Toasted Almond Torte with Roasted Apricots

Last weekend I hosted an artist boutique and put out a big spread of seasonal sweet and savory treats. The eggplant and feta rolls were featured as well as a butternut squash soup with cinnamon croutons. The bread pudding with whiskey butter sauce was good, but this was the favorite of the day.
This torte recipe popped out of the files and although not a new one, Sunset April 1984, it was fantastic. I altered fruit to reflect the fall season and my frozen summer bounty. In the early summer I roasted apricots with a bit of cinnamon and honey for about 30 minutes in a hot 450+ oven, then stacked the quart bags in the freezer. After defrosting them, I spread them between the layers as a filling and again on top, prior to ‘frosting’ with slightly sweeten whipped cream.
I sliced the torte in small wedges and some even asked for seconds. YUM!


Toasted Almond Torte with Roasted Apricots

1/4 cup whole unblanched almonds
1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
1 ½ cups roasted apricots
¼ slivered almonds

Toast nuts in a 9 inch pan in a 350 degree oven until golden under skin, 10 to 12 minutes; cool. Whirl nuts in a food processor or blender to grind finely.
Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until creamy.
Beat in eggs, vanilla, and almond.
Blend flour, baking powder, nuts; add alternately to batter with milk, blending well.
Pour into a greased 9-inch round cake pan.
Bake in a 350 degree oven until top springs back when touched, about 40 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes on rack. Invert on serving plate; cool completely.
Cut into 2 layers. Spread ½ the fruit on bottom layer; set top layer in place. Spread the rest of the fruit on cake; top with whipped cream and sprinkle with the slivered almonds. Serves 10.

Grilled Eggplant with Feta, Mint and Chili

Last week in the Seasonal Table class, we tested this recipe that I had heard about in an interview with Nigella on NPR. It was a winner and I demonstrated at farmers market. I think we sold out of most of the farmer’s eggplant! Good feta cheese is important. Since I’m not a skilled cheese maker (yet) I bought a lovely Hungarian one at the new Visalia Mediterranean market (behind Carl’s Jr in the shopping center off Mooney).
It’s getting too cold to play with knives and cook al fresco, so the recipes until spring arrives, will be those I make in class with students or at home.

Grilled Eggplant with Feta, Mint and Chili
From Nigella Lawson
Makes 20 rolls

Ingredients
2 large eggplant, each cut thinly, lengthwise, into about 10 slices
4 tablespoons olive oil
8–9 ounces feta cheese
1 large red chili, finely chopped, seeded or not, depending on how much heat you want
bunch fresh mint, finely chopped, with some saved for garnish
juice of 1 lemon
black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat a grill, stovetop griddle or broiler to a high heat.
2. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil,
cook them for about 2 minutes each side until golden and tender.
3. Crumble the feta into a bowl, stir in the chili, mint, lemon juice and ground fresh black pepper.
4. Pile the end third of each warm eggplant slice with a heaping teaspoon of the feta mixture and roll each slice up as you go to form a soft, stuffed bundle.
5. Place seam-side down on a plate, and sprinkle with a little more mint

West African sweet potato & peanut butter soup

KMK farmers Kyle and Michele Reynolds have brought to market the first sweet potatoes of the season. You’ll never want to eat store bought again! Fresh sweet potatoes live up to their name. If sweet potatoes are picked, packed and shipped to market and sit in the store, the sugars turn to starch. So get a couple of pounds and make this east silky smooth and low fat soup. Full of beta carotene and other vitamins they are good and good for you! I’m serving this Saturday at the Visalia Farmers Market. I hope you’ll come taste a sample.

West African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup
Cooks Illustrated International Cookbook
serve 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced
1 tsp light brown sugar
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 1 Tbsp)
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cayenne pepper
3 ½ cup chicken broth
2 cups water
2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled, quartered & lengthwise and sliced thin
3 Tbsp peanut butter
ground black pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1.Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

2.Add the onion, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon (2tsp) salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened about 5 to 7 minutes.

3.Stir in the garlic, coriander and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4.Add the broth, water and sweet potatoes and peanut butter. Bring to a boil over high heat.

5.Turn the heat to low and cook, partially covered, until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a knife, 25- 30 minutes.

6.Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor, until smooth and then return it to the saucepan. (The soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat over medium low heat).

7.Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir in the cilantro and serve.

What can I make with eggplant?

I hear this question frequently. Of course there’s always ratatouille, but what else? One of the local farmers, Kyle of KM K Farms, is begging me to demo eggplant, so I’m on the lookout for new eggplant recipes that I can make easily on my one burner butane fueled stove. And voila, the October issue of Food & Wine had a vegetarian dish featuring roasted eggplant from my favorite staff chef, Grace Parisi. It was yummy, and best made in an oven to sweeten the veggies, via the hot roasting process. It felt good to ‘eat green’ and meatless. I served it with a side of sliced yellow tomato and fresh cilantro, yogurt on top the dish and naan flat bread. I substituted the canned chickpeas, with soaked garbanzo beans cooked for 12 minutes in my pressure cooker, and switched out the spinach for farm fresh baby Russian kale, de-ribbed and cut into strips.
Unfortunately I can't make this dish on a one burner butane burn stove outdoors, so I’m still looking for a primo eggplant recipe for the demo on Oct 17 


Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas and Spinach
Ingredients
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, or homemade about 2 cups
1/4 cup finely julienned fresh ginger
Freshly ground pepper
One 5-ounce bag baby spinach, or use baby Russian kale, de-ribbed and sliced, 1 ½ “
Warm naan and plain yogurt, for serving
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
2. On a work surface, mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt.
3. In a large roasting pan, mix the paste with the curry powder and vegetable oil.
4. Add the eggplant, onion, chickpeas and ginger, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
5. Spread the vegetables in an even layer and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the eggplant and onion are tender.
6. Stir in the spinach (kale) and roast just until wilted, about 2+ minutes.
7. Serve with warm naan and yogurt.