Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 1/2 Granny Smith apples (or other tart baking apples), peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) + 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons + 6 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In an 8″ or 10″ cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter. Cook until the foam begins to subside.
3. Turn the heat to low, and then add the brown sugar and give it a little stir.
4. Keeping the heat on low, let the brown sugar and butter sit without stirring for 3 minutes.
5. Lay the apples in the pan in a circular pattern.
6. Continue cooking on low for 2 more minutes, then remove from heat.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk, and the vanilla.
8. In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
9. Add 6 tablespoons butter (softened or room temp) and 6 tablespoons of the buttermilk.
10. Beat on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, then switch to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 1/2 minutes.
11. Add 1/3 of the egg mixture, and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the bowl down, and add another 1/3 of the egg mixture, beating for another 20 seconds. Scrape, add the last of the egg, and beat for 20 seconds.
12. Pour the batter over the apples in the pan, and spread gently to cover the apples evenly.
13. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
14. Let cool for 5 minutes, then gently use a butter knife to go around the sides of the cake. You’re about to flip it over, and you want to help it along as much as possible!
15. Okay, here’s the flip. Place your cake plate upside down over the cake in the skillet, then smoothly and quickly turn the cake over. Gently lift up the skillet – the cake should come out fairly easily. 
16. Slice cake into wedges

Rosemary and Garlic Black Angus Roast

3lb Beef Sirloin or Black Angus Beef Roast
2 TBSP olive oil
Salt and pepper
Two onions finely sliced
Two or three carrots chopped into chunks
2 sprigs fresh rosemary 
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 bay leaves
Stock, enough to come half way up the beef in the roasting pan
Marsala 
Corn  starch to thicken the gravy if desired.

Heat the oil in a shallow frying pan or cast iron pan, season beef with salt and pepper, and brown the roast all over. Transfer roast to roasting pan and add onions, carrots, rosemary, garlic, bay leaves stock and Marsala.
Season well with more salt and black pepper
Cover with foil or a lid and put into a very slow oven 325 degrees for 2-3 hours, turning every hour.
When ready remove the meat and wrap in foil and cover with a tea towel to rest and keep warm.
It will stay warm for half an hour to an hour wrapped this way so there is no need to panic. Plenty of time to do the yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. 

Add the stock and Marsala to come half way up the roast

***Strain out juice from vegetables from the drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan into a small saucepan.  Add 2 TBSP cornstarch to a small glass and add enough COLD water to make a semi pasty slurry.  Heat juices in pot to boil, whisk in the cornstarch slurry and when the gravy starts to thicken, remove from heat.  Re-season , if necessary and serve over top the sliced beef.

Quick and Super Easy Soft Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

1. Luke warm water- 1 and 1/2 cups
2. Instant yeast-1 tbsp
3. Granulated sugar-2 tbsp
4. Unsalted butter,softened-2 tbsp
5. All purpose flour-4 cups
6. Salt-to taste

For topping

1. Butter,melted- 2 to 3 tbsp
2. Salt- to taste

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl,combine together warm water,yeast and sugar.Keep aside for 5 minutes or until frothy.

Add butter, salt and 2 cups flour, mix until combined.

Add remaining flour and mix well. Knead to form a soft dough for about 10 minutes.(you can use a stand mixer ,if desired)

Cover the dough using a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a  warm place until doubled in volume ,for about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and turn it on to a lightly floured surface.

Using a serrated knife cut the dough into two equal parts. Divide each half into 12 equal portions( I halved the recipe and divided the entire dough into 12 equal portions).With lightly floured hands,roll each portion into balls and place it in a greased baking tin. I used a round aluminum cake pan.

Cover using a kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm place until doubled,for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 f

Lightly brush the rolls with melted butter.Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes or until it turns golden.

Immediately after removing the rolls from the oven ,brush them with remaining butter.

Notes: I halved the recipe.