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

HONEY CAKE, oh honey honey!

Happy New Year! My warm wishes for 2009 are a little late coming this year , as I caught a nasty flu bug my 1st week back to work & it wouldn’t let go. However I am now feeling much better and am back in the kitchen to prove it.

To get the ball rolling I decided to make my Aunt Elise’s New Years Honey Cake.  However on reading down the list of ingredients I hit a road block…. self raising flour…. why oh why…. well I can tell you why, my aunt is from England, as is her recipe and like most English baking recipes it lists this kind of flour. The only problem is, you CAN’T BUY IT in Switzerland.  But you can make it! So if you can’t move the mountain to Mohamed, move Mohamed to the mountain –  I like applying this philosophy to the kitchen!

Self-Rising flour is simply flour that contains baking powder and salt. Mystery solved. However I do not normally use this type of flour 1. because I cannot buy it locally  & 2. because I prefer to add my own baking powder and salt – it has a better raising effect. Plus if you store self raising flour for too long the baking powder loses some of its strength and your baked goods don’t rise as nicely.

Self raising flour basic recipe:

• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon  salt
• 1 cup (125 grams) of all-purpose flour

Mix the ingredients well together, and voila!

Recipe changes:

• I substituted normal all-purpose white flour, baking powder & salt for the self raising flour.
• I replaced half the golden syrup with honey, it is called a honey cake after all so I thought perhaps this key ingredient should be included.
• I also replaced the sunflour oil with butter as I thought it would give a richer taste.
• Elise’s recipe made a cake large enough for the Russian army, and as we are currently only 2 at home… I have scaled down the recipe to half it’s original grandeur.
• In the future I may also try adding a little less white sugar, though despite what initially appears to be a very sugary recipe, when taking into account the total quantity of golden syrup, honey & white sugar, the cake does not come out tasting overly sweet.

Here is the new version of the recipe with the changes mentioned above:

RECIPE – SWEET PEA Blog

• 112 gr (1/4 pound) honey
• 112 gr (1/4 pound) golden syrup (corn syrup)
• 115 gr (1/2 cup) butter
• 100 gr (1/2 cup) sugar
• 120 mL (1/2 cup) boiling water
• 225 gr (1/2 pound) all purpose white flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon mixed spice
• 2 small eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 160° convection heat.
2. Flour & butter a cake pan.
3. In a saucepan over medium/low heat, combine the honey, golden syrup, butter, sugar & boiling water.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & spices.
5. Add the melted sugar/butter mixture to the dry ingredients & stir well until evenly combined.
6. With a hand whisk beat in the 2 eggs. Your batter will be loose & liquidy.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until the tooth pick comes out clean when testing the cake

HONEY ALMOND COOKIES

Leafing through my cookbooks in preparation for Christmas baking, I realised that cookie making really falls into three main categories:

1. drop cookies
2. cut-out cookies
3. cylinder cookies

DROP COOKIES: are those that require just a finger and a spoon, to drop small quantities of dough onto cookies sheets. This is the no fuss no muss method, especially handy when baking with children.

CUT-OUT COOKIES: the pretty though time consuming cousin… involving the chilling & rolling out of dough, to make lovely shapes, that can be iced and decorated.

CYLINDER COOKIES:are made by rolling the dough into a cylindrical form & then slicing it into rounds. Often used to make shortbread cookies (sablés).

My recipe for honey almond cookies falls into the first category, for though I love making pretty cut-out cookies, and will soon be doing so for the holiday season, I often need a quick baking solution after work.

So where is the ‘click & sniff’ button when you really need it – there is a button for just about everything else now a days, and it would definately be worth while, as the scent of toasted almonds with caramelising honey, will leave you fainting from felicity.

RECIPE – SWEET PEA Blog

If the number of cookies eaten by one man in an hour was the benchmark for success, the I would say these cookies are at the top of the list. Olivier ate not 1 nor 2 but 10, and this is no joke …. every time he came back from the kitchen it was with another cookie. Thank goodness he has a fast metabolism otherwise, at this rate … I would have one chubby chipmunk on my hands.

COOKIE SHEET: best to use a flat sheet with only one side, to let the hot air best circulate around the cookies.

• 110 gr (1/2 cup) butter (room temperature)
• 100 gr (1/2 cup) white sugar
• 50 gr (1/4 cup) packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 170 gr (1  1/4cup) flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 120 grams (1 cup) slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons honey (I use a strong thyme honey)

First prepare the almonds:

1. Line a cooling rack with baking paper
2. In a large non-stick pan toast the almonds
3. When slightly golden add the honey
4. Mix well so all almonds are covered with honey and cook until golden brown
5. Spread the honey almonds onto the baking paper as evenly & far apart as possible. It may be difficult as they like to stick together.
6. Leave to cool, prepare the dough while waiting.
7. When completely cooled break the honey almonds into small pieces

Cookie dough preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C convection heat
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, salt & baking powder, set aside
3. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature. Cream butter, white & brown sugar together.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy
5. Now gradually add the flour mixture
6. Using a spatula, fold the broken honey almond pieces into the dough
7. Place heaping teaspoons of dough onto a lined cookie sheet* (leave space for spreading)
8. Cook for 6 minutes
9. Remove from oven and let sit on the cookie sheet for 1 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack – this avoids cookies breaking

NOTE:  makes approx. 2 douzen cookies

{PETITS SABLES AUX FLEURS DE LAVANDE ET MIEL} This past weekend I escaped from the city to the French countryside …. peace and quiet from all the tourists in town, cool breeze, listening to the cow bells, reading Marianne Paquin’s ‘Cueillez, c’est prêt!’ cookbook, and finding inspiration in a lavender bush!

For me lavender is the true ‘parfum de Provence’ (the perfume of Provence). However when it comes to cooking I think there should be a warning label: ’this flower is sweet BUT strong …. therefore do not run a muck, suppress your enthusiasm to add more, or your desert will taste like a bar of soap! A little goes a long way“

Sadly I did not have these words of wisdom when I first made ‘a lavender & apricot compote’…. wild horses could not have stopped me from adding an overly abundant amount of this innocent looking purple flower. The result was overwhelming and not in a good way.

Keeping this experience in mind as I read Marianne’s recipe for lavender cookies, I decided to make the recipe as follows: omitting the lavender essence as I simply didn’t have any and thought that the flowers alone would be enough. I replaced 25g of white sugar with orange blossom honey, and added a little extra flour to the dough - which instead of rolling out, I made into two long thin rolls which I chilled and then cut into circles. The result was a delicately subtle perfume of lavender, that tickles your sense as you nibble on these golden shortbreads.

RECIPE - SWEET PEA BLOG

• 250g plain flour
• 125g unsalted butter
• 100g white sugar
• 25g honey (I used orange blossom, but will try lavender honey next time)
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence)
• 1 egg
• 6 stalks of fresh lavender

1. Preheat the oven 180°C (350°F).
2. Take the butter out of the fridge, weight, then cut into small cubes and leave to come to room temperature.
3. Next remove the lavender flowers for the stalks (if you do not have access to fresh lavender use dried) and set aside in a small dish.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, white sugar and vanilla and mix until light and creamy.
5. Now using a wooden spoon gently add the lavender flowers and sifted flour. Using your fingers work the dough into what looks like little breadcrumbs.
6. Next add the room temperature butter, and again using your hands work the dough until it forms a nice smooth ball.
7. Divide the dough into two pieces, and roll each into a long thing roll (log) apporx. 4cm wide, cover in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. The timing here is essential as if you remove the dough too soon it will be difficult to cut.
8. Remove the dough from the fridge and place on a cutting-board. Cut the roll into 1cm thick cookies and place on a non-stick baking sheet. You may want to reshape the edge to make the circle more perfect. Little space is needed between each cookie as they do not rise nor expand.
9. Cook for 20 minutes and place on a cooling rack. These cookies will keep for up to two weeks in a metal cookie tin.