Okay, so there isn’t actually an Apple Tart recipe in Martha’s American Food.  However there is a Cinnamon Applesauce recipe on page 71 of the All-American section.  So I decided to use a little All-American ingenuity and use her applesauce to create an apple tart.

I used some Red Delicious apples for the applesauce, which is very easy to make and once you try it you’ll never want to go back to store bought jars again!  Using a frozen pie crust (yes, I’ll admit it, I used a pre-made shell and yes, it would have been even better if it were a homemade one!) I did a 15 minute blind bake (which is cooking the shell in advance of making the tart or pie). After it turned just lightly brown I filled it with applesauce that I also added raisins to for a little extra flavor.  I topped it off with paper thin sliced pieces of apple that I arranged around the tart in overlapping pieces until I made a flower design in the middle and brushed the top with some melted butter.  I let it cook for another 15 minutes and finally brushed on some peach jam that I melted with a bit of water on the stove and cooked it for 10 more minutes to give the tart a nice glaze.

I used to make a tart like this back in culinary school and it always drove me crazy because I could never get the apple slices thin enough.  But back in school I wasn’t allowed to use my trusty Japanese mandoline to get the job done right — it really makes a difference!  I also find that there’s a big difference when you’re cooking in a relaxed manner, which I pretty much never did back in school, because I think the finished product always comes out better when you’re cooking happy!

Martha’s cinnamon applesauce makes the perfect filling for this easy tart!  It’s not only delicious but it’s pretty to look at.  Of course, applesauce goes well with so many things.  You can use it as a side dish with a roasted pork, spread it on freshly baked bread or even just eat it on its own!

See this marvelous account in AmericaBlog‘s John Aravosis!

Tonight I completed Martha’s Salsa Trinity with her Pico de Gallo from page 290.

I also had some Salsa Verde and Roasted Tomato Salsa leftovers so we were able to sample all three tonight.  Jeff liked the pico de gallo the best.  He loved the fresh tomatoes, spicy peppers and the prominent flavor of the cilantro.  I was torn between the salsa verde, because you know how I love tomatillos, and the roasted tomato salsa because I’m such a fan of sweet roasted veggies.

All of these salsas used cilantro.  Cilantro provides an interesting flavor that some people love and some people hate.  It has hints of lemon and lime that lends itself nicely to acidic foods and is also an effective cooling element in hot and spicy dishes.  But as I mentioned, it’s a polarizing herb — even the great Julia Child declared her hatred of cilantro, once saying had a “dead taste” to her.  Some people compare the taste and smell to soap.  I’ve also met chefs who think it’s the greatest herb ever and add it to almost everything they cook!

So where do I stand on the great cilantro debate?  I’d place myself somewhere in the middle.  I don’t like cilantro to be a prominent flavor in my food, which is why the pico de gallo was my least favorite of the salsas.  However, when it’s used in a subtle way, I think it adds something unique that you just can’t get from other herbs.  It’s used quite a bit in both Mexican and Indian cooking.  I believe the aversion to it is mainly a European thing as it doesn’t fit neatly into the flavor box of more typical herbs like basil and thyme.  I like any challenge to traditional seasoning which I believe places me squarely in the “pro-cilantro” camp.

Still, of the three salsas, the pico de gallo was good, but a bit cilantro heavy for my personal taste.  The salsa verde was quite tart with great citrus notes.  The roasted tomato salsa was sweet and brought out the spicy peppers the best of any of them.  My suggestion is to make all three for your next party and let your guests decide which one suits their tastes best.

Today I took a salsa break, but kept it spicy and Southwestern with Martha’s Biscochitos with Mexican Hot Chocolate from page 326.

Here’s a fun fact, in 1989 New Mexico became the first state in the union to adopt its very own official state cookie – the biscochito!  For those of you who may not of heard of it before, a biscochito is a type of shortbread cookie.  It’s made with lard, which is unusual for a cookie, but gives it a flaky texture, similar to a pie crust only lighter.  It has delicate notes of anise and orange and it’s dusted with cinnamon and sugar for a little extra warmth and sweetness since the dough itself has very little sugar.  It pairs beautifully with the Mexican hot chocolate, flavored with cinnamon and chilies that gives it a nice spiciness that sneaks up on you as you’re drinking it.  The whipped cream on top mellows out the heat just a bit and makes it perfectly decadent!

I didn’t have star and crescent moon shaped cookie cutters, so I used a round one and then I took my paring knife to it to create the crescent moon shapes.  Hey, if you don’t have the tools you have to get creative!

You might wonder if this is a good dessert to have in Florida in the middle of the summer as this certainly comes off as more of a comforting treat for a cold winter night.  But there has been a lot of rain and thunder and lightening here in Hudson and this is the perfect dessert to sooth your soul on a dark and stormy night.  Just look at that picture…doesn’t that look tempting to indulge in any time of the year?

As promised, I’m working my way through Martha’s salsas, today I tried a Salsa Verde from the Southwest on page 290.

Tomatillos are the main ingredient in salsa verde, along with some onion, garlic, and dried chili.  I couldn’t find any dried chili so I got some fresh hot chilies and fried them in olive oil until they got crisp and a little blackened.  I added a little of the oil I fried the chilies in to the salsa.  Needless to say, this salsa verde is hot stuff!

Both the roasted tomato and salsa verde are terrific, but they can’t be compared because they’re so different.  I’d say that if you like sweet, caramelized roasted tomatoes and peppers, try the roasted tomato variety.  But if the salsa you crave is tart with light notes of citrus mingled with heat, go for the verde.  Of course, you could always make both for a party and satisfy the tastes of almost every guest!

I used this as a condiment on the delicious burritos that Jeff made for dinner.  Salsa makes a great dip, but it also adds a real kick to all sorts of things, from burritos to enchiladas and even on top of a hot dog  or a hamburger for a little extra spiciness that you can’t get with a regular relish!

Yesterday I had a Martha Project Interrupted day.  I spent much of the day down in St. Petersburg visiting my mother and step-father.  My mother made us a wonderful sausage and pepper dinner and I roasted some yellow tomatoes as a side dish.  My mom came back to our home, and even though we got home late, I thought I could make a nice Martha-style dessert.  Well, my mom had seen that picture of the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake I had made on Thursday and she really wanted that.  Nobody wants to let down their own mother, so I whipped one up and we ate it as a midnight dessert.  But I couldn’t really blog about it again … what would I say “Same cake as yesterday — still awesome!”

But roasting up those tomatoes put me in the mood to find a Martha recipe with some roasted tomatoes in it … and I did on page 290 of the Southwest with Roasted Tomato Salsa!

I adore a good, spicy salsa!  It’s one of my favorite dips.  Don’t you just love to go to a Mexican restaurant and get a side of tortilla chips and salsa instead of the typical basket of bread?  I know it’s easy to go to the supermarket and buy a jar of pre-made salsa, and I’ll admit some of them are pretty good, I particularly like Newman’s Own, I find much of his brand very fresh and flavorful.  But you’ll never get the depth of flavor from a jar that you’ll get when you roast up your own veggies, like tomato, garlic, onion and jalapeño chili peppers.  I like to be able to control things like how much salt and how much heat I want in my salsa and you need to make it yourself to be able to do that.

Martha’s recipe is very simple to make and so good!  Like her guacamole recipes, she has three different variations of salsa.  Soon I’ll be trying her Salsa Verde and Pico de Gallo and just like the guacamole I’m sure I’m going to have a hard time choosing a favorite!

Today I took the Martha road trip out West and traveled back in time for a nostalgic favorite, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake from page 400.

I must confess that I was worried about this one.  Martha’s batter recipe is simple and made with basic kitchen staples like butter, sugar, flour and milk.  But the topping is another story!  Not because it’s that difficult to make, the part I was worried about was getting it out of its pan.  Caramelized sugar tends to be a bit sticky and I could just picture turning it upside down (hence the name) and having the topping stick to the bottom of the pan or just fall apart on me!  What to do?

I decided the best plan of action was to use a small non-stick pan and make a mini-cake.  I was still nervous, and kind of dreading the moment of truth when I did the whole upside-down thing and got it on a plate…but it was a success!  Yay!  It was also very cute and I couldn’t help but add some maraschino cherries to the top, just the way my grandmother did when I was little.  The cherries are perfect with the pineapple and it looks adorable too!

So how did it taste?  Delicious!  I loved the contrast of the buttery cake with the sugary pineapple rings on top.  Pineapple upside-down cake is one of those old-fashioned desserts you’d expect to find in a 1950s style diner.  This is a cool retro favorite that I’d like to see make a big comeback in American kitchens!

This post has nothing to do with cooking.  It’s a shameless excuse to show pictures of my kitten, Minnie.  But do I really need an excuse for kitten cuteness?

Tonight I kept it easy and simple with a spicy little appetizer,  Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeños from page 293 of the Southwest.

Martha explains that this is a more streamlined version of jalapeño poppers that you can find served everywhere from family restaurants to bars.  By streamlined she means that while those are often breaded and fried, for these the jalapeños are just split and stuffed with a cheddar and cream cheese mix and cooked on high until they’re brown and bubbling on top.  The result really lets the hot jalapeño peppers shine through.  This reminded me a little of a traditional stuffed green pepper, only smaller and with a lot more heat!

This would be a great appetizer for a game day party because they’re so easy to make you could easily whip up a big tray of them.  But make sure to have plenty of cold beer ready for your guests because these are muy picante!  If they can handle the heat, they’re sure to love Martha’s cheese-stuffed jalapeños!

Today I tried Martha’s Farmhouse Chowder from the Midwest on page 238.

When I think of a chowder, I tend to think of New England and clams.  This is a chicken chowder that comes out of Midwestern farms.  It has onion, carrot, turnip and rutabaga, so you know it’s nutritious as well as delicious!  That’s one of my favorite things, finding new meals that taste great and are also very healthy.  And I happen to think rutabagas are awesome (and under-appreciated) so I love coming up with new ways to use them!

This chowder is as comforting as wrapping yourself in your favorite blanket on a chilly night.  The vegetables mingle perfectly with the tender chicken and subtle broth with just a enough cream to make it rich without being heavy.

I know it may seem odd to crave a hot chowder in the middle of my first Floridian summer, but I think a nice, creamy chowder is something to enjoy all year long!  Jeff and I really enjoyed this one and we’ll definitely be making it again soon.