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Books That Cook: Simple favorites for busy holiday cooks

By Ellen Folkman, Times Correspondent
Published December 5, 2007

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Title: Bundt Cake Bliss: Delicious Desserts from Midwest Kitchens by Susanna Short (Minnesota Historical Society Press, $16.95; 145 pages)

Generally speaking: The variety of pans available these days makes Bundt cakes all the more appealing. Bundt Cake Bliss is filled with delectable recipes to suit every taste and occasion: old favorites like the popular tunnel of fudge cake, plus new offerings like saffron cake.

For: Cake-only lovers. Bundt cakes aren't usually frosted, so if frosting is your favorite part you're out of luck. Usually Bundt cakes are dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with a glaze, but sometimes nothing. That's what makes Bundt cakes perfect for busy people.

Recipes: Cranberry-orange Bundt, white fruitcake, apple-butter Bundt with cider glaze, sour cream coffee cake, strawberry-pretzel Bundt and chocolate-espresso Bundt.

Gifting: This would be a great gift paired with a Bundt pan.

 

Apple Butter Bundt with Cider Glaze

Cake:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar

5 eggs

1 cup apple butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons bourbon

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans

Glaze:

1 cup apple cider (not apple juice)

2 tablespoons honey

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan with butter and flour and set aside.

- Beat together cream cheese, butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.

- Combine apple butter, vanilla and bourbon in separate bowl and set aside.

- Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in separate bowl and set aside.

- Add the flour and apple butter mixture alternately to the cream cheese-butter-sugar mixture, combining well after each addition. Stir in the pecans.

- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack or serving plate.

- To prepare glaze, place apple cider, honey, lemon juice and white sugar in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a rolling boil.

- Reduce the heat to maintain a low boil and stir constantly until the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.

- Remove 2 tablespoons of the cider mixture and thoroughly dissolve the corn starch in it. Return it to the saucepan and continue to cool until mixture thickens further, about 4 minutes.

- Add 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and cook until the glaze is thick enough to be spooned over the cake, about 4 minutes.

- Brush glaze over hot cake. This process will use about two-thirds of the glaze. When the cake is cooled, spoon the remaining glaze over the cake. It will have thickened considerably, giving it the appearance of honey.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Source: Bundt Cake Bliss: Delicious Desserts from Midwest Kitchens by Susanna Short (Minnesota Historical Society Press, $16.95) 

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Title: The Take-Out Menu Cookbook: How to Cook In the Foods You Love to Take Out by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds (Running Press, $19.95; 336 pages)

Generally speaking: The intention of this cookbook is to enable the home cook to duplicate favorite takeout recipes. The cuisines featured are Japanese, Indian, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Greek, German and French, among others. The disappointment of this cookbook is that it contains more than a few recipes that were not really intended "to go": creme brulee, wiener schnitzel and crepes Suzette to name some.

For: Anyone looking for new ethnic recipes. While not take-out favorites, a number of decent ethnic recipes are included.

Recipes: Baked cannelloni, potato gnocchi, California rolls, hummus, churros, arroz con pollo, apple strudel, Peking duck with Peking pancakes, Jewish apple cake, sweet noodle kugel and barbecued spare ribs.

 

Barbecued Spareribs

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

4 pounds pork spareribs, trimmed of excess fat

Plum sauce, for dipping

- Combine the soy sauce, hoisin, honey, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger in a large plastic zip-top bag.

- Place the spareribs in the bag and shake to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight or for 3 hours at room temperature.

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

- Place a rack in a roasting pan and fill the pan with 1 inch of water. Set the ribs on the rack and roast for 45 minutes, turning and basting frequently with the marinade. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees and continue to roast for an additional 15 minutes.

- Remove the ribs from the oven and cool until they can be handled. Cut into individual ribs and brush on more marinade. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes until crisp and brown. Serve hot or at room temperature with plum sauce.

Serves 6.

Source: The Take-Out Menu Cookbook: How to Cook In the Foods You Love to Take Out by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds (Running Press, $19.95)

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Title: Killer Chili: Savory Recipes from North America's Favorite Restaurants by Stephanie Anderson (Chronicle Books, $16.95; 112 pages)

Generally speaking: The recipes come from 50 restaurants from Oregon to Maryland, Missouri to Alberta and lots of spots in between.

For: Chili aficionados. This book goes beyond beef and red beans to include seafood, turkey, veggies, white beans and other ingredients you might not have considered.

Recipes: Cape Cod seafood chili, red bean and catfish chili, green chili soup and poblano and grilled chicken chili.

 

McSorley's Wonderful Veggie Chili

Olive oil for sauteing

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large white onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 (28 ounces) can plum tomatoes

1 (19 ounces) can kidney beans, drained

1 (19 ounces) can chickpeas, drained

1 (5.5 ounces) can tomato paste

2 cups frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 dashes hot sauce

- In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the carrots, onion, celery, peppers, garlic and ginger for 10 minutes. Add the bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, cayenne and chili powder.

- Add the tomatoes, beans, chickpeas, tomato paste and corn and simmer 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Add the cilantro and hot sauce. Serve.

Serves 4.

Source: Killer Chili: Savory Recipes from North America's Favorite Restaurants by Stephanie Anderson (Chronicle Books, $16.95)

[Last modified December 4, 2007, 11:23:05]

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