Embrace autumn’s bounty with sweet-forward recipes
By Lauren Furey
Cozy Apple Cake
My mom makes an apple cake for special occasions, and my favorite part is the way the sugar creates a crispy crust while the apples serve as little gems within the fluffy cake.
One dish that my dinner party clients love is my rosemary olive oil cake with almond sugar crumble. It is delicious and does have over a cup of oil in it, with most of the oil being Olinda olive oil. When I developed this recipe, I was craving my mom’s apple cake! So, I did a delicious and rewarding experiment inspired by both cakes: an apple olive oil cake with warm spices, applesauce and chunks of apple. Applesauce replaces some of the oil and reinforces the apple flavor provided by the chunks of apple.
Special Equipment:
- 9-inch springform pan with removable sides
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (you may use one for one gluten free flour)
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 ⅓ cups milk (you may use skim or almond milk, though I use whole)
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons orange liqueur, optional
- 2 cups peeled, cored, and roughly chopped ½ inch pieces Granny Smith apples (about 2 apples)
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.) Butter or spray with oil spray and lightly dust a 9-inch springform pan on the bottom and all interior sides with sugar.
3.) Cover a baking sheet with foil. Put the prepared springform pan on the prepared sheet.
4.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
5.) In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, applesauce, milk, orange zest, lemon zest, orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and orange liqueur or additional orange juice. Mix until thoroughly combined.
6.) Whisk the dry ingredients into the olive oil mixture until just combined. Fold in the chopped apples using a rubber spatula.
7.) Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour, or until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 30 minutes. Remove the springform pan ring carefully. When cooled completely, invert the cake onto a plate and, using a second plate, invert the cake again so that it is upright.
Sweet Potatoes with a Browned Butter and Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Sweet potatoes are humble and versatile. They are nature’s candy. I once bought a huge wooden box full of sweet potatoes off a pickup truck stationed on the side of the road in North Carolina from four smiling kids. The kids, aka sweet potato experts, informed me that the dirt and sturdy skins of the sweet potatoes would allow them to hold up for several months. This browned butter and hazelnut vinaigrette is equally as delicious when served with roasted butternut squash, and maybe even charred carrots or a radicchio salad with goat cheese.
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, for optional searing after baking
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 1 tablespoon whole grain or Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons white wine or apple cider vinegar
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Flaky sea salt, a pinch, optional
1.) Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with foil or use a cast iron pan (no foil necessary).
2.) Poke the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and then arrange them on the prepared baking sheet or pan.
3.) Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, depending on the size of the sweet potato, until it is easily pierced with a fork.
4.) Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Let it foam and continue cooking until the milk solids begin to brown and smell nutty. Add the hazelnuts and toast until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the mustard, honey or maple syrup, vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
5.) Halve the sweet potato vertically and dress with the vinaigrette and an optional pinch of flaky sea salt to finish or sear the potato quickly in a very hot pan with olive oil drizzled on the flat, cut side of the potato to achieve a slight sear.
Lauren Furey is a Charleston-based private chef and host/producer of “Now We’re Cookin’” on .SCETV. She specializes in coastal Italian and Southern cuisine, creating custom menus with local purveyors. Season 2 premiered in March featuring eight Lowcountry-inspired episodes filmed in a Charleston beach house. Watch episodes at: www.scetv.org/watch/now-were-cookin and visit www.laurenfurey.com and instagram @LaurenSFurey
