"The Hudson nurtures those who are attuned to its voice."
That sentence appears in the prologue to The Hudson: America's River, by Frances Dunwell. At the river's southern end, it can be hard to hear the river's voice amidst the cacophony of the city's traffic and inhabitants. Further upstream, it is hard not to hear the river's voice, whether in the gentle lapping of the waters on the shore, in the honking of barges heading up to Albany, or in the squawking of migrating geese stopping for a rest in one of the river's many bays. The river has inspired generations of artists and writers, and now the Hudson River Valley is home to a lot of the farmers and cooks who are part of our nation's growing locavore/eat local movement. And what inspiration there is!
Despite the heat and drought of this summer, it has been a great year for eating delicious treats grown in the valley - corn, beans, heirloom tomatoes. A fun discovery has been a number of orchards and farms with pick-your-own options. One morning as I was driving back to the city, I decided to pick some peaches. It was nice to see the smiles on faces of the men who work in my apartment building when I gave them a bag of the sweet treats, but the real gift was being in the orchard atop a ridge, under a bright blue sky with the stately Catskill mountains off to the west and the rolling hills of the Berkshires off to the east.
I returned to that same farm last week, to pick apples in one of their other orchards. This one sits lower on the hillside so the view isn't quite as dramatic, but the bright sky and the snaps of crisp autumn air made it just as nurturing. A friend from culinary school was up for a short visit and we quickly filled our bag with Jonagolds, Empires, Cortlands, and a few Honeycrisps for good measure. Most of the fruit went back to the city as gifts for friends, but a few of them found their way into delicious little cakes.
Natalia adapted a batter cake recipe that we found in the Once Upon a Tart cookbook. Enjoy!
Apple Tea Cakes
adapted from Once Upon a Tart
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (plus a tad more for buttering cake pans)
3-4 tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
zest of one lemon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter/grease 3 small loaf pans.
2. Toss apples with cinnamon, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Set aside.
3. Whisk together sugar and flour in a mixing bowl, then whisk in the cooled melted butter, vanilla and egg until just combined. Stir in the walnuts and continue mixing until no flour is visible.
4. Place a layer of apples in the bottom of each pan. Cover with about a half-cup of the batter, then top with another layer of apples. Portion out the remaining batter evenly into each pan.
5. Bake in center rack of oven for about 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Remove cake from pan by turning it over onto a plate or simply slice from the pan. Cake can be enjoyed while warm or at room temperature. (And it makes a great breakfast treat the next day!)
