It's more a pudding than a cake, with a batter-like liquid holding the apples together. Totally moreish!
Showing posts with label apples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apples. Show all posts
Tuesday, 5 September 2017
The Apple Diaries 2017 - Au Pair's Cake
A recipe from my friend Barbara. She produced this cake when I last popped round and I devoured a slice warm from the pan, topped with full fat creme fraiche! She very kindly sent me home with another chunk for Rob and I to share for supper which we ate with Greek yoghurt.
It's more a pudding than a cake, with a batter-like liquid holding the apples together. Totally moreish!
It's more a pudding than a cake, with a batter-like liquid holding the apples together. Totally moreish!
Sunday, 23 August 2015
The Apple Diaries 2015 - Mary Apple's Cake
I was browsing back through this blog earlier today, thinking that I needed some inspiration for a pudding this weekend, and I stumbled upon a post I'd written in 2008 which talked about our 'teeny tiny apple tree' next to the drive of Bramley Cottage. It made me laugh because now, 7 years later, that tree is definitely not teeny tiny any more! It's easily 10ft high - and probably 10ft wide too - and this year is absolutely laden with huge Bramley apples. The apple crop seems to be superb on alternate years; last year I think we had the grand total of 3 apples on the tree, but thankfully I had made jars and jars of chutneys and apple jellies during the previous year's glut so it didn't particularly matter. But this year it'll be back to the stove for multiple batches of apple-based preserves to see us through the next 2 years, and as many apple dishes as we can possibly eat!
So I thought I'd keep an online 'apple diary' of the dishes that we make, sweet and savoury, to refer back to in future years when I'm drowning under the weight of apples again.
First off is an appley pudding that I first made back in 2008. The recipe is already on this blog but buried in a long post about lots of recipes, so I thought it deserved repeating. The recipe credit must go to Patricia Wells, but it was posted long ago in the food-forum to which I belong by a wonderful cook who went by the screen-name of 'Mary Apple'. I have no record of whether this should be made with eating or cooking apples, but I like it with Bramleys as they provide a sharp contrast to the sweet batter and the sweetness of the vanilla custard with which we serve it.
Mary Apple's Cake
In a pie pan (I used a 20cm springform) peel and slice 4 apples; I tend to quarter the apples and then slice them across each quarter to give approximately inch-square pieces. (It's hard to judge this amount when using Bramleys as they vary so much in size, but I used 3 large ones - with lots of bruised and buggy bits cut out! You need the pan to be about 3/4 full with apple. Yes, that's a LOT of apples!)
In a bowl mix 1/2 cup plain flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tbsp milk (or cream), 1 tsp vanilla, a pinch of salt, 1 tbsp baking powder, 2 eggs.
Mix and pour over apples. There won't be very much of this mixture, but stir it around in the sliced apples as much as you are able.
Bake at 350F/180C for about 20-25 min till light brown. Some of the apple pieces may catch slightly if they are sticking up but this really doesn't matter.
Take out and top with a thin paste made from 3 tbsp softened butter, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 egg.
Put back in the oven until browned - about 10-15 minutes.
This is really more of a dessert than a cake as its a large proportion of apples to a rather smaller amount of batter. The batter is partially cakey but also slightly reminiscent of clafoutis, that eggy batter pudding well-loved in France. The buttery topping adds a slight crispness around the edges of the cake and a rich decadent flavour, almost caramel-like.
So I thought I'd keep an online 'apple diary' of the dishes that we make, sweet and savoury, to refer back to in future years when I'm drowning under the weight of apples again.
First off is an appley pudding that I first made back in 2008. The recipe is already on this blog but buried in a long post about lots of recipes, so I thought it deserved repeating. The recipe credit must go to Patricia Wells, but it was posted long ago in the food-forum to which I belong by a wonderful cook who went by the screen-name of 'Mary Apple'. I have no record of whether this should be made with eating or cooking apples, but I like it with Bramleys as they provide a sharp contrast to the sweet batter and the sweetness of the vanilla custard with which we serve it.
Mary Apple's Cake
In a pie pan (I used a 20cm springform) peel and slice 4 apples; I tend to quarter the apples and then slice them across each quarter to give approximately inch-square pieces. (It's hard to judge this amount when using Bramleys as they vary so much in size, but I used 3 large ones - with lots of bruised and buggy bits cut out! You need the pan to be about 3/4 full with apple. Yes, that's a LOT of apples!)
In a bowl mix 1/2 cup plain flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tbsp milk (or cream), 1 tsp vanilla, a pinch of salt, 1 tbsp baking powder, 2 eggs.
Mix and pour over apples. There won't be very much of this mixture, but stir it around in the sliced apples as much as you are able.
Bake at 350F/180C for about 20-25 min till light brown. Some of the apple pieces may catch slightly if they are sticking up but this really doesn't matter.
Take out and top with a thin paste made from 3 tbsp softened butter, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 egg.
Put back in the oven until browned - about 10-15 minutes.
This is really more of a dessert than a cake as its a large proportion of apples to a rather smaller amount of batter. The batter is partially cakey but also slightly reminiscent of clafoutis, that eggy batter pudding well-loved in France. The buttery topping adds a slight crispness around the edges of the cake and a rich decadent flavour, almost caramel-like.
Buttery crispness, mmm!
Served in a pool of custard.
Edited to add that this is also delicious servedwith half-fat crème fraîche.
Monday, 11 November 2013
More Apple Jellies
Back to the long-neglected blog!
As Autumn turns cold and soggy, I only have to look at my now-full preserves shelf to feel cheered.
This has been an incredible year for all kinds of fruit. Our Bramley tree which last year produced a grand total of 3 apples, has this year excelled itself and we have had more than we know what to do with. Of course we've made great efforts to use what we can in cakes, puddings and chutneys, and I've enjoyed experimenting with a couple of new jams and jellies, as well as the 'usuals' (apple chilli, apple rosemary, and apple mint, instructions for which can be found earlier in this blog).
First off, Spiced Apple Butter. Apple Butter is a very North American treat, although I don't think I ever actually ate it when I lived in Canada. Slightly confusingly, it contains no actual butter, but is a long-cooked apple puree, often with spices such as cinnamon added. I decided to try a recipe that used my rather neglected slow-cooker, and the results were delicious, making the entire house smell like Christmas!
I've put it all into sterilised jars ready to use in some festive baking. I have of course sampled some already and it's great on toast.
The recipe can be found here, on the Frugal Foodie Mama website.
Next was Apple Quince Jelly. I adore quinces, with their heady, almost floral scent, but they seem very difficult to come by in the shops. This year I was lucky and managed to pick up a few windfalls locally.
The flavour is intense so you actually don't need many to produce a beautiful preserve, bulked up of course with some apples! Just look at this gorgeous colour, and it tastes wonderful too. It's currently my breakfast toast-topping of choice.
I found the recipe here, on this nice foodie blog.
Finally, Apple Sloe Jelly. The hedgerows are laden with sloes this year. I have never used them for anything, save for drinking my father's homemade Sloe Gin! On the tree they are mean fruit, small, hard and lip-puckeringly sour, but I felt sure that there must be potential for using them in something other than liqueur.
A quick google brought me to this recipe, on The Cottage Smallholder (which incidentally is a fabulous blog, bursting with useful recipes). Like the Quince jelly, this is a luscious colour, dark ruby red and gloriously clear (never squeeze the jelly bag when you're straining the fruit, otherwise your jelly will be cloudy). I had slightly too much of this to fit in the available jars, so I'm currently working my way through a bowl of it on my toast. (I eat a lot of toast!). It's also popular with the youngest member of the household.
The recipe indicates that this is a good jelly to eat with meats, but personally I think it's a little too sweet for that. There's a lot of sugar in there (and I used a little less than the 1.5lb per pint stipulated as I ran out of sugar), so the sourness of the sloes has disappeared in my batch. This makes it perfect as a jam, but probably not so suitable for eating with your sausages. If I were to make it again (and I will) I think I would use 1lb of sugar per pint of juice, as you do usually when making jellies.
So all in all a successful year of preserving. Just in case I forget to blog it properly, I also experimented with a new chutney, one that includes tomatoes. The recipe is here, on the BBC Good Food website. I used red pepper instead of green, but otherwise the recipe was unchanged by me. It's still maturing in jars so I have yet to taste it, but I'm looking forward to it!
As Autumn turns cold and soggy, I only have to look at my now-full preserves shelf to feel cheered.
This has been an incredible year for all kinds of fruit. Our Bramley tree which last year produced a grand total of 3 apples, has this year excelled itself and we have had more than we know what to do with. Of course we've made great efforts to use what we can in cakes, puddings and chutneys, and I've enjoyed experimenting with a couple of new jams and jellies, as well as the 'usuals' (apple chilli, apple rosemary, and apple mint, instructions for which can be found earlier in this blog).
First off, Spiced Apple Butter. Apple Butter is a very North American treat, although I don't think I ever actually ate it when I lived in Canada. Slightly confusingly, it contains no actual butter, but is a long-cooked apple puree, often with spices such as cinnamon added. I decided to try a recipe that used my rather neglected slow-cooker, and the results were delicious, making the entire house smell like Christmas!
I've put it all into sterilised jars ready to use in some festive baking. I have of course sampled some already and it's great on toast.
The recipe can be found here, on the Frugal Foodie Mama website.
Next was Apple Quince Jelly. I adore quinces, with their heady, almost floral scent, but they seem very difficult to come by in the shops. This year I was lucky and managed to pick up a few windfalls locally.
The flavour is intense so you actually don't need many to produce a beautiful preserve, bulked up of course with some apples! Just look at this gorgeous colour, and it tastes wonderful too. It's currently my breakfast toast-topping of choice.
I found the recipe here, on this nice foodie blog.
Finally, Apple Sloe Jelly. The hedgerows are laden with sloes this year. I have never used them for anything, save for drinking my father's homemade Sloe Gin! On the tree they are mean fruit, small, hard and lip-puckeringly sour, but I felt sure that there must be potential for using them in something other than liqueur.
A quick google brought me to this recipe, on The Cottage Smallholder (which incidentally is a fabulous blog, bursting with useful recipes). Like the Quince jelly, this is a luscious colour, dark ruby red and gloriously clear (never squeeze the jelly bag when you're straining the fruit, otherwise your jelly will be cloudy). I had slightly too much of this to fit in the available jars, so I'm currently working my way through a bowl of it on my toast. (I eat a lot of toast!). It's also popular with the youngest member of the household.
I turn my back for a second...
The recipe indicates that this is a good jelly to eat with meats, but personally I think it's a little too sweet for that. There's a lot of sugar in there (and I used a little less than the 1.5lb per pint stipulated as I ran out of sugar), so the sourness of the sloes has disappeared in my batch. This makes it perfect as a jam, but probably not so suitable for eating with your sausages. If I were to make it again (and I will) I think I would use 1lb of sugar per pint of juice, as you do usually when making jellies.
So all in all a successful year of preserving. Just in case I forget to blog it properly, I also experimented with a new chutney, one that includes tomatoes. The recipe is here, on the BBC Good Food website. I used red pepper instead of green, but otherwise the recipe was unchanged by me. It's still maturing in jars so I have yet to taste it, but I'm looking forward to it!
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Apple Rosemary Jelly
Yet another variation on the theme!
Rosemary is my favourite herb, so the idea of using it in a jelly really appealed. Just imagine how gorgeous this will be with roast lamb.
I'm writing this recipe out as much to remind myself about it in years to come as I'm winging this one, just making it up based on my now-fairly-extensive jelly-making experience.
Apple Rosemary Jelly
3lb apples
1 1/2 pints water
1/2 pint white vinegar
lots of rosemary, finely chopped
Roughly chop the apples, no peeling or coring necessary (just watch out for bugs if your apples are foraged as ours are), and put in a pan with the water and the needles stripped from about 5 stalks of rosemary (no need to chop this). This will infuse the jelly with a delicate rosemary flavour.
Simmer until soft and pulpy, then add the vinegar and continue to boil for 5 minutes.
Strain overnight using a jelly-bag or muslin. This post explains how.
Measure strained liquid and add 1lb of sugar for every pint. Boil until setting point is reached then stir in lots of chopped rosemary.
As with the chilli jelly, it's important to let this cool for 5-10 minutes before potting it, otherwise all the rosemary will rise to the top of the jars. If this does start to happen (as it did with my first jar) simply screw the lid on tightly and turn the jar upside down for about a minute. Then turn it the right way up again. If the rosemary is still rising, repeat until it is suspended throughout the jelly.
This made 4 jars.
Rosemary is my favourite herb, so the idea of using it in a jelly really appealed. Just imagine how gorgeous this will be with roast lamb.
I'm writing this recipe out as much to remind myself about it in years to come as I'm winging this one, just making it up based on my now-fairly-extensive jelly-making experience.
Apple Rosemary Jelly
3lb apples
1 1/2 pints water
1/2 pint white vinegar
lots of rosemary, finely chopped
Roughly chop the apples, no peeling or coring necessary (just watch out for bugs if your apples are foraged as ours are), and put in a pan with the water and the needles stripped from about 5 stalks of rosemary (no need to chop this). This will infuse the jelly with a delicate rosemary flavour.
Simmer until soft and pulpy, then add the vinegar and continue to boil for 5 minutes.
Strain overnight using a jelly-bag or muslin. This post explains how.
Measure strained liquid and add 1lb of sugar for every pint. Boil until setting point is reached then stir in lots of chopped rosemary.
As with the chilli jelly, it's important to let this cool for 5-10 minutes before potting it, otherwise all the rosemary will rise to the top of the jars. If this does start to happen (as it did with my first jar) simply screw the lid on tightly and turn the jar upside down for about a minute. Then turn it the right way up again. If the rosemary is still rising, repeat until it is suspended throughout the jelly.
This made 4 jars.
Labelled with Cath Kidston stickers - for that extra domestic-goddess feeling!
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Apple Chilli Jelly - 2012
I've blogged about this jelly before, in Autumn 2009, but I realised that I had rather lazily just linked to a recipe which I had since adapted somewhat and failed to note my adaptations. So in an attempt to record what I actually do, I thought it deserved reblogging.
This year we have a stunningly beautiful chilli plant which we bought from the Dorset Chilli Festival earlier this year, so we have no shortage of chillis to use. Many have been harvested and stashed in the freezer, but this is a perfect way to use some straight from the plant.
I use this jelly as a condiment, particularly with roast chicken. It's also perfect with any crumbly white cheese such as Wensleydale or Lancashire.
Apple Chilli Jelly
3lb cooking apples
2 pints water
white sugar
red chillis - to taste
Chop apples, don't peel or core, and place in a large pan with the water and 2 or 3 chopped chillis, seeds and all.
Simmer until soft and pulpy, then strain overnight (see previous post for photos).
Measure juice back into the pan, and for every pint add 1 lb of sugar.
Bring to the boil, stirring often, and boil rapidly until setting point is reached. Again, refer to previous post fot description of how to do this.
Remove from the heat, but this time wait for 5 minutes before stirring in 3 or 4 (or more? It's up to you - I used 9, but they're tiny) finely sliced chillis. Then ladle into sterilised jars. It's best to wait before you stir the chillis in because if the jelly is too liquid the chillis all float to the top of the jar, whereas when it's slightly cooler the chillis will be suspended throughout.
This only made 2 medium jars. I must make another batch as I'm not sure this will see us through the coming year!
This year we have a stunningly beautiful chilli plant which we bought from the Dorset Chilli Festival earlier this year, so we have no shortage of chillis to use. Many have been harvested and stashed in the freezer, but this is a perfect way to use some straight from the plant.
I use this jelly as a condiment, particularly with roast chicken. It's also perfect with any crumbly white cheese such as Wensleydale or Lancashire.
Apple Chilli Jelly
3lb cooking apples
2 pints water
white sugar
red chillis - to taste
Chop apples, don't peel or core, and place in a large pan with the water and 2 or 3 chopped chillis, seeds and all.
Simmer until soft and pulpy, then strain overnight (see previous post for photos).
Measure juice back into the pan, and for every pint add 1 lb of sugar.
Bring to the boil, stirring often, and boil rapidly until setting point is reached. Again, refer to previous post fot description of how to do this.
Remove from the heat, but this time wait for 5 minutes before stirring in 3 or 4 (or more? It's up to you - I used 9, but they're tiny) finely sliced chillis. Then ladle into sterilised jars. It's best to wait before you stir the chillis in because if the jelly is too liquid the chillis all float to the top of the jar, whereas when it's slightly cooler the chillis will be suspended throughout.
This only made 2 medium jars. I must make another batch as I'm not sure this will see us through the coming year!
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Apple and Mint Jelly
It's that time of year again, Autumn is approaching fast. Whilst some may mourn the loss of Summer, I'm excited - after 2 years in the Tropics I can hardly wait for golden leaves, crisp cold days, misty mornings, hearty casseroles, lighting the woodburning stove, roasting chestnuts... and foraging!
The season of free food is already here and we have a kitchen full of apples, collected from the local hedgerows. Some, I was surprised to find, are good eaters, but others are more tart and fit only for cooking. But that's fine by me because cooking was what I had in mind.
This week I will get though several pounds of sugar and the kitchen will be filled with a vinegary fug as I'm cooking up several batches of both chutney and jelly. I love apple jellies and use them as a condiment for savoury foods, particularly roast meats, or with cheese and biscuits. First up this week was apple and mint jelly. As you might expect this is particularly good with lamb although I'm also partial to some alongside roast chicken. Our mint plants are starting to bolt, getting very tall and straggly, so this was perfect timing to strip off all the leaves prior to cutting them back.
Anything that involves reaching a 'setting point' fills me with a certain amount of trepidation, but I remind myself not to panic, this is not difficult, the pectin in the apples means it sets well. Nothing about the jelly-making process is difficult actually; it may be a little time-consuming, but I like the fact that you make it over 2 days as it spreads out the work. To further allay any fears, know that there is no peeling and coring involved here, the apples are simply washed then roughly chopped and thrown into the pan, pips and all. Wonderfully lazy.
Apple and Mint Jelly
3lb apples - the recipe I use (from the Alphington Church Restoration Fund cookbook, and thanks to Mrs M Bate of Alphington for contributing it) calls for 'green apples' but I use any foraged apples I can get my hands on.
1 1/8 pints water
small bunch fresh mint
1 1/2 pints white vinegar
granulated sugar
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
Wash and roughly cut the apples into large chunks - quarters, or smaller I'd say, but this is no time to be precise. Place them in a large pan with the water and the bunch of fresh mint, and simmer until soft and pulpy.
Add the vinegar and boil for 5 minutes. I'd recommend opening the windows when you do this as the boiling vinegar produces some eye-watering fumes.
Strain the appley mixture through a muslin or jelly-bag overnight. This might sound tricky, but it's not. Just place a clean jelly-bag, muslin, or similar piece of fabric into a large bowl, then ladle in the apples. The photo below is actually my apple-chilli jelly which I have started making today, hence the pieces of red chilli you can see, but all these apple jellies work on the same principle.
Gather up the corners (or the tags on the jelly-bag) and hang it above the bowl to drip. I have constructed something using a coathanger and a chair!
The next day tip the apple sludge into the bin or onto your compost heap, and measure the juice back into your large pan. For each pint of juice, add 1 lb of white sugar.
Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil rapidly until setting point is reached. This usually takes about 15 minutes, but can take a lot longer - just keep testing. I test by dropping a scant teaspoon of the mixture onto a cold plate (keep one in the fridge) and once the mixture has cooled slightly push your finger through it. If it wrinkles, then you're there, it will set.
Skim off any foam (this last batch had lots, but other batches have very little, not sure why), turn off the heat and stir in the chopped mint.
Ladle into sterilised jars and leave to cool. I got 5 medium-sized jars from this batch. The jelly is a beautiful pinkish-red, probably because the apples I used had reddish skins. I like this effect!
Next blog-post: Apple Chilli Jelly!
The season of free food is already here and we have a kitchen full of apples, collected from the local hedgerows. Some, I was surprised to find, are good eaters, but others are more tart and fit only for cooking. But that's fine by me because cooking was what I had in mind.
This week I will get though several pounds of sugar and the kitchen will be filled with a vinegary fug as I'm cooking up several batches of both chutney and jelly. I love apple jellies and use them as a condiment for savoury foods, particularly roast meats, or with cheese and biscuits. First up this week was apple and mint jelly. As you might expect this is particularly good with lamb although I'm also partial to some alongside roast chicken. Our mint plants are starting to bolt, getting very tall and straggly, so this was perfect timing to strip off all the leaves prior to cutting them back.
Anything that involves reaching a 'setting point' fills me with a certain amount of trepidation, but I remind myself not to panic, this is not difficult, the pectin in the apples means it sets well. Nothing about the jelly-making process is difficult actually; it may be a little time-consuming, but I like the fact that you make it over 2 days as it spreads out the work. To further allay any fears, know that there is no peeling and coring involved here, the apples are simply washed then roughly chopped and thrown into the pan, pips and all. Wonderfully lazy.
Apple and Mint Jelly
3lb apples - the recipe I use (from the Alphington Church Restoration Fund cookbook, and thanks to Mrs M Bate of Alphington for contributing it) calls for 'green apples' but I use any foraged apples I can get my hands on.
1 1/8 pints water
small bunch fresh mint
1 1/2 pints white vinegar
granulated sugar
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
Wash and roughly cut the apples into large chunks - quarters, or smaller I'd say, but this is no time to be precise. Place them in a large pan with the water and the bunch of fresh mint, and simmer until soft and pulpy.
Add the vinegar and boil for 5 minutes. I'd recommend opening the windows when you do this as the boiling vinegar produces some eye-watering fumes.
Strain the appley mixture through a muslin or jelly-bag overnight. This might sound tricky, but it's not. Just place a clean jelly-bag, muslin, or similar piece of fabric into a large bowl, then ladle in the apples. The photo below is actually my apple-chilli jelly which I have started making today, hence the pieces of red chilli you can see, but all these apple jellies work on the same principle.
Gather up the corners (or the tags on the jelly-bag) and hang it above the bowl to drip. I have constructed something using a coathanger and a chair!
The next day tip the apple sludge into the bin or onto your compost heap, and measure the juice back into your large pan. For each pint of juice, add 1 lb of white sugar.
Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil rapidly until setting point is reached. This usually takes about 15 minutes, but can take a lot longer - just keep testing. I test by dropping a scant teaspoon of the mixture onto a cold plate (keep one in the fridge) and once the mixture has cooled slightly push your finger through it. If it wrinkles, then you're there, it will set.
Skim off any foam (this last batch had lots, but other batches have very little, not sure why), turn off the heat and stir in the chopped mint.
Ladle into sterilised jars and leave to cool. I got 5 medium-sized jars from this batch. The jelly is a beautiful pinkish-red, probably because the apples I used had reddish skins. I like this effect!
Next blog-post: Apple Chilli Jelly!
Friday, 17 December 2010
Tarte Fine Aux Pommes
Why is it that when you want to make something sound posh, or chic, you give it a French name? I wasn't aiming for chic with this pudding - although I have to admit it did look lovely - but rather I wanted something that didn't use huge amounts of cream.
I'd volunteered to make a pudding for our Book Club meeting last night. An easy task I'd thought... but I was quite surprised how difficult it was to find recipes that didn't involves too much dairy produce. This wasn't because of any allergies, or indeed health reasons (as if!), simply that dairy products here are hard to find. They're all imported from Australia or New Zealand and they're a) expensive and b) sometimes not-quite-right, not quite what you're expecting, often because many of them are UHT.
I've recently acquired the excellent Nigella Kitchen book, and thought I'd make my first recipe from that... but nothing inspired me, mainly because every recipe in the 'My Sweet Solution' section included 300ml double cream, or 500g mascapone. So I turned to Nigella Express, a book that I rarely use, and sometimes have twinges of guilt about. (Do you ever feel like that? Guilty that you don't use certain cookbooks enough?) Anyway, I discovered the Tarte Fine Aux Pommes (Fine Apple Tart perhaps?) and decided that it fit the bill perfectly.
The recipe can be found here and I made no alterations, other than to increase the caramel sauce a little - I used a heaped tablespoon of both the butter and sugar. It was also quite slow to take on the caramel colour so I gingerly spooned in a little of the lemony water that the apples had been soaking in. It bubbled up madly - so be careful - but it did the trick, loosening the sauce a little and helping it magically to brown.
I thought that I had bought a block of puff pastry, but when I defrosted it it turned out to be 10 squares of pastry instead. I put them together like a jigsaw, sealing the edges with some beaten egg, and slicing some up to make a raised border. You can see the joins as the edges rose - all very rustic!
I cut up all 3 apples that I had bought (I used Granny Smiths) but found that 2 was plenty. The other apple was eaten uncooked, using the wedges of it to scrape the leftover caramel sauce out of the pan... Mmmmm!
We had a lovely evening at Book Club (despite no one except me liking Eat Pray Love..!?! Ah well!) and there was food galore - gorgeous curries, and several puddings. I really didn't mind having leftovers to take home though - I enjoyed a generously-cut oven-warmed slice of it this morning with a cup of coffee. It was fabulous, rather like a Danish pastry, and definitely much nicer warmed than cold. I can't honestly say that I could taste the caramel sauce very distinctly, but I think it just added to the sweet butteryness of the filling - a lovely contrast to the crispy flaky pastry. I'll definitely make this again.
I'd volunteered to make a pudding for our Book Club meeting last night. An easy task I'd thought... but I was quite surprised how difficult it was to find recipes that didn't involves too much dairy produce. This wasn't because of any allergies, or indeed health reasons (as if!), simply that dairy products here are hard to find. They're all imported from Australia or New Zealand and they're a) expensive and b) sometimes not-quite-right, not quite what you're expecting, often because many of them are UHT.
I've recently acquired the excellent Nigella Kitchen book, and thought I'd make my first recipe from that... but nothing inspired me, mainly because every recipe in the 'My Sweet Solution' section included 300ml double cream, or 500g mascapone. So I turned to Nigella Express, a book that I rarely use, and sometimes have twinges of guilt about. (Do you ever feel like that? Guilty that you don't use certain cookbooks enough?) Anyway, I discovered the Tarte Fine Aux Pommes (Fine Apple Tart perhaps?) and decided that it fit the bill perfectly.
The recipe can be found here and I made no alterations, other than to increase the caramel sauce a little - I used a heaped tablespoon of both the butter and sugar. It was also quite slow to take on the caramel colour so I gingerly spooned in a little of the lemony water that the apples had been soaking in. It bubbled up madly - so be careful - but it did the trick, loosening the sauce a little and helping it magically to brown.
I thought that I had bought a block of puff pastry, but when I defrosted it it turned out to be 10 squares of pastry instead. I put them together like a jigsaw, sealing the edges with some beaten egg, and slicing some up to make a raised border. You can see the joins as the edges rose - all very rustic!
I cut up all 3 apples that I had bought (I used Granny Smiths) but found that 2 was plenty. The other apple was eaten uncooked, using the wedges of it to scrape the leftover caramel sauce out of the pan... Mmmmm!
We had a lovely evening at Book Club (despite no one except me liking Eat Pray Love..!?! Ah well!) and there was food galore - gorgeous curries, and several puddings. I really didn't mind having leftovers to take home though - I enjoyed a generously-cut oven-warmed slice of it this morning with a cup of coffee. It was fabulous, rather like a Danish pastry, and definitely much nicer warmed than cold. I can't honestly say that I could taste the caramel sauce very distinctly, but I think it just added to the sweet butteryness of the filling - a lovely contrast to the crispy flaky pastry. I'll definitely make this again.
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Apple Spice Cake
Apple foraging season is over, but if you've still got some cooking apples in store then this is an ideal recipe to use a few.
I made this cake in October, and it was fabulous. I have been meaning to blog about it ever since. The recipe came from 'The Week' magazine, and is taken from Mary Berry's Baking Bible which I think is a new publication, bringing together recipes from several of Mary Berry's previous cookbooks. The official title for the recipe is Apple and Cinnamon Cake, but I renamed it Apple Spice Cake as I used a selection of spices instead of simply cinnamon.
We took the cake on holiday with us to Yorkshire (and I hasten to add that we were holidaying in a self-catering cottage... we don't make a habit of packing cakes into our suitcases!) and it kept fantastically well. We ate a generous slice each day along with a cup of tea on return from our hearty walks, and even when we finished it on day 5 or 6 it tasted as good as it had done at the start of the week.
Mary Berry's Apple and Cinnamon Cake
225g softened butter
225g light muscovado sugar (plus a little to finish)
3 large eggs
100g chopped walnuts (I omitted these as I had none in the cupboard!)
100g sultanas
225g self-raising flour (I substituted 100g of this with Hemp Flour which gave it a lovely nutty flavour and texture)
2 level tsp baking powder (I added an extra tsp because of the Hemp Flour)
400g cooking apples, peeled, cored and grated
1 level tsp ground cinnamon (I used 'Pumpkin Pie Spice' which I had brought back from Canada. It contains a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc)
Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160/gas 4. Grease a 23cm deep round cake tin and line the base with parchment paper.
Put the butter, sugar, eggs, walnuts, sultanas, flour and baking powder into a large bowl and beat well until thoroughly blended.
Spoon half the mixture into the tin, smooth it down, then tip the grated apple (which you have mixed with the spices) in an even layer on the top. Spoon over the remaining cake mixture, level the surface, then sprinkle over a generous amount of muscovado sugar.
Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until the cake is well-risen and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Serve warm or cold. It's great either way.
I loved the way that the apple layer provided a slightly tart middle layer, which offset the sweetness of the cake. It also kept the cake deliciously moist.
I made this cake in October, and it was fabulous. I have been meaning to blog about it ever since. The recipe came from 'The Week' magazine, and is taken from Mary Berry's Baking Bible which I think is a new publication, bringing together recipes from several of Mary Berry's previous cookbooks. The official title for the recipe is Apple and Cinnamon Cake, but I renamed it Apple Spice Cake as I used a selection of spices instead of simply cinnamon.
We took the cake on holiday with us to Yorkshire (and I hasten to add that we were holidaying in a self-catering cottage... we don't make a habit of packing cakes into our suitcases!) and it kept fantastically well. We ate a generous slice each day along with a cup of tea on return from our hearty walks, and even when we finished it on day 5 or 6 it tasted as good as it had done at the start of the week.
Mary Berry's Apple and Cinnamon Cake
225g softened butter
225g light muscovado sugar (plus a little to finish)
3 large eggs
100g chopped walnuts (I omitted these as I had none in the cupboard!)
100g sultanas
225g self-raising flour (I substituted 100g of this with Hemp Flour which gave it a lovely nutty flavour and texture)
2 level tsp baking powder (I added an extra tsp because of the Hemp Flour)
400g cooking apples, peeled, cored and grated
1 level tsp ground cinnamon (I used 'Pumpkin Pie Spice' which I had brought back from Canada. It contains a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc)
Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160/gas 4. Grease a 23cm deep round cake tin and line the base with parchment paper.
Put the butter, sugar, eggs, walnuts, sultanas, flour and baking powder into a large bowl and beat well until thoroughly blended.
Spoon half the mixture into the tin, smooth it down, then tip the grated apple (which you have mixed with the spices) in an even layer on the top. Spoon over the remaining cake mixture, level the surface, then sprinkle over a generous amount of muscovado sugar.
Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until the cake is well-risen and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Serve warm or cold. It's great either way.
I loved the way that the apple layer provided a slightly tart middle layer, which offset the sweetness of the cake. It also kept the cake deliciously moist.
Friday, 23 October 2009
Apple Chilli Jelly
As I mentioned in my Apple Day post, I have been making Apple Chilli Jelly. The recipe is here, and I'll say it again, this is a great one. I made it last year and we enjoyed it so much that making another batch this year was a foregone conclusion.
I was particularly excited to be making it this year as we actually grew our own chillis! Much of our vegetable-growing was rather less than successful this year owing to the ridiculously shady plot. I thought I had lost the chillis too due to an infestation of aphids, but spraying the plants with diluted washing-up liquid obviously did the trick. That or the ladybirds I kept ferrying over to the plant!
We didn't have a huge crop, but it was so satisfying to see them grow, then redden on the plant. I love that they have grown into such curly quirky shapes.
Having boiled up the apples yesterday and let them drip overnight, today I measured out the resulting juice and added what seemed like vast amounts of sugar... Still, I am learning that when preserving you have to just stir in the sugar and not worry about it. Things won't set if you don't use enough.
It took nearly half an hour of boiling to get this to setting point (I suppose I should have added more sugar...), but while it was on a rolling boil I chopped the chillis.
When I buy chillis they are clearly labelled as to how hot they are, but of course I had no idea about these. I licked my finger after chopping them and suspect from the tears that sprung to my eyes that they are pretty hot! However, I decided to chop them all anyway. Last year's batch was not very hot, and we both like some chilli heat so I thought I'd go for it.
I was particularly excited to be making it this year as we actually grew our own chillis! Much of our vegetable-growing was rather less than successful this year owing to the ridiculously shady plot. I thought I had lost the chillis too due to an infestation of aphids, but spraying the plants with diluted washing-up liquid obviously did the trick. That or the ladybirds I kept ferrying over to the plant!
We didn't have a huge crop, but it was so satisfying to see them grow, then redden on the plant. I love that they have grown into such curly quirky shapes.
Having boiled up the apples yesterday and let them drip overnight, today I measured out the resulting juice and added what seemed like vast amounts of sugar... Still, I am learning that when preserving you have to just stir in the sugar and not worry about it. Things won't set if you don't use enough.
It took nearly half an hour of boiling to get this to setting point (I suppose I should have added more sugar...), but while it was on a rolling boil I chopped the chillis.
When I buy chillis they are clearly labelled as to how hot they are, but of course I had no idea about these. I licked my finger after chopping them and suspect from the tears that sprung to my eyes that they are pretty hot! However, I decided to chop them all anyway. Last year's batch was not very hot, and we both like some chilli heat so I thought I'd go for it.
And I'm pleased I did. I think the jelly looks just beautiful with the slices of chilli suspended in it. The jars looked particularly lovely this afternoon as the sun was streaming in through the window and making the jelly glow.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Happy Apple Day!
This might not look like a particularly happy apple, but believe me I was happy when I found it; and the many others that were sitting in a box on a driveway with a plaintive 'Please help yourself' sign.
I was even happier to put them to use in the kitchen, and today I have made the most of the first day of the half term holiday and used up all the apples that I have collected from the driveways of Buckinghamshire.
My favourite thing to make is Apple Chilli Jelly. It's SO easy, the apples don't even need to be peeled and cored! The recipe I use can be found here, but please note that a chopped red chilli should be added to the apples as they are first boiled (this is mentioned in the comments section below the recipe, but not in the recipe itself). I made a batch of this last year and we have really enjoyed eating it since then. I like it with roast chicken, but it's particularly nice with a plain milky white cheese such as Lancashire, Cheshire or Wensleydale. The pulp is currently suspended in a muslin bag over a bowl as the juice drips out. I will make it into beautiful red-flecked jelly tomorrow.
Whilst that was underway I set to making my first batch of chutney. The recipe is from a much-used, well-battered charity cookbook sold in aid of the Alphington Church (in Exeter, Devon) repair fund. It's one of those lovely fundraising books which is clearly a product of a whole community. I have several such recipe books as I can never resist buying them. In this case, several celebrities had clearly been asked to contribute recipes, and this Apple Chutney recipe is credited to the actress Penelope Keith - who starred, appropriately, in the classic 1970s comedy about self-sufficiency The Good Life! Chutney-making Penelope is clearly a world away from her snobbish character Margot though - this recipe is a winner. So simple, and a perfect way of using up a glut of windfall apples. Although peeling, coring and dicing 4lb of them is not much fun...
I had my annual oh-no-the-pan-isn't-big-enough panic as I piled in the ingredients, but after a short time the apples had cooked down and begun to turn pulpy.
It's also a great way of reusing all those jars which I can't stop myself saving... I use the nicer ones for sweet jams and jellies, but those with the lingering scent of something savoury - olives, capers, curry paste (?!) - I save for chutney figuring that it has such a strong vinegary flavour that it will cover up any other tastes.
The recipe is nothing new, nothing special, but if you want a really good 'basic' chutney then you can't go wrong with it:
Penelope Keith's Apple Chutney
4lb windfall apples, peeled, cored and roughly diced
1lb onions, chopped
1lb sultanas
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 pint malt vinegar
1lb soft brown sugar
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
Put all ingredients into a pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 hours until dark brown. (My note - from experience... Keep an eye on it for the last hour as it can stick and burn if left for too long at this point). Pot whilst hot, in sterilised jars.
I hope you are enjoying apple season. Excuse me while I clamber onto my soapbox, but I really really really resent the amount of apples that we import into this country. Apples grow so well in England, and in such an abundance of varieties, that it seems so wrong to buy a bag of them that have been flown half way around the world. I rarely buy apples in fact (as they are so easily available for free!), but whenever I do I carefully check the labels (so often designed it seems so that it's virtually impossible to find the country of origin...) and make sure that they are grown in the UK. I've heard it called a mange-tout moment; you know, when you stand there in the produce section of a supermarket and realise that the small plastic-wrapped packet of veg you are about to throw into your trolley has actually come on a 10-hour flight from Kenya... Well, have an 'apple moment' too! Yes, I buy imported food - I'd find it hard to cook without such things as lemons that we can't grow in this country - but where there's a choice... well, just think about it.
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Apples Galore
The house that we own is called 'Bramley Cottage'. Sweet eh? With a name like that, you'd obviously expect it to have an orchard, or perhaps a stand of ancient apple trees? But no, Bramley Cottage has one teeny tiny apple tree. The trunk is so thin that I can encircle it with one hand, and it's barely taller than my head. In Autumn 2005 it produced 3 apples. Admittedly we have been away for a couple of years, and we're not living there now either, but I think I may have to wait several more years before I can harvest a bumper crop.
But actually I don't think this is a problem. You see, it seems that anyone with an apple tree can't seem to give away enough apples! Everywhere we drive or cycle in the local area, we see boxes, buckets, wheelbarrows of apples sitting on people's driveways, with handwritten notices imploring passers by to 'Please take some apples!' And I don't need telling twice.
We have one particularly great supplier, a lady in nearby Wendover who has 20 - yes TWENTY - Bramley trees. It takes me ten minutes to cycle out to her house... but rather long to cycle back, my handlebar-bag bulging with fruit, so heavy that it's scraping on the front wheel. Here's just some of our latest haul:
But actually I don't think this is a problem. You see, it seems that anyone with an apple tree can't seem to give away enough apples! Everywhere we drive or cycle in the local area, we see boxes, buckets, wheelbarrows of apples sitting on people's driveways, with handwritten notices imploring passers by to 'Please take some apples!' And I don't need telling twice.
We have one particularly great supplier, a lady in nearby Wendover who has 20 - yes TWENTY - Bramley trees. It takes me ten minutes to cycle out to her house... but rather long to cycle back, my handlebar-bag bulging with fruit, so heavy that it's scraping on the front wheel. Here's just some of our latest haul:
I love to eat seaonally, and part of this is the challenge of making the very most of whatever is ripe and ready - a glut of produce is so often the result. Although there are times when I think that I will never want to eat another apple dish again, I know that many apple-free months will follow, and I will appreciate the fact that I made the very most of the apples when they were so plentiful.
Our favourite savoury apple dish is one from Delia Smith's classic 'Complete Cookery Course' entitled 'Pork with Apples and Cider' (p197-8 for those of you with the same attractively brown-covered edition that I have. These pages arae well-spattered in my book, attesting to the number of times that we have made this dish). It involves the long, slow cooking of pork chops, bacon, onions, apples and garlic. They are cooked in dry cider, with a topping of sliced potatoes. It's not something that I have ever taken a photo of, but at we are currently eating this once a week, so perhaps I should?
Last weekend's roast dinner was a leg of pork. We did eat pork in Canada, but rarely (if ever?) managed to buy a joint with the skin still on, thereby depriving us of the best part of the meal - crackling. This was reason enough to roast the pork last Saturday, but it had the added bonus of using up three large apples for a pan of apple sauce to accompany the meat - and make some amazing sandwiches with pork, apple sauce and sage & onion stuffing during the following week!
Still on the savoury theme, I have stocked our cupboards with two types of apple chutney - perfect with cheese sandwiches - and apple and mint jelly - perfect with roast lamb.
I know many people dislike using fruit in savoury dishes. This is fortunately not a problem in our household (I love it!), but it is in sweet dishes that I find it easiest to use up the apples. In recent weeks I have experimented with some new recipes involving apples - not all of them meant to be involving apples, but...
Many of my friends rave about a recipe for Plum Torte, published in the New York Times (you can find it here). I had long intended to make this, but when I managed to pick up a large bowl of deliciously ripe plums at a local market I had no excuse. I added 2 finely chopped apples to the batter, which made it much more of a pudding than a cake, beautifully moist and squidgy.
I also made a wonderful Apple Cake, the recipe for which was posted by the aptly named 'Mary Apple'! I think it originated from Patricia Wells, but to me it will always be Mary Apple's Cake. Sadly I can't produce a picture for this one. This cake was fabulous - again rather more of a pudding, with a batter-like cake barely enveloping the sliced apples. It was devoured by the two of us in an embarrassingly short time - half went with our afternoon cuppa, and the other half warmed for a post-supper pudding. I daren't make it again... If you feel like risking it, here's the simple recipe:
Mary Apple's Cake
In a pie pan (I used a 20cm springform) peel and slice 4 apples.
In a bowl mix 1/2 cup plain flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tbsp milk (or cream), 1 tsp vanilla, a pinch of salt, 1 tbsp baking powder, 2 eggs.
Mix and pour over apples.
Bake at 350F/180C for about. 20-25 min till light brown.
Take out and top with 3 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/3 c. sugar, 1 egg.
Put back in the oven till browned - about 10-15 minutes.
And finally, last week I wanted to bake cupcakes. I don't do this often, but I had been given a wonderful box of 'Heavenly Cakes' mix (bought almost entirely for the beautiful packaging!) which I had been meaning to make for months. This is no ordinary cake-mix, it's produced by Rose Levy Berenbaum, author of The Cake Bible. It included Green & Blacks cocoa, and Madagascan vanilla -all top-quality ingredients. I also added two finely chopped apples to the mix (because did I mention we have lots of apples to use up?!), and the combination of chocolate cake and the tartness of the cooked apple pieces worked incredibly well.
I topped the cupcakes with a Swiss Buttercream icing (which I had been dying to try since reading about Project Wedding Cake in the Smitten Kitchen!), and scattered with milk-chocolate chips, for that 'kids'-birthday-party' feel. Cake, apples, buttercream, chocolate chips = perfection in a cupcake case.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)