Butter Crust Apple Pie

Apple pie is a classic family dessert. To ensure you have crispy not soggy pastry on the bottom use a metal pie dish. Metal conducts the heat much more efficiently than your old china pie dish so will give a crispier result.

Serves 8 –10

500 g plain flour
275 g cold butter, cubed
approx ¼ cup cold water

For the filling

900 g approximately cooking apples, I use Ballarats
6 whole cloves
scant ½ cup sugar

Metal pie dish approx 25cm diameter and approx 5 cm deep

Preheat the oven to 200 °

In a bowl or processor rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add just enough cold water so that when you squeeze the dough it holds together. 

Turn it onto the bench and squeeze it into a big ball. Do not knead. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for ½ an hour.

While the pastry is chilling peel, core and slice the apples. Don't worry if they begin to turn brown. 

When the pastry has chilled, roll 2/3 out to 5 mm thickness and line the tin leaving the extra pastry hanging over the edges.

Sprinkle a good handful of the sugar over the pastry lining the tin. Stir the remaining sugar into the sliced apple. Toss in the cloves then pile the sugary apple slices into the pastry case, piling it carefully so it doesn't spill over the side.

Roll the remaining pastry to a circle approx 5 mm thick and large enough to cover the top of the pie. Gently lay it over the filling and press firmly around the rim to seal the edges  Trim off the excess pastry with a serrated knife and crimp the sides using your fingers or press them with the tines of a fork to decorate.

Cut a cross in the top to allow steam to escape, and lift the pie dish onto a baking tray before placing in the oven. The tray will catch any juices that escape and will enable you to lift the hot pie from the oven without damaging the pastry edges. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Serve warm or cold with cream, ice cream  or custard – or all 3

Under Pressure? - Pressure cooker tips for fast, flavourful food

I’d never used a pressure cooker until very recently and I expected it would be similar to slow cooking but the reality I happy to say is much much better.

  

The speed with which the food cooks means flavours are fresh and clean with no loss of integrity; and while there is some steam it is not accompanied by the “rest home on a muggy day” aroma that I associate with the slow cooker.

My Indian friends consider pressure cooker essential equipment and the boaties and Bach owners swear by them for augmenting a small kitchen with limited facilities such as on a boat. The pressure cooker is a star when it comes to cooking cheap cuts of meat, and producing tender results in a much shorter time than conventional cooking.

The old fashioned models with rattling weights, that belched steam or in some cases soup onto the kitchen ceiling are a thing of the past. Modern Pressure cooking is easy, safe, fast and an excellent way to make delicious fork tender food from very inexpensive ingredients.

Pressure cooking is ideal for casseroles, soups, stews, and other normally slow cooking dishes.  Most will be cooked in 1/3 of the regular cooking time.

Steamed puddings including traditional Christmas pudding cook in a fraction of the time –perfect when Christmas occurs in the most humid part of the year.

Risotto, rice pudding and custards are all good contenders for the pressure cooker as it is gentle won’t damage the delicate structures of these dishes.

Jams marmalade and chutney as well as poached and preserved fruits can be done in the pressure cooker

Pulses and legumes cook quickly and can be prepared in bulk for freezing and virtually any meat or vegetable can be cooked; either under pressure, or simply using the pot as a saucepan.

Pressure cookers have two pressure levels and two release methods. Generally delicate or tender foods will be cooked under the more gentle pressure and finished quickly using the “quick release” method which releases the pressure in under a minute; you can also use the quick release if you want to check on the recipe, add ingredients or stir.

The higher pressure is used for meats, pulses etc and the “natural pressure release” method gives the ingredients time to relax and cook more gently for a further 15 or so minutes after the heat is turned off.

Pre steaming is referred to in many pressure cooker books; this term refers to using the pot without any pressure then changing to the pressurised lid for the remainder of a dish.
Pre steaming is needed to activate raising agents in puddings and dough before the cooking commences or to soften the outer layers of ingredients such as beans or lentils, so don’t skip it.

There are many comprehensive guides for cooking times online so if converting a recipe to use in a pressure cooker, look for one that has similar ingredients and adapt the cooking times to your recipe, with a bit of trial and error you’ll be able to get the hang of timings quite easily.

Always Always Always use a timer.

Scallop and Prawn Risotto - affordable luxury for 2

Romantic dinner at home – Scallop and prawn risotto

For busy working couples watching the pennies a romantic dinner at home is nice affordable alternative to a pricy night out or outrageously priced red roses.
This luxurious risotto is quick to make, is special enough for it to feel like an occasion and doesn’t require slaving over a hot stove for hours so you have time to enjoy the meal and company. Just add a salad and some crusty bread and if you budget will allow any then you can wine match with any Bubbly or serve with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, pinot Gris or a chardonnay.   

Serves 2-3
Cost $19.51

2 ½ cups chicken stock – use good quality liquid stock
1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ med chilli, seeded and finely chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

½ cup white wine (optional)

12 scallops

8 – 10 prawns – frozen defrosted prawns are fine

Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

Handful of finely chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper

In a saucepan heat the stock to boiling then remove from heat and set aside.

In another large pan heat the oil and add the onion, garlic and chilli. Cook gently until soft, taking care not to let them brown.

Pour the rice into the pan and let it toast along with the onion and garlic for around 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the wine if using, and allow it to evaporate - around 1 -2 minutes.

Add the stock a ladleful at a time, the rice will absorb the stock but don’t let it dry out or it will stick. Keep and eye on it and add more as needed until all the stock has all been added. Stir occasionally to ensure it doesn’t stick.
Cover the pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes then add the seafood, cover again and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the prawns are pink and the scallops just cooked.
Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley lemon juice and zest.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cooks tips: if you want you can add a drizzle of cream at the end and stir in before serving.

Valentines Raspberry shortcake ice cream sandwiches

Treat the ones you love this Valentine’s Day without spending a fortune. These Valentine shortcake ice-cream sandwiches are easy to make so you can share the love with the whole household. 

For the Semi Fredo ice cream 

300 ml cream

150 ml berry flavoured yoghurt

1 ½ cups raspberries to make ½ cup raspberry puree – frozen are fine

½ cup caster sugar

2 egg whites beaten to soft peaks                                                                                                                                                  

For the shortcakes: Makes approx 18 - allow 2 per person 

225g butter

125g sugar

350g flour

Pinch of salt

Raspberry jam for spreading

To make the ice-cream

Line a large spring form cake pan or Swiss roll pan with cling film.
Defrost the frozen raspberries then pulse them in a food processer. Pour the purred berries into a sieve set over a bowl and press the raspberry puree through a sieve to remove the seeds.

Whip the cream in a large bowl; fold in the yoghurt, caster sugar and beaten egg whites.

Lastly drizzle in the raspberry puree and ripple it through the mixture using the blade of a knife.

Pour the mixture into the lined pan and freeze.

While the Semi Fredo is freezing make the shortcakes

Preheat the oven to 150°C

Combine the sugar; flour and salt then cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the dry ingredients. Work it well with your hands until it becomes a smooth dough or place all the ingredients into a food processor and process till dough forms, you may still need to work it a little with your hands.

Roll the dough out till it is about 4 ml thick and use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut the shortcakes.  Prick each shortcake with a fork and bake on a greased tray for around 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the tray and cool on a rack.

To assemble

Remove the semi fredo ice cream from the freezer so it can begin to soften. Heat your heart shaped cutter in hot water. Spread some raspberry jam onto one shortcake, cut an ice cream heart and place on top then top with another shortcake.

Fruit Mince

Fruit mince is excellent in Christmas mince pies, and a delicious addition to apple tarts, as stuffing for whole baked apples or mixed into cake and pudding batters for a fruity, spicy variation.

I have read some ridiculous stuff online about fruit mince/mould/food safety etc including steeping fruit in melted fat, cooking it, not using too many apples etc. 

Fruit mince is old fashioned preserve, is uncooked and if made properly looks after itself improving with age. I discussed risks etc with NZ food safety re preserves made in this manner and they have no concerns.And bloke said several colleagues happily eat fruit mince several years old as tastes so much better than freshly made - like wine.
Both sugar and alcohol are natural preservatives, dried fruit is full of sugar (fructose) + extra sugar, and a good slosh of booze. Like jams, the only real risks are mould, which occurs if there is too much water present. The mould isn’t hazardous, and within reason can be scraped off; or fermentation, which in jams ruins the flavour; but as alcohol is already present in fruit mince is likely to enhance it. It should be able to be stored for a year or more provided it hasn’t gone mouldy. 

3 cooking apples – granny smiths are ideal
450 g currants
450 g raisins
450 g sultanas
450 g brown sugar
125 g glace cherries
125 g mixed peel
2 oranges juice and zest
2 lemons juice and zest
250 g shredded suet –see cooks tips
150 g chopped blanched almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ a nutmeg freshly grated
¾ cup brandy – extra for sampling when no one is looking

Approx 6-8 jars and lids – Place the jars in the oven and heat them to 120° for 15 minutes then leave them in the oven to cool. Place the lids in a small saucepan of water and simmer them gently for 5 minutes to sterilise them.

Cut the apples into quarters leaving the skins on, remove the cores and chop coarsely. Place the almonds and suet into the processor and pulse, so both are fine crumbs and turn into large bowl.

Place one third of the apple chunks in the processor with the raisins and process until minced, then turn them into the bowl, repeat using one third of the apples with the currants, and again with the sultanas. Then mince the cherries and mixed peel and add them to the bowl with all the other minced fruit. 

Add the brown sugar, zest and juice of the oranges and lemons and the spices. Reserve 3 tbsp of the brandy, and pour in the rest. Stir the mixture well so all the ingredients are well mixed.

With tongs remove one of the jars from the oven, pack it full of fruit mince, and run a long flexible knife down the insides of the jar to release any air pockets. Pack the jar right to the top, don’t leave any head space –as this will allow room for mould to grow.

Spoon a teaspoon or two of the reserved brandy over the top. Use tongs to take a lid from the hot water and screw it in place. Continue with all remaining jars and mixture. Wash and dry the filled jars and store in a cool dark place – the bottom of the pantry is ideal – the mince will be usable after one month but improves with age.

Cooks tips:  Suet is hard beef fat taken from around the kidneys. It’s inclusion in fruit mince is likely a holdover from the original medieval recipes for Mincemeat which included actual meat. The fat enriches the fruit and makes it glossy. 

Shredded suet is sold in supermarkets as Shreddo here in NZ, in a margarine type tub; it is often with the oils. Once opened it should be stored in the fridge. Butter can be substituted and some people make Vegetarian fruit mince using non animal fats or none at all but I have not tested these alternatives.

Just dough it!

dg likes bread enormously, and is most favourite thing to make, as is cheap as dirt but light years tastier than shop bought bread. Also makes house smell sublime.
Males in dg household are not best pleased when offered soup as dinner, however dg discovered years ago that soup + home made rolls = acceptable dinner. Soup + home made rolls + dessert = Happy boys.
Most popular rolls in our house are baps which come from dg's Scottish heritage. They are good "beginner" bread as follow simple bread making trajectory - dry combine dry ingredients, yeast and liquid, knead, rise, form or shape, rise again and bake. Start to finish in a couple of hours.
Made some the other night, but left em to rise in front of fire, funny little balls grew towards
heat like triffids, hence odd shape in Pic below. Yours will look much more sane.

Baps

Baps are a family tradition, from our Scottish heritage they have become part of our Christmas day breakfast tradition and we love them with soup, served warm with Marmalade for breakfast, or filled with salady stuff for a lovely picnic lunch. The dough is soft and tender with a pale floury crust. Mmmm - the ones pictured are uneven as they rose in front of the fire and grew towards the heat. 

1 sachet instant yeast

1 ½ tsp sugar

125 ml cold milk

125 ml Hot water

450 g plain flour

1 tsp salt

50 g butter

In a large bowl combine flour and salt and rub the butter in with your fingertips or pulse in a processor then transfer to a large bowl. Add the yeast and sugar and mix.

Combine the warm water and milk, hold your finger in it and count to 10 - it should feel warm but not hot. If it's not warm, heat it gently, if it's hot allow it to cool for a few minutes then stir it into the dry ingredients. You may need to add more or less liquid as every batch of flour differs from the last in the way it deals with moisture. It is preferable to work with a moist dough - easy to add extra flour if its too sticky, very hard to knead and work with a dry crumbly dough.

Turn onto a well floured board and knead for 3-5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and springy. Sprinkle with extra flour during kneading as required to prevent sticking.
Place dough into a clean greased bowl, cover with cling film and microwave on low power for 1 minute, rest the dough for 10 minutes then repeat. After the second rest the dough should have doubled in size. (Alternatively set aside in a warm place until doubled in size -45-50 minutes).  When dough is doubled- takes about 40 minutes, punch a whole in it to release the air and knead lightly before forming into 12 rolls.

The trick to making a perfect roll is to flatten the ball of dough slightly on a non-floury surface and circle with the palm of the hand. When you can feel that the ball of dough has “grabbed” bench then continue to circle but begin to cup your hand around it. The outer layer of the dough gets pulled smooth and tight around the ball and disappears in a neat little spiral on the base. This technique takes a little practise but makes a nice round wrinkle free roll.

Place the rolls on a floured tray then with a floury index finger press each roll very firmly down the middle making a deep dimple. Sift a light dusting of flour over the baps and set aside to double in size while the oven heats. - this is when mine became deformed.

Bake at 200° for 15 minutes till just barely tinted with colour, and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom.

Lasagne for beginners

I've made lasagne for years in various forms but rarely used a recipe. Sometimes meatless, sometimes with homemade pasta, sometimes ricotta rather than bechamel and sometimes I'd sling in loads of bits and pieces needing to be used up. End result was always enjoyed, so following discussion on FB re lasagne, was motivated to put together a lasagne lesson for those who haven't got to grips with it as is great family food.


Lasagne as we know it comprises of 3 elements that are layered then baked. the layers are:
A red sauce, tomato based, along the lines of a Bolognaise style sauce.
A white sauce, usually bechamel or cheese sauce, sometimes substituted with ricotta or cottage cheese.
Pasta sheets, these can be fresh pasta, or dried, they are usually uncooked as they'll absorb liquid from the sauces and cook when the dish is being baked. if you use the crinkly type dried pasta I think that needs precooking but the flat sheets definitely don't.

Lasagne is always a bit sloppy when it comes out of the oven, it firms up if left to settle or refrigerated overnight. A sloppy dish isn't a fail, it simply needs time to set.

Lasagne Recipe

Red sauce - I am giving two options here, one using meat and one using red lentils. You can mix and match, alter, add roast or grated vegetables to either; but both versions will yield enough for around 3-4 layers in a standard lasagne.

Meat sauce for lasagne

500 g beef mince

Cooking spray

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 can condensed tomato soup
800g or two cans chopped tomatoes

A big pinch of mixed herbs

A bay leaf
A spoonful of pesto - optional

Heat a medium saucepan, spray with cooking spray and add the meat, stirring continuously over the heat until the meat is brown and crumbly. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and continue cooking until soft. Pour in the tomato soup and mix well, then add the herbs and bay leaf and chopped tomatoes, and pesto if using. Simmer for 20 minutes. For a thicker sauce add 1/3 cup cooked red lentils and stir regularly so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Or meatless sauce

For the vegetable sauce
1 cup red lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 cups of left- over cooked vegetables or cooked spinach or a medium aubergine- optional
1 800g can chopped tomatoes
1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp mixed herbs
½ tsp oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt

Place the lentils in a medium saucepan with plenty of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for around 10 minutes or until lentils have softened and begun to look fluffy. Drain, rinse and set aside.
While the lentils are cooking heat the oil in a pan and gently cook the onion and garlic until soft then add the, then add the tinned tomatoes, lentils, tomato paste, herbs, salt and sugar and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes. Add the cooked vegetables and set aside.

For the white sauce/cheese sauce

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 ½ cups milk
1 cup grated cheese - use more or less if you prefer
Salt and pepper

Lasagne sheets fresh or dried - sufficient for 2-3 layers in your dish
While your red sauce is simmering make a bechamel or white sauce, the amount of cheese is up to you. Sometimes I use a plain bechamel and only sprinkle cheese on the very top as the boy child doesn't like when things are cheesy.

For the White sauce

Heat the oil or butter and whisk in the flour. Add a dash of the milk and whisk to form a lump free paste, add more of the milk and whisk again. Continue until you can add all the milk without lumps forming, then stir with a wooden spoon until the sauce begins to thicken.
Season with salt and pepper, and when thick enough to coat the back of a spoon add ¾ of the grated cheese.

To assemble: Preheat the oven to 200°

Spread ¼ of the red sauce over the base of your dish, drizzle with ¼ of the cheese sauce and a layer of pasta, continue to layer in this manner finishing with a layer of cheese sauce. Scatter on remaining grated cheese and bake for 35 minutes until golden and bubbling.  Let stand for 10 -15 minutes before serving.

Cooks Tips: Cook extra lentils and freeze, they can be added directly into a simmering sauce, soup or casserole.
You can replace the dried herbs with 1/3 cup homemade pesto.
You can thicken and extend the meat red sauce by adding 1/3 cup red lentils while it is simmering
You can add all manner of cooked or grated vegetables either to the red sauces or as a layer in the dish.
Always put red sauce into the dish first to form a base layer. If you start with bechamel or pasta it will stick horribly and the pasta wont have enough liquid in the bottom to absorb and cook properly.