cook like james

Not only is this a great fall cake recipe, but it’s also perfect for Rosh Hashanah. Baked with traditional ingredients of apple and honey, this moist bundt cake is a great way to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

For the Honey Apple Cake:

3 large eggs

3/4 cup honey ( I use Nature Nate's Raw &Unfiltered Organic Honey)

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 1/4 cups canola oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp ground cloves

4 Granny Smith or Gala apples (peeled, cored, and shredded)

GLAZE

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable spray.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and spices; set aside
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are frothy. Whisk in the honey, white sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture into the liquid, stir gently to blend until no pockets of flour remain, do not overmix. Fold in the shredded apples.
4. Pour batter into the pan and smooth top with rubber spatula.
5. Bake cake for 70-80 minutes. When the edges darken and just begins to pull fully away from the sides of the pan, and the cake browns all the way across the surface, insert a toothpick deep into the thickest part of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. It’s a very moist cake, so it’s easy to undercook it.
6. Let cake cook in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then invert on wire rack to cool.

GLAZE:

1. Heat honey and vanilla on microwave for 30 seconds to thin. Brush over warm cake and let cake rest about 1 hour before serving.

This makes a perfect side dish for Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, or Tandoori. Rinsing the rice is an important step which delivers a light and fluffy dish with grains that are separate and distinct.

Download Perfectly Spiced Indian-Style Basmati Rice recipe

1 ½ cups basmati rice

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed

3 whole cloves

2¼ cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon table salt

*Note: For basmati rice with a bright yellow color, add ¼ teaspoon of ground turmeric and a pinch of saffron threads with the water in step 3.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place rice in fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Place strainer over bowl and set aside.
2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cumin, cardamom, and cloves and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add water, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 17 minutes. Let stand, covered, off heat for at least 10 minutes. Discard cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Fluff rice with fork and serve.

I’m always searching for a great recipe for lemon pound cake, or tea bread, the kind I remember having in Paris, moist but light, and loaded with lemon flavor. This might be the best one I’ve tried, which I discovered on an episode of Milk Street TV called “Baking in Paris”. The recipe is inspired by the show’s visit to Rose Bakery, a cafe owned by Rose Carrarini,  where they sampled Rose’s acclaimed Lemon-Almond Pound Cake. Her secret is to replace some of the wheat flour with almond flour. Almond flour makes the cake's crumb extra tender and moist and gives it a more interesting texture than wheat flour alone. The original recipe uses a traditional lemon drizzle, but I decided to try a rosemary lemon drizzle which I saw John Whaite (English baker who won the third series of The Great British Bake Off) do on a Baking Mad “makeittogether competition The rosemary lemon drizzle soaks into the loaf cake and brings it to another level – an absolutely fantastic combination.

INSTRUCTIONS:

195 grams (1½ cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

241 grams (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

100 grams (1 cup) almond flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) salted butter, cut into 14 pieces, room temperature

3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Lemon Rosemary Syrup

108 grams (1/2 cup) white sugar

6 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

1 sprig of rosemary

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the middle position. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, dust evenly with flour, then tap out the excess.
2. In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla until combined; set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the 241 grams sugar and the lemon zest on low until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add both flours, the baking powder and salt and mix until combined, about 10 seconds.
4. With the mixer on low, add the butter a piece at a time. Once all the butter has been added, continue mixing on low until the mixture is crumbly and no powdery bits remain, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. With the mixer still running, add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream and mix for about 10 seconds. Increase to medium-high and beat until the batter is light and fluffy, 1 to 1½ minutes, scraping the bowl once or twice. The batter will be thick.
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface, then sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds. Bake for 45 minutes, then reduce the oven to 300°F. Continue to bake until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean, another 30 to 35 minutes.
7. While the cake is baking, in a small saucepan over medium-low, heat the 108 grams (1/2 cup) sugar, 5 tablespoons of lemon juice and rosemary sprig, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches a bubbly simmer. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Set aside to cool.
8. When the cake is done, cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack, then turn it upright. Using a toothpick, poke small holes in the surface at 1-inch intervals. Brush all of the lemon-rosemary syrup onto the cake, allowing it to soak in. Cool completely before slicing, about 2 hours.

Tips: Don’t use cold butter or cold eggs. The butter must be softened to room temperature so it integrates into the sugar-flour mixture. And the eggs must be at room temperature, too, not chilled, so they don't cause the butter to stiffen up when added to the mixer. Lastly, don't rotate the cake as it bakes. Jostling the pan increases the chance the batter will deflate, resulting in a dense, under-risen cake.

This is a fantastic summer dish which I first tried at Alan Jackson’s restaurant/marketplace Lemonade. The edamame are a great base for salads because of their bright, fresh flavor and watermelon radish add great color and crunch while the sesame ginger dressing ties it all together. Makes a great salad to serve with sushi.

Download Edamame Snap Pea Salad Watermelon Radishes Sesame Dressing recipe

½ pound sugar snap peas (2 cups), ends trimmed

2 cups shelled edamame (green soybeans), frozen, thawed, and cooked according to package directions

1 large shallot, minced (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, mint or basil

3 small red radishes thinly sliced

1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced and then cut each slice into quarters (to resembles triangle slices of watermelon)

1 carrot, grated on small holes of a box grater

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

½ teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup Sesame Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl halfway with water and adding a tray of ice cubes.
2. Blanch sugar snap peas in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes (until they are just turning tender but still very crisp) and then immediately place into an ice bath. Slice sugar snap peas diagonally, smaller ones in half and longer ones into thirds.
3. Put the blanched snap peas in a mixing bowl. Add the edamame, shallot, chives (or mint, basil), radish slices, carrot, and vinaigrette, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, salt, and pepper, tossing well. Serve chilled.

SESAME GINGER VINAIGRETTE

3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 Tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili paste (optional)

1/3 cup canola oil

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small mixing bowl or mason jar, combine the vinegar, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, mustard, soy sauce, chili paste, canola and sesame oils; season with pepper. Whisk or shake to blend. Keep any left-over vinaigrette covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes 1 cup.

Peach cobbler is a timeless summer dessert that is easy to throw together and this recipe makes just enough for two generous portions. I think this dessert is best made with fresh peaches at the peak of the season, but frozen peaches will work in a pinch. Serve on its own or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Download Fresh Peach Cobbler for Two recipe

FILLING

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 ¼ pounds fresh peaches (about 3 or 4), peeled, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges, or 1 lb. frozen sliced peaches

1 tablespoon water

1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING

½ cup (2 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

⅛ teaspoon baking soda

⅛ teaspoon salt

¼ cup buttermilk (If you don’t have buttermilk, combine ¼ cup of milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon in 8-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.
3. Add peaches and cook, covered, until peaches release their juice, about 5 minutes (7 or 8 minutes if using frozen peaches).
4. Whisk water, lemon juice, and flour together in bowl and stir into peaches. Off heat, stir in vanilla. Cover and set aside.

FOR THE TOPPING:

1. Whisk flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Add buttermilk and melted butter and stir until dough forms.
2. Using spoon, drop 1-inch pieces of dough evenly over hot peach mixture in skillet. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and bake until topping is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 20 minutes. Serve on its own, or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.