It really isn’t a very hard recipe (as my sister Kelley notes: “So says Foodie in Miami”), but it’s true! The hardest part is peeling the apples and making sure the pecans don’t burn when you toast them. The measurements are all pretty standard as well- 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup flour- and the cake only takes 30 minutes to bake.

You can make this cake as easy or complicated as you wish.

It’s suggested to be served with Hot Caramel Sauce and Whipped Cream, but I sent it to my son in Tallahassee as-is and he thought it was the perfect amount of sweetness. It’s also a cake that ships well and stays moist (due to the apples) in the fridge for quite a while. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Sorry for the lack of photos. I was so focused on making the cake quickly, I neglected to take Step-by-Step pictures! And the first cake I made fell apart (due to leaving an egg out), so I’m showing both versions. It’s recommended to bake it in a 9-inch cake pan, but I used to make it in my trusty old Bundt pan for a prettier presentation.

Apple Pecan Cake

Recipe by The New York Time MagazineCourse: DessertCuisine: American

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

29

minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted

• 5 medium apples, like Granny Smith or Fuji, to yeild 2 1/2 cups

• 1/2 cup butter at room temp

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 cup flour

• The hot caramel sauce:

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup evaporated milk

• The garnish:

• Sweetened whipped cream and fresh unpeeled apples

Directions

• To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans in the workbowl of the food precessor and process until fine. Set aside. Peel, core and quarter the apples and place them in the workbowl of the processor and precess until they are in medium-coarse shards, about the size of almonds. Set aside.
• Place the butter in a large mixer bowl, add the sugar and beat until blended. Add the soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and mix quickly. Add the flour and just blend, then the apples and nuts.
• Pour the mixture into a greased 9-inch round cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the top springs back when touched with a finger. Cool slightly. Center may sink somewhat.
• For the caramel sauce, melt the butter, brown sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and milk. Stir again with the whisk.
• To serve the sauce with the apple cake, cut the cake into eight wedges. Ladle a large spoonful of the hot sauce onto each of eight dessert plates. Place a wedge of cake on top of the sauce. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and two apple slices.

Notes

• The sauce can be made ahead and reheated in the microwave.
• A refrigerated cake will keep for a week.
• If you wish to cut some of the butter, substitute 1/4 cup of butter for applesauce.

Up Next: Technical Difficulties

Sausage

Whether it’s a basic like Italian Sweet or Spicy, gourmet like Aidell’s Chicken and Apple, or German sausages like Bratwurst of Knockwurst, I always have some kind of sausage in my freezer. The Italian sausage is a basic I use for my grandmother’s pasta sauce, but also is good grilled, sliced and served with marinara sauce, sliced into spaghetti sauce or grilled whole for a sausage and pepper sub. Sheet pan dinners are easy with sausage on hand. I recently made a delicious New York Times recipe sheet pan dinner (Roasted Sausage with Grapes and Onions), but Italian sausage and sliced bell peppers, with sliced potatoes and chicken wings is one of my go-to’s for an easy dinner; serve with crusty bread.

Chicken Breasts

I’m not talking about those nice, organic Greenwise chicken breasts, but those skinny, flash frozen ones by Tyson or Perdue. They defrost in a flash and are endlessly adaptable. Marinated in mojo and grilled, sautéed with mushrooms, olive oil or butter in a skillet, poached in water, or baked with red sauce and mozzarella as a Chicken Parmesan, they are an easy staple for meal-making. Chicken breasts don’t have much flavor on their own, so they’re a blank canvas for your own mood or whimsy.

Ground Beef

This is one of those items you need to take out in the morning, if you’re planning on making dinner with it. While I try not to eat a lot of red meat (especially ground), this item is vital for making meatballs for my Grandmother’s pasta sauce, which I make occasionally. It also can be used to make meatloaf, burgers, piccadillo or that delicious Skillet Beef and Macaroni meal my Mom used to make when I was growing up.

Pizza Crust

While I prefer homemade pizza crust or the dough you get from the Publix bakery, both of those require either time or effort. A Boboli crust (I prefer it over Mama Mia’s) in the freezer really comes in handy if you’re in a pinch for dinner. At it’s most basic, all you need is red pasta sauce and grated cheese, but pesto or sliced tomatoes can replace the red sauce. Almost all cheeses can work on pizza, but should be paired to other toppings. While mozzarella and parmesan are the most common pizza cheeses, ricotta is also delicious. I just had an awesome Key West Pink Shrimp Pizza with tomato, spinach , ricotta and mozzarella at No Name Pub I’d like to try to duplicate at home.

Shrimp or Scallops

While this is a rather pricey investment for your freezer, these seafood proteins really do come in handy when you’re running out of time to whip something up, as they defrost quickly in cold water. I love grilled shrimp and bacon-wrapped scallops as either appetizers or dinner. Shrimp can also be used in pasta, on pizza (see above), in a salad or to make ceviche. Scallops can be grilled, baked or seared for an easy, healthy dinner. Just make sure you dry them thoroughly to get a good sear.

Frozen Fruit

I always have frozen fruit in my freezer to make my breakfast smoothies. They also can be added to cereals, oatmeal, yogurt or to make fruit sauces for ice cream or pound cakes. Raspberries are very perishable, so before they go bad, I toss them in the freezer and use them as little chillers for my Prosecco. Bananas, when they get soft, can be frozen and used for smoothies, cakes or the Pandemic favorite, Banana Bread.

Nuts

I store raw nuts in the freezer, where they will stay fresh for months. I always have whole almonds (for my Biscotti), pecans and pine nuts stashed away in the deep freeze, but pick your favorite nuts to freeze. Trader Joe’s is a great place to get economical packs of nuts.

I also store bacon, slice bread and baguettes in my freezer to have when needed.

What’s in your Freezer?

Up Next: Mama Mia and Mango Mania.

My husband Zeke has sometimes lamented that he missed my “Bon Appetit Days”, even though I have indeed cooked him Bon Appetit dishes (just not on a daily basis). He started bringing me the New York Times Food Section, published on Wednesdays, from his breakfast at Riviera Country Club about ten years ago.

Thus, in my 50’s, began my New York Time Food Section decade. I love the New York Time Food section for it’s articles and restaurant reviews. I do find the recipes, however, a little hit or miss, depending on the writer. Some skew toward vegetarian (nothing wrong with that), some are complicated and others, just don’t “wow” me when tasted. The recipes from the New York Time Food Section I’m most likely to repeat have been their desserts, including: Julia Child’s Aunt Helen’s Fluffy Pumpkin Pie; also, the huge Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pretzel Shortbread Cookies.

But I’ve really been loving Food and Wine recipes lately. I get a daily newsletter, and so many feature dishes I’m dying to try. They skew towards fresh, ethnic, different and relatively easy, even if the list of ingredients is daunting. I’m cooking lighter these days and I like dishes with lots of flavor, that don’t take days to make. Dishes in my daily Food and Wine newsletter that I saved from last week include: Spicy Mango Pork with Noodles, Honey Pepper Coconut Shrimp and Green Curry Beef Skewers with Basil Oil. I’m always in search of new chicken recipes and Food and Wine delivers with Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Cast Iron Roast Chicken with Lentils and Walnut Vinaigrette and Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Even their snacks, like Popcorn with Sesame Glazed Pistachios and Pineapple Coconut Soft Serve, sound oh-so-tempting to me.

So without further ado, here are three Food and Wine recipes I’ve tried and liked and hope you will too. They are in my recipe in-box, as definite repeats. I made the Cilantro Salad last year and remembered liking it, so tried it again this year and “I do! I do like that dish!” I made it with jasmine rice, not leftover rice, substituted Chinese black bean sauce for the Chinese Chile paste and served it warm. If you don’t like cilantro, however, this is not the dish for you.

Cilantro Salad with Shallots and Shrimp by Amy Thielen

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

2/3 cup peanut oil 2 large shallots, cut into 1/4 inch slices 1 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more 1 1/2 pounds raw large shrimp, peeled with tails left on Pinch of black pepper 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (juice from 2 limes) 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger 1 tablespoon Hoban dan (Chinese Chile bean paste) 1 cup warmed cooked short grain white rice 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion 1/2 cup roasted salted cocktail peanuts, crushed 2 bunches cilantro (stems and leaves) roughly chopped (about 4 cups loosely packed)

Step 1 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add shallots; cook, stirring often, until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer browned shallots to a paper towel-line plate and season with a light sprinkling of salt. Reserve 3 tablespoons shallot frying oil; set aside. Leave remaining oil in skillet.

Step 2 Toss shrimp, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Heat skillet with remaining oil over high. Add shrimp and cook, stirring often, until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

Step 3 Combine lime juice, sugar, ginger, Hoban dan, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add cooked shrimp, warm rice, red onion and peanuts, and stir to coat with the dressing, breaking up clumps of rice. Add cilantro and reserved 3 tablespoons shallot frying oil and mix to combine. Serve salad garnished with fried shallots.

I’m trying to eat more meat-free and always looking for interesting uses for tofu. If you are craving more protein, you could throw some shrimp, sliced pork or chicken into this. I added sautéed mushrooms to this dish to add a meatiness. I also upped the amount of soy sauce, added sake to the sauce and topped it with crushed peanuts, for some crunch.

Drunken Noodles by Bank Attcharawan October 2013

Total Time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

Vegetable oil 7 ounces firm tofu, cubed and dried (I seasoned it with togarashi) 1/2 cup chicken stock (or could use vegetable) 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons roasted red chili paste (I subbed sriracha) 1 teaspoon black soy sauce of 3/4 teaspoon soy sauce with 1/4 teaspoon molasses 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced 1/2 large jalapeno, seeded and sliced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 red Thai bird Chile, minced (I didn’t have so used 1 jalapeno) 1/2 pound pad Thai noodles, cooked and cut in half Thai basil leaves Lime wedges, for serving

Step 1 In a nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil. Add the tofu and cooke over moderately high heat, turning until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain.

Step 2 In a bowl, whisk the stock, oyster sauce, fish sauce, chili paste, soy sauce and sugar.

Step 3 In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic and Thai Chile and stir fry over heigh heat until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the noodles and stir-fry until browned, 4 minutes. Add the sauce and toss over moderately high heat, until absorbed. Fold in 1 cup of basil and the tofu. Garnish with more basil and serve with lime wedges.

I like salmon raw and smoked, but I don’t like salmon cooked. I keep trying it different ways, experimenting with different recipes, hoping to fall in love. I made this the other night and, even though Zeke and I aren’t salmon-lovers, we did enjoy this dish, so that’s saying a lot. I served it with plain white rice, as it has a lot of flavor that you don’t want a side dish to compete with.

Roast Salmon with Miso Butter and Radish Salad by Jenn Louis

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp 2 tablespoons red miso paste Four 6 ounce center-cut salmon filets 1/4 cup canola oil Kosher salt Pepper 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar 6 radishes, thinly sliced 1/2 English cucumber, coarsely chopped 2 scallions, thinly sliced 1 small jalapeno, sliced 1 garlic clove 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 2 tablespoons chopped mint 1 teaspoon togarashi

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 425. In a small bowl, mash the butter with the miso until blended. Rub the salmon all over with 2 tablespoons of the canola oil, season with salt and pepper and arrange in a baking dish. Spread the miso butter over the top of the fillets and roast until just opaque throughout, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

Step 2 Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of canola oil with the sesame oil and vinegar; reserve 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the dressing season with salt and pepper and toss well.

Step 3 Drizzle the dressing over the salmon. Serve with the salad.

Up Next: Mango Madness and Al Fresco Miami Spice Restaurants.