Bramley Apple Bread

A sort of cross between a hearty wholegrain loaf and a cake. It’s absolutely brilliant warm with butter and honey for breakfast, or with a slab of cheese and a bowl of soup for lunch or tea.

10 mins (prep) | 30 mins (cooking)

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

• 150g plain flour
• 200g wholewheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 large Bramley apple, peeled and coarsley grated
• 50g butter, melted
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 egg, whisked
• 250ml apple juice
• A few handfuls of dried fruit 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
2. Brush a loaf tin with oil or butter. Coat with a dusting of flour – the old fashioned way to prevent it from sticking.
3. Combine dry ingredients. Fold in the grated apples. Top with the wet ingredients and nuts dried fruit.
4. Gently fold all the ingredients together, careful not to overmix.
5. Tip into the tin. 
6. Bake for 30 mins, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
7. Let it cool for 10-15 mins before serving or trying to remove from the pan.

Braised Red Cabbage with Apple

A little sugar and spice makes our red cabbage ever so nice. Swoony with Laverstoke sausages, mash and roasted onion gravy.

Prep: 15 mins / Cook: 1 1/2 hrs
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 medium red cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly shredded
• 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2-3 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• A bit of freshly grated ginger (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp sugar (demerara works nicely here)
• 3-4 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• A bit of fresh rosemary, to finish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3.
2. Mix everything bar the rosemary together. Put in an ovenproof casserole or large roasting dish. Huge cabbage or small pans? Halve the recipe or divide between two dishes to make a shallow layer – no higher than finger deep. Loosely cover with foil.
3. Bake for 60-90 mins. Check every 30 mins. Taste. Add some more balsamic and sugar if needed.
4. Cook till the cabbage is tender, juicy and sweet. Finish with a scattering of fresh rosemary, if you like.

Once cool, the cabbage can be kept in fridge and reheated. It can also be frozen.

Delicious Apple Tart Recipe

INGRADIENTS:

Crust:

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (35 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling:

One 8-ounce (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon

4 cups (500 ml) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch (.6 cm) slices (about 3-4 large apples)

1/3 cup (35 grams) sliced almonds


PROCEDURE:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.  Grease (or spray with Pam) a 9 inch (22 cm) springform pan.

Crust:
In the bowl of your food processor place the flour and sugar. Pulse to blend together. Add butter and pulse until dough just begins to come together. Pat the dough onto the bottom and one inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator while you make the filling.

Filling:
In a food processor process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and mix well. Blend in the egg and vanilla extract and process until smooth. Remove the crust from the fridge and pour in the filling. Return to refrigerator while you prepare the topping.

Topping:
Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Toss the sliced apples in the sugar mixture. Spoon the apples evenly over the cream cheese layer and sprinkle with almonds. Place the springform pan on a larger baking sheet to catch the drips.

Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown (apples are soft when pierced with a fork), and filling is almost set.   Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve at room temperature.  Leftovers can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated.

Makes 1 - 9 inch (22 cm) tart





source:http://www.joyofbaking.com/AppleTart.html

Cidered Pork with sage dumplings

I cooked this in celebration of Mabon, but it is so good you will not want to save it just for celebrations. I also made a batch of my ratatouille bread to mop up the appley sauce.

Ingredients

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 1/2 lb pork shoulder, cubed

1 thinly sliced leek

2 tbsp plain flour

1/2 pint dry cider

1/2 pint chicken stock

2 sliced carrots

1 cored and sliced cooking apple

2-3 stems of sage

salt and pepper

method

Preheat the slow cooker.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the pork. Transfer to your slow cooker.

Fry the leek untill softened.

Stir in the flour, then mix in the cider and the stock.

Add the carrot, apple, sage, and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, stirring.

Transfer to your slow cooker pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Make the dumplings

Put the flour, suet,herbs and a little salt and pepper into a bowl and mix together.

Slowly add enough water to make into a soft dough.

Roll into 12 balls with floured hands.

Arrange on top of the pork and continue cooking on low for 1 hour.

Slow Cooker Apple Bread Pudding

This cozy dessert is a snap to prepare — less than 10 minutes of prep time, and your slow cooker takes care of the rest!

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

• 8 slices raisin bread, cut into cubes (about 5 cups)
• 2 medium tart apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled and sliced
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 cup sugar
• 11/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) unsalted butter or margarine, melted
• 1/4 cup apple juice

Directions

1 Grease slow cooker lightly. In large bowl, combine bread cubes, apples and pecans. Mix well to blend and spoon into slow cooker.

2 In the same bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and blend well. Add eggs, half-and-half, butter and apple juice, mixing until thoroughly blended. Spoon over bread mixture.

3 Cook, covered, on low setting, for 3 to 4 hours, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and dry. Spoon into bowls and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Slow Cooker Apple and orange Bread Pudding

This cosy dessert is a snap to prepare — less than 10 minutes of prep time, and your slow cooker takes care of the rest!

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

• 8 slices white bread

• 2 medium tart apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled and sliced

• 1 cup sugar

• 11/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 4 large eggs, beaten

• 2 orange juice

• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) unsalted butter or margarine, melted

Directions

1 Grease slow cooker lightly. Butter bread and cut off crusts. Layer half in slow cooker. Sprinkle with a little of the sugar.

2 Layer apples on top and sprinkle with more sugar.

3 Cover with half remaining bread and butter, sprinkle with remaining sugar.

4 Place remaining bread and butter on top.

5 Mix eggs, cinnamon and orange juice and pour over bread and butter. Stand for half an hour so the bread soaks up the eggy mix.

6 Cook, covered, on low setting, for 3 to 4 hours, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean and dry. Spoon into bowls and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Beltane celebration cake

Accounts of the Beltane festivities mention a Beltane Cake. This spicy cake was prepared on the last day of April in readiness for the evening’s festivities.  The cake was broken up and distributed to the crowds.  

Here is my version adapted from a recipe I found online. 

Ingredients: 

12fl oz milk

3½oz oats

4oz butter

½ teaspoon salt

8oz sugar

2 eggs

2 eating apples, cored, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

7oz S.R. flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Method:
 In a saucepan, heat the milk with the oats, butter and salt. 
Cook until thickened then leave to stand until it reaches room temperature. 
Mix in the sugar, eggs and vanilla.
 Add the flour,  and spices and mix well.
 Grease a 9 inch x 13 inch baking tray and pour in ½ the mixture.
 Place a layer of apple slices.
 Pour over rest of cake mixture.
 Bake in the centre of the oven pre-heated to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4 for 30 mins.
 After cooling to room temperature the cake should be covered tightly until ready to serve.
 When ready to serve the top of the cake can be dusted with icing sugar then cut into squares.

 

I know that traditionally apples are used to celebrate Samhain, but as I am currently planting a small orchard of fruit trees using apples in my cake seemed appropriate. I am hoping for a good fruit harvest.