“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” ~ Christopher Reeve
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
This has been a week of hope and anticipation… for the record-breaking election, but for us even more importantly for our sister-in-law who has been on our minds all week. Carol was just diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and had some serious complications resulting in emergency surgery on Sunday morning. She is still sedated in ICU, but now there is hope as we anticipate what is to come. We went to ND last weekend to spend time with her and her family, as well as give lots of hugs at a family funeral and help John’s cousin and his wife (my college roommate) say goodbye to their ND home of 41 years. An emotion-filled week.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
If you have followed my blog you know that I love fruit desserts, and apples are in season. I am not a big pie lover and when I saw this recipe from Alexandra’s Kitchen for apple cobbler with a crispy sugar crust I thought it could be a good alternative to apple pie for Thanksgiving. It has no cinnamon, so if you have anyone allergic to cinnamon this could be a delicious alternative with a hint of lemon.
APPLE COBBLER with hot sugar crust
- 3-5 apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks – about 6 cups total
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/8 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup hot water
- Heavy cream or ice cream for serving
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with a rack in the center. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Arrange the apples in a 9- or 10-inch pie plate, either buttered or sprayed with cooking spray. Using a zester or microplane, zest the lemon over the fruit. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze half of it into a cup. Strain out the seeds and pour the juice over the fruit. Toss to combine.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 3/4 cups of the sugar on medium speed until creamy but sandy, about 1 minute. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat on medium speed until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture is evenly crumbly, about 30 seconds more. Scape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the milk. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the batter is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Scoop the batter in large blobs over the apples, and carefully spread the batter evenly over the fruit.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar over the batter. Drizzle the hot water evenly over the sugar, using it to melt the sugar topping.
Set the pan on the baking sheet and bake the cobbler until the top is golden brown and cracked, 70-80 minutes. Check with a toothpick in a few places – it should come out clean or with just crumbs clinging.
Let the cobbler cool for about 30 minutes to firm up. Serve warm, scooping it into bowls and pouring a little heavy cream over the top… or serve with ice cream. Refrigerate any leftovers airtight.
