Gingerbread with Apple Compote

     This is the time of year when I crave gingerbread.  I love the homey, warm spices and the distinctive molasses flavor.  I don’t know why I wait until winter though, as the house is cool and the molasses sure takes its own-sweet-time to pour out into the measuring cup!  Truly, slow . as . molasses . . .

    I consider making gingerbread one of those “gateway” baking experiences.  It’s straightforward and pretty much no-fuss.  If you have junior bakers in your midst, they will love the science of this recipe when the molasses foams up when met with baking soda and water.  What’s not to love about having a fizzy factor when making cake?!!

     This recipe is from Susan Spicer, the chef-owner of Bayona restaurant in New Orleans.  Susan’s credentials are impressive, and I was thrilled to meet her earlier this year.  She’s as warm and gracious as this gingerbread.  In Susan’s cookbook, Crescent City Cooking, she writes:  “Don’t reserve this recipe just for holiday baking – it will make your family sublimely happy all year long.”  True words.

A few advance tips:

1. Always read the recipe through its entirety before proceeding. Actually you should have read it through twice:  once to get a handle on the ingredients and secondly before you begin preparing the recipe.  There are a few sequential steps here that are important to follow.
2. Fresh is best! Here this especially means your spices and the baking soda.  I use fresh ginger as it’s a staple in our house.  It’s worth the difference, but dried ginger will do if it’s newly purchased and from a store with brisk turnover rates of its spices.  (I get mine here.)
3. I prefer my cake on the less sweet side, so I reduced both the sugar and molasses by 1/ 4 cup each. Susan’s original recipe calls for 1 cup each.  By all means, give hers a try and make it to suit your taste buds.
4. Use apples that hold their shape through cooking. The “Hazen” variety I used is plenty sweet and didn’t require any sugar.  Other solid choices are Pink Lady or Granny Smith.  Mix and match – gives a fuller apple-y flavor.  I purposefully used plenty of lemon, juice and zest, for distinct lemon-y flavor.  Try this with pears too!

Gingerbread with Apple Compote

Adapted from Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer

Makes one 8” square cake

INGREDIENTS

• 1/ 2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), plus more for buttering the pan
• 3/ 4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/ 8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (or 1/ 2 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 3/ 4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.
2. Melt the butter, pour into a large bowl and allow it to cool slightly. Beat the sugar and eggs into the butter.  Set aside.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and ginger. Set aside.
4. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, stir the molasses and soda/hot water solution into the boiling water.    Whisk the dry ingredients into the large bowl containing the butter/sugar/egg mixture, then stir in the molasses mixture.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, testing for doneness with a wooden toothpick insert in the center of the cake. (When done, it should come out clean and free of batter.)  The cake will also have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan.
6. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake from the pan, and invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.  Cut into squares and serve with apple compote.

Apple Compote

Makes 2 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups apple; peeled, cored and diced into 1/ 4-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest, minced
• 1/8 – 1/ 4 cup sugar, to taste
• Teeny-tiny pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon Calvados or apple brandy, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients into a medium saucepan. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, about 20 – 30 minutes.
2. Can be made a couple of days ahead. Transfer to a storing dish and refrigerate until needed.

Postscript:

A meal at Bayona is top of list whenever I’m in NOLA.  I’ve been a fan of Susan Spicer since my first visit there nearly 15 years ago.  On the day this photo was taken, the restaurant was in the midst of celebrating their 25th Anniversary!  She offered up many of the classic dishes that have made legions of followers, and had fantastic roll-back pricing on martinis and lemon drop cocktails!

The lunchtime rush was still going on, but Susan made the time to step out of her kitchen to greet us.  I especially enjoyed our chat, discovering our mutual admiration for culinary legend Paula Wolfert, and her upcoming new biography-cookbook UNFORGETTABLE:  Bold Flavors from a Renegade Life, What a special day for me, and happy we caught it on camera!