Apple flower tarts

Brrrr we're in the middle of an early winter weather hit in Autumn and I'm loving it.  Perfect weather to have the oven on and snuggle in and cook.

I fell in love when I first saw these adorable apple tarts.  

Even better was a cook with me challenge hosted by the lovely Lorraine for me to join in and make them.  If you do feel the urge to join you in have a few days to get your skates on, all the details are on the post link above.  They actually are quite easy, although you need to take your time when rolling them as they are slippery suckers.  If I'm honest, next time I would use a red apple and maybe coat them in the jam as well perhaps.  Either way, they are so pretty and perfect for impressing any wonderful Mum this mothers day - they are a present to myself!! :)

I won't go into the hows and wherefores, just follow to see Lorraines recipe and fab video tutorial - you really can't go wrong.  Here's my attempt:

We luckily have a granny smith tree housed in the chicken run.  

It's not been the best year for them but I'm hoping my ladies will clean up the coddling moth and next year's crop will be stella.

I used quince jam given to me from a friend as the 'glue'

Happy, happy mothers day to all the mums out there - it's the hardest job in the world if you care about doing it well - so take a bow and an offering of one of my tightest squeezy hugs.

Ciao, Jan x

In my kitchen ~ April 2015

It's that time again, time for In my kitchen where I hook up with 

Celia from Fig Jam and Lime cordial along with hundreds of other food obsessed bloggers from around the world.  If you love to see what's in other peoples kitchens, pop over to Celia's blog and get stalking!

Lots of things have been happening in my kitchen this month.  April would have to be my favourite month of the year - crisp mornings, sunny days with some rain and cold nights and lots of produce coming in to be made into treasures.  So here we go.....

Our girls have been laying the most beautiful eggs, well 2 are and 2 aren't as far as we can tell.  It's like Easter everyday at our place!!

I must admit, I was a little shy at eating our eggs for about....5 minutes, but then I poached them and I have never had such perfectly poached eggs, I almost cried!  

We have been letting the girls out to free range most afternoons and you can see here our cat Coco keeping an eye on them....not long after this photo was taken the cat was attacked by the chooks!!  Phew, I was a bit scared Coco might attack them but no, she knows where she is on the pecking order now.  I have to keep a good eye on these girls as they could whip through a pot of rocket in seconds flat!!  We love sitting and watching them, funny little entertainers they are.

I've been pickling beetroots but I used a new method to preserve them this year.  Mr. GW and I are always trying to shorten our preserving ways if we can without ruining the end product and this way worked a treat.  I peeled and quartered the beetroots, put them into the jars raw and made up the pickle liquid and poured it over them, adding some mint and peppercorns.  

I then placed the jars - I used Hoyts pickled chilli jars that are 430g size - them into a big pot of cold water and let it come up to the boil.  Simmer for 15 minutes and then drain off water and let them cool.  So much less mucking around and they are beautifully tender.

I keep 2 big pots of basil along the back porch and they thrive there, protected by the wind and in sun for most of the day.  Sadly they are coming to an end so I've been try to preserve them in different ways.  Blitzing them with some nuts, in this case macadamia & walnuts, with extra virgin olive oil to make a mock pesto lasts for ages as long as you keep the pesto covered in oil in the jar you put it into.  

Lots of Parsley and basil garlic butter for the freezer for later.  These parsley stalks will be frozen to make stock another day.  I love adding a slice to fry prawns, to scramble eggs, on top of a steak, or to make a potato heavenly...the options are endless really.

Now the nights are colder, it's perfect red wine weather :)

I've been reading this Ottolenghi cook book over my breakfast.  I just love his use of fresh ingredients - very inspiring.

I was sent these darling little earrings from a friend - they are little tomatoes - aren't they just sweet!

We've been playing uno in our kitchen and let me tell you that Miss 8 yr old is a very cunning player!!

I've been making these baked cauliflower flowerettes (recipe here) and used some of the hundreds of zucchini that are still coming in - I also added chilli to this recipe.

And lastly in my kitchen, we have made a batch of apple cider to use up our poor apples that have been attacked by codling moth this year....never fear though, the chickens should have them cleaned up for next years blooms.

This bad brew takes around 45 days.  It's just apple juice, sugar and some brewers yeast we got for a few $$'s off the internet.....can hardly wait to see how it turns out.

What's been happening in your kitchen? If you want to leave me a comment I'll pop over and check out what you have been up to this month.

Ciao, Jan x

spiced up apple and walnut slice cake

I'm developing a sweet tooth with all this baking I'm now craving on a daily basis.  Its the ritual of the measuring, cracking and experimenting that has me wanting more.  I love that you can plop together plain old ingredients and end up with a multitude of baked goods within an hours notice.  I smile everytime I open the oven to see what has transpired.  I'm bending the rules with recipes but keeping to basic principles so as to not have too many failures.  The only thing that has been binned was some baked rice pudding that was forgotten due to too much talking to visitors.  It was a shame as I'd lovingly added fresh vanilla bean and the smells from the oven were heavenly, but once unveiled I rather red faced put the train wreck in the bin.  I really must do it again, otherwise it will become my baking nemesis, bloody rice of all things!!

I've gone a bit apple crazy this past week haven't I.  I had kindly been given a big load of organic apples from Dominique at Port Fairy Organics that were past their best for my fussy apple eater but perfect for this dish.  I came up with this recipe as I was tired of dear old apple crumble.  I also had a small amount of fruit mince left over from these babies here which was too good to throw out.  I've used some muscovado sugar too to add a depth of flavour and as it is unrefined, albeit a healthier version of white sugar.

Spiced Apple and Walnut Slice

2 cups SR flour

1/2 cup of caster sugar

1/2 cup of muscovado sugar

5 small apples, peeled, cored and finely sliced

3 tbspns of fruit mince* 

1 good handful of roughly chopped walnuts

110g melted butter, plus 10 gm for dotting on top

2 eggs, beaten

2 tspns cinnamon sugar (1 tspn cinnamon/1 tspn caster sugar)

a good grating of fresh nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 180c.  Line a slice tin or a pie dish with baking paper.  I used a pie dish.
2. Sift flour and sugars (muscovato can be quiet lumpy so worth the extra effort of sifting) in to a large bowl.
3. Heat the fruit mince ever so slightly in the microwave if its stiff from the fridge, or leave out on the bench for a few hours, I'm never that organised.  Toss through the apples and coat.
4. Add apple mixture to the flour/sugar mixture.  Add melted butter and beaten eggs and mix well until you form a type of dough.  The main thing you are after here is that all the flour is incorporated and coated with the butter and egg.
5. Press mixture into your dish of choice.  Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar and dot with the 10 gms of butter.  Grate over a good amount of fresh nutmeg.
6. Bake at 180c approx 45 minutes, but check after 30 minutes.
7. Allow to cool in the dish on a wire rack.

We had this as a type of pudding while still warm from the oven with greek yoghurt.  Once this has completely cooled, it could be used as a cake served cold even with a light plain mixture of icing sugar and water made into a thin icing would be gorgeous.  It also needs to be said, please do yourself a favour and go out and buy yourself some fresh nutmeg, its under $2 for 5 or 6 whole nutmegs and the little darling graters can be brought as cheap as chips from the supermarket or your homewares shop.

*if you haven't any fruit mince, you can by all means use a mixture of 1 tspn each of sultanas, raisins, currants, orange or lemon peel, dried cranberries (omit any you don't have and make up with what you do have, could be all sultanas for that matter) mixed with a pinch each of ground ginger, cinnamon, ground coriander, a grate of fresh nutmeg and a tspn of muscovato sugar and a small amount of fruit juice, such as apple or orange just to moisten the mixture.  Leave to stand overnight to allow the fruit to soften and flavours to infuse.  Alternatively you can leave out all together, just add some of your favourite jam, around 3 tablespoons and toss the apples in this.

Oh how I love these types of puddings.....do you have a favourite pudding you make?  My bum will have a nice pudding wobble soon if I don't stop....but who's looking anyway!

Ciao, Jan

Gluten free apple, raspberry & dark chocolate muffins

My mum, bless her, is wanting to eat gluten free as she thinks it will be less fattening.  Who am I to argue?  She asked me to make some muffins for her freezer that she could carefully portion out guilt free.  

Gluten free apple, raspberry & dark chocolate muffins

2 apples, cored but not peeled

1 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries

1-2 tablespoon of honey, manuka if you have it

3 -4 free-range eggs depending on size, beaten

180g melted butter, you could use evoo or the like

50g 70% cocoa dark chocolate, roughly chopped

1/2 muscovado  sugar

1 tbspn chia seeds

1 cup gluten free S.R.flour

1/2 cup amaranth flakes

1. Preheat oven to 180c.
2. Sift flour into a large bowl and then add the amaranth flakes, dark chocolate, raspberries and sugar.
3. In a food processor, blitz the apples and honey until finely pulped.  
4. Add all remaining ingredients to the flour mix and gently fold until all incorporated.  Don't over beat though.
5. Using an icecream scoop, plop into patty pans.  This quantity made 12 muffins
6. Bake for roughly 40 minutes, they will be golden and the chocolate gooey.

Well, I have to say it.  I'm sorry Mum but gluten free doesn't mean fat free, but these babies are packed full of healthy antioxidants and low GI ingredients hopefully she will stop at one, but if not, at least the damage won't be that great.

Do you make 'healthy' cakes to help justify their daily consumption?  Are you on a diet or do you eat what you like and not gain weight?  I believe everything in moderation and made with the best ingredients I can afford is the way to go, thats my story and I'm sticking with it!

Ciao, Jan

Scrummy Apple Pancakes

Who doesn't love pancakes? As a child, my nan would make these for all us grandkids as it was a cheap and simple way to feed us all.  She always had an array of toppings for us to choose from -lemon & sugar(my personal fav), jam, chutney and cheese, vegiemite (how could we...), honey and peanut butter.  

I make them all the time, they are cheap and easy to make, especially on the weekend when we have more time to enjoy the ritual.  I always make extra for the next days lunchbox treat as well.  I had never thought of adding sneaky fruit to the batter until I read this recipe for apple and cinnamon pancakes here.  I've changed this recipe slightly, so here is my adaptaion where I used agave syrup and soy milk but I've added the options of normal sugar and full cream milk.  It is always best to make this batter the night before, it allows the starch in the flour to swell and gives the batter a thicker more viscous consistency.  You can of course prepare the batter and make pancakes the same morning, but they won't be as good, trust me.

Apple Pancakes
1 cup s.r flour
2 tspn of agave syrup or 1 tbspn sugar
1 cup soy milk or full cream milk
1 large egg, beaten
dash of vanilla
1 grated apple, I used royal gala

Sift flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.  Crack in the egg, vanilla and sugar then gradually add in the milk.  You are after the consistency of thick runny cream.  Leave in fridge overnight.  Next morning, give the batter a stir and add a few tablespoons of milk if it is too thick.  Add grated apple.  

I use a non stick fry pan with cooking spray to keep them low fat but you can use butter in the pan.  Spoon mixture into pan to whatever size you like, we like small ones, and when bubbles start to appear in the uncooked side, its time to flip.  I had these with greek yoghurt and Lana's garden Rhubarb coulis which was a dreamy combination.

Ciao, Jan

A fabulous dinner with a Gluten free Vegan

I have a dear friend who is on a strict diet due to health reasons.  I was so excited to receive a text off her during the week to say she would be in town over the weekend.  We settled on dinner at our place and I took on the challenge with excitement to create a memorable, tasty dinner for her.  So the challenge ~ gluten free and vegan.......(can you hear crickets....)  We can together not draw breath for hours talking about food and new recipes we have tried and meals we have had, so to just give her a slab of tofu on a bed of lettuce topped with nuts wasn't going to cut it. I got to thinking....and here is what I came up with for the big event using nearly all of produce from the garden.

Entree 

herb pesto dip with kale chips (so good!!) & croudites platter

olives from a friends tree

Main

Fresh broadbeans with mint, chilli, and lentil salad with a lemon juice & evoo dressing

Moroccan Cauliflower 'cous cous' with currants, almonds, coriander and mint salad with a cinnamon, coriander, tumeric and cumin dressing

Rocket with fresh garden peas, sprouts, avocado and seeds (flaxseed, chia seeds, pepitas and sunflower seeds) salad with lemon juice & evoo dressing

Roasted root vegetables (sweet potato, potato, parsnip,beetroot and carrot) with rosemary, sage and walnuts

Roasted lemony free range chicken for the carnivores

Dessert

Rhubarb, apple and blueberry nut crumble served with a dollop of coconut yoghurt

Rhubarb, apple and blueberry crumble
for the stewed fruit
2 apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced (I like them to be still slightly firm and not totaly moosh)
6 stalks of rhubarb, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 tblspns of dark agave syrup
1 cup of water or so
Place apples and rhubarb, syrup & water in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes or until the fruit is tender.  Drain off the excess water. Place in an oven proof dish along with the blueberries.  You can leave it covered in the fridge for a day or two at this stage.

for the crumble
I don't measure when I make this but I'll try and give you a guide.  You really can't go wrong.  Add whatever combinations your heart desires ~macadamias, sultanas, seeds but here is the version we had
1 cup of almond meal (if you don't have almond meal, just blitz up a cup of almond until they resemble fine crumbs)
1/2 amaranth flakes
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup of roughly chopped almonds
1/4 cup of roughly chopped walnuts
1 tbspn chia seeds
1 tbspn sunflower seeds
1 tspn vanilla extract
2 tbspns of dark agave or you can use brown sugar
3-4 tbspns evoo
Mix all together in a bowl and it should be a slightly moist mixture, the evoo and agave will have coated all the seeds and nuts well.  Arrange an even spread over the fruit and bake in a preheated 180c oven for approx 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  I served this with "Co Yo" a coconut milk 'yoghurt' dairy free alternative but its just as good with plain greek yoghurt or vanilla icecream.

Over the next week I'll be adding the recipes from the main course as they are super easy and flavour sensations.

Ciao, Jan

thrifty, easy muffins for the lunch box

This past Sunday was a gorgeous rainy winters day, perfect to warm up the house with the oven all ready to fill the freezer for the coming school week, or work week for that matter.

I love making these little muffins as they contain a lot of fruit, very little oil and sometimes some vegies and are a little treat for the lunchbox without too much guilt.  

I have people say to me all the time "but I don't have the time" or this gem "I hate cooking" well these are so simple and can be done in minutes, they almost make themselves. 

I like to use a base of grated or microplaned apples and mashed banana but you can also add carrot, zucchini, berries - fresh or frozen, dates, apricots, coconut, choc chips all in small handfuls from this base recipe but not all together!  Walnuts or almonds sprinkled on top are great too but school has a no nut policy, party poopers. Half a strawberry, or a couple of choc chips or a few frozed blueberries in the bottom of the patty pan before you put the mixture on adds a little surprise. 

Sometimes instead of hundreds and thousand sprinkles I will make a mixture of icing sugar and water, a touch of pink food colouring and drizzle this over once they are cool.

They are a great way to use up some cheap fruit or whatevers in your cupboard or freezer without forking out for expensive pre-packaged muffins or muesli bars.  I brought a 6 pkt of apples from aldi for a few $'s this week which will all become cooked treats.  I think this batch of a dozen cost less than $3 and will last over 2 weeks allowing one each weekday, pretty good I'd say, oh and one or two as tasters just out of the oven.  Freeze them to add to the lunchbox and they will be defrosted in time for morning tea, your kids will love you for them.

Apple and banana muffins

2 cups s.r. flour, sifted

1 tspn bicarb soda, sifted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup oats

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup milk 

2 eggs, whisked

a dash of vanilla essense

2-3 apples, grated with no need to peel

1 medium ripe banana, mashed

1 tspn cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 180c.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a jug mix together all wet ingredients and fruit. Add wet to dry. Don't over mix, doesn't matter if all the flour isn't perfectly incorporated.

Perfect for little fingers to squelch

Line a muffin tray with patty pans. Use an icecream scoop to place dough into patties. Top with sprinkles if using them. Bake for approx 25 minutes.

Do you have any little cakes or slices you bake for the freezer? Would love to hear if you do.  I'm always on the look out for new things to bake.

Ciao, Jan