The Holiday Breakfast

Yes, this entry on Thanksgiving baking is several weeks overdue. I know, I know. I will limit it to the Thanksgiving breakfast, which I baked, rather than including the Thanksgiving desserts as surreptitiously prepared by my mother (she knew I'd be upset if I heard she was baking dessert in advance).

I must start by telling you that I am an apple snob. I didn't choose to become such a snob; it just happened that way. I grew up in Londonderry, New Hampshire, a town with four commercial orchards and, as the local phrase goes, "more apples than people." The most popular of the orchards, Mack's Apples, is the ultimate New England fall destination, with apples, cider, pumpkins, other veggies, baked goods, and maple products available for purchase from the orchard shop. (You can also pick your produce straight from the tree/vine, via several "U-Pick" stations; in the summer, you can enjoy locally-made ice cream by a pond with sociable waterfowl.) The orchard grows a variety of apples, which I have sampled throughout the years; my favorite is the Londonderry Cortland. Cortland apples are crisp and tart, with sparkling white flesh covered by red-and-green blotched skin. They are neither too sweet nor too tangy, and produce the most satisfying crunch possible in an apple - I've never encountered a mealy Cortland. Whenever I go to NH in apple season, it is guaranteed that I will return to Boston with a box of Cortlands. Present me with a different apple, and I will look at it in disdain.

Londonderry Cortlands are big apples, and a Mack's box contains a lot of them - so, I was making applesauce on a weekly basis for a while. I didn't add any sugar or other flavors to the applesauce - the Cortland flavor is strong enough that it doesn't need any enhancement. Other favorite apple recipes are apple crisp, applesauce-maple bread, and an apple spice cake. The apple spice cake had the honor of being the recipient of the last Cortlands of the 2008 season (tear), as well as being the 2008 Thanksgiving Breakfast. Since my parents would be eating the cake over the holiday, I asked for their input on the recipe prior to baking. My dad suggested replacing the Cortlands with Granny Smiths (overrated), Golden Delicious (how boring can you get?), or - wait for it - Honeycrisps (blasphemy). Apple snob that I am, I did not appreciate the joke. I ignored the "input" and baked the cake with my beloved Cortlands.

The cake was an instant hit! It's dense and flavorful. I attribute its success and exceptional taste to the following:

• grated apples - grated apples introduce more juice to the batter, so the apple flavor better permeates the cake than if the apples were diced into small pieces.
• lemon zest and juice - the extra tartness of the citrus fruit enhances the apple flavor.
• butter - yes, there is a lot of butter in this cake, but butter is preferable to cups of oil. Oil tends to weigh down these cakes and give them a moist, heavy quality. The butter gives this cake a creamy texture and keeps the batter somewhat light.
• liberal application of spices - it's a family tradition to double the spices in baking recipes; cinnamon gets the star treatment of frequently being tripled. Mmm, aromatic compounds.
  

Here is the recipe, courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine, for your baking pleasure.

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 3 C flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t ground cinnamon (double/triple as desired)
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg (double as desired)
• 1/4 t ground cloves (double as desired)
• 1/4 t ground allspice
• 1 3/4 pounds Cortland apples, peeled / cored / coarsely grated (2 apples, to make 2 cups)
• 1 1/2 C (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C golden brown sugar, packed
• 1 t grated lemon peel
• 3 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 t fresh lemon juice
  

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a 12 C Bundt pan with nonstick spray.
2. Sift the flour and the next 6 ingredients into a medium bowl.
3. Grate 2 C worth of apples; set aside.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, both sugars, and lemon zest in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the vanilla and lemon juice.
5. Beat in the flour mixture, and mix in the grated apples. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
6. Bake the cake until a tester inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes.

Enjoy the cake warm, whether by eating it straight from the oven or zapping it for a few seconds in the microwave. You will not be disappointed!

Londonderry apple season is now over, but Christmas is right around the corner - so, that will inspire me to new heights of baking. Will there be pumpkin pie? Something chocolatey? Sugar cookies in holiday shapes? Stay tuned...