The Ultimate Fruit Cake Recipe of 2013

BY MARIE FLANAGAN

Confession: I like fruit cake.

When I was a freckled kid in pigtails, I’d kneel on my chair at the kitchen table and watch my mom mix up the heaviest and most beloved cake in our house–the holiday fruit cake. Mixed with strange candied citron and fruit glace, and wrapped in a brandy-soaked cloth and wax paper, the large cake would sit in waiting until after we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve.

After all the gifts had been opened, my dad would mix up egg nog, and we’d celebrate the baby Jesus’s birthday with fruit cake and egg nog. This tradition has never wavered. Each and every year, we open gifts on Christmas Eve, eat fruit cake, and sip egg nog. This year, the fruit cake torch was passed on to me.

With my mom’s cake so perfectly ingrained in everyone’s memory, I decided to go in a slightly different direction with my fruit cake recipe. Inspired by Cold Spring Bakery’s fruit cake, this recipe substitutes the traditional candied fruit with rehydrated dried fruit like apples, apricots, and raisins. It’s a modified version of What’s Cooking America’s Regal Fruit Cake recipe.

A Fruit Cake for 2013
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 hour 20 min
Yields: 1 large fruitcake

• 1 1/2 cups yellow and purple raisins
• 1 cup chopped, dried apples
• 1 cup chopped, dried apricots
• ½ cup chopped, dried peaches
• 3/4 cup currants
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup white grape juice (or cider)
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 cups firmly-packed light brown sugar
• 5 eggs, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon clove
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Brandy

1. Grease a 10-inch tube or round pan; line the pan with wax paper and grease very well.
2. In a large bowl, combine the dried fruit. Bring the grape juice to a boil, then pour the the grape juice over the dried fruit. Let stand 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
4. In a large bowl, cream butter or margarine. Gradually add brown sugar, stirring until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. In another large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and mace; gradually add to butter mixture. Add almond extract and fruit mixture; stir until well blended. Spoon into prepared pan.
6. Bake 3 hours and 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. A good check is to use an instant digital thermometer to test your fruitcake. The temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.
7. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pan, peel paper liner from cake, and cook completely.
8. Wrap in a brandy-soaked cheesecloth; store in the refrigerator. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving.

 

This recipe yields a rich, moist, fruit-laden spice cake. It pairs perfectly with egg nog – heck, I wouldn’t eat it any other way.

And just in case you’re not up for making your own fruit cake, Cold Spring Bakery in Cold Spring, MN still has their famous fruit cakes available this season.

Cross posted from: The Ultimate Fruit Cake Recipe of 2013 - TC Taste - Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

The Ultimate Holiday Cookie Swap Recipe

BY MARIE FLANAGAN

Holiday cookie swap parties bring together so many great aspects of the holidays, but mostly, they bring together a lot of homemade cookies. A good cookie swap depends on a couple handfuls of attendees for optimal cookie variety.

As you read through your swap invitation, the stars begin to align—until you get to the end of the invite, which instructs you to bring 10 dozen cookies to the event. Suddenly, your excitement turns to dread as you contemplate the task. FEAR NOT! I have the perfect holiday cookie exchange recipe! It’s an adapted version of the sugar cookie recipe that my husband’s mother sent to me. The cookies are festive, taste great, and are relatively simple to make. I use locally sourced butter, eggs, oil, and flour to make them even more “home” made.

The Ultimate Cookie Swap Almond Sugar Cookies

• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. almond extract (can substitute with vanilla extract)
• 1 fresh vanilla bean
• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar

Makes 4-5 dozen

1. Cream together your sugars, butter, and oil.

2. Add the eggs one at a time.

3. Add the almond extract and fresh vanilla.

4. Let the mixture mix until it becomes slightly fluffy/whipped.

5. Mix together your dry ingredients.

6. Add the dry ingredients one cup at a time.

7. Mix well.

8. Chill the dough for at least one hour. It can also stay chilled overnight.

9. Place parchment paper over your cookie sheets to make cleanup easier.

10. Roll the dough into small balls (the size of a walnut) and place on your cookie sheet. I used one of those tbsp.-sized dough scoops to save time.

11. Gently flatten the dough balls with a glass dipped in sugar.

12. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (17 minutes if you’re using insulated cookie sheets) until slightly brown on the edges.

These cookies are light, crispy, and buttery with an unexpected almond twist. Colorful sugar adds just the right amount of festive decoration without any messy frosting, and they stack and transport with ease.

Cross posted from: The Ultimate Holiday Cookie Swap Recipe - Twin Cities Taste - December 2013 - Minnesota

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Copper Hen Cakery to Bring Late Night, Farm-to-Table Desserts to South Minneapolis

South Minneapolis has something sweet to look forward to this spring. Copper Hen Cakery will be arriving in early April and plans on being a nightspot that offers up fresh, local, farm-to-table desserts, a small house menu, wine, beer, and coffee.

Behind Copper Hen is husband and wife duo, Chris and Danielle Bjorling. Chis hails from Madison, Wisconsin. He moved to Minneapolis for school and is now a certified public accountant. Danielle grew up baking scratch-made desserts in her mother’s kitchen. She started taking baking classes when she was 14, and while working as a nanny, she has been baking for weddings and events on the side. The couple resides in South Minneapolis, where they hope to open the Copper Hen.

Although much of the financing is already in place, the duo recently exceeded their $10,000 Kickstarter goal, which will allow them to buy the bakery oven they need, among other things.

DANIELLE AND CHRIS BJORLING PLAN ON OPENING COPPER HEN IN APRIL 2014

Copper Hen’s small, house menu will feature classic dishes like chicken pot pie, but based on the descriptions of their signature dessert items, you might end up ordering dessert first.

Danielle thinks that their “breakfast cupcake” will be the star of the show, featuring fresh blueberries and bacon that are hand-placed inside individual buttery crumble cakes. The whole works will be topped with cream cheese frosting and maple syrup.

“But the best, by far, is my red velvet cake,” says Danielle.

She says customers are particularly fond of her red velvet cake made with buttermilk, cocoa powder, and a touch of vinegar that adds a certain complexity to the somewhat predictable sweet treat. She says you’ll likely find her in the kitchen at Copper Hen hand shredding carrots for her raisin-free carrot cake, or fixing scratch-made hand pies.

Copper Hen also plans to offer traditional layered cakes for weddings and other events. Danielle explains that for those clients they want to offer something “different from the traditional," Copper Hen will offer hand-made cake alternatives like Mason jar cakes or slab pies.

COPPER HEN'S CAKES WILL BE MADE ENTIRELY OF NATURAL INGREDIENTS

Danielle says you won’t find shortening or margarine in her baked goods or frostings. She’ll be using butter, and plenty of it. Copper Hen plans to source their butter, along with eggs, dairy products, whole wheat, berries, fruits, coffee, wine, and beer locally. They’ll offer all-natural frosting dyes and sprinkles–made with vegetable colorants instead of synthetics. They’ll also offer vegetarian and gluten-free options, including bread.

They explain that Copper Hen intends to have later hours than most traditional bakeries.

“We'll close at 10pm, so you can come here for dessert after dinner,” says Chris. “Have a glass of wine and a dessert.”

Danielle excitedly explains “Do you want dessert first?" might be their tagline. In that case, you might to add Copper Hen to your spring nightspot list now.

Cross posted from: Copper Hen Cakery to Bring Late Night, Farm-to-Table Desserts to South Minneapolis - Twin Cities Taste - October 2013 - Minnesota

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

The Return of Returnable Soda Pop Bottles in Minnesota

PHOTO COURTESY OF WHISTLER BOTTLING

Many of us remember a time when soda pop was a special treat. The small, returnable bottles filled with flavors like cream and cherry cola were doled out for picnics or birthdays, and usually we had to share. Today, 20 oz. bottles of pop are a common sight and consumption is at 165 liters per capita in the United States, according to market research firm Euromonitor.

On the heels of recent news about potential container deposit fees in Minnesota for plastic and aluminum cans, a small company in Minnesota is attempting to return to a time when soda pop was sold in small, returnable bottles, and was made with simple ingredients.

Whistler Bottling is on a mission to bring returnable soda pop bottles back to Minnesota. Jesse Hopkins, an assistant principal at a local middle school, leads the Whistler Bottling team, along with a team comprised of other educators, which he says is one of the unique things about Whistler. They want to make a difference in the lives of kids.

“We know soda pop is not health food, but if kids are going to drink pop, our returnable bottles are 8 ounces, which makes it easier for parents to control the amount of pop that kids are drinking,” said Hopkins. "We are also currently working on a partnership with three metro school districts and a major local grocer to help schools raise funds for programs that serve at risk students, support teachers in the classroom, and provide families with financial difficulties opportunities for participation in sports and band.”

Hopkins said the Whistler concept is built around trying to make a difference and explained how they plan to use simple ingredients and smaller bottles to help reduce the use of plastic bottles. Their returnable glass bottles are designed to last 40 years and can be refilled as many times as needed.

Hopkins took time to visit plants in Wisconsin that are still using returnable bottles like Twig’s (makers of returnable Sun-Drop) and Flavor 8. There, he learned about the returnable bottling business. He learned that a fresher product that is made and delivered locally simply tastes better.

While those businesses helped them learn about the returnable bottle trade, Whistler looked to the former Gold Medal Beverage Co. of St. Paul, MN for flavor inspiration.

“In our research, looking into soda companies, Gold Medal was around for a long time and we wanted to tip our cap to them and the brand they had established,” said Hopkins. “We wanted to offer some of the same, classic flavors as they did.”

Whistler plans to offer six flavors, including black cherry, grape, cherry vanilla cola, root beer, fruit punch, and cream, using ingredients like triple filtered water, pure cane sugar, and old fashioned flavor extracts.

“For us, it was really important to commit to the most basic, simple ingredients as possible,” said Hopkins. “No energy enhancing chemicals, no high fructose corn syrup, and no extra preservatives.”

As for retail locations, Hopkins says the interest “has been off the charts.” They’re looking at supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, and specialty shops for selling their product.

Whistler is about ready to launch. They have flavor recipes, a returnable bottle design, and a bottle washer/sanitizer, but they still need to purchase 80,000 bottles and bottle filler.

“Right now, we’re at the point where we’re about ready to launch,” said Hopkins. “We plan to be up and running by January, but it’s just a matter of purchasing the bottles we need.”

And that’s where their Kickstarter campaign comes in. Hopkins says the sole purpose of their Kickstarter is to make their first bottle buy. It’s the biggest financial investment and the next big step.

“We hope people will be inspired by our work, and want to support our bottle purchase.”

Cross posted from: The Return of Returnable Soda Pop Bottles in Minnesota - Twin Cities Taste - October 2013 - Minnesota

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

In’Cider Information on Minnesota’s 2013 Apple Season

PHOTO BY DAVE HANSEN

It’s mid-September now, and there’s a certain something in the air—maybe it’s because apple season is nigh. I grabbed a bag of SweeTangos at the farmers market last weekend, and they were so juicy and so crisp that I hip, hip, hoorayed. To accompany my three cheers for this year’s apple crop, I put together this Minnesota apple roundup for TC Taste this week.

CHOOSE YOUR APPLE

Apples are seasonal. Each variety has a peak season and specific attributes. While some apples are great for eating plain (Honeycrisp, Zestar!, SweeTango, Haralson), others are better suited for baking or making sauce (Northern Spy, Prairie Spy, Duchess). If you’re concerned about chemicals, some apples are more naturally disease resistant, which means that growers can use fewer chemicals on them in the orchard (Dayton, Pristine, Redfree, William’s Pride, Liberty).  If you want your harvest to last, some varieties can be stored for a long time (Prairie Spy, Keepsake, Honeygold, Sweet Sixteen, Honeycrisp).

Selecting your apple can be tricky with all that information to sort out, so I’ve got the major Minnesota-grown varieties listed here by season, in alphabetical order, along with their general attributes.

EARLY SEASON

• Beacon (sweet, juicy, good eating apple)

• Centennial Crabapple (small, juicy, great for kids)

• Dayton (naturally disease resistant, tart, crisp)

• Discovery (floral, sweet)

• Duchess (good for pies)

• Estivale (sometimes called LaCrescent, sweet, tart)

• Gingergold (sweet, crunchy)

• Jersey Mac (sweet, tart, good for applesauce)

• Lodi (very early, tart, decent pie apple)

• Paula Red (sweet, tart, bright white flesh)

• Pristine (disease resistant, crisp, delicate)

• Redfree (disease resistant, sweet, crisp)

• Sansa (Gala/Akane cross, crunchy, juicy)

• Summer Red (similar to Haralson, crisp, tart, juicy)

• State Fair (tart, crunchy)

• SweeTango (a personal favorite, crisp, tangy, slightly sweet)

• Tyedeman’s Red (juicy, sweet, tart, good for apple sauce)

• Viking (mild, soft, thin-skinned)

• Wellington (tart, early pie apple)

• William’s Pride (disease resistant, slightly spicy, bold)

• Zestar! (a personal favorite, large, crunchy, sweet-tart)

MID-SEASON

• Chestnut Crabapple (nutty, smaller, good for sauce)

• Cortland (bright white flesh, doesn’t brown as quickly, great for fruit salad)

• Gala (sweet, crisp, yellowish flesh)

• Honeycrisp (a personal favorite, well balanced, sweet, tangy, crisp, very popular)

• McIntosh (very tart, juicy, very popular)

• Red Baron (mild, sweet, juicy)

• Sweet Sixteen (a personal favorite, sticky sweet, crisp, juicy, yellow flesh)

• Wealthy (tart, medium sized)

LATE SEASON

• Braeburn (sweet, tart, classic)

• Fireside (sweet, large, good for baking)

• Frostbite (very sweet, smaller, juicy)

• Honeygold (yellow skin, good for cooking, sweet)

• Haralson (firm, good pie apple, sweet)

• Keepsake (firm, crisp, yellowish flesh, can store for six months)

• Liberty (disease resistant, tart, crisp)

• Northern Spy (tart, juicy, great for pies and sauce)

• Pinata (orange in color, slightly spicy)

• Prairie Spy (large, dense, good for baking, long storage time)

• Red Delicious (very popular, firm, dark red, sweet)

• Regent (well balanced, good for eating and cooking)

• SnowSweet (a personal favorite, sweet, slightly tart, white flesh is slow to brown)

FIND YOUR APPLE

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has a list of 109 apple orchards on their website.  You can search by zip code to find an orchard close to you.

If you’re looking for a referral, some of the most popular you-pick orchards include:

• Aamodt’s in Stillwater

• Afton in Hastings 

• Apple Jack in Delano

• Applewood in Lakeville

• Baker Orchard in Centuria, Wis.

• Deardoff in Waconia 

• Emma Krumbee’s in Belle Plain

• Havlicek's in Veseli

• Minnetonka Orchards in Wayzata

• Sponsel's in Jordan

• Pine Tree in White Bear Lake (Minnesota Monthly wrote a review of of Pine Tree Apple Orchard a few years ago.) 

All kinds of farmers' markets have an apple vendor or two—my go-to apple stand is Doug Bolstorff’s Cedar Grove Orchard stand at the downtown St Paul Farmers Market. They have good apples, decent prices, and friendly service. I also like the Sweetland Orchard stand where they sell amazing apple cider donuts. For 2013, Sweetland will be at the Bloomington, Fulton, and Kingfield farmers' markets.

Don’t have time to hit the farmers' market, a farm stand, or the orchard? No problem. Co-ops have you covered with collections of local apples from local organic orchards.

MAKE APPLE CRISP

I eat at least one apple a day this time of year—I just can’t help myself. Meanwhile, my husband goes bonkers for apple crisp. He has a pretty simple and utterly lip-smacking recipe for crisp that he inherited from his mom.

Ingredients

For the filling:
4 cups of largely diced medium baking apples
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the topping:
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted (one stick)
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees F (177 C). Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) square (or 2-quart) baking dish.

Make the filling:
Core apples then cut into 3/4-inch (7 cm) pieces. Add apples to a large bowl and toss with cinnamon.

Make the topping:
To make the crisp topping, combine flour, oats, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and combine. Sprinkle and press down the topping over the apple filling.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the apples are tender and the topping has turned light golden brown.

HIT UP AN APPLE PARTY

Just can’t get enough of this apple stuff? It’s time to party. The 65^th Annual Applefest is taking place in La Crescent Minnesota this weekend, Sept. 19-21.  There’s a run/walk, music, a poker tournament, golf outing, beanbag tournament, and a kiddie parade. 

Cross-posted from: In’Cider Information on Minnesota’s Apple Season - Twin Cities Taste - September 2013 - Minnesota

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

The Soft Cheeses of Summer 2013

MORCELLA from  Shepherd's Way;  MARIE FLANAGAN (3)

What goes with this month’s warm summer breezes and seasonal sneezes?  Why, soft summer cheeses, of course.

And lest you think that delicious, creamy, soft cheeses need hail from France or Italy, think again. These three soft cheeses are all made right here in the Midwest.

The first cheese on my list is the softest and lightest–Morcella, made by Shepherd’s Way Farm in Minnesota. Morcella is a soft-ripened sheep’s milk cheese made with local morel mushrooms by Shepherd’s Way’s cheesemaker Jodi Ohlsen Read. Irresistibly creamy, mild, earthy, and delicate, Morcella can be easily overwhelmed by strong flavors, so enjoy it simply with crusty bread. And grab it while you can–this small-batch cheese is made with spring and summer milk, so it’s only available through September.

On the other end of the flavor spectrum is Arabella cheese from a relatively new cheese maker, Jacobs and Brichford of Indiana. Their Arabella is a soft, tallegio-style cheese made with grass-fed milk from Jersey, Normande, and Tarentaise cross cows. Pale yellow, creamy, buttery, earthy, and aromatic, Arabella’s strong flavor profile can accompany a bottle of barbera or valpolicella with grace.

Striding forth between the delicate Morcella and the bold Arabella is Good Thunder, a new(er) cheese fromAlemar Cheese Company in Minnesota. Made with grass-fed milk from Cedar Summit Farm, Good Thunder has a stiffer, pasty texture, with a smoothness that is slightly reminiscent of its sister cheese, Bent River. The lovely squares of cheese are molded and salted by Kieth Adams and his crew, and then the rind is washed in Surly Bender, an oatmeal brown ale. This somewhat “stinky” cheese has a soft, orange rind, and a slightly smoky flavor that pairs well with a variety of beers, including brown ales and black ales.

So why not bypass the stove, and treat yourself to soft cheese and salad for dinner or a picnic? All three of these beauties are available throughout the Twin Cities at various farmers markets and co-ops (I spotted all three at Seward Co-op last weekend, and saw Steven Read sampling Morcella at the Minneapolis Farmers Market on Sunday).

 GOOD THUNDER FROM ALEMAR CHEESE CO.                             ARABELLA FROM JACOBS AND BRICHFORD

Cross-posted from The Soft Cheeses of Summer - Twin Cities Taste - July 2013 - Minnesota

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Check out Some MN Farms for Free at the 2013 Eat Local Farm Tour

MARIE FLANAGAN (4)

The 2013 Eat Local Farm Tour will take place next Saturday, July 20th. Presented by the Twin Cities area food co-ops, the goal of the event is to introduce the Twin Cities to the local farmers that make our seasonal, fresh, local food system possible.

My husband and I grabbed the opportunity to visit a few farms during the 2012 tour. Our stops included Shepherd’s Way, where we spent time perusing products at their on-farm store and laughing at their charismatic flock of sheep. At Simple Harvest Farm Organics, goat-milking was the activity of the day. Perhaps the most interesting part of the day was our stop at L & R Poultry and Produce, where we witnessed how they were using sweet corn as a trap crop for squash beetles, and laughed at the antics of pastured-raised turkeys hunting down insects. Taking the time to see expert farmers in the field bolstered our appreciation for the profession–it also reaffirmed our decision to leave poultry-raising to the experts.

 

Included in this year’s tour event are:
Kohnert Organic Farms

Living Land Farm
Chankaska Creek Ranch & Winery
East Henderson Farm
Cedar Summit Farm
Shepherd’s Way
L and R Poultry & Produce
Simple Harvest Farm Organics
Thousand Hills Cattle Company
Ferndale Farm
Gardens of Eagan
Riverbend Farm
Women's Environmental Institute
10th Street Farm & Market
Big River Farm
Growing Lots Urban Farm
Beez Kneez
Stone's Throw Urban Farm

Details for each farm are a bit different, so be sure to check out the Eat Local Farm Tour guide book online or pick it up at an area co-op, including: Eastside Co-op, Harvest Moon Co-op, Just Food Co-op, Lakewinds Natural Foods, Linden Hills Co-op, Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op, River Market Community Co-op, Seward Co-op, St. Peter Food Co-op, the Wedge, and Valley Natural Foods.

Find more information at themix.coop.

Cross posted from: 2013 Eat Local Farm Tour - Twin Cities Taste - July 2013 - Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]