Author: foodnerd

Note to self: leftover boiled dinner — corned beef, potato, carrot, turnip, cabbage, etc. — is somehow even more delicious when all components are diced up and reheated in a skillet with a spoonful of dijon mustard and a little pepper.
How this is different from eating them as-is on a plate with said mustard and pepper I am not entirely certain, but it is distinctly more delightful as a hash. Maybe I just really like hashes (I do).

I saw this recipe in Penzey’s One magazine, and it seemed quite appealing. I love banana cake, and I like things that seem fancy but aren’t actually complicated or fussy to create.
And then I found myself with extra packs of cream cheese to use up, and some overripe bananas, and the deal was done.
This recipe comes from a woman named Mary Harris, in Wasilla, Alaska. I do recommend subscribing to the magazine, as it is guilelessly charming and focuses on real people and the real stuff they cook and the reasons they cook it. Some of the recipes you might never make, but there are lots that you will, and some are real gems — and the magazine makes very good reading.
Despite running out of regular sugar and having to fill in with some light brown sugar, the recipe came out remarkably similar to the photo in the magazine. It looks FANCY. It tastes like fancy banana bread. This is by no means a slur; I love banana bread, and having it in a suitable-for-dinner-party format is awesome. The cream cheese filling recedes more than I expected it would, but it adds a bit of creaminess and moisture to the overall effect. I used neufchatel cheese and skim milk, so the recipe as a whole is relatively light and healthy, and a serving is just a little slice, so it makes a perfect sweet for the end of a larger or richer meal.

I needed to clear out the last of the fall apples that were softening slowly in the back of the fridge, but I’m trying to hang on to this here wagon, so decided against a full-on pie. I thought I might do an oat-based crumble topping. I went looking in Joy of Cooking, found only sugary crisps, and then stumbled onto the brown betty section.
I’d heard of a brown betty, but didn’t exactly know what it was; i sort of assumed it was another dumpling/biscuit-based dessert like pan dowdy, slump, buckle, grunt, and all those other names for what is essentially the same damn thing. But it WASN’T. It was a buttered breadcrumb topping. And I ask you, what is not to like about that? Not too sweet, just a little bit savory, and asking nothing of me but to chowder up the bread ends littering my fridge.
And I had a bunch of crumbs waiting around, left over from my cocktail party adventures. So I diced up the last heel of wheat bread, sprinkled on the finer crumbs, and wound up with my new favorite apple dessert. It is best warm out of the oven, though — the crumbs sog up slightly if you let it sit. (Still good, though, I’m eating some right now.)

Peel, core and thickly slice 6-8 apples (mine were smallish, i used about 8) and put them into a baking pan. My pan was 10×6 rectangle, but whatever fits will do. Sprinkle over a handful of dark brown sugar, maybe 1/4 cup, and cinnamon to your liking, I did it by eye and it was maybe 1/2 tsp to a tsp. Toss them around to coat more evenly. Smush apples down a little, then top with the crumbs. I drizzled with about 4 tbsp of melted butter, but you could probably mix the butter and crumbs directly like it said in the recipe book, and it would coat it more evenly. I used salted butter and I like the effect of the salt on this dish. Bake at 350 for 45 min to an hour, until crispy and golden brown on top and the apples are soft.

As mentioned, back on the wagon, or at least trying really hard to climb up there, dammit. All that Arizmendi stuff was so good. Anyway, today’s lunch was awesome:
expensive but delicious cooked shrimps from Whole Foods
salad greens from a box
salad topping of orange, beet, celery, scallion and parsley,
dressed in olive oil and rice vinegar, salt and pepper
YUM.
(ps the beets were ready roasted from Trader Joe’s cold case, so this was pretty much idiot-proof and really fast. those beets are just ok, nothing special, but they sure are handy.)