Infused Apple and Cinnamon Gin (V)

This is one of the presents for a close friend of mine. He loved it. Drink straight or with lemonade. Excellent gift idea for the gin loves. For infusing alcohol you will need a Kilner jar and a sterilised bottle to store the Gin. It's' super simple.

Equipment
1 x 750ml Bottle
1x Kilner Jar (Need a big one as you are putting pieces of apple in it)

Ingredients
750ml Gin (doesn't matter about the quality, choose which ever is on offer)
75g Caster Sugar
2 Braeburn Apples, cored, cut into wedges
1 Cinnamon Stick

1. Sterilise your kilner jar (You do this by cleaning your jars with warm soapy water and putting them in the oven at 200c/180c fan assisted for 5 minutes).

2. Put in the Sugar and Apples. Then pour in the gin. Put the lid on the jar and give a shake. Allow to infuse for about 3 weeks. Give a shake throughout the 3 weeks. Store in a cool and dry place.

3. After 3 weeks add the cinnamon stick and once again shake. Leave this for a week.

4. After the final week, take the infused gin and pour into a measuring jug with a sieve to get the bits out. Sterilise the bottle. Remove the cap and give a clean with warm soapy water and dry. Then put in the oven at 200c/180c for 5 minutes. Allow to cool. Then carefully pour in the liquid. Cap on. Label up. Gift or Drink Up!

Apple and Cherry Pie

Who wants a bit of my pie? Fruity, sweet and delicious and the pie is good too. A lovely end to any meal. Serve with ice cream and/or cream.

Makes 1 pie (serves roughly 6-8 people)

500g Shortcrust Pastry
Flour for dusting
3 Braeburn Apples, peeled and cut into thin, medium wedges
200g Morello Cherries (I used frozen, so defrost before)
100g Caster Sugar, extra for sprinkling
3 tbsp Cornflour
Lemon Juice
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg
2-3 tbsp Milk

1. Preheat oven to 180c/160c fan assisted oven.

2. Cut the pastry into two pieces. Roll one of the pieces so it covers a standard pyrex plate. Lay the rolled piece over the plate and cut the excess.

3. In a mixing bowl, mix the apples, cherries, caster sugar, lemon juice, cornflour and spices. Give it a good stir. Pour onto the pastry on the pyrex plate.

4.Roll out the other piece of pastry to cover the fruit. Trim the excess. Make a couple of slits in the top. Go around the edge with the a teaspoon to seal it.

5. Use a pastry brush and dip in the milk and brush the top on the top of the pie. Sprinkle with a bit of caster sugar.

6. Put the pie in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes. The crust should be a golden brown colour.

Apple and Rhubarb Crumble

A classic which goes well with custard. Any UK kid would have had this pudding at one point. Relive the experience or if you have tried crumble give it a go.

Serves 4-6

Fruit Filling

3-4 Cooking Apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges

4 Stalks of Rhubarb, sliced

1 tbsp Honey

1 tsp Cinnamon

50g Caster Sugar

Water to cover the base of the Pan

Crumble

140g Plain Flour

80g Butter, chilled, cubed

50g Light Brown Sugar

50g Oats

50g Flaked Almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan assisted. Stew the the fruit by putting a pan over a medium low heat. Put water in to just cover the base and the fruit. Stew for 10 minutes. Stir during this time so it doesn't burn. Add the honey, cinnamon and sugar and give a final stir.

2. Make the crumble by taking a mixing bowl and adding the butter and flour. Rub the butter between the thumbs and fingers. Its a messy business but its so much fun. It should start to resemble crumbs. Then stir in the rest of the crumble ingredients. 

3. Pour the fruit in an oven proof dish. Then cover with the crumble mixture. Put in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Enjoy with cream or custard. 

Apple and Plum Tarte Tatin

A quick and easy dessert that's full of flavour. Great way to end a dinner party.



Serves 6

100g Butter, cut into cubes
100g Golden Caster Sugar
6 Apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
6 Plums, de-stoned and halved
1 tsp Cinnamon
Ready Rolled Pastry






1. Preheat the oven to 220/200c fan assisted. There are two ways to do this. Slightly easier if you have a skillet but can be done in a frying pan too.  Put the pan on the hob over a medium heat and add the butter and sugar. Melt and combine the butter and sugar. Then add the fruit and cinnamon and cover with the butter mixture. They should be covered and cook for about 10 minutes (they should be softened).

2. Skillet: Roll the puff pastry over the pan and trim the excess pastry and leave about 2cm over the skillet. Then put in the oven for 25 minutes. Then allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Quickly flip onto a plate so the pastry doesn't tear.

Frying Pan: Tip the contents on a pyrex plate or circular shallow pyrex dish. Then cover with the puff pastry. Still leave 2cm over the edge. Cook for 25 minutes and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Quickly flip onto a plate.

3. Serve warm with a scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream.

The Dark Chocolate Knight

As described by one person 'crumbly and melts in your mouth' Also ideal snacking when you need to do some brooding in Gotham. 


Makes 24 - 26 Biscuits

150g Butter
100g Caster Sugar
50g Cocoa Powder
1tsp Cinnamon
225g Plain Flour, plus extra for dusting
100g Dark Chocolate, broken up
100g Milk Chocolate Chips
½ tsp Baking Powder

Topping
175g Dark Chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/160 fan assisted. In a food processor mix the butter and sugar together. Then melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water on the hob or in the microwave. Once fully melted add to the food processor and mix.

2.  Add the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and baking powder and give another mix til everything had combined. Finally mix in the chocolate chips. The mixture should be solid. If runny add more flour and if too dry add some melted butter. Put in cling film and but in fridge for about 10 minutes.

3. Put some greaseproof paper and put on trays. Take the dough and put on floured surface. It will be easy to roll out as the chips will stop you rolling out too thin. Should be the thickness of a pound coin. Once rolled out take either a batman butter or a round cutter and cut into shapes and put on tray.

4. Put in the oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Melt the other dark chocolate. Then dip each biscuit in the chocolate to cover one side of the biscuit. Put on a wire rack for the chocolate to cool.

Fig and Honey Tartlet (V)

Give this recipe a go while the figs are in season. A nice light dessert after any greek lamb meal. I would also like to say I do not endorse any supermarkets or brands with the photo on the right.

Makes 4

250g Puff Pasty
Clear Honey
4 Figs, for each cut in half lengthways, then slice
Flour for dusting
Greek Yoghurt
1 tsp Cinnamon
Icing Sugar (Optional)


1. Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan assisted.  Flour the surface and roll out the puff pastry to about half a cm. Cut into circles approximately 10cm (I used the lid of yoghurt pot). Place on a greaseproof paper and then on a baking tray.

2. Arrange the fig slices on the puff pastry. Then put 1-2 tsp of honey on each tartlet. Then sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon.

3.  Put in the oven for 20 minutes till the pastry turns a golden brown. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with greek yoghurt.

Plum Jam (V)

Jam Session.

Been meaning to upload this recipe for a while. For those who froze their plums and need a jam recipe. This is for you :) Makes about 1.25 litre of jam. Also I know I am breaking the rule of 1:1 of sugar to fruit but it doesn't need all that sugar. 

1.25 litres Jam

1.5kg Victoria Plums

900g Sugar (should get sugar for high pectin fruit)

2 tsp Ginger

3 tsp Cinnamon

Lemon Juice

150ml Water

Jars for the Jam







1. This is probably part of the recipe which will take a lot of effort. For the plums you need to cut them in half and de-stone them.

2. Put the oven on a low heat (Just over 100c). Clean the jar with warm soapy water and rinse. Then place the jars in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the jars are dry. This will sterilise the jars so the jam can stay fresh for longer. Make sure you take any metal clips or rubber seals before putting in the oven.

3. Use a large pan or a preserving pan, add about 150ml of water and a bit of lemon juice and add the plums to the pan. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

4. The skin should be falling from the flesh of the fruit. Add the sugar and spices. Allow the sugar to dissolve slowly. Then bring to a boil once the sugar has dissolved and reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes.

5. If you don't have a thermometer, to test if the jam is done, take a bit of jam and place it on a small plate. Leave it 5 minutes and if you poke it and it wobbles, its done. It doesn't leave it for another 10 minutes and test again. If you do the ideal temperature is 105c.

6. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool. Then spoon the jam into your jars and leave to cool further. The jam is good for toast, Roly Polly or use in a Victoria Sponge.

Plum and Apple Crumble (V)

This was another recipe that I did with the plums. I wanted to do a pudding and realised I haven't made a crumble in ages. I altered my apple crumble recipe (before I created the blog). Made the crumble crunchier by adding almonds. So if you have nut allergies, don't add the almonds

Serves 4-6

Crumble
250g Plain Flour
100g Demerera Sugar
150g Unsalted Butter, cubed and at room temperature
50g Ground Almonds

Filling
400g Cooking Apples, Peeled, Cored and
cut into wedges
400g Plums, Destoned and cut into halves
3 tbsp Caster Sugar
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1tsp Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 200c/180c Fan assisted. In a pan add the lemon juice, apples and plums and stew for about 10 minutes or until the apples are mushy. Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir in. Put the fruit filling at the bottom of an oven proof dish

2. For the crumble, get out a mixing bowl and add the sugar and butter and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the flour and stir for a bit. Then rub the butter/sugar mixture with the flour to create small crumbs. Do this by putting the mixture between the fingers and rubbing between the palms of your hands.

3.  Tip the mixture over the fruit filling and spread equally. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until golden brown on the top. Leave to stand for about 20 minutes. Serve with ice cream, cream or custard.

Christmas Cake (V)

Ah the Christmas Cake.... Rule of thumb for me is bake when you start seeing the Christmas chocolates in Supermarkets. Perfect with a glass of mulled wine. This will be a 2 parter, this will show you how to make the cake and then later on we show you how to decorate.

250g Currants
300g Raisins

200g Cherries
250g Dates
300g Sultanas
200ml Sherry (or preferred liqueur) extra for feeding
250g Light Brown Sugar
250g Butter
1 Lemon, zest and juice
1 Orange, zest and juice
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1 tsp Cinnamon
100g Ground Almonds
100g Flaked Almonds
4 Eggs
250g Plain White Flour
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Mixed Spices

1. Preheat oven to 150C/130C fan. In a large pan put the brandy, butter, sugar, dried fruit, zest and juice of the orange and lemon.  Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.

2. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment. Add the remaining ingredients to the fruit mixture and stir well. Tip into your prepared tin, level the top with a spatula and bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour and 50 minutes - 2 Hours.

3. Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in it with a skewer or toothpick and spoon over 2 tbsp of brandy. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.

4. Cling film the cake, and feed the cake 2 tbsp of brandy every week. Make it ahead of Christmas and it will be a really boozy cake.

Don't forget to decorate the cake with marzipan and icing.

Bara Brith (V)

A Welsh bread made with dried fruit, tea and spices. In welsh it means 'speckled bread'. It tastes delicious and always a good companion with a cup of hot tea.

Makes 1 Loaf

450g Mixed Dried Fruit
1 Mug of Black Tea
225g Demerara Sugar
100g Glace Cherries, halved
1 1/2 tsp Mixed Spices
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 large free range egg
450g Self Raising Flour
100g Butter
2 tbsp Clear Honey
1 tbsp Caster Sugar

1. Put the mixed dried fruit in a mixing bowl with sugar. Pour the tea over the sugar and fruit, cover and leave overnight.

2.  Preheat the oven to 170c/150c fan assisted. Line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

3.  Mix the rest of the ingredients with the dried fruit mixture. Mix well.

4. Pour in the loaf tin and bake for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. To check its cooked all the way through skewer through the centre, if its cooked it should come out clean.

5. Cool on the rack. Sprinkle with caster sugar. Serve

Nain's Apple Pie (V)

One of the people that got me interested in cooking/baking was my Nain. Her Sunday dinners were the best. And this was my favourite pudding that she makes.

Makes 1 pie

Filling

1kg Bramley apples, peel, core and slice them.
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp runny honey
4 tbsp caster sugar
Lemon Juice

Pastry
60g Brown Sugar
225g Unsalted Butter (left at room temp)
2 Eggs (save half an egg to brush the pastry)
350g Plain Flour



1. For the pastry, mix the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Then gradually add 100g of plain at a time, continuously stirring.

2. Begin to mix the dough in with your hands. Put in a ball, then wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for half an hour.

3. Stew the apples, by covering a base of a pan with water, and a squirt of lemon juice. Add the apple to the pan and put on a medium heat on the hob for about 10-15 minutes.

4. Take the pastry out of the fridge and divide into two. Begin to roll the dough and cover the base of a pan/dish. Trim the edges and keep the excess pastry aside.

5. Pour in the apples. Add the honey and 3 tbps of caster sugar to the apples. Roll the other pastry and cover the apples. Trim the excess of pastry.

6. Use the excess to decorate your pie (example below). Using the rest of the egg and a bit of water brush the top of the pastry. Sprinkle with the remaining caster sugar. Put in a preheated oven at 200c/180c fan assisted for 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream or double cream.

Chicken Biryani

For those who love curry but can't handle the hot spices this is perfect for you. If you want to add a bit more heat choose a hotter curry paste and add a hot curry powder to the pan after cooking the chicken.

Serves 6

300g Basmati Rice
Knob of Butter
120g Raisins
60g Almonds
4 Chicken Breast, diced
Coriander, torn up
750ml Chicken Stock
2 Medium Onions, finely chopped
4 Tbps Curry Paste (I used Korma)
200ml Yoghurt
6 Naan Breads
1 tsp Turmeric
1 Pinch Saffron
1  tsp Cinnamon
1 Bayleaf

1. Melt the butter in a wok and fry the onions until they begin to soften. Cook the chicken until it begins to turn white.

2. Add the saffron, cinnamon, turmeric and curry paste and cook for a minute. Then add the rice to the pan so that the flavours can be absorbed into the rice. Cook for a further minute.

3. Add the stock, yoghurt, raisins and the bay leaf. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat so that it simmers. While it cooks check ever so often so that it isnt sticking to the bottom of the pan. If the rice hasnt cooked enough when the stock evaporates add more chicken stock.

4. Just before it finishes cooking add the almonds and coriander.

5. Serve with the naan bread.

American Style Pancakes

So I thought, I would try something different. For the sweet side, I decided to do American style pancakes. Much thicker and fill you up quicker than the standard Shrove Tuesday ones.

Makes about 8 Pancakes

200g Self Raising Flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 Medium Eggs
300 ml of milk
Pinch of salt
Butter
And choice of filling/topping

1. Add the baking, self raising flour and salt to a mixing bowl.

2. Create a small well in the centre of the bowl. Crack the eggs in the centre and begin to whisk.

3. Gradually add the milk while whisking. The mixture should be slightly thicker than British pancake batter.

4. Add a bit of butter and add a ladle full of batter to the pan. You don't need to spread this round the pan, as you want a thicker pancake. Let it cook for 2 minutes and flip. Cook on the other side for 2 minutes. Serve

I came up with a few suggestions for toppings/fillings.

Maybe Maple Syrup?

Apple and Cinnamon Compote?
Take about 2/3 apples and chop them up (skins on or off). Add them to a pan with a bit of lemon and water that just covers a base of a pan. Add about 2 tbsp of caster sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Leave it to cook for 15 minutes. They should soften.

 Summer Fruit compote?
Take 500g of frozen summer fruit (strawberry, raspberry, blackberries etc). Add them to a pan with just enough water to cover the base. Add 2 tbps of caster sugar. Cook for 10 minutes.

What did you have with your pancakes?