Buttery Apples

This is such an easy recipe to make.

Buttery Apples

Especially good for those nights when 

big brown eyes look forlornly at you, 

hopeful of scoffing a yummy dessert. 

(Still hot but Wilbur and his fork are 

hovering again!)

Stephanie Alexander’s original recipe 

called for more butter and sugar than I 

have listed, but if you want to add more …

It’s not necessary to only use the freshest, 

crispest apples. If you find a couple of sad 

apples (but I am not suggesting fossilised 

school bag relics) be sure to include them 

in the mixture as this is a good way to avoid 

waste and gain happy calories. 

I have also packed a container of the Buttery 

Apples in ‘weekend away’ food supplies and 

it is perfect with a slurp of custard, or eaten as 

part of a holiday breakfast indulgence.

Ingredients

6 – 7 medium sized eating apples. Peeled, cored and chopped into medium chunks.

      Pieces will shrink in size during cooking

               I use mainly Granny Smith and a couple of sad reds

100 gram butter.     (Could reduce to 80 gram if watching butter intake).

3 - 3 ½  tablespoons brown sugar – level, not heaped. Use  3 ½ if only using less sweet Granny Smiths

2  teaspoons Pure Vanilla Paste. Or substitute 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract.     Or use vanilla pod. 

1  cinnamon quill (remove prior to serving)   Or ½  teaspoon ground cinnamon. (More if you adore it)

¼  teaspoon ground cloves.  (Omit if not keen on cloves)

Method

You will be using the stove-top and a wide-based frypan with a lid, preferably a toughened glass lid.

Melt the butter and sugar together over a gentle heat.  Stir gently to combine.

Add the apple chunks and spices.  Mix gently to coat with the butter.

Cover pan with lid and simmer gently for 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on them, stir gently if catching.

Remove the lid and stir gently to coat the softened apple pieces with the sauce. 

Don’t squish the apple pieces – they need to retain their chunkiness.

Increase the heat slightly and allow the sauce to thicken.  It will start to turn golden and caramelly.

You need to watch the sauce and avoid it burning. Gentle heat and gentle, occasional stir to coat.

When ready the apple chunks are soft and coated with an oozy thickened golden sauce.

Options

Re-warm if needed. Serve hot or cool with ice-cream, cream or custard. 

Or add to pancakes, crepes or even muesli.

                                                                                                                               

 Enjoy – Colleen

Lemon Delicious Pudding

This hot pudding is easy to make and like it's name states it's delicious.  Utilising the abundant citrus from my garden to make this ultimate in comfort food.


Ingredients

3 eggs, seperated
1 cup caster sugar
2 lemons (spray and wax free)
60g butter
3 Tablespoons Self Raising Flour
1 1/2 cups Milk

Method

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Grease a 1 litre ovenproof dish.

Zest one lemon and juice both.
In a food processor, cream butter, zest and sugar.
Add egg yolks and alternately add flour and milk to make a smooth batter.
Scrape the mixture from the sides of the bowl and blend in lemon juice.
Transfer to a clean bowl.
Whisk egg whites with a hand mixer until creamy and firm. Then fold these gently into the batter.
Pour into greased ovenproof dish.
Stand the dish in a baking dish and pour in hot water until it comes half way up the sides of the dish.
Bake for 1 hour.

Serve with pouring cream, custard or ice cream or all 3 if you are my PaPa.

Mamma Marmalade.

Beef Short Ribs

So delicious this comfort food for cooler evenings, The Worcestershire sauce gives a wonderful depth of flavour.  Thank you to Donna Hay for this recipe and thank you to my husband who made it for Mother's Day dinner.

Ingredients

8 beef short ribs
3 fresh bay leaves (dried is fine)
1 whole bulb of garlic cut in half
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 litres cold water
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup water, extra
2 Tablespoons of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius
Combine ribs, bay leaves, garlic and 1/4 cup of the Worcestershire sauce in a large saucepan or oven and stove top dish.
Cover with the cold water and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 1 hour or until tender.
Drain off all cooking liquid - discard.
In a bowl, combine the extra water, sugar and remaining Worcestershire sauce, then pour over the ribs.
Cover with a lid and cook for 30 - 40 minutes.
Remove the lid and cook for an additional 10 or so minutes until the ribs are dark golden and sticky.
Sprinkle over the Parsley and serve with mash potato,

Mamma Marmalade

Raw Broccoli, Bacon and Pine Nut Salad

Tired of the same old boring salads? Then give this a try. Janice R's famous Broccoli Salad.  Any family event when you need to bring a dish Janice is always picked for her Broccoli Salad.  The small florets of raw Broccoli give this a peppery edge, rounded off by the creamy mayonnaise and salt from the bacon. Full of crunch.

Ingredients

I medium head of broccoli
2 x rashers of bacon
2 tablespoon of good quality mayonnaise
1 x red onion or 2 small pink eshallots
2 dessertspoons of pine nuts
Oil

Method

Toast the pine nuts in a small frying pan. Remove and cool
Add oil to the pan and fry finely diced bacon
Cut the broccoli into fine florets, add diced red onion or eshallots.
Combine in serving bowl or platter with mayonnaise, bacon and pine nuts.

Note: Just add sufficient mayonnaise to coat, it will depend on how much broccoli you have. I substituted peanuts for the pine nuts and was equally delicious.


Mamma Marmalade

Lime and Ginger Marmalade

It's that time of year when citrus fruit are at their best. We have had a bumper crop of limes and a nice way to preserve them is to make marmalade.  Sometimes a little twist in the flavour takes it to a new level.  This uses fresh ginger for that purpose.

Ingredients

8 x spray free limes
3 cups of water
3 cups of sugar - Note: I found it a little too tart so added another 1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of fresh ginger finely sliced

Method

Slice the limes in half lengthways and then slice each half as thinly as you can.
Discard any seeds.
Pop sliced limes and juice in a non reactive bowl (glass or ceramic).
Pour over the water and leave stand overnight.

Next day pour into a large saucepan and simmer until soft (about half an hour).
Add the sugar and stir over a high heat to dissolve.

Then bring to the boil and continue to boil uncovered, but do not stir.
Rapid boil for about 20 minutes or until a teaspoon of mixture gels on a cold saucer.

Remove from the heat, add the ginger and let stand for 10 minutes before ladling into steralised jars.

Share with family and friends.

Mamma Marmalade