The best presents …

… are those that are unexpected. 

Have a look at what I received this week :

I'm not sure where to begin with my veggie box.

The blackberries I think – it just so happens I have a surplus of Pink Lady apples – it has to be a crumble. You can use whatever type of apple you wish – cooking or eating.

Crumble has to be in the top ten of puddings, close to all our hearts. I agree with Raymond Blanc - cook the crumble topping separately. It avoids the sogginess in between the fruit and the topping.

Here's the recipe :

Serves 4

Crumble topping

120g plain flour

60g caster sugar

60g unsalted butter at room temperature,

cut into pieces

Fruit base

300g Braeburn apples – I used Pink Lady

30g unsalted butter

30g demerara sugar

115g blackberries

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Pre-heat your oven 170fan/190c/Gas 5.

The topping

Tip the flour and the sugar into a large bowl. Add the butter then rub into the flour using your fingertips to form breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly coloured.

The fruit base

Peel, core and quarter the apples and cut each quarter into eight pieces. Put the butter and sugar in a medium sized saucepan and melt together on a medium heat. Cook for 3 minutes until the mixture turns to a light caramel. Add the blackberries and cinnamon, cook for a further 3 minutes. Cover, remove from the heat and leave for 2/3 minutes to continue cooking in the warmth of the pan.

When you're ready, place the fruit into a greased overproof dish, top with the crumble mix and reheat in the oven for a further 5/10 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Pics up next and a tip or two!

Pandowdy Pics!

By the way, for those who aren't sure about a pastry cutter, here's what it looks like :

It's the black treacle that does it for me – yum – not too sweet.

You can use cooking or eating apples in the recipe - the upside in using eating apples is that they hold their shape better.

Pandowdy

If you're a lover of deep dish apple pie, you'll like this.

Here we go :

Pre-heat the oven 170fan/190c/Gas 5.

Grease an ovenproof glass dish and set aside. I used a circular 3 litre dish – 27x23 cms, which serves 4.

The apples and the sauce

Combine the flour, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the water, vinegar and black treacle and whisk. Continue whisking bringing the mixture to a boil until it thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Tip your apples into the sauce and then into the greased dish. Sprinkle over the cinnamon and nutmeg and dot with the butter.

The topping

You'll need a medium size mixing bowl. Sift the flour, add the baking powder and the salt. Drop in the cold butter and “cut” the mixture. You can use a pastry cutter or two round bladed knives until the mixture is rubbed in. Add the milk – the mixture should be lumpy.

Using a small spoon drop the batter over the apples. It should be random and won't cover completely. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and then break through the topping with a fork, pressing it down into the apples. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Serve warm – with whatever you fancy – vanilla ice cream, pouring cream, clotted cream or even custard or your favourite combination of all four!

Pandowdy pics up next!

My Mate …

who is English, lives in the USA – he's over here to see family and friends and has popped in a couple of times with an American friend, also visiting. Can it be that this friendship has lasted over 30 years?!

We've always hopped backwards and forwards and he has become my oldest student and a good one too!

If you feel inclined check out the USA label on the blog you'll see a series of posts “On location in South Carolina” - actions speak louder than words.

Coincidentally whilst he's been here I came across an American dessert which caught my eye - probably because of the name – Pandowdy!

We have a similar pudding in the UK – a cobbler – here it's usually made with a scone mix as opposed to the batter used in the US version.

Pandowdy

The apples

150g soft light brown sugar

25g plain flour

¼ tsp salt

250ml water

2 tsp cider vinegar

60ml black treacle

675g apples – I used Pink Lady, peeled, quartered

and cored – each quarter cut into eight pieces

½ tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of ground nutmeg

60g unsalted butter

The topping

100g plain flour

2 tsps baking powder

¾ tsp salt

45g cold unsalted butter

180ml milk

There must be something in the air!

Happy Birthday Rose!

I couldn't let the Anglesey holiday go without mentioning that, as usual, our dog Rose came too – she's a real beach baby and loves the sea too.

Whilst we were on holiday she had her fourth birthday and so we took her to her favourite spot as a birthday treat.

Here are her holiday snaps cum postcard of the day :

I just love this place!

Whee!

This is the best way to cool off!

I know this is not at all food related – I just thought it would make you smile.

A change from bread

A change is as good as a rest as they say. On that note, especially in light of the hot weather of late – try Little Gem lettuce leaves filled with your favourite bits and pieces - they always remind me of little boats – just the right size to fill and two delicious mouthfuls – okay, one if you're really hungry!

Serve a heaped plateful of “boats” and shred the poached chicken breast.

Make a dipping sauce :

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine)

you can use dry sherry

as a garnish

crushed, salted peanuts

Kecap Manis for drizzling (sweet soy sauce)

Use any fresh salad ingredient that takes your fancy - raid the fridge!

Stir fry stuff if you are in the mood - for example you could continue with the Asian theme and use bok choy – Chinese cabbage, water chestnuts and bean sprouts - the list is endless – there are no rules!

It's a San Choy Bow but not as you know it.

I've just given myself a great idea for a mid week supper – minimum effort, maximum taste.

Dare I say it … healthy too!

Remember I said …

… I'm not sure this is the end of my supper menu – I was right, it wasn't. I prepared my usual favourite sides – a slaw with sultanas and apples and baby beetroots in balsamic vinegar.

My final dish is another variation on one of my favourite themes – the whole slow cooked chicken. Place two or three whole star anise** in the cavity of the chicken. Spread the chicken with the garlic and stock paste but omit the oregano.

The result is a moist, tender chicken with an aromatic, garlicky flavour. I sliced the breast and served just as it was. It was delicious and gets a big tick. As is my usual habit I strained the stock and it's in the freezer along with the rest of the chicken for another day.

If you'd like a good idea for “another day” why not smoke chicken breasts in your aromatic stock, and no you don't have to have your own smokery. Poach them in the stock - 500ml. Bring the stock to the boil and submerge 4 medium chicken breasts and simmer for 10minutes, covered – turn the breasts over a couple of times. Turn off the pan and leave the breasts to continue cooking in the stock. Fridge when cooled.

**Star anise is a spice native to China and Vietnam. It has many culinary uses - as an ingredient in Chinese 5 spice powder - in Indian cuisine it's ground to a powder as part of garam masala and in Vietnam used in their famous soup dish Pho. It's a perfect marriage for slow cooked dishes. It's used in sweet dishes too drizzled as a syrup over fruit, and even steeped in coffee to enhance flavour.

One of my favourites but I suppose you have to like aniseed!