A memorable apple cake from Santa Fe

Sunset, Oct, 2000 by Jerry Anne Di Vecchio

Celebrate autumn with a fruit-full dessert

* Although Martin Rios was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, where his mother had a restaurant, he grew up in Santa Fe. Here, he followed his mother's path into a food career. Then he moved on to New York and France to study and work. Now Rios is back in Santa Fe, at the Old House restaurant, where his polish shows--particularly when he weaves indigenous ingredients into the menu. He serves a moist apple cake, subtly flavored by browned butter, with a warm caramel sauce commonly known as dulce de leche (see "Sweet on milk," page 170) in Latin American countries. Executive chef Rios's presentation of the cake is quite dramatic, but these tender wedges are just as tasty

Apple-Almond Browned Butter Cake

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours

NOTES: Purchased dulce de leche (see page 170) may be too thick to pour onto the cake; warm briefly in a microwave oven to soften. If baking cake up to 2 days ahead, let cool, wrap airtight, and store at room temperature. Freeze to store longer; thaw to room temperature to serve.

MAKES: 8 to 10 servings

About 1 1/2 cups (3/4 lb.) butter or margarine

l 3/4 cups slivered almonds

3 cups powdered sugar About 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

8 large egg whites (1 1/8 cups)

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1 3/4 cups finely chopped peeled Golden Delicious apples

Warm caramel sauce (recipe follows) or purchased dulce de leche (see notes)

Vanilla ice cream

1. In a 12-inch frying pan or 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, melt 1 1/4 cups butter and stir often until the milk-solid particles turn golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove at once from heat and let stand until warm, 15 to 20 minutes (or nest pan in cold water and stir often, 5 to 8 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, whirl 3/4 cup slivered almonds to a fine powder (or finely grate with a nut grater); scrape into a large bowl. Spread remaining 1 cup slivered almonds in a 10- by 15-inch pan.

3. Bake in a 350[degrees] oven until slivered almonds are golden brown, 6 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly, then coarsely chop.

4. To bowl with ground almonds, add toasted almonds sugar, and 1 1/4 cups flour. Stir to mix well. Scrape melted butter with all browned particles into bowl; mix. Add egg whites, lemon peel, and orange peel. Beat with a mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl often, until batter is well blended. Add chopped apples and stir to mix.

5. Butter and flour a 9-inch cheesecake pan with removable rim. Scrape batter into pan.

6. Bake in a 325[degrees] oven (300[degrees] convection oven) until cake is golden brown, firm in the center when lightly pressed, and begins to pull from pan sides, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cake stand in pan on a rack at least 20 minutes or until cool, about 1 hour. Slide a thin-bladed knife between warm or cool cake and pan rim; remove rim. Set cake on a rimmed plate and, if desired, pour about 1/2 cup warm caramel sauce over the top. Cut into wedges; serve with scoops of ice cream and remaining caramel sauce to add to taste.

Per serving: 615 cal., 60% (369 cal.) from fat; 9.5 g protein; 41 g fat (19 g sat.); 57 g carbo (2 g fiber); 334 mg sodium; 76 mg chol.

Warm caramel sauce. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over high heat, stir 3 tablespoons butter or margarine and 2/3 cup sugar until mixture is caramel-colored, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add 2/3 cup whipping cream; stir until blended (mixture foams). Return to high heat and stir until caramel sauce comes to a rolling boil, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot. If making up to 1 month ahead, cover and chill. Makes 1 cup.

Per tablespoon: 81 cal., 58% (47 cal.) from fat; 0.2 g protein; 5.2 g fat (3.3 g sat.); 8.7 g carbo (0 g fiber); 25 mg sodium; 17 mg chol.

Musseling in

* The flesh of domestic mussels is anywhere from ivory to bright orange it's the black shells and their iridescent blue interiors that give the mussels their common names: blue and black mussels. There are several species, one of which has been on the West Coast so long that it was considered a native until experts took a closer look and discovered that it is the same as those found in the Mediterranean. (The speculation is that their ancestors fell off the boat bottoms of early explorers and made themselves right at home.) These mussels share a delicate flavor and texture that stand up surprisingly well to the intense black pepper and garlic sauce that chef-proprietor Chris Yeo makes at Straits Cafe (in San Francisco and Palo Alto). This five-ingredient Singaporean dish is as remarkably quick and easy to make as it is bold and beautiful.

Yeo's Garlic Mussels

PREP AND COOK TIME: 25 to 30 minutes

NOTES: Chef Yeo stirs only the fresh-steamed mussels into the sauce, but I like to add the mussel-cooking juices and boil the sauce briefly to concentrate it. Oyster sauce is sold in well-stocked supermarkets and Asian food stores.

MAKES: 4 servings

3 pounds mussels, beards removed, scrubbed