JENNIFER'S BUTTERY APPLE TORTE

Yesterday was our anniversary. My husband had gotten home late the night before, but he still showed up at breakfast with a box of candy and a card for me. I always try to bake him a cherry pie, his favorite dessert, on his birthday, Valentines Day, and our anniversary, but I have been so busy I hadn't been to the store and didn't have any cherries.

I've been putting together a small booklet for the EZ-Sweetz company and it includes a recipe for an apple torte from Jennifer Eloff that looked really good, so I decided to make that instead. One problem: I also didn't have any apples. I did find two partial bags of frozen peaches way down in the bottom of the freezer and decided to give that a try. I already had some of Jennifer's Gluten-Free Bake Mix in the fridge, so it was a snap to get it mixed up and in the oven. (Improvising with whatever is on hand happens a lot around here. I planned to make tuna salad for lunch today, but we had "Tuna Surprise" instead~the surprise was that it didn't have any tuna in it. What I thought was a can of tuna turned out to be smoked salmon. Some of my favorite recipes have been the result of happy mistakes.)

The torte in the picture above is Jennifer's Apple Torte, but mine looked just the same. I cooked down the juice from draining the peaches, added some xylitol, EZ-Sweetz, and cinnamon, and served the torte warm with a drizzle of peach syrup and heavy cream. Pure heaven!

Jennifer's Gluten-Free Bake Mix is the only flour substitute that I know about that is both low-carb AND gluten-free. It makes baked goods that taste exactly like they were made with regular wheat flour. (The recipe for the Bake Mix is here: http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2012/05/splendid-gluten-free-bake-mix-always-on.html.) She has lots more recipes that use it on her blog at http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/.

I'm going to try making this torte with cherries next time and then with rhubarb. Thanks, Jennifer, I love this recipe!

BUTTERY APPLE TORTE  Recipe by Jennifer Eloff

This is simply a delightful, delicious dessert that is sure to please.

- 14 tablespoons Gluten-Free Bake Mix
^{- 3}/₄  teaspoon baking powder
^{- 1}/₈ teaspoon salt
- 4 medium-sized apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces or   a bit bigger
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 eggs
- ³/₄  teaspoon EZ-Sweetz, equal to ³/₄ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated erythritol
-1 tablespoon rum
- ¹/₂ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¹/₂ cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
In medium bowl, combine Gluten-Free Bake Mix, baking powder, and salt.

Place prepared apples in casserole dish, sprinkle water over apples, replace lid and microwave on high 2 minutes. Apples will be almost tender. Pour into a colander placed over a bowl and drain apples. Pat apples lightly with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

In food processor, process eggs. Add EZ-Sweetz, erythritol, rum and vanilla extract; process.  Add half dry ingredients and half melted butter; process. Repeat. Fold in apples, so that fruit is coated. Scrape into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
If desired, serve with whipped cream sweetened with EZ-Sweetz or serve warm with low-carb vanilla ice cream. This torte is also wonderful served cold or at room temperature. 

Makes 10 generous servings. Calories: 173; Protein: 3g; Fat: 13.5g; Fiber: 0.9g; Net Carbs: 8.7g

Recipe used by permission.

(C) 2012, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwars.blogspot.com

PRESERVED LEMONS

I've been having fun finding things to make with the preserved lemons I made several months ago when Costco had Meyer lemons on sale by the bag. I forgot to take a picture when the jar was full, so I took these yesterday while I still had about half of them. So far I've used them to make Leeks with Tomatoes and Olives, Roasted Red Pepper and Preserved Lemon Salad, and Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Rosemary. I've written one more recipe that is ready to try that calls for candied preserved lemons. I am totally hooked on these and don't know how I ever got along without them!

I can't share the recipes I mentioned above because they may be featured in the new book I'm working on now (LCAF3), but I will give you the recipe for the lemons and if you search online for Moroccan food, you'll find lots of ways to use them.

PRESERVED LEMONS

5 to 6 (about 1 pound 5 ounces) Meyer lemons

1/2 cup salt, plus 2 tablespoons for topping off

1 1/2 to 2 cups (375 - 500 ml) fresh lemon juice

Wash and dry a one-quart glass jar with a non-metallic lid. I use a jar with a glass lid and a wire bail. I have a thin glass paper weight that fits into the jar to keep the lemons submerged, which works great if you can find one. Wash the lemons with soap, scrubbing to remove any wax and dirt. Rinse and blot dry.

Cut a thick slice from the base of each lemon. This will remove the stem button and allow the lemons to sit flat. Place one lemon at a time, cut-side-down, on a chopping board and cut lengthwise into quarters almost to the base, but not through the peel, leaving the lemon intact. Repeat with remaining lemons. Place lemons in a single layer in a freezer bag and expel the air. Seal and place in freezer overnight, then remove from freezer and transfer to the fridge to thaw for 6 hours or overnight. This helps to soften the rind and speeds up the process of preservation.

Place some of the salt in a small bowl. Set a lemon on the salt and pour more salt over it, spreading the lemon open so it is thoroughly coated inside and out. Push lemons tightly into jar and pour any salt left in the bowl over them. Top off jar with the extra two tablespoons of salt.

Pour enough lemon juice over the lemons to completely cover them. Use a glass or non-corrosive weight to keep lemons submerged if necessary. Seal jar, label, and date. Put in a cool place, away from direct sunlight, for a day or two and then refrigerate for at least four weeks. Turn or shake the jar occasionally to keep the salt distributed and add more lemon juice if needed to keep lemons covered. (They tend to float up, hence the weight).

To use, remove a lemon from the brine and rinse under cold water. Pat dry. Cut away the lemon flesh and discard. Slice the peel into strips or use as directed in recipe.

Preserved lemons will keep in refrigerator for several months.

Note: Meyer lemons are a cross with Mandarin oranges. They are sweeter than regular lemons and have no bitter, white pith under the rind.

(C) 2012, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwars.blogspot.com     

 

HOLLYWOOD TRIP

I just got back from a trip to Los Angeles to make some cooking videos~I'll let you know when and where they eventually show up.

My son recently moved into a new place in Hollywood Hills and we shot the videos in his very small, but cute new kitchen. He posed with me for the picture above in the middle of the street beside his house with the "Hollywood" sign in the background.

(C) 2012, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwars.blogspot.com