Mini Apple-Cinnamon Loaves with Glaze

I buy apples all year long. My oldest daughter loves them so much that her friends give them to her. She eats them all the time. So, I always have them in the house and I really should cook with them more. I tend to only bake with apples in the fall when we have an abundance of them. I guess that trend may just change especially since this recipe.

This week's pick on Project Pastry Queen was by Emily of A Gilt Nutmeg. My family loved them. My husband doesn't like nuts so some loaves were nut free. The original glaze is suppose to have Calvados in it but there were no nips available and I didn't want to have a large bottle when only 1 Tbsp was needed. My family liked the apple juice substitute. I purchased a can of frozen apple juice. I let it defrost in the refrigerator. After opening, I used 1 Tbsp of the concentrate for this recipe and then made a pitcher of apple juice for the kids.

Mini Apple-Cinnamon Loaves with Apple Juice Glaze
Bread:
1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups apples, peeled, cored, and diced
Glaze (recipe below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Arrange the nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast for about 7 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Grease 5 (6"x4"x2") mini loaf pans with cooking spray.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
6. Stir the flour mixture into the oil mixture until incorporated.
7. Fold in the apples and pecans.
8. Fill the loaf pans with batter about three quarters of the way to the top.
9. Bake the bread for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.
10. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes before moving them onto a cooling rack. 
11. Spoon the glaze over each bread.

Glaze:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Tbsp agave syrup
1 Tbsp apple juice concentrate

Directions:

1. Melt the butter, brown sugar, syrup, and apple juice over medium heat.
2. Simmer the mixture for 2 minutes or until it thickens slightly.
3. Spoon the warm glaze over the loaves of bread.
4. Allow the glaze to cool for at least 1 hour.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen.

Did you already know...
-Calvados is an apple brandy.
-It is traditionally drank after dinner.
-There are many different Calvados brands available and they are ranked like cognac.

Chicken Salad Roll Up

When I was growing up, I hated leftovers. I hated them. (I just wanted to make sure you knew how I really felt.) So, I think it is very strange I live in a household that like leftovers. If I make a nice meal, my husband will call on his way home to ask me if there is any left. 

The problem comes when I am trying to make two meals from one. I made this roast chicken which is popular in our household. I also planned to make chicken salad roll ups with the leftover chicken. I had to stress to everyone not to touch the leftover chicken. My husband later told me that he was glad he waited. It was hard but he was glad.

Chicken Salad Roll Up
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup light Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp mustard
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp tarragon
3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup slivered blanched almonds
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4 cup minced onion
salt and pepper
4 tortilla

Directions:

1. Arrange the almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer.
2. Toast the almonds for 7 or until golden brown. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, tarragon.
4. Add the chicken, almonds, apple, celery, and onion to the  mayonnaise mixture.
5. Mix the ingredients until incorporated.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
7. Place 1/4 of the filling in the center of the tortilla and roll. 

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen.

Did you already know...
-As a celebration to the Duke Duc de Richelieu's military victory over the English, the Duke's French chef created a feast in 1756.
-For the feast, the chef was making a sauce with eggs and cream but he didn't have any cream.
-The chef substituted olive oil for the cream and named it mahonnaise.
-The word mahonnaise was misprinted in a 1841 cookbook and the name has been known since as Mayonnaise.

Apple Strudel

I am going to continue with my Oktoberfest recipes.......but today is about dessert! My youngest daughter's only reason she eats supper. My sister, however, will just eat dessert and forget about the meal.

Apple Strudel! My sister would like this dessert (or meal). My daughter really liked this dessert. It is a really simple recipe and it's so good! I recently went to a medieval dinner and at the end of the meal we were served apple strudel.

                                                     Believe me this strudel taste a lot better!

As you can see, I did not add any raisins. My family are afraid of raisins but I like them. Since majority rules, I did not add any raisins. You could add raisins or cranberries.

Apple Strudel


2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 apples, I used Gala apples but any good baking apple would work.
1 sheet of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets
powder sugar


Directions:
1. Thaw the puff pastry sheet on counter for 40 minutes.
2. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.
3. In a bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Add apples to the bowl and toss until evenly coated with the sugar mixture. Set bowl aside.
5. Sprinkle clean working surface with flour.
6. Carefully, unfold the puff pastry sheet on work surface and carefully roll into a rectangle.
7. Spoon the apple sugar mixture down the middle of the pastry lengthwise but stop about 1 inch from edge.
8. Fold the edges over the mixture and pinch seams together.
9. Cut several slits on the top of the puff pastry.
10. Bake strudel for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Let pastry cool on a wire rack about 20 minutes.
12. Once cooled, sprinkle with powder sugar.


Adapted from http://www.puffpastry.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeID=23990&rc=-1

My oldest daughter loves apples but you could use pears or a mixture of fruit. When I was in Germany, I purchased gingerbread cookies but I didn't order any strudel. I did order a German pancake which came topped with cranberries. I was surprised to learn that there is a European wild cranberry.

Did you already know..................


An apple is 25% air so that is why applies float in water.(Lets bob for some apples.)
Cranberries float because they have four air pockets inside them.