Scalloped Potatoes: The Ultimate Comfort Food

 

One of the ultimate comfort foods, Scalloped Potatoes must be one of our favourite side dishes. Rich, creamy and full of flavour, there are many versions of this classic gratin. My Mom used to make it using a can of Campbell's mushroom soup. Although we often add sliced onions, grated cheese, nutmeg or fresh thyme, our core recipe starts with sliced russet potatoes layered in a garlic rubbed baking dish, smothered in a combination of whole milk and cream then dotted with a butter. If I use onions and cheese, I add them with each layer of potato then cover with the cream mixture and top with a final flurry of grated cheese and sprigs of fresh thyme. Baked in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours until the potatoes are bubbling and golden brown, the mouthwatering aroma and buttery soft texture makes Scalloped Potatoes absolutely impossible to resist. 

Scalloped Potatoes

Serves 6

3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 lb russet or yellow potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin

1 yellow onion, peeled and finely sliced

1/2 cup grated cheddar or parmesan

1 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

1 garlic clove, halved

1 tsp Maldon sea salt

1/4 tsp ground white and black pepper

Fresh thyme for garnish

Preheat oven to 325°F with a rack set in the lower third of oven. Rinse the sliced potatoes in cold water and pat dry in a towel. Rub a shallow earthenware dish with the garlic clove and butter well. Arrange the sliced potatoes and onions in layers in the baking dish, starting with a layer of onions on the bottom, and season with salt and pepper. Dot with the remaining butter, pour the cream overtop and finish with grated cheddar, and an extra flurry of salt and pepper over the assembled gratin, and finished with crumbled fresh thyme. Transfer the baking dish to oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours — I often place a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack below to catch any drips. During the last 10 minutes, turn the heat up to 400°F to brown the top of the potatoes so that they become golden brown. Remove from oven and let the dish stand for 5 minutes, before serving the scalloped potatoes directly from the baking dish.

Dorie's French Apple Cake: A Christmas Treat

 

A deceptively simple and delicious Apple Cake from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, "Around My French Table", is full of entertaining stories, memories, and insider tips that she gathered over years of living in France. Inspired by a recipe by her friend Marie-Hélène Brunet-Lhotse, Greenspan watched her in her kitchen, in the hopes of nabbing a recipe by observation, but found it impossible. "Like so many really good cooks, Marie-Hélène starts off with a set of ingredients, but, once she starts mixing, stirring, boiling, baking, or sautéing, she makes so many cooking adjustments midway that you just have to throw up your hands and content yourself with being the lucky recipient". 

And so it was with this apple cake, perfect for a delicious Christmas treat, which is more apple than cake, rather plain but very appealing in its simplicity: the chunks of apple make a bumpy, golden top, and so satisfying that we all went back for seconds. Despite knowing that it was futile, Greenspan asked for the recipe, and, of course, Marie-Hélène didn't really know. "It's got two eggs, sugar, flour, and melted butter - oh, and rum," she said. "I mix the eggs and sugar together and then I add some flour, some butter, some flour, and some butter." When asked how much flour and butter, Greenspan got a genuinely apologetic shrug, and when asked what kind of apples she used, the answer was, divers, or different kinds. Thank goodness Dorie was so tenacious, for she succeeded in transcribing Marie-Hélène's fabulous recipe for us all to share for evermore.

French Apple Cake

Serves 8

Adapted from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 cups mixed apples, such as Fuji, Golden Delicious, or Gala

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp dark rum

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

3/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Crème Chantilly:

1 cup whipping cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven. Using some of the melted butter, brush the inside of a 6 or 8-inch springform pan and place it on a baking sheet. (I use parchment paper on the bottom and sides to help the cake come out of the pan once baked).

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in small bowl and set aside. Peel and core the apples, then dice them into 1-inch pieces.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk or electric mixer until they are foamy. Add the sugar, rum, vanilla, cardamom, and lemon zest and whisk to blend.  Add in half the flour and when it is incorporated, add half the melted butter, followed by the rest of the flour and the remaining butter, mixing gently after each addition so that you have a smooth batter. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the apples, turning the fruit so that it's coated with batter. Scrape the mix into the pan and smooth out the top with the spatula.

Place the cake on a baking sheet and bake for 60-70 minutes for an 8-inch cake or about 2 hours for a 6-inch cake, until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the pan and carefully remove the sides of the cake pan, making sure no apples are stuck to it. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake onto a serving dish. Using a whisk or mixer, whip each of the crème chantilly ingredients together until firm peaks are formed. Spoon the cream into a bowl and serve with the cake.