Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble

I think certain deserts are underestimated; an easy recipe can be just as delicious as a complicated one. In fact chefs nowadays seem to be signing the praises of just such an idea.

I have always loved apple crumble, all the wonderful taste of apple pie, without fiddling around with rolled-out pastry. The crumble for this recipe actually comes from Ottolenghi’s carrot muffins. I think it is the addition of black sesame seeds and honey that makes this buttery crumble so fabulous. Your taste buds will thank you!

You can adapt this recipe using white sesame seeds if you don’t have black ones, pears instead of apples and cook the crumble for 10 minutes longer at 150°C if you prefer a softer fruit texture.

See link ‘apple crumble’ below for recipe:

APPLE CRUMBLE – ERIKA ALLISTON –  Sweet Pea Blog

Cooking apples

The crumble

• 50g unsalted butter
• 75g white all-purpose flour
• 25g brown sugar
• 50g whole rolled oats
• 20g sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon warm water
• 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon honey

1. Cut the butter into small cubes, set aside
2. Combine the flour, sugar, oats and seeds.
3. With your fingers, work the butter cubes into the dry ingredients until you have a bread crumb consistency.
4. Combine the water, oil and honey, then add to the crumble, mixing with your fingers till well combined

Apple Crumble

• 450g chopped cooking apples (approx. 3 medium whole apples)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C / 340°F
2. Cut apples into small cubes
3. Butter a small baking dish
4. Add the apples
5. Evenly sprinkle with the crumble
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Serve warm

Baked Apples

Baked Apples seemed to be an appropriate welcome back, New Years resolution, apple desert recipe.  What better way to satisfy your sweet tooth while watching your waist line. Plus baked apples are a cinch to make… core, stuff, bake. That’s it. No fuss no muss.

Olivier’s parents have an apple orchard in France and this year they were overwhelmed with the yield. There were enough apples for the Russian army I tell you. So each week we receive a top up, which means I continuously have a bag of these golden red globes in my fridge. I would be complaining except that they are absolutely delicious and make wonderful apple sauce, pies, cakes, muffins not to mention baked apples.

RECIPE :  Erika Alliston – Sweet Pea Blog, BAKED APPLES

• 6 cooking apples
• 1 handful whole almonds
• 1 handful raisins
• a pinch ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 15g melted unsalted butter

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (355°F) convection heat.
2. Coarsely chop the almonds, set aside
3. Melt the butter.
4. Add the chopped almonds, raisins, spices and brown sugar to the butter, stir well, set aside.
5. Prepare the apples; remove the core. Using a sharp knife draw a line around the middle of each apple (see picture). Stuff with the nut/spice mixture till it reaches the top of each apple.
6. Cook for 45 -60 minutes (depending on the size of your cooking apples), until apples are very tender when poked with a knife.
7. Serve immediately

Kip does not mess around when it comes to jam. The figs were washed, mashed, cooked, bottles and voilà – fig jam. And to be honest it should be that easy.  No muss no fuss. What I liked best is that the jam is not too sweet, he avoids the trap of saturating it with sugar, so that you can still taste the fruit. And just wait till your try this on a piece of hot bread, or with yogurt as a desert.

Here is another fig desert recipe to try!

RECIPE : ERIKA ALLISTON - Sweet Pea Blog

• 1.7kg whole ripe figs
• 900 gr white sugar
• juice of one lemon

Wash and dry the figs. Place in a large / deep saucepan, and mash (see image)

1. Add sugar
2. Slowly bring to the boil.
3. Cook for about 8-10 minutes (the temperature should reach 105°C if you want to be exact)
4. While waiting sterilise the jam jars & tops
5. Check the goute test
6. Add lemon juice cook for another minute.
7. Pour jam into hot jars almost to the very top, screw on the top and turn the jar so that it sits on its lid to cool.

‘Same Same, But Different’.….This was the slogan written on the shirts my brother brought back from South-East Asia for Olivier’s stag party. Odd that this phrase should pop into my head when cooking but it really does answer the question  ”What is the difference between clafouti and flognard???”

For the purists in this world clafoutis is a desert made with whole cherries and a sweet batter poured over the top.  A clafouti made using any other type of fruit ie) peaches is called a flognard or flaugnarde.

I often make this dish as it is a quick and easy summer desert. If you are pressed for time, don’t bother peeling the peaches or substitute them for red plums! This recipe calls for standard ingredients that you should have on hand, and if you are without cream just use extra milk. A dusting of powdered sugar (icing sugar) adds a nice touch for serving.

RECIPE : SWEET PEA Blog

Summer Peach & Fresh Ginger Flognard (Clarfoti)

• 4 yellow peaches**
• 100 ml milk
• 25 ml cream (you can substitute milk)
• 3 Eggs
• 60 grams (1/4 cup) white sugar
• 35 grams (1/4 cup) white all-purpose flour
• 2cm grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons cold butter

1. Prepare the peaches. To easily remove the peach skin, fill two bowls; one with boiling water, one with ice cold water. Cut one peach in half and plunge it into the hot water for one minute then straight into the cold water for one minute. Gently peal back the skin. Cut each half into 4 pieces. Repeat the process with the three other peaches.
2. Prepare the batter. Beat the eggs, then add the milk, cream, ginger & sugar, beat again. Now add the flour and beat. The batter will be very liquid.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (400°F)
4. Grease a non stick tart pan with butter. Pour in the batter and arrange the peaches. Cut the cold butter into 1cm squares and evenly place around the pan. Sprinkle with a little extra white sugar.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and present to your guests immediately while the desert has its greatest volume and air!

**NOTE: this desert can also be made with several other summer fruits such as plums or apricots (NO PEELING required!)

The DUTCH Series N°2

‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ This is a great saying however this is just one minor detail they left out…. the cooking instructions!

Taking advantage of this little loophole and the fact that it is currently the apple season, I have invented a quick & healthy recipe, within the guidelines of the Dutch Series.

Now I am not suggesting that you run triumphantly down to your doctors’ office, boasting how you have found a justification to eat more desert…. a chink in the dietary armor so to say. Perhaps best to remain discrete and if you do happen to have a sweet tooth, here is your prefect solution to satisfy a craving while keeping an eye on your waistline & budget!

RECIPE - SWEET PEA Blog

As I did not have a basic recipe to work from and was cooking ‘au pif – by the nose’, I tried several different combinations of spices and different quantities of sugar, to find my preferred balance. Often the best food is the simplest and there is something so comforting about hot apple compote that leaves you feeling warm & satisfied.

COOKING APPLES: by definition are primarily used for cooking rather than eating fresh. They are generally larger in size, less sweet when uncooked, with a more floury texture. They naturally soften and release their sweetness when cooked.

I will soon be posting a recipe for molasses caramel, a heavenly twist on the traditional caramel that goes divinely with this recipe.

Sugar & spice makes everything nice….

• 2 large cooking apples (480 grams whole)
• 20 grams unsalted butter
• 1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar (depending on how sweet your apples are)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1 whole star anise

1. Peel & core the apples. Chop into 8 slices then into large cubes.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the sugar & spices, let simmer for a minute
3. Add the apples and mix well.
4. Cover & cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes. All the water should be absorbed and the apples very soft when tested with a knife
5. Normally no blending is needed as the apples will naturally soften and loose their form
6. Sever warm

EMILY THE GREAT’S CARROT & PEAR SOUP

First there was Catherine the Great of Russia (1729 – 1796), and then a few hundred years later, came Emily the Great, my good friend, who proudly gave herself this name at the ripe old age of 2, for surely one great lady in history deserves another!

And a great lady she is, one who I am proud to know, and who was a lifesaver (the pink kind with a gold star) at my wedding this September 6th. So how does the soup fit in you may ask - well in amongst the dress fittings, dinners, last minute ribbons, welcome packages, speech preparations, vows etc, we all had to eat…. so each member of the family took turns putting something delicious together.

Emily’s contribution to the soup pot – was in fact soup, her version of fresh garden carrot, autumn William pear, and spicy Cayenne pepper. Top that with oven baked, olive oil & garlic croutons, and you have a great fall dish, that I couldn’t wait to put on the blog. Afterall today is the 1st day of autumn / fall.

RECIPE – SWEET PEA BLOG

This a new taste for me, a sweeter soup than I am used to, but one that I have fallen in love with. What is nice is that you can taste each individual ingredient – the sweetness of the pears & carrots, nicely offset by the spicy cayenne pepper & brought together with the tangy yogurt.

Ingredients:

• 6 large carrots
• 4 medium William pears
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 medium onion
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups chicken broth (approx 1L)
• cayenne pepper to taste

Preparations:

• peel & cut the carrots into small rounds
• peel & cut the pears into small pieces
• peel the garlic and chop into small pieces
• peel & coarsely chop the onion

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion & garlic. Let cook on a medium low heat until the onions become slightly soft (approx 5+ minutes)
2. Next boil the 4 cups (1L) of water and add a bouillon cube to make the chicken broth. Add this to the onions & garlic.
3. Now add the chopped pears & carrots, and simmer until they are well cooked.
4. Using a hand blender, mix the soup well, until it is evenly blended and slowly add cayenne pepper to taste.
5. SERVE: topper with a spoon of thick greek yogurt & homemade croutons.

HOMEMADE CRUTONS:

• cut1/2 a bagetteinto 2cm (1 inch) cubes, toss with olive oil and crushed garlic.
• Evenly spread onto a lined baking tray.
• Bake for approx. 10 mins in a 180°C oven, turning ever so often so they cook evenly

{LE PRINTEMS EN PROVENCE} Spring is finally here, and with that my 1st visit of the season to Provence. You can really see the difference in climate as you drive further south – the first thing I noticed was how many leaves were already out on the grapevines. And how the cherries on our cherry trees blossomed literally overnight, turning lovely shades of rosy pink, red and yellow !!! 

Then there was the picking of fresh laural leaves – to be dried and used for cooking (ie curry) and the tasting of my parents homemade olive oil - made only from the olives handpicked from our olive grove. The yield while small, produced an oil of unsurpassed quality, not like anything I had ever tasted. This was the 1st year that we have tried making the olive oil this way. Normally our olives are sent to the cooperative, mixed with other harvests and we receive a % of the oil based on the N° of kilos of olives we provide. The yield is better however the oil has a more bitter taste - and though excellent, it cannot hold a candle to the 100% family variety.  Quality vs quantity has triumphed again.

The highlight of our weekend was being invited to the home of Bill & Gisele Lieberman, friends of my parents, who own a lovely country house called the Mas des Patres overlooking the valley in Uzes. We spent the late afternoon chatting & eating their delicious cheese cake and fig tart, and sipping on champagne - after their toast for out forthcoming wedding!

The only sad news of our trip were the apricot trees…

Normally covered with ripening fruit, there were no more than 6 little green apricots on our two trees this year. Apparently there had been a rather unexpected spring frost, which negatively affected all the apricot trees in the area. My heart goes out to the farmers of the region, as unless their crops were further south, where the frost did not hit, they would have suffered for this season.

On a more positive note, I will shortly be posting two recipe, one for grilled asparagus as ’tis the season’, and the other for an almond cake which I have perfected after baking the original version with my mom in Provence.

{FIGUES GILLE AUX FEUILLES DE LAURIER} I am proud to say that this is my 1st entry for ‘SUGAR HIGH FRIDAYS’!! Which is ‘the international sweet tooth blogging extravaganza’ and, as the founder Jennifer (of The Domestic Goddess blog) put it, ‘your best excuse to make something sweet and different, at least once a month’.  No encouragement needed on my part!

This months theme (chosen by Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice blog ) is the FIG - a beautiful and delicious little flower…. I know it’s like the aubergine/eggplant situation, you thought you were eating a vegetable and it turns out to be a big berry, and now you find out that figs are really flowers - who made up these rules!

As I love the taste of figs on their own I thought I would make a simple desert I once tried, that gives president to the fig while adding the lovely perfume of laurel leaves (aka bay leaves) , a hint of pepper with a velvet covering of brown sugar and rich olive oil.

RECIPE - SWEET PEA BLOG

• 6 figs (I use large purple figs)
• 14 fresh laurel leaves (aka bay leaves) 
• 4 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• mixed ground pepper (white, green, red, black peppercorns)

1. Preheat the oven : on GRILL mode 180°C (350°F), with the oven rack placed near the top.
2. Wash the figs and remove the small stems. Next make two deep cuts into each fig in the form of a cross – the cut should be more than 3/4 the way through the fig. Place the figs in a baking dish.
3. Now generously sprinkle the centre of each fig with ground mixed pepper, followed by the brown sugar.
4. Next put one fresh laurel leaf (bay leaf) in the centre of each fig, and arrange the rest around the baking dish close to the figs.
5. Finally lightly drizzle the olive oil in and around the figs.
6. Grill the figs in the oven for 8 minutes – make sure that they are close enough to the grill for the brown sugar to melt but not too close that the laurel leaves will burn.
7. Remove and serve immediately.

NOTE: I recommend using FRESH laurel (bay) leaves for this recipe as the dried variety does not give the same fragrant perfume, plus the leaves turn brown very quickly and can burn. The recipe is nice served with crème anglaise (vanilla cream). For more information on figs

PEAR JAM with VANILLA BEAN

Seasonal fruit…. a delicacy, a rejuvenation of the senses and a welcomed change with each calender month that passes. But I find it sad how people seem to be increasingly unaware of which fruit belongs to which season and thus buy on a craving basis. It is no wonder though… with the grocery stores offering strawberries, peaches, mangoes, melon… (I could go on here) 365 days a year! Unless you have tasted a hand picked, perfectly ripe, home grown fruit, how are your sense suppose to know the difference.

I am getting off my soapbox … and have decided to dedicate this post to THE PEAR – ‘poire william’ to be exact, currently in season and picked from the farm trees a few days ago.

There are two main types of pears in Europe, the Anjou and the William (or Bartlett as they are known in North America) Anjou pears are a hardy winter pear, light green in colour and available from the autumn through to spring. Whereas the William pears are a sweeter variety (great for jam making) golden yellow with a fleck of red and ready to pick from late summer through the autumn.

RECIPE – ERIKA ALLISTON, Sweet Pea Blog

• 1kg (1000g) peeled & chopped William (Bartlett) pears
• 800g white sugar
• 1 lemon
• 1 fresh vanilla bean  (they are soft and usually sold in a small glass tube)
• 5 jam jars (depending on size)

Jam jar preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 100°C. To sterilise the jam jars (bocaux) wash them in soapy water, rinse and place open-side up on a tray in the the oven while you make the jam
2. Next squeeze the juice of one lemon and set aside. Now peel the pears, remove the stem and seeds and cut into small pieces.
3. In a very large saucepan (preferably one for making soups) add the chopped pears and sugar.

Jam making:

1. On the stove bring the pears and sugar to a rolling boil, and cook for 10-15 minutes.
2. While waiting prepare the vanilla. Cut the vanilla bean in half and remove the grains from inside by creating a long slit length wise down the vanilla bean and scraping out the inside.
3. Add the grains, the empty vanilla bean pod and the lemon juice to the jam, and cook for another 5 minutes until the “GOUTTE TEST” works (see below)
4. Remove the jam from the stove and take out the vanilla bean pods. Using an electric hand-mixer, slightly blend the fruit until desired texture (ie mix well if you prefer a smoother jam)
5. Remove the jam jars from the oven and with a ladle fill each jar until approx. 1cm from the surface. Cover with plastic or screw tops. Leave to set for 2-3 days.

GOUTTE TEST: a goutte is a drop and as I do not use pectin / certo to thicken the jam (lemon juice helps with this), you need to cook it until, dipping a wooden spoon into the jam and them holding the spoon horizontally over the saucepan, the LAST goutte / drop does not fall off the spoon but holds. You then know your jam will set.

{TARTELETTES AUX PRUNEAUX ET CANNELLE} I know I know, I promised more savoury & less sweetie recepes - but little purple plums are TAKING OVER MY KITCHEN!!! Everywhere I look there is a bowl, box or plate of them. Why you might ask – well it just so happens that Olivier’s parents have plum trees at their country house in France…. and as they cannot keep up with them, the torch has been passed! Something had to be done….

As I have already made ‘PLUM, GREEN GAGE & CINNAMON JAM’ (soon to be posted on the SP blog) I thought I would turn my attention to tart making… before the plums turn or the season passes! And seeing as the cinnamon was a nice added touch to the plum jam, I decided to make a sweet cinnamon pastry crust for this recipe.

RECIPE – SWEET PEA BLOG

CINNAMON PASTRY

• 200g white flour
• 100g unsalted butter
• 1 sachet vanilla sugar (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt

1. Remove the butter from the fridge, cut into small cubes and bring to room temperature.
2. In an electric mixer, combine the flour, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, white sugar and salt. (NOTE: if you are using liquid vanilla extract add this with the egg at the end.) 
3. Now add the butter and mix well until you have a breadcrumb consistency.
4. Beat the egg separately then add to the flour mixture. At this point I often use my hands, to work the dough until it forms a smooth, uniform ball. Cover with plastic warp and place in the fridge for 20 mins to half an hour.

PLUMS & TART MAKING

• 14 slightly firm damson plums (approx. 430g)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damson
• 6 teaspoons of finely ground almonds
• for decoration:
• 1 tablespoon chopped pistachio nuts
• 1 tablespoon white sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F)
2. REMOVE the cinnamon pastry from the fridge, so it will be easier to roll. Wash the plums & cut each one in half and then half again and set aside.
3. Roll out the pastry dough till approx. 2-3mm thick and line each tart tin –  I normally make either 8 tratlets or 1 large tart. Using a fork prick the bottom of each tart and then placing them on a cookie sheet pre-bake for 6 minutes.
4. Remove the tartlets from the oven and dust the bottom of each with 1 teaspoon of ground almonds.
5.  Arrange the plums in each tart so that they are sitting next to each other on their sides and then sprinkle with a few chopped pistachio nuts.
6. Bake for 40 minutes and immediately sprinkle with a little white sugar when removed from the oven.

NOTE: I use slightly firm plums as the overly ripe variety produce more juice and can leave you with a runny tart. The ground almonds will help to absorb some of the plum juice and avoid a soggy pastry.