kitchen rap

Back to school means cooler weather, shorter days, ... and apples! Whether eaten fresh from the tree, baked in a pie, or made into a steaming hot cobbler, apples are a fall favourite. In this month's newsletter, Golda shares some delicious recipes for apple cake and apple pie filling.

The approach of autumn also means that it's time to start advance planning for the holidays. Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and Thanksgiving (in Canada) are just around the corner, which means that Halloween, Thanksgiving (in the USA), Chanukah, and Christmas can't be too far behind. In fact, Golda's Kitchen is already fully stocked with Thanksgiving and Halloween cake pans, cookie cutters, and edible decorations, and our Christmas stock is already arriving. To help you get in the holiday spirit, we've included a recipe for fruit cake which you can prepare during the coming weeks so that it's flavours have time to fully develop before the holidays.

• Ken's soup pot
• Paderno pots for eternity
• in this corner… spatulas
• site sights!
• on the chopping block!
• from Golda's recipe box… apple cake
• from Golda's recipe box… apple pie filling
• our readers write…
• from Golda's recipe box… fruit cake
• publishing and subscription information

Who is Canada's soup king? Why, Ken Kostick, of course. As co-host of What's For Dinner? on Life Network since 1994, Ken has prepared soup on virtually every show. And he continues that trend on his new show Ken Kostick & Company, which will be airing on Food Network Canada later this fall. Each week, a member of the audience will be invited to prepare soup with Ken, and he will advise them on what it takes to make great soup. Top of his list is a proper pot, and Ken's soup pot is his pot of choice.

This revolutionary multi-pot save times and space by combining a soup pot, colander, and measuring cup in one. Manufactured by Norpro in consultation with Ken, the 3 quart/3.2 litre pot features a vented lid (like those found on the Krona vented sauce pan and casseroles) which can be turned to seal in steam or used to strain your soup. The stainless steel pot has a brushed satin finished exterior and accenting polished stainless steel bands; it features standard and metric graduations, a stay-cool handle, and a pouring spout. The tri-ply encapsulated base of 18/10 stainless steel surrounding an aluminum core ensures even heat distribution, cooking efficiency, and durability.

The perfect accessory for the soup pot is Ken's soup ladle, a stainless steel soup ladle with a hook for hanging on the outside or inside of your soup pot, eliminating the need for a spoon rest. Packaged with the soup ladle is a wooden spoon, which can rest inside the ladle, for stirring your soup.

And then there's Ken's Soup Krazy cookbook, in which Ken shares 180 easy-to-prepare, healthy, and sumptuous soups inspired by his travels across Canada and around the world. Soups are featured for all occasions, all seasons, and with flavours from around the world. Included are hot soups, cold soups, spicy soups, vegetarian soups, low-fat soups, designer soups, comfort-food soups, and celebrity soups. The basics are covered -- beef, chicken, fish, and vegetable stocks -- and nutritional information accompanies the low-fat soups and other low-fat options.

Together, the soup pot, ladle, and cookbook would make a wonderful gift for a friend who would seem to have everything in her/his kitchen!

When you think of Prince Edward Island, some images inevitably come to mind -- potatoes (or as some say, "padadas"), Anne of Green Gables, ... and pots. "Pots?" you ask, incredulously. Yes, pots. Prince Edward Island is home to Canada's only cookware manufacturer, Padinox, best known for their Paderno cookware. This range of high quality stainless steel cookware features a heat-conductive aluminum bottom pad for superior cooking performance, durable welded handles, and a flared, no-drip lip. Its precise heat control, durability, ease of use, and classic design make it ideal for use in your kitchen. And, it's backed by a 25 year warranty. Golda's Kitchen now carries the full line of Paderno cookware, at very attractive prices.

Padinox also manufactures the Chaudier line of over-sized, super-heavyweight cookware for the professional kitchen, with a lifetime warranty. Chaudier cookware is used at the Prime Minister's residence and on the U.S. President's Air Force One. If you are in need of larger size pots (up to a 49 quart stock pot, a 23.5 quart casserole, or a 14" frying pan) or simply want exceptional quality, we can obtain any Chaudier cookware piece for you by special order.

Golda's Kitchen now carries two lines of stainless steel cookware. Inevitably, this invites comparison. So, we've put together a chart comparing our two lines:

spatulas

The workhorse of the kitchen, spatulas are used for mixing, spooning, scraping, stirring, and a multitude of other tasks. If you are still using the same rubber spatula which you've had for years, it's probably dry and discoloured. Take a look at our extensive selection of spatulas and decide which ones are right for your needs.

• Best manufactures spatulas which have counter stands which raise the heads from the counter, so the spatula head doesn't get your countertop dirty.
• Most rubber and silicone spatulas are dishwasher safe. Spatulas with wood handles should not be placed in the dishwasher.
• Silicone spatulas tend to not dry out as fast as rubber, so they stay flexible longer.
• High heat spatulas can be used in frying pans and woks, unlike regular rubber spatulas which may melt.
• High heat spatulas also tend to be more resistant to staining, so you can use them in a tomato sauce without the head turning red.

Best rubber spatulas with counter stand 9" $5.50 info 13" $7.75 info 9" spoon $5.50 info 13" spoon $7.75 info	Rubbermaid rubber spatulas commercial grade 9-1/2" narrow $3.50 info 9-1/2" $2.80 info 13-1/2" $5.50 info 16-1/2" $7.00 info 9-1/2" spoon $4.25 info 13-1/2" spoon $6.75 info 16-1/2" spoon $8.25 info	Rubbermaid rubber spatulas withstand heat to 500°F/260C 9-1/2" $14.75 info 13-1/2" $18.75 info 16-1/2" $28.00 info
Norpro rubber spatulas stainless steel handles withstand heat to 650°F/345C 10-1/2" narrow $6.00 info 10-1/2" $7.25 info 12" $8.00 info 13" $11.50 info 10-1/2" spoon $9.25 info 11-1/2" spoon $11.00 info	Amco silicone spatulas stainless steel handles withstand heat to 575°F/300C 10-3/4" small $7.00 info 10-3/4" medium $7.75 info 10-3/4" large $8.25 info 10-3/4" spoon $8.25 info	Fox Run Craftsmen silicone spatulas coloured heads with wood handles withstand heat to 450°F/235C 10" narrow $3.50 info 12" $5.00 info 14" $8.50 info 12" spoon $6.75 info 14" spoon $8.50 info

With the addition of the Paderno cookware, Golda's Kitchen now offers over 2,650 products, and new items continue to be added weekly! Many of those added are in response to inquiries which we receive from our customers. If there is an item which you are trying to find, please let Golda know and we will attempt to locate it for you.

In order to make your browsing experience at Golda's Kitchen easier, we recently redesigned our front page. The right hand column now includes quick links to some of the most often requested site information, as well as a list of the top 10 bestselling products. There is also a list of upcoming holidays and special occasions and their dates, with links to relevant products. Finally, we've cleaned up our display of featured items in the center of the page to make it friendlier to those with smaller monitors.

And, for those of you who may have websites of your own, please consider participating in Golda's Kitchen's affiliate program. In exchange for a link, button, or banner on your website, you receive a referral commission on orders placed by customers accessing Golda's Kitchen via that link. If you would like more information about the program, please write to affiliates@goldaskitchen.com.

bamboo skewers pack of 100 6" $1.30 $0.85 info 9" $1.50 $1.00 info 12" $1.70 $1.15 info	stainless steel skewers set of 6 10" $5.90 $3.90 info 12" $6.50 $4.30 info 14" $7.60 $5.00 info 16" $7.80 $5.15 info	non-stick skewers set of 4   12" $4.50 $3.00 info 15" $5.00 $3.30 info	microwave splatter guard set 2 reusable splatter guards $5.00 $3.75 more info
milk frother battery operated $25.00 $18.00 white / black	drink mixer $99.99 $75.00 more info	immersion blender extendable shaft chopper/grinder attachment $104.00 $75.00 more info	oil sprayer stainless steel $33.50 $24.75 black / blue / green / gray

temperature sensor reusable beef $10.00 $7.75 info poultry $10.00 $7.75 info fish $10.00 $7.75 info set of 3 $30.00 $20.75 info	roast/yeast thermometer range of 105 - 185°F $17.20 $13.25 more info	meat thermometer range of 130 - 185°F $8.90 $6.75 more info
candy/deep fry thermometer insulated handle range of 100 - 400°F / 40 - 200C $31.50 $24.00 more info	oven thermometer range of 200 - 500°F $20.50 $15.75 more info	oven thermometer range of 100 - 600°F $23.00 $17.50 more info

Wüsthof-Trident paring knife $54.00 $42.50 more info	Wüsthof-Trident 6" cook's knife $105.00 $82.50 more info	Wüsthof-Trident 9" bread knife $110.00 $86.50 more info	Wüsthof-Trident 2 piece starter set paring knife and 8" cook's knife $184.00 $136.25 more info

apple cake

The simplest and tastiest apple cake you've ever made. May be frozen.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 9" × 13" rectangular cake pan.
2. In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, baking powder, flour, and orange juice until combined.
3. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Spread the apples evenly in the cake pan. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and cinnamon & sugar.
4. Pour the cake batter over the apples. Jiggle the cake pan to ensure that no air pockets form. If desired, sprinkle the top of the cake with additional cinnamon & sugar.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

apple machine pares / slices / cores clamp base $31.50 info suction base $38.75 info deluxe, with clamp base $42.50 info	apple corer soft grip $9.00 $7.00 more info	apple corer/wedger soft grip $7.75       more info	apple pie pan 9"Dia × 1-1/4"D $10.75       more info

apple pie filling

Use this delicious filling with the all purpose pie dough recipe in last month's newsletter. This filling also freezes well, so it's an excellent means of preserving the coming harvest of fresh apples for use later in the year. Prepare batches of filling, freeze in plastic freezer bags, and defrost to prepare fresh apple pies throughout the winter.

1. In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Sauté apples in butter for two minutes. Add sugar mixture and sauté for no more than 1 minute, just until the flour starts to thicken the juices.
3. To prepare pie, roll out two rounds of all purpose pie dough to fit a 9" pie plate. Place one round of dough into the bottom of the pie plate, pour in filling, and top with second round of dough. Cut vent holes, crimp, and decorate as desired. Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F, then for an additional 30 minutes at 350°F.

Nancy Jacobson of Thunder Bay, Ontario really enjoyed our all purpose pie dough recipe featured in last month's newsletter, and she wrote to recommend the perfect topping for a filled pie:

"Golda, I just had to let you know, I have just finished making my second batch of your pastry. After 34 years of marriage and lots of entertaining I can finally turn out a pastry that is getting raves thanks to your recipe. I'm looking forward to seeing the apple pie filling.

"One thing I picked up somewhere else that has put the finishing touch on your pastry is to mix 1 egg white with 1 Tbsp. water; brush the top [of the unbaked pie] with that and then sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. white sugar and 1 tsp. brown [sugar]."

fruit cake

You are probably wondering why we've put a recipe for fruit cake in the September newsletter; there are still 3 months until Christmas! However, this fruit cake, like many others, tastes best when it's made 1 - 2 months ahead of time, and even better if the fruit soaks in the brandy for 2 weeks before preparing the cake. So, take advantage of the cooler nights to get a head start on your holiday baking.

1. (Optional) Mix together the first 5 ingredients, place in a sealed plastic bag or bowl, and let stand for 2 weeks.
2. Line the edges of a 8" × 3" cheesecake pan with parchment paper, creating a sleeve. [Or, prepare several 4" or 6" diameter cheesecake pans or substitute a springform pan.] Prepare a steamer -- use a stock pot with a steamer insert, place a small cooling grid in the bottom of a stock pot, or use a bamboo steamer.
3. In a bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Mix in the fruit and brandy.
4. Place the mixture in the prepared pan(s). Cover the pan(s) with foil wrap.
5. Steam the cakes for 3.5 - 4 hours. Add water as necessary to the stock pot throughout the steaming period. 20 minutes prior to the end of the steaming period, preheat the oven to 200°F.
6. Remove the cake from the steamer, remove the foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Allow to cool slightly, and brush with rum, if desired.
8. When fully cooled, wrap in foil and plastic and let stand for 1 - 2 months in order for flavours to fully develop. The cake may also be frozen, if desired, but this is not necessary.