Celebrate with Apple Ginger Upsidedown Cake and Cinnamon Ice Cream

Yesterday we celebrated an 83rd birthday and had a blast too I might add. The year the big guy's Dad was born, Calvin Coolidge was President, a first class stamp cost 2 cents and antifreeze had just been invented so people could drive their cars year round, including tackling Route 66 which was nearing completion (running from Chicago to Los Angeles).  Unemployment was rampant and auto sales down so much that Henry Ford introduced an 8 hour day, 5 day work week to deal with overproduction and reduce unemployment. Get this one people - for the average housewife, electrical appliances such as electric irons, waffle irons, toasters, vacuums, stoves, cream separators and even washing machines were becoming available - in fact, manufacturers were introducing ad campaigns to educate housewives as to the virtues of these new products. Pretty incredible isn't it, all the things we take for granted.

Our celebration meal was a bit of a throw back in time too. When I first started blogging my Father In Law mentioned how much he'd like a plate of Pot Roast that I'd posted way back on April 5, so that's what we had for his special "Linner" (we ate at 2:00 so it wasn't Lunch and not Dinner). Served along with some buttermilk mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and parsnip, a broccoli salad and some of Pioneer Woman's fabulous rosemary dinner rolls (AGAIN), it was a good old fashioned birthday meal of the comfort food kind. Perfect for fall, wouldn't you say?

 

Dessert was as it should be - the highlight of the meal (excluding the gift of course). Concerned that our kitchen fire extinguisher wasn't up to putting out the necessary 84 candles (83 plus one for good luck), you'll notice there's a limited number on the birthday cake. Ha. In keeping with the theme, I thought I'd make something out of the ordinary and chose an Apple Ginger Upside Down Cake - that's really a take on a Sunset Magazine recipe, though I substituted 3 apples for the pears. This is a wonderful autumn dessert, full of ginger, cinnamon, allspice and the fabulous flavor of dark molasses. It's a keeper and in fact, if you're not inclined to use the crystallized ginger it calls for in the topping, don't worry about leaving it out. Personally I thought it was unnecessary. We served the cake along with some homemade cinnamon ice cream a Gale Gand recipe courtesy of Food Network. I gotta' tell ya' this ice cream is absolutely incredible - rich, creamy, flavorful - everything ice cream is supposed to be and more! I added a little more vanilla and cinnamon to the mix because I knew it would have to have strong flavors to stand up to the cake it was accompanying, but that's the only change made to the recipe. The key to this one is making sure the thick egg custard is cooled sufficiently before putting it into the ice cream maker - an old fashioned one I might add that uses rock salt and ice cubes and sounds like a 747 taking off. It took exactly 10 minutes to churn it, then overnight in the freezer to set up and voila' - perfect creamy luscious incredible ice cream that's calling to me at this very moment.  

Sorry Dad, that we didn't pack it up for you to take home with you but surely it would have melted by the time you got there - wouldn't it? Ah, say yes so I don't feel so guilty!

Comments

[Mags]

Awww...what a sweet picture. Your birthday linner sounds scrumptious and the cake and ice cream a perfect celebratory dessert. Happy Birthday to your father-in-law!

[June]

Thanks Mags, I'll pass the message along. He's a sweetheart, proof of the saying that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree".

[noble pig]

Okay he is adorable, Happy Birthday and the food is perfect for such a wonderful celebration.

[June]

I'll pass your good wishes along Cathy. He'll love that you're from Oregon - he arrived in Pendleton, OR after he got out of the Air Force, and had his own dental practice there until his retirement.

[Lisa]

It sounds like a delicious celebration! Happy Birthday to your Dad!