Autumn:
The New Season of Renewal
By
Jeanne Baratta (Fair Lawn's Kitchen
Elf)
I have
been thinking about the seasons, and how wonderful to live where we get to
experience them all. I
remember as a child, there was always a certain smell in the air that
would tell of the approaching season.
It seemed that when one season was ending we were already longing
for the next one to begin. Each
season always brought upon a special time to look forward to.
Even as a child, I remember looking forward to autumn.
As September began I was usually excited to begin a new school
year, see friends again, and buy that new fall wardrobe.
We customarily think of spring as the season of renewal, but lately I have
been thinking fall has its’ own sense of renewal.
In our family, we have many new beginnings this autumn, and I must
confess I was hoping they would not come too fast.
We drove our oldest daughter to Delaware a few weeks ago, where she
will begin a new phase of her life as a college freshman.
It is hard not seeing her face everyday, a face I have looked upon
every day for the past 18 years. They
say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and boy is that an
understatement!
To ground me, I have another freshman to deal with; my son has started a
new chapter as a high school freshman.
This transition began in July with daily football practice.
My routine has been altered to include preparing high protein meals
and shakes for a very hungry 14 year old.
I must admit I am a bit nervous about this football thing.
In my mind my son is much too skinny and has too long of a neck to
be playing football. When, he
announced excitedly, that he was practicing as a running back.
I replied, “Mommy
will write a note saying you can’t play that position”.
That did not go over too big! When
he had his first scrimmage against the sophomore team, I asked my husband
if the coach would tell the sophomores to “take it easy on the
freshman?”. My husband
looked at me like I was crazy and said “I don’t think so”.
I will have to find my sanity in my 8 year old!
She is beginning the fourth grade.
When I jokingly (I swear), told her that I would not be helping her
with any homework this year, so that she would do poorly and would not be
able to leave me like her sister did.
She just looked at me and said, “Fine, I’ll get Dad to study
with me”. I assured her that
I was just kidding, and would do whatever was needed to help her succeed.
I am not sure if she believed me.
As
usual, I will find my comfort in the kitchen this fall. When
the chill hits the air, I will once again fire up the oven and take to
baking. Baking is comfort to
me, and there is no better comfort than the smell of something in the
oven. The salads that
accompany every meal in the summer months will change to loaves of bread.
Apple pies and pumpkin muffins will replace the no-bake fruit
tarts. The cookie jar will be
filled once again with chocolate chip, oatmeal, and peanut butter cookies.
Of course, I will make extra to ship to Delaware.
Below is my recipe for Cheese Babka, a simple but delicious sweet
bread. I start this recipe in
my bread machine, but hand form it and bake it in the oven.
The aroma when this is baking is heavenly.
| Cheese Babka
For
the dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk (warmed in the microwave for about
30-40 seconds)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons softened butter
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed
above. Set the machine
to the "Dough/Manual" setting and let the machine run
its cycle (about 1 1/2 hours).
Cheese
Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 large egg yolk (save the white)
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries, you
can substitute raisins
Mix all the filling ingredients (except dried cranberries) in a
medium bowl till combined.
Crumb
Topping:
1 tablespoon softened butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2-teaspoon cinnamon
Blend all topping ingredients together with a fork.
Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F. Generously
grease a round bundt pan (grease the outside top of the pan also,
this baby rises!)
At the end of the machines cycle, shut it down and turn it on
again for about 30 seconds just to punch down the dough (this
dough rises a lot). Remove
the dough from the machine and put on a lightly floured work
surface. Roll the
dough into a 10 x 20 inch rectangle.
Spread the filling to 1 inch from all sides, and sprinkle
the dried cranberries on top of filling.
Roll up lengthwise and pinch ends to seal.
Transfer dough to the greased bundt pan.
Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled (about
1 hour).
Make a slight indentation in the middle of the babka with your
hand, brush with reserved egg white, mixed with some water.
Cover the top of the babka with the crumb topping.
Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from pan and let warm on a rack.
|
Check
out the Kitchen Elf's Other Wonderful Articles
Kitchen
Elf Goes To Washington (Summer 2004)
Chocolate
Covered Secrets (Spring 2004)
A
Little Update (Winter 2003)
The
Games We Play (June 2003)
Has
Spring Really Sprung (April 2003)
Happy
Hour: Rated 'G' (February 2003)
Holiday
Sanity (December 2002)
For
The Birds (October 2002)
In
My Vegetable Garden (August 2002)
What
To Do With Kids on Summer Vacation (June 2002)
Family
Time and Dinner Time (April 2002)
What To Give (And Not Give)
Your Wife (February 2002)
Kitchen Elf on Staying Fit
(December 2001)
New Market and Gourmet Apples
(October 2001)
