Sunday Dinner

In honor of my mother-in-law's visit this weekend, I made a mostly traditional Sunday dinner today. Yankee Pot Roast, raw summer squash and zucchini because I forgot until too late to peel, slice, and cook the carrots and parsnips (we eat our veg raw in the summer, so it's hard to remember to get them back to the stove in the fall), mashed potatoes (the real deal) and (here's the exciting part) Caramel Apple Pudding Cake. I didn't have time to bake an apple pie today, what with all the gorgeous New England autumn weather to enjoy, so I opted for an ostensibly less time-consuming new recipe, and it was delectable! There are a couple of ingredients I left out so everyone could and would enjoy the dessert, but here's the recipe, slightly altered, from my old standby, The Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book:

Caramel Apple Pudding Cake
Prep: 25 minutes Bakes 35 minutes
Oven: 350 degrees F Makes 12 servings (hmm, I'd probably say 10)

2 cups thinly sliced, peeled tart apples (I used Cortland apples, my preferred pie apple, but the ever present Granny Smith or any other tart cooking apple would work equally well)
3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 t. (heaping) ground, excellent quality cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg OR cardamom, if you happen to be out of nutmeg, as I was
(1/4 c. raisins or dried cherries, optional)
1 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 c. milk
2 T. butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
(1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts, optional)
3/4 c. caramel topping for ice cream
1/2 c. water
1 T. butter
Vanilla ice cream (mandatory!)

1. Grease a 2-quart baking dish. BH&G calls for a square dish, but I used my 2-qt. rectangular Pyrex to no ill effect. Put apples evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. (Top with raisins or cherries, if using.)

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add milk, the 2 T. melted butter, and vanilla, and mix well. (Stir in nuts, if using.) Spread the batter evenly over the apple mixture.

3. In a small saucepan, combine the caramel topping, water, and 1 T. butter; bring to boiling. Pour mixture evenly over batter in baking dish.

4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the center is set. Let cool slightly. While still warm, spoon into bowls and top with ice cream. Enjoy!