From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite…This is a lovely cake to serve for brunch or a holiday breakfast. It’s really easy to prepare, but the ingredients needed to make it may require advance planning. Almond paste and fresh, or frozen, cranberries are among the items you’ll need to have on hand. If almond paste is not available in your stores, you can find a recipe for a home made version here. Hopefully, you have a stash of cranberries in your freezer. I make it a point to freeze several bags each season so we can enjoy cranberry desserts throughout the year. In a pinch, frozen raspberries can be used as a substitute. The cake has a very stiff batter and any berry you use has to be able to stand up to the folding process. Freezing helps if you are not using cranberries. The almond paste gives this cake wonderful flavor and it is the perfect foil for the tart cranberries. This is not a sweet cake, but those of you who like European-style cakes and pastries will really enjoy it. I hope you will try it. Here’s the recipe.

Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake…from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Anne Keenan

Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond paste
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 eggs
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 8-inch square pan.
2) Cream almond paste, butter and 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy in a medium bowl. Add two eggs, beating well after each addition.
3) Combine 1 cup flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture. Beat in remaining egg and flour. Stir in extracts. Gently fold in cranberries.
4) Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 9 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Baked Stuffed Tomatoes

Two Years Ago Today: Berry Patch Cake

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Cranberry Streusel Cake – Saved by the Egg Timer
Upside Down Cranberry Cake – Holy Cannoli Recipes
Apple Cranberry Cake – Food4Thought
Apple Cinnamon Cranberry Cake with Vanilla Buttercream – Rising Wold Eats
Cornmeal Cranberry Cake – Food Republik

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite…Apple cakes are one of fall’s pleasures. As days shorten and the air begins to chill, they fill the kitchen with the aroma of cinnamon and cloves and bid a hearty home-felt welcome to all who venture in. This apple cake is a bit different than most. It contains chunks of apples and is almost, though not quite, pudding-like in texture. It has a lovely taste, but what sets it apart from so many others like it, is the butterscotch sauce that is used to top it. This moist cake is straightforward to make and requires no special baking skills or equipment to get it to the table. It should be served warm from the oven or reheated for best results. My family really enjoys this cake and I think yours will, too. It’s a memory maker. Here’s the recipe.

Chunky Apple Cake…from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Debi Benson

Ingredients:

Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 cups chopped peeled tart apples

Butterscotch Sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.

2) Cream butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3) Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda in another bowl. Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well (batter will be stiff). Stir in apples until well combined. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until top is lightly browned and springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

4) Meanwhile, combine brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted. Gradually add cream. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Serve with cake. Yield: 12-14 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Not Your Momma’s Lemonade

Two Years Ago Today: Braised Vietnamese Fish

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Simple Apple Cake – Jaana’s Kitchen

Drunken Apple Cake – Pastry Studio

Cream Cheese Apple Cake – Inspired2Cook

Coffee Apple Cake – Munaty Cooking

Italian Apple Cake – Adora’sKitchen

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite…Once pumpkin recipes begin to appear in magazines, you know the holidays can’t be far behind. For the past several years, I’ve been seeking recipes that present old favorites in different ways. Today’s recipe is a perfect example of what I mean. It is not new, but it combines elements of old recipes in such a way that it seems to be new. A standard spice cake is enhanced with pumpkin and then served warm, dripping with a sweet caramel sauce that is a wonderful counterpoint to the moist and spicy cake. It is an easy dessert to make it and it’s always well received. It is perfect for the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. Here’s the recipe for those of you who’d like to try this lovely seasonal cake.

Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Syrup…from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
Caramel Sauce
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Dash salt
1-1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
2) Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.
3) Combine eggs, pumpkin and oil in another bowl and beat until smooth.
4) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well-blended, about 1 minute.
5) Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake fe a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center of comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
6) To make sauce: Combine brown sugar, flour and salt in a small saucepan. Stir in water and butter and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cut cake into squares and serve with warm sauce. Yield: 12-16 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Pickled Pepper Relish

Two Years Ago Today: Colcannon – An Irish Halloween Tradition

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Pumpkin Cupcakes – The Four Points Foodie
Mum’s Pumpkin Bread – A Foodie and Her Family
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal – The Hungry Housewife
Double Ginger Pumpkin Tart – Inspired2Cook
Peanut Butter-Pumpkin Blondies – My Baking Heart

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite…Clotilde Dusoulier is a 30-something French woman who writes the award-winning food blog, Chocolate & Zucchini. She was born and raised in Paris, and save for a brief stint as a software engineer in California, has spent her adult life in France. Strange as it may seem, her interest in food was kindled during the time she lived and worked in the Bay area of San Francisco. On returning to Paris, she started a blog to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with like-minded souls, and slowly began the transition from engineer to full-time food writer. She has two food-related books to her credit. One is the cookbook, Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen, and the other is a traveler’s guide to eating in Paris called, Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris. She has also translated and adapted Ginette Mathiot’s famous cookbook Je Sais Cuisiner (“I Know How to Cook”). She writes well, takes marvelous photos and has created a spot so civil that her readers, at least this one, find it hard to leave. She has earned her spot on the Gourmet Live list of Women Game Changers in Food. I want to share her recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake with you today. Mine, which suffers from a bad case of sunken berries, is not as pretty as hers, but it will serve to illustrate the various components of the cake. Here’s her recipe for this moist and delicious treat.

Blueberry Coffee Cake…from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Clotilde Dusoulier

Ingredients:
200g (1 2/3 cup) flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
a good pinch salt
115g (1 stick) butter, diced, at room temperature
200g (1 cup) white sugar
3 eggs
240ml (1 cup) plain yogurt or fromage blanc or sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
500g (3 cups) blueberries, fresh or frozen (no need to thaw)
40g (1/4 cup) brown sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat your oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease a 22-cm (9-inch) cake pan, preferably nonstick with a removable bottom.
2) Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3) In a food processor, mix together butter and white sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add yogurt and vanilla, and mix again. Add flour mixture, and mix again until just combined.
4) Pour half of cake batter in the cake pan. Pour half of blueberries over surface. Cover with remaining batter, top with remaining blueberries, and sprinkle evenly with e brown sugar.
5) Bake for an hour, until top is golden brown and a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack, let stand in pan for ten minutes, then unclasp sides of pan and let cool completely before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

The following bloggers are also featuring the recipes of Clotilde Dusoulier today. I hope you’ll visit all of them. They are all great cooks who have wonderful blogs.

Val – More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne – Eats Well With Others
Taryn – Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda – Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette – Healthy Living
April – Abby Sweets
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary – One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue – The View from Great Island
Barbara – Movable Feasts
Kathleen – Gonna Want Seconds
Amy – Beloved Green
Jeanette – Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Linda A - There and Back Again
Martha – Lines from Linderhof
Nancy – Picadillo

Next week we will highlight the career and recipes of Pim Techamuanvivit. It will be really interesting to see what everyone comes up with. If you’d like to join us please email me for additional information no later than Saturday, October 8th.

It is deadly still here. The silence is broken only by bird songs and the waves that lap against these once bloody shores. There are better than a hundred of us on this beach head and all of us are silent. Bob and I have crossed the Dardanelles and are in Gallipoli at a place called Seddulbahir which is the final resting place of ANZAC forces who tried to land here in 1916. Those of us who love words and understand their power suddenly have none. As you walk the rows of well kept graves the headstones tell the tale. James McElroy age 18. Thomas Shoemaker age 19. Johnny McBride age 17. The oldest in this cemetery is 37. The old lie was repeated….Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori…and young men once again died in a war not of their making. Before this battle was ended 552000 young men would loose their lives and leave wives and mothers to grieve their their loss. Half were Aussies and New Zealanders. The other half were Turkish. Mustafa Ataturk who would become the leader of the new Turkish nation left this memorial for all who died at Gallipoli.

`These heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives. You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours.

You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears. Your sons are now in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.`

Take care and stay well. Blessings……Mary

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite…This simple recipe was developed in the Ocean Spray Test Kitchen. It’s another example of the great food that these test kitchens can produce. This mousse is simple enough for children to prepare, but it’s lovely tart flavor speaks to older and more sophisticated diners. I originally made the mousse to serve as a luncheon dessert. It worked well and I loved its color, so I held on to the recipe and still make it when the opportunity arises. If you entertain for lunch, you might want to give this a try. It’s also great for busy days when you’d like a creamy but effortless dessert. While it requires just minutes to prepare, the mousse needs to chill for several hours before it can be served and adequate time must be built into your game plan. Cranberry Jello is usually available during the lead up to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. It’s best to stockpile it at that time because it will be hard to find later in the year. Raspberry Jello is an adequate substitute. I think some of you will really enjoy this. Here’s the recipe for those who are tempted to give it a try.

Cranberry Mousse…from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Ocean Spray Test Kitchen

Ingredients
1 cup cranberry juice
1 package (3 ounces) cranberry or raspberry gelatin
1 can (14 ounces) jellied cranberry sauce
2 cups whipped topping, thawed

Directions
1) Heat cranberry juice cocktail to boiling in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in raspberry gelatin until dissolved; transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2) Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat cranberry sauce in a small bowl for 1 minute. Stir into gelatin mixture. Chill until mixture begins to thicken, but not set.
3) Gently mix in whipped topping, using a rubber scraper. Spoon into serving dishes or prepared pie shell. Chill until firm. Yield: 8 serving.

One Year Ago Today: Chunky Plum and Tomato Chutney

Two Years AgoToday: Creamy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

You might also like these recipes:
Cranberry Shortbread Cookies – Eggless Cooking
Maple Cranberry Scones – Foodness Gracious
Cranberry Pecan Power Bars – For the Love of Food
Oatmeal Cranberry Muffins -The Harried Cook
Cranberry Pork Loin – A Foodie and Her Family

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite…I’m always on the lookout for new side dishes, so, I was thrilled when this one came on my radar. The recipe was developed by Angela Hanks and she created a wonderfully flavorful side dish that’s low in fat and sodium. That’s not easy to do. I love the flavor the red sweet peppers add to this dish. They also add great color and give this casserole fabulous eye appeal. It’s a standout on a buffet table and you won’t have to worry about leftovers. I really enjoy this dish and I make it regularly for the Silver Fox. It’s fast and easy to prepare and I always have the ingredients I need to make it on hand. I hope you’ll give this dish a try. I suspect you’ll like it, too. Here’s the recipe.

Corn and Pepper Orzo…from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Angela Hanks

Ingredients:

3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta

1 large sweet red pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper



Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to package directions.

2) Meanwhile, spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add red pepper, onions and oil to pan. Saute for about 2 minutes to soften. Add corn, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Drain pasta and stir into vegetables. Heat through. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Two Tears Ago Today: Barmbrack – Irish Halloween Bread

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Grilled Corn Salsa – My New Roots

Fresh Corn Pancakes – Closet Cooking

Cornbread Pudding – Hungry Harps

Corn and Potato Chowder – My Kitchen Snippets

Sweet Corn and Potato Saute – Christine’s Pantry

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite…I found this terrific recipe in Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook, by Beth Hensberger and Julie Kaufman. Those of you who try the recipe are in for a real taste treat. The soup is outstanding and once you’ve tasted it, I suspect the recipe will find its way into your regular rotation. It uses a lot of butter, and I know many of you will instinctively want to cut back on it as you prepare the soup. I urge you not to. This soup uses a handful of ingredients and cutting back on any of them is an invitation to disappointment. The slow cooker frees you from attending the soup as it cooks, so once you have sauteed the onions, the soup becomes an effortless creation. I hope you’ll try this. It almost – almost – made my socks go up and down. Here’s the recipe.

Winter Tomato Soup for the Slow Cooker…from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Beth Hensperger



Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 large or 2 medium-size yellow onions, chopped

1 quart home-canned tomatoes or one 28-ounce can imported Italian whole or chopped plum tomatoes, with their juice

1/2 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine

1 tablespoon sugar

1 heaping teaspoon dried tarragon

Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cold sour cream for serving

Directions:

1) Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 15 minutes, stirring often to cook evenly.

2) Combine tomatoes, vermouth, sugar, and tarragon in a slow cooker. Scrape contents of skillet into tomato mixture.Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours.

3) Purée in batches in a food processor or with a handheld immersion blender. Stain soup if you wish. Season with salt. Keep warm on LOW without letting it come to a boil until serving. Ladle hot soup into bowls and top with a spoonful of cold sour cream. Yield:4 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Hot Clam Dip

Two Years Ago Today: Australian Busters

You might also like these recipes:

Tomato Soup with a Twist – Bon Appetit Hon

Rustic Tomato Soup – Umzzy’s Easy Eats

Creamy Tomato Soup – Plain Chicken

Tomato Leek and Basil Soup – The Galley Gourmet

Fire Roasted Tomato Bisque – My Kitchen Adventures

From the kitchen of One Bite…I have a weakness for cheesecakes. I love to eat them and I love to bake them. I find their tangy creaminess irresistible, and, save for brownies, I don’t know a dessert that’s easier to make. On the downside, they are calorie laden and commonsense dictates they not be eaten often. I’ve found it’s possible to enjoy them a bit more frequently by exercising a simple form of portion control. Rather than make a cake, I make cheesecake bars or squares which, of course, contain fewer calories than a slice of the same cake would have. It works for me, though it took years to learn to stop eating with one piece. The cake I’m featuring today is a basic cheesecake flavored with vanilla and enhanced with a nut topping. These squares are very, very good. I know you’ll like the ease with which they can be made and I suspect you’ll find their taste most appealing. Here’s the recipe.

Walnut Cheesecake Squares…from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite



Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup cold butter

Filling

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

2) To make cheesecake base: Combine flour, walnuts, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set half aside; press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

3) To make filling: Combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Pour over crustdients until smooth; pour over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

4) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 16-20 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder

Two Years Ago Today: Cran-Apple Crisp

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars – Good Thymes and Good Food

Smores Cheesecake Bars – The Sweet’s Life

Cherry Cheesecake Bars – Baking and Boys

SopapillaCheesecake Bars- My Baking Heart

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars – Life’s Ambrosia

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite…I love fall and the aromas of the fall kitchen. The scents of cinnamon and cloves permeate the house and ready the senses for the sprees of holiday cooking that lie ahead. The cooler weather is invigorating and surging energy forcibly retires the slow and measured pace of summer. One item on the list of things that must be done is our yearly hunt for apples. Actually, it’s more like a forray than a hunt, but it demands at least one day be spent in an orchard picking apples. Lots of apples. I’m convinced that this sweat equity sets my cooking efforts apart from those who let others do the picking for them. Fortunately, my family loves apples and, I know that our harvest, however large, won’t last long enough to spoil. I make this bundt cake every fall. It’s not my favorite apple dessert, but it’s really delicious, and because it’s not frosted, it’s wonderful to tote from one place to another. It’s really easy to make and is always well received. I thought you might enjoy it. Here’s the recipe.

Apple and Walnut Bundt Cake …from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded peeled tart apples
2 cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
2) Combine eggs, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat to combine. Add apples and sugar and beat for 1 minute longer.
3) Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and baking powder in another bowl. Add to apple mixture, beating until blended. Stir in walnuts.
4) Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minute, or until a toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan andcool right side up on awire rack Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 325° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack with right-side of cake facing up. 5) When cool, combine confectioners’ sugar and brown sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle over top of cake. Yield: 15 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Assorted Creams and Ices

Two Years Ago Today: Apfel Sahne Torte – Apple Cream Cake

Your might also enjoy these recipes:
French Apple Cake – Babe in the City KL
Sticky Toffee Apple Cake – What’s for Dinner Hon?
Scandinavian Apple Cake – Cook Almost Anything
Caramel Apple Cake Pops (Gluten Free) – The Dusty Baker
Whole Wheat Apple Cake – Dinners and Dreams