Apple and Cinnamon Loaf

Apple and cinnamon loaf

Kindly Supplied by Clair Coyne
 

Ingredients

125g sugar plus 1tsp for sprinkling

250g self-raising flour, sifted                    

50g butter, diced

 3 or 4 apples peeled, cored and chopped

1 large egg, beaten

100ml milk

Sprinkling of cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Add walnuts for extra texture or more cinnamon to give it a stronger taste.

Method

1.    Preheat your oven to 175C. Place the sugar and sifted flour into a large bowl along with the butter, apples a sprinkling of cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

2.   Then mix the egg and milk and pour into the bowl then combine.

3.    Grease a cake tin and pour in the mixture (which should be fairly wet).

4.   Bake for 35 mins before removing from the oven and sprinkling over the sugar and cinnamon then return to the oven for 10 mins more.

From BBC Good Food website.

Pear Chutney

Pear Chutney

Supplied by Belinda Allen

This is one of my family’s favourite chutneys at this time of year. You can use windfall or unripe pears and it makes a mild, nicely rounded chutney. If you want a really good, spicy-sweet balance and mellow flavour, leave to mature for three months.

Makes approx 1.35kg (3lb) or 4 medium jars

Takes 2½ to 2¾ hours

Keeps 12 months

Ingredients750g (1lb 10oz) pears, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm (¾ in) cubes
350g (12oz) onions, chopped
350g (12oz) green or red tomatoes, sliced
125g (4½ oz) raisins, chopped
3 peppercorns, crushed
350g (12oz) Demerara sugar
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt
450ml (15 fl oz) cider vinegar

Method1. Put all the ingredients into a preserving pan or a large heavy-based, stainless steel pan. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

2. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered for about 2 hours or until the mixture thickens and takes on a dark caramel colour, and a wooden spoon drawn across the base of the pan leaves a clear trail. Stir frequently towards the end of the cooking time so the chutney doesn’t burn.

3. Ladle into warm sterilized jars with non-metallic or vinegar-proof lids, making sure there are no air gaps. Cover with waxed paper discs, seal, label and store in a cool, dark place. Allow the flavours to mature for at least 1 month, and refrigerate after opening.

Taken from The Preserving Book by Lynda Brown

Recipe of the week - 12 November 2012 - Roasted honey apples

• 4 medium Bramley apples , each weighing about 200g/8oz
• 4 tbsp clear honey
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 250g blackberries

This guilt-free pudding tastes wonderful served with low-fat fromage frais, mixed with a little honey

Recipe uploaded by

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C. Core the apples so you have a hole the size of a pound coin in each one. Make a cut just into the skin around the middle of each apple.
2. Stand the apples in a shallow baking dish large enough to take all four. Mix together the honey, cinnamon and orange zest, put an equal amount into the cavity of each apple, then pour the orange juice into the dish.
3. Roast the apples for about 40 minutes, spooning the juices over them occasionally. Then, when the apples are almost ready, spoon the blackberries around and over the top of each apple. Return to the oven for 10 minutes or until the juices start to run. Spoon the blackberries and juices over the apples to serve.

Recipe of the Week - 5 November 2012 - Toffee Apple Cookies

• 
  
• 175g unsalted butter at room temperature 
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 50g ground almonds
• 85g chewy toffees , roughly chopped
• 85g/3oz ready-to-eat driedapple chunks, roughly chopped
• 225g self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp milk

1. Preheat the oven to fan 170C/conventional 190C/gas 5. Using an electric whisk, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
2. Stir in the egg yolks, ground almonds, toffees, dried apple and flour. Mix well together then roll into walnut-sized balls.
3. Place well apart on two non-stick or lined baking sheets and flatten slightly with your hand. Brush with milk and bake for 8-12 minutes until golden. Leave to firm up for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Recipe of the week - 29 October 2012 - Roasted cheesy butternut squash

• 
  

• 1 small butternut squash, halved, seeds removed
• olive oil
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated, plus extra to serve
• a small handful sage leaves, chopped
• 4 tbsp mascarpone

Difficulty and servingSpoon a little oil into each half of butternut squash and add the sage.

1. Roast at 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 for 40-50 minutes or until tender and toasted around the edges.
2. Spoon the mascarpone into the hollows and stir, season and scatter with Parmesan.

Tip

Roasting butternut squash concentrates the flavour and gives a denser, less watery texture
.

Recipe of the Week - 23 October 12 - Pumpkin Risotto

• 1kg butternut squash , peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• bunch sage , leaves picked, half roughly chopped, half left whole
• 1½ l vegetable stock
• 50g butter
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 300g risotto rice (we used arborio)
• 1 small glass white wine
• 50g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, finely grated

Difficulty and servingsRecipe uploaded by

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Chop up the pumpkin or squash into 1.5cm cubes (kids- ask for help if it's slippery). Put it on a baking tray, drizzle over some oil, then roast for 30 mins.
2. While the pumpkin is roasting, you can make the risotto. Put the garlic in a sandwich bag, then bash lightly with a rolling pin until it's crushed.
3. Cut up the spring onions with your scissors.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil with the butter in your pan over a medium heat - not too hot. Add the spring onions and garlic. Once the onions are soft but not getting brown, add the rice and cumin. Stir well to coat in the buttery mix for about 1 min.
5. Now add half a cup of the stock, and stir every now and then until it has all disappeared into the rice. Carry on adding and stirring in a large splash of stock at a time, until you have used up all the stock - this will take about 20 mins.
6. Check the rice is cooked. If it isn't, add a splash more stock, and carry on cooking for a bit. Once the rice is soft enough to eat, gently stir in the grated cheese, chopped coriander and roasted pumpkin.

Recipe of the Week - Member - Nick Elcombe

CHEESE  AND BACON TARTE

 

INGREDIENTS

 

Serves 16

 

2 sheets ready made puff pastry

1 lb streaky bacon rind removed cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1 lb onions diced small

12 eggs

1 pint double cream

1 pint milk

1 lb grated cheese I use cheddar or Lancashire

1 tablespoon olive oil and same of butter

 

Line a tin  with the puff pastry sheets. I use the large Aga  roasting to which is 14" x !0 " x 2 1/2 ". The sheets should just overlap use a pastry brush with water to fix 2 sheets together. The sheets should just cover the rim of the tin. Place somewhere cool while the filling is prepared.

 

Heat the oil in a frying pan cook the bacon for about 7/8 minutes  remove. Place on 1 side

 

Using the bacon fat add butter cook onion until soft and just starting to take colour

 

Place bacon and onion over base of pastry add about 1/3 of the cheese. Mix eggs cream and milk in a bowl pour gently over bacon and cheese, strew with the remaining cheese.

 

Place on floor of Roasting Oven in Aga for about 35 minutes turning round after 15 to 20 minutes.

 

There should be that very important wobble remaining in the centre of the Tart when removed from the oven.

Allow to cool.

 

If 8 are to be served use the small Aga roasting tin and halve the ingredients and cook for about 25 minutes.

 

It is great sliced into squares at lunch with a salad

 

 

Recipe of the Week - Jubilee Week

from members; Mo and Charlie

Greek Orange and Honey Syrup Cake with Yoghurt and Pistachios

The sharp acidity of the orange in this cake combines beautifully with the sweetness of the Greek mountain honey. Because the cake is soaked in syrup, you can make it well ahead and just whip it out when you’re ready to serve.

  Serves 12

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 small oranges (weighing about 9 oz/250 g)

4½ oz (125 g) ground almonds

6 oz (175 g) well-softened butter, plus a little extra for greasing

6 oz (175 g) golden caster sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

9 oz (250 g) semolina

4½ level teaspoons baking powder

For the syrup:

8 fl oz (225 ml) Greek mountain honey

5 tablespoons orange juice

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

1½ inch (4 cm) cinnamon stick

For the topping:

7 oz (200 g) Greek yoghurt

1½ oz (40 g) unsalted, shelled pistachio nuts

2 tablespoons Greek mountain honey

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).

You will also need a 10 inch (25.5 cm) springform cake tin, lightly greased and the base lined with greased silicone paper (baking parchment).

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Three.

Method

First, cut the oranges into chunks, removing the pips. Then tip the whole lot – flesh, pith and zest – into a food processor and whiz it to a thick purée. Now all you do is simply put all the other cake ingredients into a large bowl and, provided the butter is really soft, just go in with an electric hand whisk and whisk everything together until you have a smooth, well-combined mixture. After that, fold in the orange purée, spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of the spoon.

Now place the cake on the centre shelf of the oven and bake it for an initial 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C) and bake for a further 40-45 minutes, or until it is golden brown, springy in the centre and has shrunk slightly from the sides of the tin.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. To do this, simply combine the honey and 5 tablespoons water with the cinnamon stick in a small saucepan, place it over a gentle heat, bring it up to simmering point and let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes. After that, take the pan off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the orange and lemon juices.

a Delia Smith special

Leave the cake aside to cool for 5 minutes, then remove it from the tin to a wire rack to cool, with a large plate underneath. Make a few holes all over it with a skewer before pouring the syrup over it. (It will look like there is far too much, but don’t worry, the cake will absorb more than you think, and any that is not absorbed can be poured from the plate back over the cake.) Then, when the cake is absolutely cold, place it on a serving plate, cover it and leave it in a cool place overnight.

Just before serving, spread the top of the cake with the Greek yoghurt, sprinkle over the pistachios, drizzle with the honey and serve cut into chunky slices.

Note: This cake can also be made to serve 8-10, in an 8 inch (20 cm) tin, using 1 orange, 3 oz (75 g) ground almonds, 4 oz (110 g) each softened butter and sugar, 2 large eggs, 6 oz (175 g) semolina and 3 level teaspoons baking powder. For the syrup, use 5 fl oz (150 ml) honey, 3 tablespoons each water and orange juice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 inch (2.5 cm) cinnamon stick. For the topping, use 7 oz (200g) Greek yoghurt, 1 oz (25 g) pistachios and 1½ tablespoons honey. Bake the cake for 10 minutes at the higher temperature and 25-30 minutes at the lower temperature.