Spiced Apple Brandy PuddyCake - Pudding Cake

Apples, cinnamon and a splash of brandy are baked into a delicious Puddycake that performs equally well as an afternoon tea indulgence or a warm dessert. This is a delicious way of using apples that have just lost their crispness and are languishing in your fruit bowl and is my version of David Herbert's "French style apple cake".  Your house will be filled with comforting spiced aromas when this cake is baking - irresistible!   Enjoy!   Colleen

SpiceApple PuddyCake Feed Your Inner Cook

SpiceApple PuddyCake Feed Your Inner Cook

Spiced Apple PuddyCake by Feed Your Inner Cook

Preparation  10 minutes
Cooking         45 - 60 min depending on your oven and tin size

Ingredients
4 large or 6 medium apples: peeled, cored and diced approx 1. 1/2 cm
I use a mix of red apple varieties.  
a splash of lemon juice to toss over cut apples to prevent browning
125 gram Butter - melted then cooled to room temperature
125 gram Plain Flour
pinch salt
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
2 large eggs - room temperature
150 gram sugar   PLUS a tablespoon extra to sprinkle over before baking
3 tablespoons Brandy
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Option: Flaked Almonds for topping

Method
Preheat oven to 155-160℃ fan and grease and line base of 20-22cm springform tin.
Melt butter and allow to return to room temperature. Set aside.
Dice the apples and toss with lemon juice in a medium bowl.
In a different medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and spices.

Using either an electric mixer or by hand in a large bowl - whisk the eggs til pale and foamy.
Whisk in sugar, brandy and vanilla.
Then whisk in half the sifted flour mixture.
Stir through half the cooled melted butter.
Then stir through the remaining flour mixture , then the remaining butter.
Lightly fold through the diced apples so they are coated with the batter.
Pour into prepared tin and smooth top of mixture.
Sprinkle with the additional sugar if desired  and/or flaked almonds if desired.
Bake approx 45 - 60 minutes.  Check at 45 min by inserting a skewer into centre of cake and it comes out clean meaning it is cooked.  If not, return to oven and check every 5 minutes until cooked.
Place tin on a cake rack to cool and leave for 10 minutes.
Carefully run an offset metal spatula or a knife around edge to loosen from cake tin.
Open spring and carefully remove cake from tin.  It is quite delicate at this stage.

Option:  dust with icing sugar to serve.  I don't as baked sugary crystals are sweet enough.

Serve warm as a dessert with your choice of cream, custard or ice-cream
or
allow to cool and serve slices for afternoon tea.
                                    Enjoy!   Colleen

Cardamom Chicken with Caramelised Onion and Rice

The flavours and spices in this recipe are soft and warming. It is a one pot meal and although the preparation time may seem a bit long, most of the preparation can be done whilst the onions are cooking.  
I have changed a few of the ingredients as I sometimes serve this at family meals and worry about not fishing out all the cloves etc before little childen find them.  Here is link to the  original Chicken with caramelized onion and cardamom rice recipe  as printed inYotam Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem CookBook" .            Enjoy!  Colleen

Cardamom Chicken by Feed Your Inner Cook

Cardamom Chicken by Feed Your Inner Cook

Cardamom Chicken by Feed Your Inner Cook

Preparation    20 minutes  (most can be done whilst onions cook)
Cooking         15 mins for onions, 10 min sear chicken, 30 min cook, 10min stand.
Serves            4 - 5 

Ingredients
1/2 cup loosely packed Barberries   OR  (I use) Cranberries   OR  Currants
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground Sumac  (optional)
1 1/2 cups Basmati Rice  
Olive oil
3 large onions - finely sliced
1 kg chicken pieces, skin on and bone-in,  I use 2 thigh cutlets and 4 drumsticks 
1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cardamom
1  teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
Salt
Pepper
1 -  1/1/2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
500 ml boiling water  OR chicken Stock (my preference)

2 tablespoons chopped parsley  (PLUS more for garnish later)
1/3 cup (loosely packed) chopped dill
1/4 cup coriander OR mint (my preference) -chopped (PLUS more for garnish later)
1/4 - 1/3 cup Greek Yoghurt 
2 tablespoons approx  lemon juice
option: Toasted pine nuts for garnish
option: lemon wedges to serve, chopped mint or parsley to garnish

Method
First, rinse and soak your basmati Rice.  Rinse it a few times and allow to soak. You will need to drain it before adding to pot later.

Secondly, soak cranberries or currants in lemon juice and sumac then set aside.

Use a large saute pan that has a tight-fitting lid to use for covering later on.

Toast the pinenuts (for garnish later). Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat some olive oil in pan and cook onions til golden, stir regularly, approx 15 min.

Whilst onions are cooking:
In a medium bowl, mix the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, dried mint, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. (You re-use the bowl for reserved cooked onions)

In a large bowl, add the chicken pieces and sprinkle with the spices and mix to coat evenly.

When the onions are soft and golden, remove from pan - pop into the used spice bowl.

Add a little more oil to the pan and place chicken pieces skin side down.  Sear for 5 minutes then turn and cook on other side for a further 5 minutes. (This helps part-cook chicken).
Remove the chicken pieces from pan and return them to the large bowl.

Add the splash of sherry to the pan to help deglaze.  Scrap the crunchy bits off base of pan but leave in the pan ready for next step.

Add the DRAINED Basmati rice to the pan. 
Stir in the cooked onions, soaked cranberries plus 1 teaspoon Salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix through the rice well.
Return the chicken pieces to the pan, pushing them into the rice.
Pour the boiling stock around the sides of the chicken pieces.
Cover the pan with the lid and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes, turn off heat. Taste rice and ensure it is cooked.
Quickly place a clean tea-towel over the pan and replace the lid over the towel on pan.

After 10 minutes, remove the towel. Stir the fresh herbs through the rice and chicken.
Taste.  Add extra salt and pepper if needed.

Sprinkle with the toasted pinenuts and reserved chopped fresh mint/parsley garnish
Serve with a drizzle of the lemony yoghurt. Add extra lemon wedges if desired.
                                    
                                                                 Enjoy!   Colleen

It's our Birthday - Ginger cake and golden ginger cream

Happy Birthday to us, our first blog was back in July 2012. Amazing to think we have been continuously posting , 407 in all!  I hope along the journey we have provided a little inspiration for your cooking pleasure.

To celebrate we have baked a cake and thanks to our long time friend Robyn for the recipe, it is super easy and simply irresistible.

Ingredients

250g butter, chopped

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2/3 cup golden syrup

12cm (60g) fresh ginger, finely grated

1 cup plain flour

1 cup self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup thickened cream 

Golden ginger cream

300ml thickened cream

2 tablespoons golden syrup

2 teaspoons ground ginger

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Grease a deep 22cm round cake tin (I split the mixture into 2 cake tins, reduce cooking time)

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, add sugar, syrup and ginger.

Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Cool 

Whisk in combined sifted flours, bi carb soda, eggs and cream.

Pour mixture into prepared cake tin, bake for approx. 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted, comes out clean (for smaller tins check at about 30 minutes)

Leave cake in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on a rack to cool

Meanwhile, beat all ingredients for golden ginger cream until soft peaks form.

Serve cake with cream.

Bubbly fun. Bubble mixture recipe

One of my most special childhood memories was walking to a local fete with my beloved Grandfather.  I still remember opening the newspaper wrapping from my prize at the lucky dip stall. From under the layers emerged a bright yellow little pipe shaped like a baby duckling with black eyelashes and a pouting red beak.  I was spellbound.  When we arrived home my Grandfather concocted some bubbly liquid and I blew ... Bubbles ... from this little yellow plastic pipe.  That memory makes me so happy, even to this day.

Our wonderful Brisbane City Council Library Service runs an excellent program encouraging young children to read with their Little Stars Reading Club.  One of the rewards my Grandson received was a little bubble blowing bottle.  He loves his books and he loves blowing bubbles with me.  The bubble liquid invariably ends up on the grass but it is so easy to make your own and refill these bottles again and again.   So, I urge you to visit your library .. and also ... pop into the backyard and blow some bubbles yourself ! ... it is a magical experience that shouldn't be reserved just for the little ones!   Enjoy!   Colleen

  

Blowing Bubbles Liquid Mixture  - I have posted 2 different quantities 

(although I use an eco dishwashing liquid in my kitchen, I find a 'traditional' brand concentrate works better for these bubbles) I use an old medicine cup to measure out.

25 ml   Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid  

150 ml water

10 ml   glycerine (usually in the medical section at supermarket or from your chemist)

Mix the ingredients together gently, I use the handle of a spoon. You don't want froth.

Allow to sit overnight.

Pour into your bubble bottles and blow and blow bubbles!

or 

50   ml  Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid 

300 ml  water

20   ml  glycerine 

same method as above.

Have fun!    Cheers.    Colleen