Vincent Price's Crostata di Mele (Apple Tart)

This book eluded me for a long time.  I don't remember where or when I first read about Vincent Price and his love of food, but I knew I had to have a copy of the cookbook.  Unfortunately, every time the prices would come down to my cheapskate level, someone in the blog world would write about it and the prices would head back up.  I finally found one I could buy without needing an antacid, so I pounced on it!

While thumbing through the book, this apple tart recipe caught my eye, so I bookmarked it with the handy built-in ribbon bookmark.  Fancy!

It seemed simple enough - a tart crust, apples, apricot preserves and powdered sugar.  And mostly it was simple.  Except for the crust.  Well, the crust seemed simple, until I tried to move it to the tart pan.  It fell into at least a hundred pieces, all over the kitchen counter.

I gathered the crust fragments and re-rolled them.  I veeerrrry gently lifted the crust onto the rolling pin using a lefse stick, but when I moved it over to the pan, the crust broke apart again.  I would guess it was more like fifty pieces this time, so Pollyanna might call that progress.  I, on the other hand, broke out the "magic words" and proceeded to just mash the broken pieces together in the pan (while still muttering some magic words).  I didn't even try to make a lattice top - I just cut the top crust into 2" strips and placed them on the top in something slightly resembling a pattern.  Slightly.

The recipe wasn't terribly clear on how to place the apples in the crust, so I stood them on edge as best I could.  I had three large Granny Smith apples and was able to get almost all of the slices into the crust.  I only had a ten ounce jar of preserves (the 100% fruit type), but that seemed to be a good amount for the tart.

I was afraid that it would be tough after being rolled a second time, but miraculously, the crust ended up being tender and tasty and the combination of apples and apricots is fantastic.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Vincent Price's Crostata di Mele (Apple Tart) (Printable recipe)

from A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary and Vincent Price (1965)

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cup flour
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 stick butter, sliced
• 2 egg yolks
• pinch of salt
• grated rind of one lemon
• 3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 12 ounces apricot preserves
• powdered sugar for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F.

Sift the flour onto a pastry board.  Make a well in the center and add the sugar, butter, egg yolks, salt and lemon rind.  Work the center ingredients into a paste, then knead in the flour.  Form dough into a ball, wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured board, roll out 2/3 of the dough and transfer to an 8-inch tart pan.  Trim overhanging edges.  Fill about 2/3 full with the apple slices.  Spread with the apricot preserves.

Roll out remaining pastry thinly and cut into strips 1/2 inch wide.  Arrange 10 strips lattice-fashion over filling and trim overhanging edges.  Place a strip all around the edge of the filling and flute this with the bottom layer of pastry.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake for 30 minutes longer.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve warm.

I've become a cast iron junkie

I have had a couple of Lodge skillets for close to twenty years, which have seen almost daily use. They have suffered through the abuses of new cast iron users not knowing how to care for them and forgetful people who walk away and leave them on a hot burner until the seasoning has burned off. My only complaint about them has been the weight, especially the larger skillet. My useless delicate racehorse wrists just can't reliably lift and tilt them.

After reading about the benefits of older cast iron (a smooth finish on the interior and lighter weight), I started watching for older pieces.  The prices on the cleaned and re-seasoned ones kept my cheapskate heart from buying them, but I have now purchased, stripped and seasoned three older pieces for myself: a square Wagner skillet, a small unmarked griddle and now a Griswold #8 (ten inch) skillet.  The Wagner skillet was in pretty decent shape to begin with, but both the griddle and the Griswold looked about like this:

Ick

I couldn't make out some of the writing until I had it in the sunlight

I bet the build-up was at least 1/8" thick in places

The very first skillet I cleaned was a 1930s Lodge for my sister.  I didn't take before pictures, but it was pretty manky.  When I was able to cook eggs over-easy in it, I felt like it was ready to go to my sister's house.  I let it go... reluctantly.

Eggs over-easy in a vintage Lodge skillet

 
While Farm Boy has promised to start working on an electrolysis tank, we currently don't have one available to use for cleaning.  I didn't relish the idea of throwing something so old into a fire or a self-cleaning oven cycle, so that left me with the oven cleaner method:  http://www.ibelieveicanfry.com/2010/12/reconditioning-re-seasoning-cast-iron.html

After about 5 oven cleaner soaks - it was really crusty!

It took 8 sprays/soaks of oven cleaner to get most of the crud off of this poor skillet, then I had to carefully chip the rest off with the back side of a butter knife.  However, it was completely worth the effort.  I was worried that some of the rust that was visible on the outside might have left the iron pitted, but it was in remarkably good shape underneath.  The interior cooking surface is as smooth as glass:

And the outside is in beautiful shape, as well.

I haven't weighed it, but it is significantly lighter than my newer skillets and the smooth surface makes it much easier to season to a non-stick finish. It passed the eggs over-easy test with flying colors and has been working away in my kitchen for a couple of weeks now.  I am in love! 

Date Smack

Having never been in a sorority, I know nothing of Pi Beta Phi, but when I saw this adorable cover, I had to have the book.  Since then I have run into several copies at estate sales, some with red covers and some with blue covers.  Either Pi Beta Phi was prominent here in the 1930s or a lot of other people also thought the cover was cute.

Pi Beta Phi Cook Book, copyright 1936

One of the reasons I like old cookbooks is because I like to see what foods were popular in different eras.  This one contains the (in)famous Candle Salad, which has thankfully already been blogged about on many other sites so I don't feel compelled to make it.  Although I kind of still want to...

Giggle-inducing salad, aside, I did think this unfortunatly-named recipe looked promising:

Despite having a name that conjures images of domestic violence, I was intrigued by the idea of something that sounded like a date-flavored meringue on a crust. 

My hunch was correct - these bars are delicious!  The filling separates into a gooey center with a light crust on top and the combination of dates and brown sugar is quite nice.  If I were to change one thing about it, I would perhaps add a bit more salt to the crust, but I would be hesitant to change even that.

Bad photo, good bars!

I apologize for the atrocious photo of the bars.  I forgot to take a picture when I served them and by the time I remembered, only one remained and it had been picked at a bit.  Even in its sad state, my mom called dibs on it.  Any time I return home with no leftovers, I consider that dish to be a success!


Date Smack (Printable recipe)

from the Pi Beta Phi Cook Book, 1936

Crust Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt

Topping ingredients:

• 2 egg whites, beaten stiff
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup dates

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine butter and sugar.  Mix in egg yolks, followed by flour, baking powder and salt.  Press into bottom of a 9" square pan.  Fold brown sugar and dates into beaten egg whites.  Spread over crust.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Coconut Icebox Cookies

I found this small cookbook at a local junk store a few months ago. I liked both the cover and the inside photos showing all the mid-century bakeware, so when I saw the twenty-five cent price tag, I decided to go for it.  I'm sure the shop owner appreciates my spendthrift ways!

Learn to Bake... You'll Love it!  General Foods, 1947

While leafing through a few old cookbooks* last weekend, I noticed the coconut variation of the Chocolate Icebox Cookies recipe.  Chocolate and coconut...  count me in!

I used the stand mixer to make these and I think I may have over-mixed them a bit.  The cookies in the cookbook photo are glossy, while mine are not.  They also turned out cakey and very firm.  The flavor was very good, but I think the texture may be off .  I've done this with brownies before, too.  The next time I make them, I will try mixing them by hand, as the recipe instructs.

And yes, I will make them again.  They were a big hit with my tasters, who described them as brownie cookies.  Once cooled, the first thing that hits you is brownie, followed by a pronounced coconut flavor.  I think if I get the texture right next time, they will be even better. 


*Yes, I have some exciting hobbies!

Chocolate Coconut Icebox Cookies (Printable Recipe)

from Learn to Bake... You'll Love It!, General Foods, 1947

Ingredients

• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 squares melted unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup shredded coconut

Directions

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Combine butter, sugar, eggs, chocolate and vanilla, beating with a spoon until blended; add coconut.  Add flour gradually, mixing well after each addition.

Divide dough into halves; shape into 2" diameter rolls and wrap in waxed paper.  Chill in refrigerator until firm.

Before slicing, let rolls stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour or until soft enough to dent when pressed with a finger.   Cut into 1/8" slices, using a sharp knife.

Bake on ungreased baking sheets at 350F about 10 minutes.

Brownies in a Cornbread Skillet

For years I saw these cast iron cornbread skillets at estate sales, but I always passed them by. I thought they would probably make good, crusty cornbread, but I could tell that they were significantly smaller than the skillet I normally use for cornbread and I didn't think I could be bothered to make half a recipe*. But then I stumbled across a photo of brownies made in one of these pans. Since the edge pieces are my favorites, I swooned at the idea of having an entire batch of edge pieces. I also swore at myself a little because I hadn't thought of the idea on my own. It seems so obvious in hindsight.

So I began to watch for a cornbread skillet at estate sales, junk stores and thrift shops. Months passed. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. And then last Friday I stepped into the kitchen of an estate sale I had judged as "meh" by the photos and there it was, just waiting for me, and sporting a six dollar price tag (on 25% off day, no less). I shoved the woman in front of me out of the way and grabbed it.  Sorry, Mom.

I'm cheating a little here and not using one of my cookbooks, but this is my favorite brownie recipe.  It makes a dense, fudge-like brownie, not a cakey brownie.  I've been making them for years, so long that I'm not sure where the recipe originally came from.

These always seem to take the long amount of baking time for me, but you should probably start checking at the early time.  These should be dense and moist and overbaking them is not a good thing.  I take them out when I feel some resistance when I touch the top, but before they would be considered firm.  They will continue to cook for a bit in the pan.

Nothing but edge pieces, baby!

Fudge Brownies in a Cornbread Skillet (Printable recipe)

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup melted butter 
• 1 Cup sugar 
• 1 egg
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa 
• 1/2 Teaspoon vanilla 
• 1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons flour 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a small piece of butter in each of the skillet wedges.  Place skillet in the oven to melt the butter.  When melted, swirl skillet around to grease each section.

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and sugar with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs and beat until the mixture is fluffy and emulsified. Add the salt, cocoa and vanilla. Stir well. Add the flour and stir just until flour is incorporated. Spoon the batter into each section of the greased pan and spread to the edges. Bake at 350° for 15 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 20 to 30 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of each section, then invert onto a plate.

To make a 9x13" pan of brownies, double the ingredients and bake for 25 to 35 minutes.

*Farm Boy was kind enough to point out that I simply need to get two of the pans! 

Crusty Blackberry Cobbler

Farm Boy is a certified blackberry aficionado, so when we moved to the country one of our first projects was to plant blackberries.  We don't have a huge number of plants, but they are pretty productive.  Each year we usually get enough for fresh eating, a few cobblers and a gallon or two of blackberry wine.

5 pounds of berries in two days!

My go-to cobbler recipe is the shortcake cobbler from the 1950 Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, but since we had so many berries, I wanted to try to make a bigger cobbler with more of a pastry crust than the shortcake.  I turned to my trusty friend, The Southern Living Cookbook (1995).  I was going to say that technically this book isn't vintage, but I suppose at twenty years old it might be.

This is a great cookbook.  I can't think of anything I've tried from it that flopped.  There is a newer edition, but I prefer this one.

Since the recipe was for peach cobbler, I decided to go with my normal blackberry cobbler filling recipe from the Betty Crocker book, but scale it up to the size of the peach cobbler.

The one problem I have with the Betty Crocker recipe is that it calls for all that water.  When the blackberries cook they release a lot of juice, so if you add a cup of water, it makes for a very thin, runny cobbler.  I usually just add a tablespoon or two for my regular cobbler.  I scaled up to a quarter cup for the big cobbler and I thought it was a little runny.  My taste testers liked the extra juice.

Since I seem to have lost my pie crust mojo, I am going to take the coward's way out and just call for a crust for a double crust pie.  Trust me, you don't want any pie crust making hints from me, unless you enjoy placing your pie crusts directly into the trash.

Hot berry deliciousness

The directions calls for weaving the crust into a lattice design, but dipping my fingers into a pan that just came out of a 475F oven didn't seem like a good idea, so I skipped the weaving part.  Again, coward.  I do not have asbestos fingers!

Yay for leftover pie crust and pie crust cookies!

Crusty Blackberry Cobbler (Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

Pastry for double-crust pie

8 cups blackberries
2 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 Tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 475F.  Lightly butter an 8-inch square pan.

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan, stirring well.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has come to a boil and thickened slightly. Set aside to cool.

Roll half of pastry to 1/8" thickness.  Cut into an 8-inch square.  Spoon half of berry mixture into the prepared pan. Dot with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with pastry square.  Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Spoon remaining berries over baked pastry square.  Roll remaining crust to 1/8-inch thickness.  Cut into 1-inch strips.  Arrange in lattice design over berries.  Bake an additional 15 to 18 minutes or until browned. 

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate (and coconut) Marble Bars

I received a request in a comment to look for a recipe for chocolate marbled coconut bars.  In addition to being really excited about getting a request (yay!), I can't resist a good search challenge.  (One of my grandmothers was a librarian, so I think it's a genetic issue.)

After looking through a few books, I came across Chocolate Marble Bars in my copy of Pillsbury's Best 1000 Recipes: Best of the BAKE-OFF Collection.  This book was originally published in 1959 and contains the recipes from the first ten years of the Pillsbury baking competition.  These recipes pre-date the use of the convenience foods seen in later competitions, but instead call for Pillsbury flour and other pantry ingredients.  My copy is a facsimile printing from 2009.  The pages are nice quality, but the binding is about two page turns away from disintegrating.  I saw an original copy at an estate sale a few months ago, but I decided to leave it for someone else.  I'm kind of regretting that now...

The recipe says it was the Senior Second Prize Winner by Mrs. William Sawdo, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, but it doesn't state what year.  Fortunately with a quick search, Google News tells us that it was 1951.

As an aside, I've often wondered why women had to give up using their first names after they married.  None of the three contestants mentioned in the article has her first name listed, but the woman who awarded the prizes does.  Interesting...

These came together fairly easily.  My first attempt at melting the chocolate resulted in an oily, chunky mess.  The second time around I used cream instead of water and got a more ganache-like mixture.

I don't think I've ever 'marbled' anything before - that was kind of fun!

We initially tried these bars while they were still warm, but in my opinion they are much better when completely cooled.  The texture is that of a dense cake and the coconut flavor was more pronounced when cooled.  The chocolate is very "dark chocolate" tasting, which I like, but one of my tasters found it off-putting.  Semi-sweet or milk chocolate might have a wider appeal.

Chocolate Marble Bars (Printable recipe)
from Pillsbury's Best 1000 Recipes: Best of the BAKE-OFF Collection

Ingredients
2 squares unsweetened chocolate (2 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup hot water (or cream)
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
3 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coconut

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375F.  Grease a 15.5x10x5x1" jellyroll pan or two 9x9x2 inch pans.

Melt the chocolate, 1/4 cup sugar and hot water or cream in a double boiler.   Cool.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Cream together the butter, 1/2 cup sugar and brown sugar.  Add the eggs, milk and vanilla; beat well.  Gradually add the flour mixture and mix well.  Stir in the coconut.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan.  Drizzle chocolate mixture over the batter in a diagonal pattern.  Cut through batter with a knife in opposite direction to give a marbled effect.

Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes.