Canterbury Apple Tart

Pastry:

4oz/100g butter

8oz/225g plain flour

1 egg, beaten

(you can add 1oz icing sugar, but I prefer not to)

Tart:

4 eggs

8oz/225g caster sugar 

2 lemons, grated rind and juice of

4oz/100g butter, melted

2 large cooking apples (Bramley, or similar), quartered, cored and peeled

2 eating apples, cored and finely sliced (red ones look great unpeeled!)

1oz/25g Demerara sugar

Oven:  preheat a baking tray in the oven heated to 200deg C 

Make the pastry, either by hand or processor, and then chill it for about 20 minutes before putting it into a 11inch flan tin.   (If you go slightly over the edge with the pastry, you can then cut it off after cooking, so any over-brown bits disappear.)  Put the tin back into the fridge while you are doing the next bit. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, castor sugar, lemon rind and juice.  Then stir in the melted butter.   Get the dessert apples on standby, and grate the cooking apples straight into the bowl using a coarse grater.   Stir in the cooking apples.       

Pour the apple mixture into the flan tin, and then put the eating apples around the edge as per the picture.   Lastly, use the Demerara sugar all over the eating apples.  

Bake on the preheated tray for about 40 minutes.  The tart needs to be set in the centre, and slightly brown.   

Courgette Bread

Beat together 7 oz brown/white sugar, mixed with 6 tablespoons oil and 1 large egg

Add 10 oz courgettes, grated

Stir in 6 oz plain flour mixed with1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, pinch of baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of salt.

Add 2 oz mixed chopped nuts or nuts/dried fruit mixture

Pour into a large (1kg) loaf tin and smooth the top.

Bake 175 degrees for40 - 60 minutes or until done.

Very moist: can be eaten sliced with butter if wished.

Rhubarb chutney

1 kg rhubarb
675 g light muscovado sugar
2 med onions chopped
225 g sultanas
500 ml white wine or cider vinegar
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Trim the rhubarb and cut into short lengths. Place in a preserving pan or large saucepan with all the remaining ingredients.
Cook over a low heat stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to a gentle boil (just a little more than simmering )and cook uncovered for about 1 hour until the chutney is golden brown and thick. Stir occasionally to begin with and then frequently as the cooking time goes on to prevent the mixture from burning on the base of the pan.
Spoon into hot sterilized jars. Cover and seal.

Notes
Store in a cool dark place. The chutney should keep for up to 1 year.

Lemon drizzle cake

A wonderful lemon drizzle cake which works equally well with gluten-free flour.

INGREDIENTS

3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream or Greek yogurt (lite okay)
1/2 cup vegetable oil, or melted butter/margarine
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon extract, to taste (not teaspoons)*
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Lemon Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.

Make the Loaf:
To a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined.
Drizzle in the oil while whisking to combine.
Add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and whisk to combine. Note – I used 2 tablespoons of lemon extract because no actual lemon juice is used in the loaf and I found 2 tablespoons lemon extract necessary for full-bodied lemon flavor, but add to taste.
Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix. Some lumps will be present and that’s okay, don’t try to stir them smooth.
Turn the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until top is domed, set, and toothpick inserted in the center crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. In the last 10 minutes of baking, tent pan with foil (loosely drape a sheet of foil over pan) to prevent excessive browning on the top and sides of bread before center cooks through.
Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for at least 30 minutes (I cooled 4 hours) before turning out onto rack to cool completely before glazing.

Make the Lemon Glaze:
To a small bowl, add the confectioner’s sugar and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while whisking until smooth and combined. You may need to play with the sugar and lemon juice amounts a bit as necessary for desired consistency and flavor.
Evenly drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving.
Extra glaze can be spread on the cut surface of the bread like you’d spread butter on toast and it soaks right in making the bread even moister and more lemony. Or you can halve the glaze recipe if you’re not a glaze person.

NOTES

*Don’t use lemon oil and lemon extract interchangeably because they’re not; oil is much more potent and intense. Don’t use lemon juice in place of lemon extract because it’s not strong enough and the acidity can alter the overall results.
Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months; I don’t recommend storing it in the fridge because it’ll dry out.
Recipe adapted from my Blueberry Yogurt Cake with Lemon Vanilla Glaze.

Flapjack

Have started baking for Trinity Cafe, once a month. Oh, the responsibility. I follow the recipe they gave me quite slavishly... so far, so good...

Crunchy, traditional flapjacks. Do not overbake.

Ingredients
10 oz butter
9 oz demerara sugar/= or mixed white and brown
4oz golden syrup
18 oz porridge oats

12 x 9 inch Swiss roll traybake or roasting tin. Line with well-greased silicone or baking parchment.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees C/Fan 140 degrees C/Gas 3.

Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a large pan.
Stir in oats.
Mix well.
Turn into well-greased  tin and firmly press flat with a palette knife or the back of a spoon.

Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until pale golden brown.
Remove from oven, leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Mark into squares, leave to finish cooling in the tin. (Cut off edges if slightly over-baked.)

Best Brownies?

Have just started baking, once a month, for the church cafe. Here is the brownies recipe I am presently using:

10 oz soft butter
11oz sugar (should be 13oz, I reduced it)
4 eggs, large if possible
1 teaspoon baking powder, plus a large pinch.
3oz cocoa powder
5oz plain flour
4oz chopped chocolate
A couple of tablespoons milk or cream if needed, to loosen slightly. Mixture will be fairly stiff.

Cream butter and sugar first, if butter is not very soft. Add other ingredients, mix well, Spoon into a 12 x 9 inch flat traybake tin, lined with well-greased tinfoil.

Bake (at least 25 - 30 minutes, original recipe states 35 - 40) at 160 degrees fan oven (Gas Mark 4) until slightly firm in the middle and shrinking slightly away from the edges.

Cool in tin, remove foil and cut when cold.

Then there are Adele's brownies, too: the hot butter gives a crackly top.

1. Combine 114 g (4oz) 1/2 cup hot butter with 1 tbsp oi amd 225g (8 oz) 1 1/8 cup sugar
2. Whisk 2 eggs with 2 tsp vanilla
3. Fold in 60 g (2oz) 1/2 cup flour and 60 g (2oz) 1/2 cup cornflour
4/ Bake 20 - 25 minutes.

Gluten free brownies....

Melt together:
225g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
125g butter, diced

Stir in:
175g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g ground almonds
Yolks of 6 large eggs

Fold in:

6 whipped egg whites

Bake at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 in a 22 x 30 cm diameter baking tin with baking parchment until firm with a slight wobble.

Glaze:

Melt:

100g of good quality dark chocolate
30g of butter

Remove from heat, whisk in
50g of icing sugar, sifted
75ml of double cream

Allow to cool until the mixture becomes thick enough to leave a figure of eight on the surface.Pour over the brownies and allow to set slightly before removing from the tin and slicing to serve.

Adapted from http://www.donalskehan.com/recipes/gluten-free-chocolate-brownies/