I had a dinner guest....

Meet Marty:

Over the next year, I’ll be traveling around the country to tell the stories of people who make meals, who lovingly tend bees, gardens and organic farms, and who nurture relationships at the dinner table. Invite me to dinner and I’ll write about you or just sit back and read about the crazy patchwork of characters who feed me.

She visited Port Angeles last night--after a 14 hr travel day that began in New York at 4am. I fed her stinging nettles...
Check out her take on the meal auntmarty.com

Revisiting flavors...

In the height of fall, apples abound. Around here, every weekend means someone in the area is breaking out their press for a cider-making party. More and more varieties pass through my lips and ears that I ever imagined could exist; there are heirloom varieties and newly grafted ones with names like Gravenstein, Pink Pearl, Ashmeads kernal, King, Melrose, Pink Lady, Porter Perfection...oh my. Applesauce, apple pie, apple crisp, apple cobbler, apple butter, parsnip-apple soup, baked apples, apple fritters...and, yet to be imagined culinary creations, come from kitchens and end up on tables. We all go crazy for apples, because they are a symbol of Fall.

Eventually, fall becomes winter. Apples lose a little of their new appeal and, some of the varieties lose their crisp crunch too. So, apples move from center stage (or plate). They are still delicious, but a little less exciting--that's all.

Well, this weekend our "Washington Family" gathered on the Pacific Coast to play and eat and revisit. There was a time when we all lived in Seattle and saw one another nearly every day. I can't say that this group ever loses their crisp crunch or appeal--when we do get the chance to gather together, they only get richer and more delicious.

...but I was talking about apples. Can't a girl break for a metaphor?
Anyway, a big part of gathering with the WF is cooking and eating together. So, I was quite delighted to find two huge boxes of crispy apples from Cloudview Farm in eastern WA had made it to our little cabin in La Push (compliments of Erin and Neil)! I haven't seen such a bounty of tasty apples in months.

Of course, the first few went directly from box to mouth. *Crunch crunch* Soon after, I was inspired to revisit the flavors of fall. Behold the Apple Kuchen! Its somewhere between an apple pizza and apple coffee cake...its somewhere between tasty and delicious. Enjoy!

To my Washington Family, thanks for always reminding me to savor the flavor...you make my belly ache from hearty laughter and heartier meals. I love you.

Apple Kuchen
adapted from Local Vegetarian Cooking by Debra Daniels-Zeller

Crust:
1.25 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. turbinado sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
3 TBS butter
2 beaten eggs
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
3 medium apples, sliced
2 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS maple syrup
1/2 TBS arrowroot (or corn starch)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Oil a 14 in pizza pan. Mix topping ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. Combine dry ingredients for crust and mix with a fork. Cut butter into cubes an mix into dry ingredients by rubbing in between your fingers (way better than a pastry blender!).
3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix wet and dry together--the batter will be somewhere between cake batter and brownie mix.
4. Spread batter onto the pan with a spatula to within an inch of the edge. Place apples on crust one at a time, starting from the center and working your way out in a spiral. Pretty, no? Drizzle remaining juice over the apples.
5. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar for a little extra something, something! Enjoy with a warm drink!

Hole-y deliciousness.

Bagels! I love bagels. First of all, they are bread--I love bread. Second, they are a great vehicle for toppings--butter, almond butter, cream cheese, jam, pesto, and more. Third (and most importantly), they have holes! Although the holes exist to help bagels cook evenly, I think they add a certain flair to what would, otherwise, be a breakfast bun.

Recently, I came across a simple recipe for cinnamon raisin bagels in an old copy of Mother Earth News. The whole process took about 30 minutes (excluding dough-resting and baking times). They weren't the prettiest, but they made up for it in personality--by which, I mean flavor, texture, and general deliciousness!

Cinnamon Raisin Whole Wheat Bagels
adapted from Mother Earth News
makes about 10

2.75 c. whole wheat flour *
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour *
1 pkt. of yeast
1/2 TBS. salt
1/8 c. vital wheat-gluten
2 c. luke warm water

2 TBS. sugar
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. raisins

For the boiling pot:
6 quarts of water
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda

1. Sift or mix together dry ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, gluten). Slowly incorporate warm water into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon (without kneading). When everything is uniformly moist, cover loosely with plastic and let it rise for about 2 hrs at room temperature.
2. With hands and rolling pin, flatten dough to a thickness of 1/4 in. Sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon, and raisins onto the dough and roll it up--jelly-roll style. Then, Shape the roll into a ball.
3. Cut of a small piece (about the size of a small peach), dust it with a bit of flour, and shape it into a ball. Repeat this step with the rest of the dough. Let rest for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare boiling pot by bringing water to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and add sugar and baking soda.
6. Punch your thumb through the dough balls to form the HOLE! Stretch it open so the hole's diameter is 3 times the width of the bagel wall. Drop bagels into simmering pot, one by one. Don't crowd 'em! Once they float to the top, let them simmer 2 minutes. Flip them over and let them simmer for another 30 seconds. Remove boiled bagels from water with a slotted spoon and place on a floured kitchen towel to to absorb some of the excess water.
7. Place bagels on a floured cookie sheet and pop it into the oven. Before closing the oven door, pour 1 cup of water into the broiling pan--carefully and quickly. Let them bake for about 20 minutes or until browned and firm.
8. Enjoy warm with your favorite topping!

*I used a combination of Nash's freshly ground hard red wheat, some all-purpose flour (wheat with the bran sorted out) from the Fairhaven Cooperative Mill and that magical vital wheat-gluten that has helped my bread move beyond a brick's consistency.