seems mostly firm, it is finished baking. It will continue to set up a bit as it cools. Cool completely, cut into slices, drizzle with caramel and serve.Serves 6-8.

The Finished Product

The Review

Ooooh! This was delicious!  The apples were tender and delicious.  This may be in my list of top cheese cakes.  All my kids loved it.  In fact I had to hide the leftovers in the frige so my hubby would get some.  It was really easy to do in the dutch oven too!  We gave this an A.

Day 307: Smokey Chipotle Shredded Beef

I wanted to have shredded beef taco salads for dinner last night, but I didn't have a beef recipe that I loved, so I made up my own.  It started out as a hodge podge of what I had in my cupboards.  And if you've been reading my blog very long, you know chipotle chilies are going to be in any Mexican dish I make.  (In case you didn't know, chipotle chilies are one of the foods of the Gods!)  We filled homemade taco bowls with beans, this meat, cheese, salsa and shrubbery.

Smokey Chipotle Shredded Beef

12" dutch oven

3 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast

2 Tbs. canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

3 cups water

8 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 (7 1/2 oz.) can El Pato Jalapeno Salsa (it is available in the Latin section of most grocery stores.  It doesn't add heat, it just adds flavor)

In your dutch oven, stir together everything except the meat.  Over a full spread of coals, bring the mixture to a boil.  While the sauce is coming to a boil, cut the beef into pieces, trimming off the fat.  Add to the boiling sauce.  Bake at 350° for 2-3 hours or until fork tender, stirring every 30 minutes.  Use 1 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Replenish the coals as needed, and if necessary, add more water.  Keep in mind that when the beef is finished cooking you want the sauce to be thick.  Remove the pot from the heat and shred the beef with 2 forks.  Allow it to sit in the sauce for about 5 minutes before serving.  Serve in tacos, burritos, chimichangas, or any Mexican dish.  Serves 8-10.

The Finished Product

The Review

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but this was fabulous!  You can make it as mild or spicy as you want.  Just add a little bit of the chipotles and taste the sauce BEFORE you put the meat in to see if it needs more heat.  I didn't make mine too spicy because my kids still had to be able to eat it.  I think this would freeze well, if you have any leftovers.  Seriously, I'm surprised there was any for us to have for dinner because I kept sneaking forkfuls right out of the bowl.  It was super yummy!!  We put ours in homemade taco salad bowls.  If you want the recipe for those, you can get it here.  Grade A.

Day 306: Creamy Spaghetti Squash

Good morning!  Just a quick post today.  I have a sick little girl on my lap right now.  I just wanted to point out one thing today.  If you look at the bottom of each post you will find a new "print friendly" button.  It will let you edit the post before you print it so you only print what you want!  I hope it helps make using the recipes a lot easier.  So no more excuses!  Get out those black pots and get cookin'!  If I can do it everyday, you can do it once a week, or even once a month! 

I kind of made up today's recipe.  It's loosely based on one I saw on the Internet a while back.

Creamy Spaghetti Squash
12" dutch oven

1 spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup shredded cheese (I used a Parmesan)
pinch of nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste

Slice spaghetti squash in half, and lay face down in a dutch oven with a bit of water. Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from pot and keep warm.

In a 10" dutch oven over a full spread of coals, combine butter and flour. Whisk to make a roux, add milk and nutmeg, and stir in cheese. Stir constantly stir until thickened.

Remove seeds from squash (if you didn’t before) and scrape out squash with a fork, making spaghetti strands. Add to the pot with the cheese sauce and combine. Season with salt and pepper.  Serves 6.

The Finished Product

The first picture I took while it was in the dutch oven looked awful, so I tried again and this looks much better!

The Review

I was a little disappointed in this one.  I was really hoping it would be good, but it was just okay.  Honestly, I like the squash better with butter and salt.  Interestingly enough, my younger kids liked it better with the cream sauce.  Go figure!  We decided this gets a B.

Day 305: Vegetable Lasagna

After yesterday's post about the cookbook, I got a few emails about what will be included in it.  So I'm guessing that many of you are having the same questions.  It will include all the "A" and "B" recipes (there will be over 200 recipes), plus everything I've learned about seasoning, cleaning, heat control, baking and so on.  I hope it will be a good resource for the beginner and the experienced dutch oven cook.  All the instructions will also include baking temperatures so you can use it in your kitchen as well.

Vegetable Lasagna
12" dutch oven

2 medium carrots, julienned or thinly sliced
1 yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4" slices
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4" slices
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 (29 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
8-10 lasagna noodles
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella

In a 12" dutch oven over a full spread of coals, stir fry the vegetables, garlic and salt in oil until crisp-tender.  Remove from the pot and keep warm.  Wipe the pot clean with paper towels.   Spread 3/4 cup of sauce into the bottom of the pot. Arrange half of the noodles over the sauce. Layer with half of the vegetables, spaghetti sauce and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until bubbly. Use 1 1/2 ring on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.  Serves 10-12.

The Finished Product

The Review

For a meatless meal this was good.  Its no secret that we're carnivores at our house, so having a meatless meal is a little hard.  But this was yummy and very filling.  My kids only complained a little (which is a big deal).  If I were going to add meat I'd use shredded chicken, but really, this doesn't need it.  I'll make this again when I can get the veggies out of my garden.  Grade B+.

Day 304: Soft Garlic Knots

Good morning everyone!  Just a quick update on my cookbook.  I've been working on putting everything together and doing some writing and it looks like I'll be able to have it printed and start shipping by January 15th.  Unless I can find a better price on the printing (and I'm still looking) the cost will be $13.99 plus $3.99 shipping.  The book will include over 200 recipes!  I will ship internationally for those of you outside the U.S. In a few weeks I'll start taking pre-orders through my site via paypal.  If your local dutch oven chapters want to do a group buy I will give a discount on shipping since it will be a lot less work for me!  All this is just tentative right now, but I'll have it all nailed down before Thanksgiving.  This is just a heads up!  :)  I hope you are all as excited as I am to have a copy of the book. 

On to today's recipe!  I got this one from a friend.

Soft Garlic Knots
10" dutch oven

dough

3 cups bread flour
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. instant yeast
1¼ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup milk
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. lukewarm water

Glaze

2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp. melted butter
½ tsp. Italian seasoning

To make the dough, in a bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil, milk and water. Mix until ingredients have formed a dough. Mix by hand or on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 10-inch long rope and tie into a knot. Take the end lying underneath the knot and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center. Take the end lying over the knot and tuck it underneath and into the center. Transfer shaped rolls to a baking stone, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy.

To make the glaze, finely mince the garlic or press it through a garlic press. Mix with the melted butter and Italian seasoning.

Brush the glaze onto the shaped rolls. Preheat your dutch oven lid and then bake at 350° until set and lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

The Finished Product

The Review

Yum! Yum! Yum!  These are really soft and delicious.  I even rushed them and didn't let them rise long enough and they still turned out great.  The garlic flavor is light and they are perfect with a soup or an Italian dish.  I'll be making these again.  Grade A.