Steak and Cheese Pie, Farro and Sping Vegetable Salad and a Special Cake

Let's start with dessert. Friday was the 7 year anniversary of my mom's passing. All weekend I wanted to make one of her recipes. On Thursday night I was reading Living the Gourmet blog entry entitled Green Apple Cobbler. It reminded me of my mom's 4 Egg Cake.

Finally today I baked the cake. I used my Mom's 2 Egg Cake recipe and used the Living the Gourmet recipe for the apple topping. How was it? Oh it was good. It was really, really good. The sauteed apples were not too sweet. I know my Dad would have said it needed vanilla ice cream, and yeah that would have been a nice addition.

Two Egg Apple Cobbler Cake
From a recipe card in my mom's recipe drawer. Topping from the Living Gourmet. 

Ingredients for the Cake -
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, my mom called it Spry
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Ingredients for the Apples -2 green apples – peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon butter
¼  tsp. cinnamon

Blend shortening, sugar and eggs.
Stir in dry ingredients alternate with milk and vanilla.
Peel and slice the apples. Heat a large frying pan on low with the 2 tablespoon of butter. Place the sliced apples in the pan add the lemon juice and dust the apples with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
As soon as the apples are coated remove from the heat.
Butter an 8 ½ inch baking pan and place the apples on the bottom.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Gently loosen the edges with a spatula and place a serving plate over the pan and turn over. Mine did stick a bit on the sides, just one side, the side that is not in the photo!

Yes this is a dinner blog...
Steak and Cheese Pie. Actually Steak, Onion and Cheese Pie. I had some Pate Brisee with Pepper in the freezer from the Easter Meat Pies. I sauteed the onions and steak. Rolled out the crust and added the steak, onions, some Provolone and American Cheese. Best part about this was the crust.

And the side dish, or what am I eating for lunch this week. Farro Salad with Spring Vegetables and Feta. Yeah that was good too! But the recipe said 2 serving. 2 servings for 3 days! This got a good review from Chris. The dressing so basic but it is all the dish needed.

Farro Salad with Spring Vegetables and Feta , from The Tasting Table

Ingredients -
Farro, 1 cup
Vegetable broth or water, 2 cups
Dried bay leaf, 1
Kosher salt, 21/2 teaspoons, divided
Lacinato kale, 4 leaves (tough stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces)
Small radishes, 2 (thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline)
Small carrots, 2 (peeled and thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline)
Small celery stalk with leaves, 2 (stalk thinly sliced and the leaves left whole)
Feta cheese, 4 ounces (crumbled; about 1/2 cup)
Fresh tarragon sprigs, 3 (leaves removed and finely chopped)
Fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons
Extra-virgin olive oil, 6 tablespoons
Freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon
Small red beets, 2 (peeled and thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline)

Method -
To a medium saucepan, add the: Farro, Vegetable broth or water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the: Dried bay leaf, 2 teaspoons kosher salt.

Simmer until the farro is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the farro to a fine-mesh sieve to drain off any excess water, then turn it out into a medium bowl. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

To the cooked farro, use a wooden spoon to stir in the: Torn kale, Shaved radishes, Shaved carrots, Sliced celery, Celery leaves, Crumbled feta cheese, Chopped tarragon, Lemon juice, Extra-virgin olive oil.

Stir in the: Remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, Freshly ground black pepper
Then gently fold in the: Shaved beets.

Serve.