Adele

Adele lives in the mountains with her family, a dog, some cats, and several other animals: chickens, turkeys, rabbits, and ducks. In the kitchen, she is really very good. I cannot say that I have tasted all her dishes, which are often meat-based –and of which I am not a great fan– yet we have often eaten together with our children, sitting under a hazel tree, looking at the mountains, and smelling the food’s truly delicious aroma.

Mountain winters are long and if things proceed as usual, there is snow. We spend afternoons by the fire, lighting the stove, and adding wood. During the afternoon, Adele cooks; it is something she does well and that people like. In fact, she has invented a sort of at-home confectionery and makes cakes to orders, which are special above all for me as I do not eat rabbit, boar, or meat sauce. However, I do know about cakes.

This summer I was able to secure the recipe for her pièce de résistance:

Adele’s apple pie

• 100gr soft butter
• 125gr sugar
• 3 eggs
• 100gr flour
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (I prefer to use a vanilla bean)
• 5 apples (3 yellow and 2 green).

1. I separate the yolks from the whites. With a pinch of salt, I whip the whites until stiff.
2. I beat the yolks and mix them together with the butter and sugar.
3. I add a drop of vinsanto, the flour and the vanilla extract, followed by the beaten egg whites and a pinch of yeast. The dough is now ready.
4. I butter the pan and sprinkle it with some flour.
5. I cut the apples into medium slices and arrange them on the bottom of the pan, forming a circular design.
6. I sprinkle with cinnamon, cover it first with the dough, and then with more apples slices. I sprinkle it with sugar.
7. Bake for 35 minutes at 180°; placing it in the lower half of the oven, below the mid-point.
8. How to know when it’s done. After the 35 minutes have passed, touch the cake lightly with a finger; if it bounces back, it is ready.
9. I turn the cake on to a plate and, while still hot, dust it with powdered sugar.
   It’s ready!

In this cake, I have substituted vanilla extract with a vanilla bean, which is opened and the seeds scraped out. I have also replaced the white sugar with demerara. If I want to really go over the top, I serve it with a bit of cinnamon-sprinkled whipped cream on the side … a calorie bomb in every sense!

Porcelain plates by Keramiekondemand.