Orkan Apfelkuchen: Hurricane Apple Cake

mmm....Apfelkuchen

Back in 2007, a group of us went to Germany. My cousin Jason and I probably spent as much money on Apfelkuchen (German Apple Cake) as we did on beer. Off and on I have tried to make it, but never got it right. The key I think is the springform.

Well, Irene was supposed to give us a terrible storm that would require me to stay inside. And by the looks of outside when I went for my run, that was a good idea last night. Today, I had planned to stay inside.

So, I bought a springform and was going to make an Americanized** version of Apfelkuchen.

2/3 cup margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 crank (a new BIPM measurement equal to 1.41 dashes) sea salt
1/2 capfull (a new BIPM measurment equal to 2.82 dashes) almond extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp all spice
7 small to mid-sized apples (I used ginger golds)

---
lemon drizzle
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

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1 tbsp of confectioners sugar (to coat after baking)

1. peel, core and slice apples. I just used an apple slicer after peeling but you can slice them even thinner.
set aside
2. pre-heat oven to 350F
3. beat margarine in a mixing bowl
4. Slowly add sugars, vanilla, salt, almond extract and 2 eggs
5. Sift in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice
6. Mix in the sifted goods
7. Pour batter into greased springform. level off the batter.
8. stack apples atop batter. I did this core side down. I have seen them place on their side.
9. Mix lemon drizzle
10. brush or drizzle over apples
11. bake for 75 minutes
12. cool and then dust with confectioners sugar. (You'll notice in the picture I forgot to buy confectioners sugar.)

**For a more traditional apfelkuchen, don't use the cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice and use all white sugar instead of white and brown.

Jamaican Tofu & Plum Curry

This dish is an old standby of mine. And, in my new apartment with its very own Deconstructionalist Kitchen, it was the first dish I made.

The tofu can easily be substituted for by chicken or seafood.

I switch between red plums and red pears, depending on the season.

Jamaican Tofu and Plum Curry

Rice-
1 cup of rice
2 cups of water
1 tbsp of turmeric
1 tbsp margarine

Curry
12 oz pkg of tofu, cubed (I always buy the pre-cubed kind, its so much less of a hassle).
1 lb broccoli, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 red plums, chopped
2 tbsp of flour
4 tbsp of Jamaican yellow curry (I use Reggae Country Style or Goya)
1 can of coconut milk
2 tbsp margarine

1. Make rice
2. Stirfry tofu and broccoli
3. Add mushrooms
4. Add plums - briefly stirfry (just enough to get hot and see a little juice)
5. Add flour and curry, stir
6. Add Coconut milk, stir and cover.
7. Put rice in with curry or serve curry over the rice. (I prefer the former just because I can get a good mix in without later having rice and no curry or vice-versa).