EPLEPAI, A NORWEGIAN APPLE CAKE - GÂTEAU NORVÉGIEN AUX POMMES

As much as I love my blog, adore my followers and  appreciate communicating my enthusiasm for all things culinary with the world, I have to admit that it is always very difficult to get back on track after having been on holiday and away from my virtual "baby" (yes, that's how I call it). Blogging offers a great deal of fun, but is also a full-time "job" if you are a dedicated and serious perfectionist like me.

There are some moments when I wish I would be less enslaved to Rosa's Yummy Yums, feel less under pressure and less "obligated" to make my faithful readership happy by offering regular updates on a weekly basis. Stress is negative and can really be destructive as it tends to kill the enjoyment this divertissement is supposed to bring and transforms it into a chore and a heavy responsability. It is exactly what you want to avoid and it is then that you have to unplug yourself before you wreck yourself and hate your hobby. In that case, a break is highly recommended

Having gone through a rough and emotionally draining phase lately, I had to interrupt my rat race routine with a lovely staycation. During two blissful weeks, I enjoyed relaxing my body, intellect and soul. Finally, I could breathe, sleep, stop looking at the clock, be as silly and snail-like as I wanted, yet I somehow missed putting my thoughts down on paper and sharing my vision of things as well as my latest gastronomical discoveries with you (addiction it is called - LOL).

On the one hand it might be an energy-consumming activity to feed such a site, but on the other hand, the pleasure and joy it gives to the person behind the keyboard is immeasurable and compensates for the endless exhausting and strainful photography sessions as well as every unnerving hour spent wracking my brains in order to find clever words, original ideas and dishes of interest that I can display here.

The positive news is that eventhough my batteries have not been entirely reloaded during the course of this small interlude, I am nonetheless back on the saddle once more and ready to kick some ass again! Hopefully you have savored that momentarily calm period during my absence. Aaahhh, what a relief! Finally free of my writing deliriums, photographic experiments, cunning points of view and my sinful as well as everlastingly tempting food.

Well, as I didn't want to leave you totally unoccupied while I was not visibly present (don't worry, just like a stalker or undercover agent, I followed each of your tweets, post and facebook movements as I'm an online junkie - LOL), two of my wonderful colleague bloggers (Tanvi and Peter) entertained you thanks to their delightful guest posts delivered with much warmth, charm, verve and talent.

But let me tell you, despite the fact that you might have the impression I have spent my vacation doing absolutely nothing and being lazy like a maggot, in no way have I been procrastinating or innactive. All on the contrary. I didn't publish any recent articles, that's true, but nevertheless, in my corner, I was calmly preparing my return and future features just like a tactician getting ready for war.

Apart from taking loads of fall pictures and doing lots of thinking as well as some reasearching, I worked on my new design, hence I have the immense pleasure of introducing you guys to Rosa's Yummy Yums' elegant, distinguished, fresh and chic layout (tweeting, facebooking, stumbling, etc... enabled, how class is that?). My blog really needed a facelift as it was starting to look quite outdated, aged and crusty, so I hope you'll appreciate this makeover (there's still more to do, but let's take one step at a time, shall we)...

Today, I have decided to come back with an Autumn/Winter Norwegian apple delicacy that fits perfectly the season: "Eplepai". The name translates into "Apple Pie" in English, yet this speciality is rather a soft wettish cake than a shortcrust pastry-based dessert. 

This Scandinavian goodie is ridiculously simple and fast to put together, nonetheless it is far from being characterless, boring or bland gustatively speaking. The warm spices pair admirably with the sweet tartness of the fruits and the toasted almonds add a gorgeously nutty note to the whole. A luscious and morish treat that is sticky, extra moist, super smooth in texture, mighty gratifying and somehow reminds me of pudding. Heavenly!

I have freely adapted the recipe from Beatrice Ojakangas' marvelous and highly recommended bestseller "The Great Scandinavian Baking Book". I operated a few small changes to it as I believed it could be slightly improved (not that it really needed any enhancement, though). My version uses ground cardamom, vanilla extract and roasted almond sticks. An addition which doesn't alter the über-nordisk and preciously old-fashioned flavors of that succulent torte.

~ Norwegian Apple Cake ~
Recipe adapted from Beatrice Ojakangas' "The Great Scandinavian Baking Book".

Ingredients:
1 Egg (63g)

2 Tbs Milk

3/4 Cup (158g) Castor sugar

1 Tsp Pure vanilla extract

1 Tsp Baking powder
1/3 Tsp Fine sea salt

1 Tsp Ground cinnamon

1/3 Tsp Ground cardamom

1 Cup + 2 Tbs (158g) All-purpose flour

1/2 Chopped almonds/or almond sticks (50g), toasted

3 Medium-sized tart apples

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F), line a 18cm (7-inch) springform cake pan with baking paper and then butter it.

2. Peal, core, and dice the apples.

3. Stir all the ingredients together (the mixture will be similar to that of muffins).

4. Spread into the pan.

5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. After 1 minutes, run delicately a knife along the side of cake to loosen, then remove from the side of springform pan.
7. Place a cooling rack upside down over the cake. Turn rack and cake over. Remove the bottom as well as the baking paper of the springform pan. Place back on the rack.
8. Cool completely before serving.

Comments:

I used Belle de Boskoop apples (my favorite eating and baking apple) for this cake, but Bramley, Reine Des Reinettes, Braeburn, Granny Smith, Gravenstein apples, etc... are also ok.

Serving suggestions:

Cut into wedges and serve with either sweetened whipped cream, sweetened thick yogurt or ice cream.

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~ Gâteau Norvégien Aux Pommes ~

Recette adaptée du livre "The Great Scandinavian Baking Book" de Béatrice Ojakangas.

Ingrédients:
1 Oeuf (63g)
2 CS de Lait
158g de Sucre cristallisé
1 CC d'Extrait de vanille pure
1 CC de Poudre à lever/pâte
1/3 de CC de Sel de mer fin
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre
1/3 CC de Cardamome en poudre
158g de Farine
50g d'Amandes hachées, torréfiées
3 Pommes (moyennes) acidulées

Méthode:
1. Préchauffer le four à 180 ° C (350 ° F), recouvrir le fond d'un moule à charnière de 18cm avec du papier sulfurisé et le beurrer.
2. Peler les pommes, les nettoyer et les couper en dés.



3. Mélanger tous les ingrédients ensemble (le mélange sera épais, mais tout de même légèrement coulant, comme une pâte à muffin).
4. Étaler la pâte dans le moule.

5. Cuire au four pendant 50-60 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que le cake soit doré et qu'un cure-dent inséré au centre en ressorte propre.

6. Dix minutes après avoir sorti le cake du four, passer un couteau le long des côtés du gâteau, puis déserrer et retirer le moule à charnière.
7. Enlever le fond du moule ainsi que le papier sulfurisé.
8. Laisser refroidir complètement avant de servir.

Commentaires:
J'ai utilisé des pommes Boskoop (mes pommes à manger et à cuire préférées) pour ce gâteau, mais les pommes reine des reinettes, braeburn, granny smith, gravenstein, etc .. feront également l'affaire.

Idées de présentation:
Couper en tranches et servir soit avec la crème chantilly, du yaourt grecque sucré ou de la glace.

NORWEGIAN MOUNTAIN BREAD - PAIN RUSTIQUE NORVÉGIEN

I like to think of myself as an adventurous and daring cook/baker. Of course, there are times when life is chaotic and I just simply don't feel like staying in the kitchen for hours. It is when one feels lazy and tired that certain simple and unpretentious recipes come in handy...

Last Saturday I really had no desire to spend more than 2 hours baking bread. It was a sunny and warm day, and there was no way I was going to stay in the apartment considering the fact that the weather prognoses for Sunday were dreadfully awful.

So, as I am in a very Scandinavian- (music, culture & films) and healthy-oriented period at the moment it is not surprising that my attention was captured by Nigella Lawson's "Norwegian Mountain Bread" recipe while I was surfing on expat Siri's blog ("The Transplanted Baker").

I dare you to find a more uncomplicated and rapid bread recipe! There is absolutely no kneading, rising or shaping involved (the loaf rises in the oven). The only thing you have to do is weigh and mix all the ingredients together, pour the dough into the baking pan, put it in the oven and then keep an eye on the clock and the thermostat knob. Magic, no?

For such an inelaborate and rustic bread the result was remarkable. It was very flavorful, aromatic, pleasantly moist, wonderfully seedy, interestingly dense/compact, slightly sweet and so enjoyable. It somehow reminded me of Valais Rye Bread (Walliser Roggenbrot), German Pumpernickel, Swedish Rägbröd or Danish Ruggbrød, only without the sourness (since it is not made with sourdough).

This excellent "Norwegian Mountain Bread" is perfect when served with cheese, smoked salmon, Gravlax or cured meats such as Pastrami or corned beef. I'm sure you'll be delighted by this bread's unique aroma and texture.

This bread is getting yeastspotted by Susan’s Yeastspotting!

~ Norwegian Mountain Bread ~
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's "How To Be a Domestic Goddess".

Makes one medium-sized loaf.

Ingredients:
1 Cup plus 2 Tbs (250ml) Milk or buttermilk, lukewarm
1 Cup plus 2 Tbs (250ml) Water, lukewarm
2 Cups (255g) Whole-wheat flour
1/2 Cup (64g) Rye flour
2 1/4 Tsp (1/4 oz./7 g) Active dry yeast
1/4 Cup (50g) Rolled oats (not instant)
1 1/2 Tsp Fine sea salt
1 Tbs Light brown sugar
8 Tbs Blend of any of the following (preferably all)
- Wheat germ
- Sunflower seeds
- Flaxseeds (linseeds)
- Pumpkin seeds
- Wheatbran

Method:
1. Mix the milk, water and yeast together in a measuring jug and let rest for about 10 minutes. Combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, stirring all the while to make a sticky mixture. Then beat for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Butter your loaf pan well, pour the dough into the pan, sprinkle a few extra seeds and oats over the surface of the bread, and place in a cold oven (middle).

4. Turn the on oven to 100° C (225° F). After 30 minutes, turn it up to 175° C (325° F) for one hour (see remarks).
5. When the loaf begins to get nice and brown, take it out of the oven, run a butter knife along the sides of your pan and let rest for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the bread from the pan.
6. Allow the bread to cool thoroughly on a rack in order to prevent the insides from getting gummy.

Remarks:
As I had no wheatbran or wheat germ, I used 3 tbs sunflower seeds, 3 tbs flaxseeds and et 2 tbs pumpkin seeds.
Nigella recommends poking the bread with a cake tester or fine skewer to make sure it's done, ie: the skewer will come out clean. You may wish to return the loaf to the oven for an extra 10-15 minutes if you judge that it hasn't baked enough (that's what I did).

Serving suggestions:
Slice thinly and serve with cheese, dry, cured or cold cooked meat, smoked salmon, Gravlax or smoked herring/mackerel.

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~ Pain Rustique Norvégien ~

Recette adaptée de "How To Be a Domestic Goddess" par Nigella Lawson.

Pour un pain moyen.

Ingrédients:
250ml de Lait ou de babeurre, tiède
250ml d'Eau, tiède
255g de Farine complète
64g de Farine de seigle
2 1/4 CC (7g) de Levure sèche
50g de Flocons d'avoine
1 1/2 CC de Sel de mer fin
1 CS de Sucre brun clair
8 CS d'un mélange des ingrédients suivants (tous)
- Germes de blé
- Graines de tournesol
- Graines de lin
- Graines de courge
- Son de blé

Méthode:
1. Dans un récipient, mélanger ensemble le lait, l'eau et la levure et laisser de côté pendant 10 minutes. Dans un grand bol, mélanger ensemble tous les ingrédients restants.
2. Verser le liquide dans les ingrédients secs tout en mélangeant bien afin d'obtenir une pâte collante, puis la battre pendant 2-3 minutes.
3. Beurrer un moule rectangulaire de taille moyenne et verser la pâte dedans. Saupoudrer avec des flocons d'avoine et des graines et placer dans le four froid (milieu).

4. Régler le four à 100° C. Après 30 minutes, augmenter la température à 175° C et continuer à cuire le pain pendant 1 heure (voir remarques).
5. Quand le pain commence à devenir brun et qu'il a une belle croûte, le sortir du four et le dégager des bords du moule avec un couteau. Puis, après 5 minutes le sortir du moule et le poser sur une grille.
6. Faire refroidir le pain complètement avant de le consommer (afin d'éviter que l'intérieur soit "gommeux").

Remarques:
J'ai utilisé 3 CS de graines de tournesol, 3 CS de graines de lin et 2 CS de graines de courge car je n'avait pas de son de blé ou de germes de blé.
Nigella recommande de tester le pain avec la pointe d'un couteau afin d'être bien sûr que le pain soit cuit (dans ce cas la lame en ressort propre). Il vous faudra alors peut-être remettre le pain dans le fourra pendant 10-15 minutes (si vous jugez que le pain est pas assez cuit - ce que j'ai fait).

Idées de présentation:
Couper en tranches très fines et servir avec du fromage, de la viande séchée, de la charcuterie ou du roastbeef froid, du saumon fumé, du Gravlax ou du maquereau/harreng fumé.