Polenta-Apple Cake with Cranberry-Cherry Compote
“I wanted to go beyond being the chef who shops at the markets to becoming the chef who works on his own farm,” says Chris Lanier, who co-founded Ravenwood in Hudson Valley, New York, where he and his wife operate a pop-up farm shop and host events in their renovated 19th-century barn. In this recipe from Lanier, grated apples grown locally add moistness to a rustic polenta cake topped with a cranberry-cherry compote and a tangy crème fraîche topping. “It’s a really nontraditional way to make a cake and just seems wrong,” says Lanier, “but I like it”—and so did the cooks in the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen.
Ingredients:
For the polenta-apple cake:
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) (4 oz./125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz./110 g) polenta, plus more for dusting
- 2 apples, cored, peeled and grated
- 1 cup (3 1/2 oz./105 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz./45 g) corn meal
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) maple syrup
- 5 eggs plus 2 egg yolks, all at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) canola oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
For the cranberry-cherry compote:
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) maple syrup, plus more as needed
- 2 Tbs. peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 4 strips orange zest, each about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) frozen cranberries
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) frozen pitted tart cherries
For the crème fraîche topping:
- 1 cup (8 oz./250 g) crème fraîche
- 1 cup (8 oz./250 g) whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
- Maple syrup as needed
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter an 8-inch (20-cm) cast-iron fry pan and dust with polenta. Tap out any excess.
Wrap the grated apple in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together the almond flour, polenta and corn meal, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and maple syrup. Beat on medium speed until the butter is creamy and the mixture is combined. (Don't worry if the mixture isn’t smooth like it is when you cream butter and sugar together; the maple syrup may not get fully incorporated into the butter.)
With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the oil and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat on low speed just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the grated apple.
Pour the mixture into the prepared fry pan and bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
While the cake is cooling, make the cranberry-cherry compote: In a saucepan over low heat, combine the orange juice, maple syrup and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the orange zest, cranberries and cherries and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, taking care not to break up the fruit, until warmed through and the cranberries and cherries have softened slightly but are still intact, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more maple syrup, if desired. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Remove the orange zest, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To make the crème fraîche topping, in a bowl, stir together the crème fraîche and yogurt until combined. Taste and add maple syrup as desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To serve, cut the cake into 8 wedges and top each serving with a dollop of the cranberry-cherry compote and crème fraîche topping. Serves 8.
Recipe courtesy of Chris Lanier, chef and owner of Ravenwood, Kerhonkson, NY
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