Clam Chowder and Christmas

I don't know why we had clam chowder for our tree trimming party in 1989 but we did and it started a tradition. Perhaps it isn't a tradition for the whole family since my daughters don't seem to like sea food as much as Cliff and I. It seems to me that that year we also started eating tourtière as one of our pre-Christmas treats. Below is our chowder recipe:

Ingredients

1/4 C butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 C flour
1 litre semi-skimmed milk
3 medium potatoes
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t thyme
2 5 oz cans of baby clams

1. Melt butter. Sauté onion till transparent and fragrant. Don't brown. Add flour and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.

2. Whisk in milk. Add parboiled potatoes and spices. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or till the potatoes are tender.

3. Add clams and juice. Reheat at serving time. Garnish with croutons, bacon pieces and chopped onions.

Pumpkin Muffins

Easy
Ready in 45 mins

Ingredients
Serves: 12
1 small sugar pumpkin, seeded
375g plain flour
400g caster sugar
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
160ml vegetable oil
3 eggs

Preparation method

Prep: 20 mins |Cook: 25 mins
1. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin cases.

2. Split pumpkin in half. Remove seeds and strings. Place on baking tray, cut side down. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven until tender, about 90 minutes. Scoop out pumpkin and puree in blender. Weigh out 500g of pumpkin puree; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, bicarb, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the 500g pumpkin puree, vegetable oil and eggs. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Scoop muffin mixture into prepared muffin cups.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

• 3 juicy lemons
• 50g butter
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• leaves from 4 rosemary sprigs
• 1 garlic clove , finely chopped
• 8 chicken pieces, such as thighs and drumsticks, with skin
• 750g potatoes , peeled and cut into smallish chunks (You could also serve with rice!)

Serves 4
Easily doubled

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 5 - 10 mins
Cook 1 hr

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan180C. Squeeze the juice from 2 lemons into a small pan and heat with the butter, honey, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper, until the butter melts and it smells fragrant.
2. Lay the chicken in a roasting tin - don't pile it up or it won't cook so well. Add the potatoes and drizzle with lemon butter to coat evenly. Cut the third lemon into 8 wedges and tuck them in. (Can be made up to 2 hours ahead up to this point.)
3. Roast for 50 minutes - 1 hour until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are crisp and golden. Serve with a green salad.

Fish Stew

Ingredients
Serves: 4
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
500ml fish or vegetable stock
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
225g frozen peas
175g frozen sweetcorn
600g skinless white fish fillet, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme leaves to garnish (optional)

Preparation method
Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 30 mins
1. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are light gold.
2. Add the pepper and sweet potatoes, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the sweet potatoes begin to soften. Stir in the stock, thyme and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are just tender. Stir in the peas and sweetcorn.
3. Place the fish on top of the vegetables, cover and cook gently for 8–10 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Season to taste with black pepper, then serve immediately sprinkled with fresh thyme leaves if you are using them.

Mint Sauce

Today I have decided to make a recipe from the Waitrose magazine, Minted Lamb in Filo Pastry. I wanted to make my own mint sauce, which is called for, since I have lots of mint in the garden. This one looks good!

Ingredients

bunch of mint
pinch salt
4 tbsp boiling water
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 level tbsp caster sugar

Preparation method

Strip off the mint leaves, sprinkle with salt and chop finely.
Place into a jug, add the sugar and pour over the boiling water, stir and leave to cool.
Stir in the vinegar and taste.
Add more water or vinegar and adjust seasoning to suit your taste.

Blackberry Jam

Cliff and I went blackberrying this evening and at first I thought I would make a pie but now I have decided to try jam and the following recipe from the Good Food magazine.

Ingredients

900g fruit (blackberries, plums, raspberries or strawberries), prepared weight
900g golden granulated sugar
knob of butter


Put the fruit into a preserving pan or large heavy-based saucepan. For blackberries, add 50ml of water and 1½ tbsp of lemon juice; for plums (halved and stoned), use 150ml of water; for strawberries, add 3 tbsp of lemon juice (no water); and for raspberries, add nothing. Bring to the boil.
Lower the heat. For blackberries, simmer for 15 minutes; for plums, simmer for 30-40 minutes; for raspberries, simmer for 2 minutes; for strawberries, simmer for 5 minutes. The fruit should be soft.
Tip in the sugar, stir over a very low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Raise the heat, bring to a full rolling boil, then rapidly boil blackberries for 10-12 minutes, plums for 10 minutes, raspberries for 5 minutes or strawberries for 20-25 minutes - don't stir though - until the setting point of 105C is reached.
Remove from the heat, skim off any excess scum, then stir a knob of butter across the surface (this helps to dissolve any remaining scum). Leave for about 15 mins so the fruit can settle. Pour into sterilised jars, label and seal.

Meatloaf from Delia Smith

Ingredients
1 lb (450 g) minced beef
1 lb (450 g) minced pork
2 medium onions, very finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 heaped tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 level dessertspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 large egg
3 oz (75 g) white bread, sliced and crusts removed, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes
3 tablespoons milk
1½ rounded teaspoons mustard powder
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 fl oz (110 ml) dry white wine
about 8 slices (6 oz/175 g) traditional smoked streaky bacon
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C).

Equipment
You will also need a 2 lb (900 g) loaf tin, 7½ x 4¾ x 3½ inches deep (19 x 12 x 9 cm deep), preferably non-stick.

This recipe first appeared in Sainsbury's Magazine.

Method

1.The best way to make a meatloaf is in a large food processor, if you've got one. In which case you can begin by chopping the onions, garlic, parsley and thyme all together until the onion is very finely chopped, then add the meats and break in the egg. 

2. Place the bread in a little bowl, spoon the milk over, then mix it with your hands or a fork until the bread has broken down to fine crumbs. 

3. Add these to the processor along with the mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, wine and a really good seasoning of salt and pepper. 

4. Now, switching on and off, or using the pulse button, mix the whole lot together until thoroughly blended. 

5. If you don't have a food processor, grate or mince the onion, chop the garlic finely then mix everything thoroughly in a large bowl. 

6. When the mixture is ready, pack it into the loaf tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon, then snip the rinds off the bacon and lay the slices all along the top of the meat, slightly overlapping, and press them down firmly.

7. Now place a piece of foil over the top and twist or pleat the corners. 

8. Stand the tin in a shallow baking tin, pour about 1½ inches (4 cm) boiling water into the tin straight from the kettle and place the whole thing on the middle shelf of the oven. 

9.Let it cook slowly for 2 hours. 

10. After that remove the foil and dig a skewer into the meatloaf; press it down to make sure that the juices are running clear. 

11. Now, if it's cooked, remove it from the oven then let it cool for about 30 minutes and after that, if you're serving it cold, replace the foil and place something heavy on top to weight it down. Leave it weighted like this until it's completely cold. This makes the meatloaf easier to slice. 

12. If you're serving the meatloaf hot, just allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the tin, covered with foil, then turn it out on to a board and serve cut in slices.

Dinner from the fridge and cupboards

I was going to cook the duck which I had taken from Nina's fridge when I emptied in.  However, I looked at the use by date and discovered that it had been in Nina's freezer since 2005 so I thought better of it.  However, I do have pork mince in the refrigerator and I have found this recipe from Nigel Slater that sounds interesting.  I have decided not to tell anyone about the ingredients until after they have eaten it.  Read ahead and you may understand why!

Pork meatballs with anchovies

Ingredients

• couple of good handfuls of pork mince (about 500g/17½oz)
• good handful fresh white breadcrumbs
• 1 lemon, zest only
• small handful freshly grated parmesan
• handful flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
• handful thyme, leaves only
• 8-10 canned anchovies, drained, chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• few good glugs of fruity olive oil
• enough hot chicken or vegetable stock to come halfway up the patties
• Swiss chard leaves, to serve

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
   
2. Mix together the pork mince and breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl with the lemon zest and parmesan. Add the herbs and the anchovies, season with a little salt then more generously with freshly ground black pepper.
   
3. Using your hands, mix together well and then form the mixture into 6-8 large patties.
   
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the patties until brown on both sides. Place in a shallow ovenproof dish and cover with enough stock to come halfway up the pork patties. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes. They will have crisp tops but be deliciously moist underneath.
   
5. Serve them in a shallow bowl with some steamed Swiss chard with some of the stock they were cooked in.
   

Blueberry Pie

Blueberry Pie Ingredients :
Crust:
* One double recipe for all butter pie crust dough

Filling ingredients:
* 6 cups of fresh (or frozen) blueberries, rinsed and stems removed (if using frozen, defrost and drain first)
* 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
* 1 Tbsp lemon juice
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (for thickening)
* 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 2 Tbsp butter (unsalted), cut into small pieces

Egg wash ingredients:

* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon milk
Blueberry Pie Recipe INSTRUCTIONS

1 Prepare the crust. Roll out half of the dough to 1/8-inch-thick circle on a lightly floured work surface, about 13 inches in diameter. Fit the dough over a 9-inch pie pan, and trim the edges to a 1/2 inch over the edge all around the pan. Put into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

2 Gently mix the blueberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Transfer them to the chilled bottom crust of the pie pan. Dot with butter pieces. Roll out remaining dough to the same size and thickness as the first. Place on top of the berry filling. Tuck the top dough over and under the edge of the bottom dough, and crimp the edges with your fingers. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator to chill until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 425°F.

3 Whisk egg and milk together to make an egg wash.

4 Remove the unbaked pie from refrigerator. Brush the top with egg wash. Score the pie on the top with 4 cuts (so steam can escape while cooking). Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven with a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking pan positioned on the lower rack to catch any filling that may bubble over. Bake for 20 minutes at 425°. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling and have thickened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before serving...and the blueberry pie recipe is ready ! Enjoy it !

Clean out the cupboards and fridge weekend!

This is the cook out the cupboards and fridge weekend. I am determined to only eat what we already have in hand and most especially anything that has lingered too long. At the moment Of writing I am defrosting some mystery berries, which may be blueberries and which came from my friend Nina's freezer when I cleared it out for her. I shall be making a pie with that. I also have duck breasts from the same clear out. I have no idea how to cook them but I will figure it out! First thing this morning I made bread and corn muffins, the recipe for which is below:

Ingredients

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, oil and milk; stir gently to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3.Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted
into a muffin comes out clean.

Quiche Lorraine

Though Quiche Lorraine doesn't see like a dish that would be economical, you could feed 6 people with this and a salad.  

Quiche Lorrraine (From the BBC website, The Good Cook programme)

For the pastry

• 60g/2oz butter, cut into small pieces
• 60g/2oz lard, cut into small pieces
• 200g/7oz self-raising flour
• pinch salt
• 2-3 tbsp ice-cold water

For the filling

• 8-10 thin rashers good quality smoked streaky bacon
• 4 free-range egg yolks
• 3 free-range eggs
• 400ml/14fl oz whipping cream
• salt and freshly ground white pepper
• freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation method

1. For the pastry, place the butter, lard, flour and salt into a food processor. Pulse the mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
   
2. Place the pastry into a mixing bowl and, using a round-bladed knife, stir in enough water to bind the mixture together. Lightly knead the dough until well amalgamated, dust with flour and slip into a plastic bag. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and warm a baking sheet.
   
4. Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible. Line a 20cm/8in wide by 4cm/1½in deep tart tin and lightly prick the base of the pastry with a fork all over. Place onto a baking tray, line with greased aluminium foil and baking beans and bake blind for 15-20 minutes.
5. Remove the baking beans and foil. Place the tart case back into the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until it is pale golden, crisp and cooked through.
6. Fry the bacon in a dry, non-stick frying pan for 1-2 minutes, or until crisp. Drain onto kitchen paper and spread out evenly over the base of the cooked tart case.
   
7. Whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs together in a bowl. Stir in the cream and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour the mixture into the pastry case and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until nicely puffed and the surface of the custard is pale golden and just set.
   
8. Eat warm, or at room temperature.
   

Muesli 3

And yet another!  Everything here but the kitchen sink!

Healthy Breakfast Muesli Recipe
This recipe is totally editable. If you don't like something then leave it out, and if you want more of something, simple add
more!

1 cup rolled oats
2 cups porridge oats
1 cup mixed nuts
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup linseeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup goji berries
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup wheatgerm
1/4 cup flaked almonds
1tbsp pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup barley or rye flakes
1 tbsp dessicated coconut
1 dsp cinnamon

and the secret ingredient: a big handful of Grapenuts! Delicious!

Mix this all together, put it in your sealed container, shake it, store it. Simple as that! You could also add in: a handful of
cornflakes, dried prunes, chopped hazelnuts, wheatbran, chopped dried apple.

Don't forget your awesome toppings, some yogurt, chopped fresh fruit or unsweetened tinned peaches.

Muesli 2

This recipe does not call for a toasting in the oven.  I think that I might add the dried fruit after a short toasting in the oven of the rest of the ingredients.  I will let you know how it turns out.

Ingredients

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup mixed nuts including macadamia if possible
• ½ cup sesame seeds
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup dried ready-to-eat apricots , chopped 

Method

1. Tip the oats into a large airtight container and add the nuts, seeds, raisins and cranberries. Stir in the apricots.
2. To serve, spoon a portion into a bowl, pour over the milk and top with chopped fresh fruit. 

Muesli Recipes

In the tradition of trying to find ways of saving money, I have been trying muesli recipes to compliment my collection of granola recipes.

This from the BBC website.  I made some changes because I was making it with my grand-son Noah in mind and I don't think that too much in the way of dried fruit.  I changed saltanas for raisins, left out the hazelnuts because I didn't have any and also omitted the other dry fruit.  I will probably leave out the apricots and figs when I make it for myself since there is too much sugar in the fruits for a diabetic.

Ingredients

• 200g/7oz jumbo porridge oats
• 25g/1oz flaked bran or wheat germ
• 75g/3oz barley or rye flakes
• 50g/2oz hazelnuts, lightly crushed
• 50g/2oz flaked almonds
• 50g/2oz sultanas
• 50g/2oz dried, ready-to-eat apricots, roughly chopped
• 50g/2oz dried, ready-to-eat figs, roughly chopped

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.
   
2. Place the oats, flaked bran or wheat germ, barley or rye flakes, hazelnuts and almonds on a large baking tray and toast in the oven for 10 minutes, shaking and turning in the tray halfway through. Take the tray from the oven and leave to cool: this should take only about 10 minutes.
   
3. Mix the toasted ingredients with the sultanas, apricots and figs. These fruits are only suggestions: you can use whatever you prefer, for example dried apple, mango, papaya, dates or cherries.
   
4. You can eat this muesli straight away with milk.
   
   c. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/basicmuesli_67724
   

Tabouli (Tabouleh)

6-8 servings

Ingredients

You should begin to soak the bulgar at least 3 hours before serving time so that it can marinate and chill.

1 C. (cup) of dry bulghar
1 1/2 C. boiling water
1 1/2 t (teaspoons) salt
1/4 C. fresh lemon juice
1 t of crushed garlic
1/2 C. chopped scallions
1/2 t dried mint
1/4 C. olive oil
Fresh black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 packed C. of freshly chopped parsley

Method

1. Combine bulghar, boiling water and salt in a bowl.  cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes, or until the bulghar is chewable.

2. Add lemon juice, garlic, oil and mint, and mix thoroughly.  Refrigerate 2-3 hours.

3. Just before serving add vegetables and mix gently.

4. Taste and correct seasonings.

Garlic sauce

Ingredients

4 fat cloves of garlic
1/8 t (teaspoon) salt
2 egg yolks
freshly ground pepper
1 t lemon juice
1 C (cup) olive oil

1. Crush garlic to a smooth paste with salt.

2.  Blend in egg yolks.

3. Add olive oil drop by drop at first, then thin trickle, whisking the mixture till your arm feels it.

4. Once thick add the rest and serve.

Hot or Cold Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

3-4 C (cups) of unpeeled tomatoes
1/4 C chopped onions
2 t (teaspoon) cornstarch
1 T (tablespoon) lemon juice
pinch of thyme
1 t salt
1 1/2 t sugar (optional)
pepper
1/2 C sour cream
chopped parsley

1. Drop all the ingredients (except the sour cream and parsley) in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. Put through a sieve to remove tomato seeds.

3. Bring to a slow boil until thickened.

4. Before serving add sour cream and stir.

5. Sprinkle parsley on top.

(Note:  We first had this soup in Syria where tomatoes were inexpensive and plentiful all year round.  My children didn't like sour cream so I left it out and the soup was still wonderful.  I've also skipped step 2 and no one really noticed.  This will definitely cut down on the time it takes to make the soup.  It's a tasty and quick light supper or lunch.)

Rhubarb Cake

Ingredients

125g (4¼oz) butter
300g (11oz) caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g (9oz) plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
250ml (8oz) buttermilk (if unavailable use plain yogurt and milk mixture)
250g (9oz) rhubarb, chopped
1 tablespoon plain flour
Topping:
50g (2oz) butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
225g (8oz) brown sugar

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.

2. In another bowl, sift together 250g flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add sifted ingredients alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture.

3. Toss rhubarb with 1 tablespoon flour and stir into batter. Spoon batter into buttered 23x33cm baking tin and smooth the surface.

4. Blend together 50g butter, cinnamon and brown sugar; sprinkle evenly over batter.

5. Bake at 180 degrees C (gas mark 4) for 45 minutes.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

A delicious sour cream coffee cake, baked in a tube pan.

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour, sift before measuring
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 ounces sour cream (1 cup)

 Topping

• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature

Preparation:

Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder. In another mixing bowl cream together butter with sugar until fluffy and light; add egg and vanilla and mix well. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing just until flour is blended. Blend in sour cream then stir in remaining dry ingredients.
Spread half of batter lightly into a greased and floured 10" tube pan. Sprinkle half of Topping and spread with remaining batter. Sprinkle with remaining Topping. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake Topping: Mix together flour, sugar, salt and chopped pecans. Add butter in small pieces. Work butter in with hands until mixture is crumbly.

Bread and what I've learned since Christmas

Just before Christmas I started baking bread daily for a church run restaurant in Egham.  I used the same recipe for each batch, and though I have used it in the past, I used fresh yeast for the first time in many years.  I also used a sponge to start off each batch.  I had never heard of the sponge method before reading a baking booklet from the Guardian.

This is some of what I learned.  Using a sponge improves the flavour of the bread.  The moister the dough, the better the bread.  You don't need sugar.  You don't need salt either but it does improve the flavour.  Make sure the salt doesn't come in direct contact with the yeast or it will kill it.  You should experiment!  Real bread rules!

Making bread using a sponge

Ingredients

5 to 10 g of fresh yeast (available from the bakeries at most supermarkets)
1 1/2 cups of warm water
1 1/2 cups of flour (whole wheat, white or rye)
1 t sugar

1. To make sure that your yeast is alive, disolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water with the teaspoon of sugar.  You will know that it is alright if after 10 to 15 minutes it is bubbling and making a sizzling noise.

2. Add the remaining water and all the flour, stir and cover with cling film.

3. Set aside in a warm area for 12 to 24 hours.

Part 2 in next post.

Tendresse aux pommes

Stale bread (equivalent of 2 baguettes)
1 litre milk
1 cup raisins
8 eggs, beaten
8 T (tablespoons) sugar
4 T rum
4 apples, peeled and sliced
butter for greasing

1. Take all the bread and put in a large bowl.  Pour over enough milk just to cover.
Add the raisins and mix with your hands.  Leave in the fridge overnight.

2. The following day, the milk should have been soaked up by the bread.  Mix together the eggs, sugar and rum and pour over the bread preparation.  Add the sliced apples.  Add more sugar, rum or fruit to taste.  The mixture should be moist, like a cake dough.

3. Grease a cooking dish with butter and heat the oven to 180C.  Pour the mixture into the dish and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Serve dusted with icing sugar.

(Times Magazine, January 22, 2011)

Apple Desserts

I have just read the most wonderful article in the Guardian Magazine this weekend on a bakery in Paris.  I can't wait to go one day.  (Sigh!)  It's called Du Pain et des Idées and is found at 34  Rue Yves Toudic. (http://www.dupainetdesidees.com)

The article included two recipes, one called 'Tendresse aux pommes', and the other, 'Tarte Fines aux pommes'.  The simplist first!

Tarte Fines aux pommes

1 package of puff pastry
Ground almonds
Apples
Butter
Sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C

1. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and unroll you puff pastry.
2. Sprinkle generously with ground almonds and scatter with sliced apples.
3. Add a few chunks of butter and 4 to 6 large spoons of sugar.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the apples start to look caramelsied.