Mabon Bread and Mabon Apples ~ K. Michele

This is a couple of the recipes for Mabon found in the book Circle Round.

Mabon Bread

This golden bread combines pumpkin and corn. It's still sweet enough for children to love, but not too sweet for adults to enjoy. The richness comes from condensed yogurt.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup cooked and pureed pumpkin (or one 15 oz can pumpkin), drained
1 cup condensed plain yogurt (nonfat or lowfat is fine)
2 tablespoon frozen orange juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal

Directions:
~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the eggs and sugar. Add the pumpkin, condensed yogurt, and orange juice.
~ Sift the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour together. Add the cornmeal. Incorporate this slowly into the wet mixture.
~ Grease two loaf pans. Divide the batter between the pans and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour. Test for doneness by inserting a knife or skewer into the center. It should come out clean and dry. Let the loaves cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool completely.
~ This batter also bakes well as muffins, with the baking time of about 40 mintues.

Note:
~ To make condensed yogurt, place 2 cups of plain yogurt in a colander lined with cheesecloth or a sturdy paper towel. Let the yogurt drain for six hours or over night. You'll be left with 1 cup of condensed yogurt.

Mabon Apples

Apples are the fruit that carries us through winter. These simple backed apples can be embellished with your family's favorite fillings.

Ingredients:
4 large apples (Golden Delicious bake best)
4 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 to 1 cup apple cider or juice
Optional: cream (whipped or plain), vanilla ice cream

Directions:
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a grapefruit knife, an apple corer, or a melon baller, core the apples, leaving the bottoms intact. Peel the skin off the top inch of the cored apple.
~ Place the apples in a pan that just holds them. Put 1 teaspoon of brown sugar into each apple hole, plus a pinch of cinnamon. Pour apple cider into the pan until it reaches the depth of 1/2 inch.
~ Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting the apples with the juice from the pain every 15 minutes.
~ Serve still warm, with cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Note:
~ You can try filling the apple cavities with honey or maple syrup, granola, or raisins and nuts sweetened with honey or maple syrup.