Ingredients
Moist, dark, spicy, but not too sweet, this is classic gingerbread. The addition of black pepper has a historical hook: it was a common ingredient in gingerbreads of the past. We think it brings alive the other spices.
So much easier than apple pie and so much lighter, this tart will not be overkill after a celebration meal. It’s not the same-old, same-old apple pie. The tart’s rosemary leaves and lemon sugar (the trick of rubbing shredded rind into sugar) flavoring the apple slices, then a finish of cinnamon and olive oil sets it far apart from the usual. The best part is that because the tart’s so thin and crisp-crusted, you can bake it a day ahead and lightly warm the tart in the oven before serving.
In the early 1500s, Montezuma in his Mexico City palace drank chocolate daily, usually with red chile in it. Apparently the king knew that chile, in small amounts, amplifies and enriches the taste of chocolate. So does Jane Butel, the noted cookbook author and specialist in Mexican cookery, who generously provided the recipe from which this cake was adapted. At The Fort, it's a centerpiece of a birthday and anniversary ritual from which good-natured celebrants emerge with a photo of themselves in a horned buffalo or coyote hat.
I spent some time in Knoxville and got to know firsthand how pleasant the people are and how proud they are to maintain the tradition of the apple stack cake. Everyone knows it, and the routine that they follow to make and serve it is serious business.
Granita is the crunchy cousin to sorbet, more rustic, and for me, more satisfying.
Read through the entire recipe before starting to cook. Assemble everything and then begin. Once you are rolling, things move quickly. Marshmallows keep, covered, at room temperature three days. Do this once, and you will get the recipe's rhythm down easily.
When my sister and I were kids about 7 and 8, we earnestly decided that the very best pie in the world would be one made with 20 ingredients.
Dear Friends,
So that people who avoid alcohol could still enjoy the extraordinarily moist yet soft texture of my Grand Marnier cake, I've adapted the recipe using ground almonds and lemon.