Beth Cato's Blog, page 95
December 16, 2015
Bready or Not: Appeltaart
I love my traditional Caramel Apple Pie recipe, but this deep-dish apple pie is something extraordinary! It uses a springform pan.
Brace yourself for a lot of pictures. This is one of those rare times when my end result looked exactly like the photo in the magazine.
It’s a photogenic pie, isn’t it?
This Appeltaart is as delicious as it looks, too. My husband and my dad are hardcore apple pie lovers. It’s probably one of their all-time favorite foods. This pie rated VERY highly for both of them.
The directions look long, but really, it’s not an intimidating pie. I know a lot of folks hate rolling out pie crusts–well, this is the recipe for you! You press most of the dough into the pan and then slice strips for the lattice on top.
The original recipe had raisins in it–which was blasphemous to my family. I omitted the raisins and added more cinnamon.
It would be easy to modify the recipe more. Add a drizzle of caramel or dulce de leche. Try adding some nutmeg, cloves, or cardamom. Or if the making the lattice top worries you, tuck that dough away for other purposes, and throw together a crumb topping. Or instead of cutting strips for the lattice, roll out the dough and use small cookie cutters shaped like leaves or other things.
Whatever you do, I bet you’ll be amazed at the Appeltaart. This will be the showcase for your holiday dessert table… and something special to make all year round.
Modified from a recipe in Martha Stewart Living magazine; also online.
Bready or Not: Appeltaart
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This gorgeous deep-dish apple pie is made in a springform pan. If you’re intimidated by pie crusts, you’ll love the press-in crust for this recipe! Modified from an Appeltaart recipe originally featured in Martha Stewart Living.
Dough
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling
2 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks (6 cups)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 + tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Dough:
In a bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar. Add the butter and work it in until only pea-size pieces are visible.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water, and vanilla, then pour into the dry mix. Mix until the dough makes a ball. Form about two-thirds of the dough into one disk and remaining third of dough into another disk. Separately wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Refrigerate them until firm, about 1 hour.
Filling:
Toss together the apples, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 tablespoons flour. Set aside but stir every so often as you make other preparations.
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Prepare a 9-inch round springform pan by cutting parchment paper to fit the circle inside. Use butter or Pam to adhere the parchment in the pan, then fully grease the top of the parchment and the sides of the pan.
Lightly flour a surface. Take out your large dough disk and roll it out. It's okay if it's fragmented. Take the pieces and press them into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle some flour over the dough.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the apple filling into the crust; you'll discard any leftover juice. Roll out the other dough disk to be about 1/4-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough into thick strips. Lay half of the strips over the filling, then do the other half crossing the other way. Press the edges of the strips into the crust at the sides.
Lightly beat the egg and brush the lattice with the egg wash.
Bake the pie until the crust is golden brown and apples are tender when stabbed with a fork, about 1 hour 10-20 minutes. Check it at the 40 minute point and cover it with foil if it starts to look too dark.
Let it cool on a wire rack until sides of tart pull away from pan, about 30 minutes. Unsnap the springform pan and remove the side circle; keep the appeltaart on the base for convenient serving. Let it cool for an least an hour before cutting in.
OM NOM NOM!
December 14, 2015
2015 Works for Award Consideration
Are you voting in the forthcoming Nebula, Hugo, or World Fantasy Awards? If so, I appreciate it if you’ll consider these works of mine that were published in 2015.
Selected Short stories
“The Quest You Have Chosen Defies Your Fate,” Daily Science Fiction (flash fic)
“Roots, Shallow and Deep,” Urban Fantasy Magazine
“Bread of Life,” Nature Magazine (flash fic)
Novella
“Wings of Sorrow and Bone: A Clockwork Dagger Novella” published by Harper Voyager Impulse; at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. (99-cents)
Novel
The Clockwork Crown (book 2 of Clockwork Dagger Duology) published by Harper Voyager; in trade paperback or ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.
#SFWAPro
December 13, 2015
Sunday Quote loves the Prydain Chronicles
“Dealing with the impossible, fantasy can show us what may be really possible. If there is grief, there is the possibility of consolation; if hurt, the possibility of healing; and above all, the curative power of hope. If fantasy speaks to us as we are, it also speaks to us as we might be.”
~Lloyd Alexander
December 11, 2015
Podcast Stories for the Weekend
Two of my older stories just debuted in audio. “Bless This House” was first published at Daily Science Fiction in 2010; it’s now on Far-Fetched Fables alongside a story by Seanan McGuire!
Next, I have “A Lonesome Speck of Home” at StarShipSofa. My space opera crossover of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and Up is there for your listening pleasure along with Rachael K. Jones’s “Makeisha in Time” (one of the best stories published last year) and an interview with the Director of SETI. My story starts at about 21:30.
The first publication of “A Lonesome Speck of Home” is somewhat frustrating for me, even years later. It was accepted for the first issue of Blue Shift Magazine. The story was published online, but the publisher crumbled before the full magazine was ever printed. So, it was published in part, but likely not read. It feels good for “Lonesome Speck” to be in audio now, at a place where people can finally discover it. Yay!
#SFWApro
December 10, 2015
A Pushcart Nom and Other Horse Stories
I was horse obsessed as a kid and I never really outgrew that love. Maybe that’s why some of my favorite stories and poems feature horses. I actually have a whole bunch of horse-related announcements this time around.
My poem “What Happened Among the Stars” has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. My poem even inspired this gorgeous cover art by Marge Simon.
My story “The Souls of Horses” will be featured in Clockwork Phoenix 5 edited by Mike Allen. This is… huge news. First of all, this is my all-time favorite story, one that was pleasantly rejected by most of the pro magazines out there. Secondly, the Clockwork Phoenix series is incredible. The stories get nominated for lots of awards, with reason–they are mind-blowingly good. That makes me really excited to read the full book. Check out the full table of contents.
An old and dear favorite story of mine, “Red Dust and Dancing Horses,” has been reprinted several times now. This is my horse story on Mars, where horses can’t exist. Its newest publication is in the 2016 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide. This is for middle grade readers with an emphasis on girl-positive stories, which makes me especially happy. This would make for a great Christmas gift. Just sayin’.
#SFWAPro
December 9, 2015
Bready or Not: Cocoa Peppermint Cookies
I bake a wide variety of things and send the goodies along with my husband to his work. When the guys there say, “These cookies are among the best ever,” that makes me take notice.
I first found this recipe on a bag of Andes Baking Chips, dubbed with the long name of “Andes Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies.” Whew. I modified it by taking out the nuts (they just don’t pair well with peppermint, I think) and compensating by adding more mint chocolate chips. Because you can’t go wrong with that.
I chilled the dough, since that often produces better cookies, and I was surprised at how much this dough still spread. Be sure you space out those dough balls!
These cookies would be fantastic for a holiday cookie exchange or to give as a gift. The Andes chips look fantastically festive against the backdrop of rich dough… and you know what? They taste darn good, too.
Modified from a recipe found on Andes Peppermint Crunch Chips package; also found online.
Bready or Not: Cocoa Peppermint Cookies
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These chewy, mildly crunchy cookies are loaded with chocolate and peppermint goodness. [Recipe is modified from one that is printed on Andes Baking Chip bags.]
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons espresso powder
2 cups plus two tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (10 oz) Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
about 4 oz semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (or a chopped candy bar)
1 cup mint chocolate chips
In a small saucepan on low heat, melt the butter with the espresso powder, stirring often. When the two are incorporated, remove the pan from heat and set aside to cool for an hour.
In a medium bowl, sift together the main dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
Now it's time for the big mixing bowl. Pour in the cooled butter mixture, then add the white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Beat at medium speed for a few minutes until it's all creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Gradually work in the flour mixture a bit at a time until it's just blended. Now stir in the Andes Chips and the extra chocolate.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and stash it in the fridge to chill for a few hours or days, or even freeze it.
When it's time to bake, preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Drop the dough in rounded tablespoons about two inches apart on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet; note that this dough does spread, even when the dough is chilled.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let them rest of the cookie sheet a few more minutes to set, the transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
OM NOM NOM!
December 7, 2015
A desktop Kindle app! Who knew?!
My parents have some issues with new technology. As my mom has joked, “We’re not qualified to have smart phones.” They’re okay with this, really, but it does mean they haven’t been able to buy my ebooks like Wings of Sorrow and Bone because they lack a reading platform.
However, I just found how there IS an option for my parents: a desktop version of the Kindle app! I sent my mom this link, where she could download the Kindle app for most devices.
(On my computer, this hops to a Windows Store link that I have to control-alt-delete to escape, which is kind of annoying.) In my mom’s case, the solution was a Kindle Cloud App within Chrome. When she’s logged into her Amazon account, she can click the bookmark for that app and ta-da! She can read my stuff.
I know my folks aren’t the only ones who lack a standard platform for Kindle books, so I hope this little PSA comes in handy. It might be useful for people reading for the forthcoming award season, too, if they send the documents to their Kindle account.
#SFWAPro
December 6, 2015
Sunday Quote thinks about a long-gone cat named Horse
“Every book is three books, after all; the one the writer intended, the one the reader expected, and the one that casts its shadow when the first two meet by moonlight.”
~John M. Ford, From the End of the Twentieth Century
December 4, 2015
Guest T. Frohock with an excerpt from WITHOUT LIGHT OR GUIDE
I’m happy to welcome author T. Frohock to my blog again. (You might remember she visited in June with a Bready or Not guest spot featuring spinach with raisins and pine nuts–yum!) She has a series of three novellas being released from HarperVoyager Impulse, and the second just came out. Without Light or Guide is an intense dark fantasy set against the backdrop of 1930s Spain that is brightened by the fond relationship between Diago and Miquel. I just love those two.
The hero of Los Nefilim is Diago Alvarez. He, and his lover, Miquel, are part of a secretive group known as Los Nefilim (Spanish for The Nephilim–say it like “The Mob” and you’ve got the right idea). This group of angelic Nefilim monitor daimonic activity for the angels.
The only thing is: Diago is not fully angelic. He is part daimon, part angel, and his very unique form of magic is sought by both sides in the conflict between angels and daimons. Diago moves through a world of espionage and partisan warfare with a rogues’ gallery filled with angels, daimons, and mortals.
In the first novella of the series, In Midnight’s Silence, the reader is introduced to Diago’s world. We meet Diago, Miquel, and Diago’s son, Rafael. We get a brief glimpse of the shadowy world of Los Nefilim and its king, Guillermo Ramirez.
In Without Light or Guide, Diago’s story continues as he tries very hard to fit in with Los Nefilim, but his daimonic heritage follows him, and seeds distrust among the other Nefilim. Guillermo assigns Diago to work with another Nefil by the name of Garcia, who is Guillermo’s plant within the Urban Guard.
In this scene from Chapter 2, Diago has just experienced a tense encounter with his dead father, Alvaro, on the subway. He did not mention seeing his father to Garcia, but Garcia suspects something happened. Hoping to avoid Garcia’s questions, Diago walks ahead, but Garcia isn’t quite ready to let the incident go …
Diago’s musings were cut short when a hand gripped his arm. Startled, he turned to find Garcia had caught up to him.
Diago tried to pull free without drawing attention to them but Garcia’s grip tightened. “What—?”
“Just shut up and move.” He steered Diago into the mouth of an alley.
Diago jerked free and put his back against the wall. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Garcia jabbed Diago’s shoulder with one sharp finger. “I asked you a question on the train and you lied to me. I’m going to pretend it was because of the mortals. You’ve got one more chance to get right with me. What happened?”
Be careful. You need him. You need him to vouch for you. Diago evaded the question and kept his tone even. “I don’t report to you.”
Garcia coughed a humorless laugh. “You’re confused, my friend.”
“We’re not friends.”
Garcia’s tone turned sly. “Then you’d better make some, Alvarez. You might have fooled Guillermo, but the rest of us see you for what you are. You’re daimon and you’ll wind up just like your father. You did in your firstborn life and you will here, too.” Garcia punctuated his last statement with a hard jab to Diago’s shoulder.
You’ll wind up just like your father. The accusation sealed any doubts Diago had about telling Garcia what happened at the bridge. “Don’t touch me again.”
Garcia ignored the warning. “You report to whomever asks you a question. Do you understand me?” He stabbed his finger in Diago’s direction.
Diago’s temper overrode his reason. He caught Garcia’s fist and squeezed until Garcia’s knuckles popped.
Why did Garcia push him? Does he want me to lash out? Of course, he did. This was probably how he provoked Miquel into punching him. The whole discussion was nothing more than an attempt to rouse Diago’s temper. And it’s working. Except Diago wasn’t quite as hotheaded as Miquel. This altercation didn’t need to progress any further than it already had.
Striking Garcia wasn’t necessary. Let him feel my power, acknowledge it with his face. Holding tight to the other Nefil’s fist, Diago waited until Garcia’s lips thinned to a single white line. Only then did he speak. “Until I know who I can trust, I report to Guillermo. No one else.” He opened his fingers.
For one tense moment, Diago was sure Garcia intended to escalate the confrontation. Something in Diago’s eyes stopped him.
Garcia looked away and fumbled for his cigarettes. When he struck the match, flakes of sulfur cascaded to the sidewalk. “I’m going with you to see Ferrer.”
No. Not now. Not even if you begged. Diago wasn’t going to be monitored by the likes of Garcia. “No.”
“You’re going to botch this without help.”
Or you’ll make sure the interview goes badly for me. Garcia would love nothing more than to report Diago’s incompetence to Guillermo. Work around him. “How can I earn your trust if you are always looking over my shoulder? I go in alone or not at all. Then you can explain the situation to Guillermo.”
The tip of Garcia’s cigarette glowed like the fire in his eyes. He exhaled a cloud of smoke as caustic as his words. “Go alone. But I’m watching you.”
Diago didn’t flinch from the inspector’s stare. “Fair enough.” So much for Guillermo’s hope our working together would cement trust between us.
Throughout Barcelona, the mortals Diago has known are dying gruesome deaths. A daimon is loose in the city, and Diago’s only clue to her identity is a mysterious phrase written in smoke: She Hunts.
The year is 1931.
The city is Barcelona.
The fate of mankind has nothing to do with mankind.
The hunt begins.
~~~
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T. Frohock has turned a love of dark fantasy and horror into tales of deliciously creepy fiction. She lives in North Carolina where she has long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying.
She is the author of Miserere: An Autumn Tale and numerous short stories. Her newest series, Los Nefilim, is from Harper Voyager Impulse.
You can find out more about T. at her website, or follow her on Twitter, or Facebook.
December 3, 2015
Cover reveal: GOLDENFIRE by A.F.E. Smith
Today is the official cover reveal for Goldenfire, the second book in the Darkhaven series. It will be released by Harper Voyager on 14 January, but if you want to read it sooner, you can enter the giveaway below for your chance to win an advance ebook copy!
In Darkhaven, peace doesn’t last long.
Ayla Nightshade has ruled Darkhaven for three years. With the help of Tomas Caraway, her Captain of the Helm, she has overcome her father’s legacy to find new confidence in herself and her unusual shapeshifting abilities.
Yet three years ago, a discovery was made that could have profound consequences for the Nightshade line: a weapon exists that can harm even the powerful creatures they turn into. And now, that knowledge has fallen into the wrong hands.
An assassin is coming for Ayla, and will stop at nothing to see her dead.
Preorder Goldenfire:
Catch up with Darkhaven:
Enter the giveaway:
