the red kitchen

Oaty apple cake

I've been baking a bit more lately, I don't know why, maybe the weather, maybe the fact that we are back from holidays and I am enjoying being back in my own (messy) kitchen. When I'm feeling at home, I bake.

The week before the holidays Lola and I were more or less home alone for a week while Max was skiing with Bruno's parents and Bruno was working. We had a very relaxing week, bonding, doing girly things and making pikelets with nutella for breakfast every morning (I blame Ms. Fabelhaft for Lola's nutella habit, entirely!). The pikelet recipe came from my trusty Edmonds cookbook (btw, check out this link for a look at an early version of the good ol' Edmonds, and just above it on the page was a recipe an Oaty Apple cake. Hmm, looks good, I thought to myself. I mentally bookmarked it for future reference, and went on holiday.

One week and many muscle aches later (what possessed me to try skiing again I don't know, why don't I just give up already), we were home and I was in a baking mood. The Oaty Apple cake! A bit of cakey indulgence, but still with enough healthy ingredients to pass muster as a pseudo health food - oats, grated apple, raisins etc. I bumped up the health quotient by using fresh orange juice instead of water, and fresh ginger instead of mixed spice.

I made it for Sunday afternoon tea with Bruno's parents, and it was delicious. A bit crumbly, esp. when warm from the oven (the flavour and texture improves after a day, if you can wait), but really good, moist and fruity, a bit like a muffin.

I made it again a few days later because we scoffed the first cake down so quickly that I needed to try it again to be really sure of its excellentness. I took some to my friend Gabriella and her visiting Italian parents, and she also loved it. Here, at her request, then, is the recipe:

Bag o' fun

Bag o' fun, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

Migros sells paper carry bags for 30 rappen (cents). Most of the time they are emblazoned with boring advertising or seasonal blather, but every so often they get artists to do them, like this great one.

The photographer is Olaf Breuning.

More strichmi

More strichmi, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

It's green inside, and stinky. You eat it (if you dare) with boiled potatoes and other cheeses, for a peculiarly Swiss meal called 'Gschwelti' (I think that's how you spell it).

Hmmm.

Roasted vegies

Roasted vegies, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

Smelt fantastic before I even put them in the oven.

Second breakfast

Second breakfast, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

This week our German lesson was at my house. Of course, we had to have a suitable repast to help us remember to put the verb at the end of the sentence!

Also present was an apple and almond teacake, the entire quota of gipfelis for our town, fresh pineapple, and of course, coffee, coffee, coffee (and a tea).

Potluck dinners

A couple of weeks ago we had a surprise potluck Asian food-themed birthday dinner for a good friend of mine, and it was such a success that we all agreed that we should make a habit of it. It was a great meal - smoke-free surrounds (unlike the rest of the civilised world, Switzerland still insists that it's ok for smokers to fag on in restaurants, completely ruining the dining out experience for me. No matter how fantastic the food, I just can't enjoy it wreathed in smoke), food better than any restaurant I've been to lately, wine, great company, and no rush to clear the table for the next sitting. And of course, remarkably easy to organise  - everyone just brings something.  The food was so good that there was even talk of producing a cookbook of sorts for ourselves.

So this weekend someone else has taken on the mantle of organiser, and has organised an Italian potluck. I'm on starter/antipasti duty along with Ms Fabelhaft, so I consulted my Italian neighbour for some tips and ideas. I'm mad keen to make some devils on horseback, 60's party staple that they are, kitschy yes, but FAB to eat.

Ideas:

• A simple caprese salad: tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, dressing - you know the drill, perhaps with cherry tomatoes and tiny (cherry tomato size) mozzarella balls
• Proscuitto wrapped around grissini
• Good olives
• Bruschettas of various types, ie, pesto, sundried tomato paste, tapenade, garlicky mushrooms etc
• Bagna cauda (garlicky buttery anchovy dip) with raw veges for dipping
• cheese, salami, prosciutto, walnut platter
• Goat cheese and rocket wrapped in bresaola, drizzled with a vinaigrette
• devils on horseback (cheese-stuffed prunes wrapped in bacon and grilled crisp)
• Goat's cheese tartlets with green olives, lemon and cream
• Grilled haloumi with rocket and chilli
• hot garlic prawns
• proscuitto, goat's cheese and fig bundles (there's that goat cheese again!)

I shall have to consult further with my partner in appetizer crime, and see just what is do-able. It all sounds delicious to me! (maybe that's because it's almost dinner time...).

I'll let you know what we end up eating.