Margie's Brunch

I host a regular brunch on the last Sunday of the month. It usually has an ethnic food theme, and its an open invitation to all my friends and family in the area. It's an amazing way to stay connected, try new recipes, not spend all of Sunday working, and matchmake new friendships. 

A week ago, I was talking to Liat Berdugo about how I could share my own experience of grieving and who my grandmother was with my friends in California, most of whom had never met her. She suggested that the theme for my October brunch could by my grandmother. I loved this idea and extended it to everyone else who wanted to share a memory, a picture or a dish from some one they've loved. So, this month's theme was born. 

I made two recipes of my grandmother's, and then my take on Smitten Kitchen's Shakshuka, that my grandmother never made, but I'm confidant she would have loved. Pictures and recipes below.

Soused Apple Cake

Filling:

• 5 apples
• generous 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. heavy cream

Cake:

• 2 c. flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 11 tblsp butter
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 5 tablespoons brandy or calvados
• 5 tablespoons cold water

DIRECTIONS
Make the apple filling 1. Peel and core the apples. Cut each apple into 8 wedges and then cut each wedge lengthwise into slender slices.
2. In a bowl, combine the sugar and cream. Add the apples. Set aside until needed.

Make the batter 3. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter the pan and dust with flour.
4. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt and set aside.
5. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl, either with an electric mixer or by hand, until smooth and creamy. Add the lightly beaten eggs to the butter mixture in 4 batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition. Gently fold in the flour in 4 batches, adding the rum and water with the third batch. Stop mixing as soon as the last batch of flour is incorporated.
6. Divide the batter into 3 portions. (You can eyeball it, but each portion should be about 1 cup or so.) Scrape 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Spoon half of the apple and cream mixture evenly over the batter, leaving a 1/2-inch plain border around the edge and smoothing the slices so they’re neat and level. Scrape another 1/3 of the batter on top of the apples and cream and smooth the surface, spreading the batter all the way to the edge of the pan. Spoon the remaining apples and cream evenly on top of the batter, and then top with the third and final batch of batter, smoothing it all the way to the edge of the pan, which will be quite full.
7. Bake the cake for 1 1/2 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, then release the sides of the pan and transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely. 

BLUEBERRY BRUNCH CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs 
• 2 cups milk 
• 1 cup lemon yogurt 
• ¼ cup sugar 
• 8 stale white bread slices, or 8 ounces French bread, cut into ½ inch cubes 
• 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries, preferably fresh 
• One 8 ounce package cream cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes 
• 1 cup each strawberries and blueberries, optional 
• One 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, optional 

DIRECTIONS:
1. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until well beaten.
2. Add the milk, yogurt and sugar; mix well.
3. Add the bread cubes and toss gently to coat completely.
4. Add the cubed cream cheese and 2 cups blueberries and toss gently to blend.
5. Grease 13x9 inch glass baking pan with vegetable oil.
6. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
8. Remove the plastic wrap and bake 50 to 55 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes. Garnish with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped topping if desired.

Shakshuka

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen; also credit to Leora Fridman for introducing me to the tahini topping

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 5 Anaheim chiles or canned roasted red peppers
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• pinch of sugar
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 6 eggs

Topping

• Tahini, with zaatar sprinkled on top
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon cilantro
• Warm pitas, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with tahini, feta and cilantro and serve with pitas, for dipping.