BUTTERY APPLE-ALMOND CAKE

This is such an easy cake to make and so delicious.  I make it often because my husband thinks it's as good as having a dessert in a restaurant.  You can serve it plain, with confectioners' sugar, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Spray oil for pan

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup almond flour

1 t baking powder

¼ t ground ginger

½ t fine sea salt

2 large eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup melted and slightly cooled unsalted butter

2 t vanilla extract

1 T Calvados (French apple brandy) optional

3 medium Honeycrisp apples, skin left on and cut into ¼ inch slices

Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Spray oil in a 7-inch springform cake pan and set on a pizza pan or baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt.

In a bowl of a mixer beat eggs until frothy, about 1 minute.

With beater on slow, beat in the sugar, butter, vanilla, and if using, the Calvados.

Pour half of the batter in the prepared pan.

arrange half of the apples on top of the batter.

Pour in the rest of the batter, scraping the bowl clean.

Top batter with remaining sliced apples in a design of your choosing.

Place in oven and bake for 55 minutes.

Let cool 10 minutes before running a kitchen knife around edges and unclipping the 

coller.  

Serve immediately or cover and let cool in the refrigerator.

I cover the cake with a bowl, so not to mess up the top of the cake.

Serves 6

3 lbs, bone-in chicken pieces, remove skin; I use chicken breasts & drumsticks

1-quart chicken stock or broth
3 cups water

Stew

4 slices applewood smoked bacon, diced

2 T unsalted butter

1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, diced

2 (14.5-oz) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes

2 cups frozen lima beans

2 cups frozen corn

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 ½ cups sliced okra 

2 T Worcestershire sauce
½ t liquid smoke (optional)

2 sprigs thyme or 1 t dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 t Old Bay seasoning

1 t sea salt

½ t ground black pepper

Hot sauce, optional

In a large cast-iron stew pot or Dutch oven,
Add the chicken, chicken stock, and water.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl to cool. 

Pour the broth into a large pitcher or measuring cup. 
You should have about 5 cups of rich broth

In the same pot, fry the diced bacon until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon to  a plate and set aside. Discard all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.

Add butter to the pot with the bacon fat and let melt.

Add the chopped onion to the pot and sauté for 10 minutes.

Pour the reserved chicken broth into the pot with the sautéed onions.

Add the canned tomatoes, lima beans, corn, potatoes, okra, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, thyme, bay leaves, and Old Bay into the pot.

Slowly simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, pull the chicken off the bones into bite-size pieces and add to the pot. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Simmer another 5 minutes, add the cooked bacon bits and serve with cornbread muffins and hot sauce, if desired.

Serves 6