Dad Food : When Dad Was in the Kitchen : Mother’s Helper

I have a confession to make. This isn’t really my Dad’s recipe. But he loved fruit kuchen so much that he always volunteered to pick the apples, peaches, cherries or prunes--whatever was in season. We lived on a farm then and had plenty of fruit trees all around us.

Another reason Dad picked the fruit was that my mother, although a great baker, was an even greater house cleaner and duster; getting her into the baking mood took a lot of coaxing. So if he hadn’t done the tedious chores connected with baking--peeling the apples and pitting the cherries (with a hairpin)--I would not have enjoyed this delicious dessert so often. (I eventually learned to make the cake myself; my wife, like my mother, can’t be bothered with peeling and pitting. But unlike my mother, she refuses to even lift a dust rag.)

Always make this recipe with seasonal fresh fruits. It works equally well with apricots (especially Royals), peaches, nectarines and Italian prune plums; and it is fabulous with sweet cherries--if you have the patience to pit five pounds of them.

MAX HAIN’S APFELKUCHEN

1 (16-ounce) package hot roll mix (preferably Pillsbury’s)

3 eggs

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 cup hot water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons milk

9 medium Granny Smith apples

Empty hot roll mix into 2-quart mixing bowl. Stir in yeast that came with package and mix well. Pour hot water into 2-quart measuring cup. Stir in 1 egg, followed by butter. Mix well. Add to hot roll mix. Stir about 1 minute or until dough moves away from sides of bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 hour, or until about doubled in size.

While dough is rising, peel, core and slice each apple into about 12 to 16 wedges and set aside. Pour sugar into mixing bowl. Add remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and milk. Mix well and set aside.

Lightly grease 15 1/2x10 1/2-inch jellyroll pan. Place dough on flour-dusted surface and roll out to just beyond dimensions of baking pan (dust more flour on mixture to make it work better). Lift flat dough into baking pan, making sure sides of pan are also covered with dough.

Place apple slices into about 7 rows on long side of pan, each row with about 16 to 19 apple slices, until entire pan is full. Pour sugar-vanilla glaze evenly over apples, rocking pan from side to side to distribute glaze as evenly as possible.

Bake at 425 degrees until edges are light or medium brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool about 1/2 hour before serving. Cut each row into 4 slices. Makes 28 cake bars.