Biscoitos de Mel e Amêndoas

I had just enough honey left from my jar to create something special, and I had the urge to bake cookies, which is rare. Craving honey and nuts, I naturally turned to our cookbook on Greek cooking. While flipping through the pages on our sofa, the sun was coming through the windows, warm on my shoulders. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling. That gentle heat in the middle of winter made me think of olive oil. The sun always makes me want olive oil, even more than I regularly want it. Sweet pastries based in oil have brushed my life several times, and I have always enjoyed them. Oil seems to be the underdog in baking, at least here in America; Butter cannot always have the spotlight. That I definitely learned while living abroad. Why not try it out?

I was convinced I could bake something using as little ingredients as possible, and I wanted to keep those ingredients just as wholesome. The honey was my inspiration after all. I did not want to add too much. The science of baking has always been a mystery to me. Turning to an American classic, Betty Crocker, I looked up the simplest cookie recipe available for science and ratios. I converted the fats and ingredients to those that I wanted to use. Thanks to Seabra, our Portugese grocer across the street, I am ever so lucky to have imports from Portugal. I miss Lisboa. There is no doubt that the capital of Portugal had nuzzled its way into a corner of my heart. On this wintry afternoon, the sun was on our side, and there was a little bit of Portugal in our kitchen. At least I like to think so. Eu sinto sua falta, Lisboa.

2 eggs

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup organic whole-wheat flour 

1/4 tsp of Mexican vanilla extract 

2 cups ground almonds

2 tbs organic cane sugar

1/3 cup of Portuguese honey

1/3 cup of Portuguese Olive Oil

Grind the almonds with the turbinado. Mix the dry ingredients seperate from the wet. Combine then drop cookies on an oiled baking sheet. Makes about 1 and 1/2 dozen cookies. Apreciá-los! Enjoy them!

Torta di Mele

An easy Italian apple tart, sort of a cross between a pie and a cake, takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and an hour to bake while you finish cooking the rest of your meal.  You can impress your guest with its gorgeous presentation without spending hours in the kitchen.

First assemble your ingredients.  Use an apple that holds its shape during cooking such as a Granny Smith or Cortland.  I would slice your apples slightly thicker than I did.  For a large apple, you should cut each quarter into no more than three slices.

As for preparation, mix your dry ingredients together, then cream eggs, sugar, milk, and butter together.  Combine all wet and  dry ingredients and you should have a very thick, but spreadable batter.   If it’s too thick, thin it down to the consistency of very thick pancake batter with additional milk.   Spread the batter into a greased and floured 9 inch spring form pan then arrange your apple slices in a circular pattern, placing the thin side into the batter.

Dot with two tablespoons of butter and bake at 350 degrees for about one hour; check at 50 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center.  When the toothpick comes out clean, the torta is done.

2 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

2/3 cup melted, unsalted butter + 2 tablespoons unmelted cut into small cubes

grated zest of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup milk (may need an additional 2-4 tablespoons)

3 apples peeled, cored and sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except the apples. Mix until smooth batter is formed.  Arrange apples in a circle pattern on top of batter. Remove from oven and let cake cool slightly on wire rack.