Szarlotka

I am happy to have a fitting post to share on Pi day! 🙂

Dorie Greenspan described this Polish dessert as a “combination of a cake, a crumble, and a torte.” After reading this in her book, I expected something different. I would describe it as a fruit-packed deep dish pie.

Because I served it warm, the slices had a little bit of trouble keeping their shape! Ice cream was not an essential accompaniment, but we preferred it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The recipe was adapted from Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty, & Simple by Dorie Greenspan. Next time I would add some cinnamon and nutmeg to the filling.

The original recipe includes ideas for variations in the filling including mixing pears with the apples and using dried cherries or dried cranberries instead of raisins. Toasted nuts would also be delicious in the filling.

Yield: One 9-inch pie (serves 8 to 10)

For the Crust:

• 306 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 11 T (5 1/2 oz / 155 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cold large egg
• 1 cold large egg white

For the Filling:

• 3 pounds (1.3 kg) sweet apples, such as Fuji or Gala, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 67 g (1/3 cup / 5 T) packed light brown sugar (or more, to taste)
• 1 1/2 T all-purpose flour
• 160 g (1 cup) moist, plump raisins, preferably golden
• cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or allspice, to taste, optional
• freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste (I used 1/2 a large lemon)

To Serve:

• confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
• ice cream or whipped cream, for serving, optional

To Make the Crust:

1. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Place the prepared pan on a parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheet.
2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend.
3. Drop in the pieces of butter and pulse, about 15 times, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl a couple to times. The mixture should resemble crumbs.
4. Lightly beat the egg and egg white; add to the flour mixture in 3 additions, pulsing after each. Scrape the bowl as needed. The mixture should form moist clumps and curds.
5. Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and gather it together.
6. Remove 1/3 of the dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in the freezer. (This dough will be used for the topping.)
7. Shape the remaining dough into a ball, flatten it and sandwich it between sheets of parchment paper.
8. Roll the dough into a round about 14-inches in diameter. Peel the parchment back intermittently to make sure it’s not creasing the dough. (The round will be about 1/8-inch thick.)
9. Place the dough (still between the parchment sheets) on a flat surface and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
10. After chilling, transfer the dough to the springform pan. Gently press it against the bottom and up the sides, patching and folding if necessary. Trim the top even with the pan.
11. Place the pan/crust in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

To Make the Filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. (I set my oven to the convection setting.)
2. Toss the chopped apples, brown sugar, flour, and raisins in a large bowl and mix to coat the apples with sugar and flour. Add the spices at this time as well, if using.
3. Mix in the lemon juice; mix.
4. Taste a piece of apple and adjust the sweetness and/or spices, to taste. Let rest for 5 minutes and mix again.
5. Place the dough-lined pan on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Scoop the filling into the crust, including any juices that have accumulated in the bowl.
7. Remove the chunk of dough from the freezer and, using the large holes of a box grater, grate the frozen dough. Intermittently stop and sprinkle the pieces over the top of the apples.
8. Bake the pie for 40 minutes.
9. Tent it loosely with foil and bake another 25 minutes or so, until the top is golden brown and, most importantly, the juices are bubbling up thorough the top crust. (I baked it for an additional 35 minutes once tented but would add even more time next time- the apples could have been even more tender.)
10. Transfer the szarlotka, on the baking sheet, to a rack and let rest for 20 minutes.
11. Gently run a table knife between the pie and the sides of the pan and remove the sides of the springform pan.
12. Let the pie cool until it’s just warm or reaches room temperature.

To Serve:

1. Dust the pie with confectioners’ sugar.
2. Slice the pie using a serrated knife using a sawing motion.
3. Serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream, if desired- I recommend it!

Note: The szarlotka is best the day it is made. To store it you can keep it covered at room temperature for one day or refrigerate it for a second day.

Rigatoni with Cabbage, Creme Fraiche, & Pumpernickel Bread Crumbs

My father-in-law has lost a considerable amount of weight by eating a raw cabbage salad prior to his meals. Thank goodness he has become quite a cabbage-fan because I couldn’t believe I served him a main dish that incorporated cabbage- an entire head of cabbage! 🙂

The cabbage in this sauce is shredded and becomes completely unrecognizable in the creamy sauce. The crème fraiche added a lovely tanginess and the pumpernickel bread crumbs added a fabulous contrasting texture. We ate it on Thanksgiving Eve with a green salad. It was a delicious dish!

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Mike Lata. I used black forest bacon, mezzi rigatoni, and green cabbage instead of Savoy. I also reduced the crushed red pepper and increased the garlic. We grated additional Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top of each serving at the table. Yum!

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 8 ounces pumpernickel bread (with crusts), torn into pieces (3 cups)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• coarse salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice (I used black forest bacon)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 head of Savoy or green cabbage (1 1/2 pounds), shredded (I used a food processor)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 pound rigatoni or mezzi rigatoni
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

1. In a food processor, pulse the bread until coarse crumbs form. In a skillet, melt the butter in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
2. Add the breadcrumbs and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 minutes. Season with salt.
3. In a large straight-sided skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat until crisp; transfer to paper towels to drain.
4. Add the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper to the skillet and cook until the onion is softened, about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until almost all of the stock has evaporated, 8 to 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
6. Toss the pasta with the cabbage.
7. Stir in the crème fraîche, the 1/2 cup of cheese and, if necessary, the reserved pasta water; season with salt and black pepper.
8. Transfer the pasta to bowls and garnish with the breadcrumbs, bacon and black pepper. Serve with additional cheese on the side.

One Year Ago:

• Vegetable Strudel Casserole

Two Years Ago:

• Roasted Cabbage & Bacon Pasta
• Pork Sausage & Broccoli in Hard-Cider Sauce