Apple and Raspberry Crumble

With the weather being positively Autumnal recently I've been dipping into my winter recipes for dessert and baking ideas when I feel the baking itch and the housemates fancy something sweet. I love winter recipes, they're always so warming and comforting and really make the kitchen and the whole house smell inviting and homely. 

Crumbles and crisps are wonderful because they are so versatile, you can have so many fruit and spice combinations, keep it simple and nostalgic or mix and match for new and interesting fillings. One of my favourites is plain rhubarb because it's very nostalgic, beautifully simple and really yummy! I must confess, plain apple crumble, even when it's spiced and well flavoured has always seemed a little bland to me and for that reason I always add berries to augment the taste. 

I came up with this recipe for my Mum's birthday this year, recently rediscovered it and made it to celebrate the end of repeats for my housemates (...basically an excuse to bake something :P). If you fancy it as just an apple crumble just replace the raspberries with an extra cooking apple!

Apple and Raspberry Crumble

Crumble

• 565g flour
• 2tsps baking powder
• 260g butter (chilled)
• 350g caster sugar
• 55g golden caster sugar

Filling

• 9 apples (I tend to use 7 cooking and 3 eating apples but whatevs)
• 300g raspberries
• 1 orange, zest
• 3 tsps cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180 C and grease a medium ceramic oven dish

Peel core and slice apples (not too thin) and lay them in the base of a medium sized lasagna dish or other ceramic oven dish (There should be a pretty damn tall layer of apple :P )

Scatter over the golden sugar, 55g of the white sugar, the cinnamon and the orange zest 

Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl and cut the butter into thumbnail sized cubes.

Using your fingertips rub the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs

Mix in the rest of the sugar and pour over the fruit layer, pressing gently but not packing it in

Bake for 45-50 mins and serve with custard, cream or ice cream (whipped cream is my definite favourite)

A Month Long Absence and Playing Catch-Up with Cinnamon Blondies

So I've only realised it's been a month since I posted up my Banana bread recipe...shame on me I know... Unfortunately life has a way of getting in front, behind, above, below and beside blogging and do its best to push it out of the way, for the better in my case.

Over the past month I've been running around the place like a dervish trying to devote my time equally between all the important aspects of my life; Ethan, my friends, exercise, baking and cooking, pole dancing and research (and get over the 'flu :P) and let me tell you it's been an exhausting yet highly fulfilling time :) (...well not the 'flu part).

If I haven;t already mentioned it I found myself a volunteer Research Assistant position with the Trinity College Neuroscience Institute and the project is really interesting; we're looking into exercise and memory using a chemical called Blood Derived Neurotrophic Factor or BDNF. The guy running it hopes to devise a rehab programme for memory impairment using exercise. I took a Phlebotomy course a few weeks ago and have become the study's official blood taker and processor (so I get lots of lab time) as well as the cognitive test administrator. It's a hectic job but I'm really enjoying myself.

My all too real (and a little scary) proper adult life aside, Ethan and I spent a lovely 2 days in Sligo camping with friends (we just got back today actually). It was a great trip despite the horizontal rain and high winds and gave us both the chance to relax after a stressful month. We camped 20 feet from the beach and between the showers we built a fire, toasted marshmallows and stargazed some of the clearest skies I've ever seen, not that that lasted very long! That being said, there's nothing better than cuddling up in what we found to be a double wide sleeping bag listening to a howling gale outside and the sound of rain pelting against the tent... :) <3

ASide from being hard at work in the real world and not so hard at work in other ways, I've been cooking a lot, focusing on the recipes of my Italian heritage and making dishes such  as Pollo alla Cacciatore, Cannellini bean soup, Home-made egg pasta and ragu and Cantuccini (when this recipe is perfected it shall be posted up here). Rest assured I have not been resting on my laurels where baking is concerned and this recipe today is just one of many that I have to share with you :)

Cinnamon Squares
Makes around 16

• 225g butter, softened
• 225g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 225g plain flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 150 mls plain yoghurt

Preheat the oven to 180 C, grease and line and 9" square cake tin with baking paper

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy then beat in the eggs a little at a time

Mix the baking powder flour and cinnamon together and fold into the wet ingredients

Gently mix in the yoghurt until well combined then add the mixure to the tin

Bake for 45-50 mins, or until the cake is firm to the touch

Cool for 10 minutes in the tin then cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares

The texture should be smooth thanks to the yoghurt and creaming process and the cinnamon taste should be at the forefront but not overpowering. This recipe yields a light and springy yet rich and very moreish tasting cake square with a tender crumb and should leave your kitchen smelling warm, inviting and mildly Autumnal :)

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

I took a break from studying to go and watch a game of Twilight Imperium which, for those who don't know, is a very nerdy space wars game involving the taking over of planets, making peace accords and having space battles :D :D :D! I normally do play but I had waaaaaay too many readings to do for college :(

I decided I'd make something for the game and Ethan requested these muffins. Unfortunately, I've just moved apartments and while the new place is bigger, quieter and much better for studying the oven has NO markings whatsoever!!! So I made the batter and hightailed it over to a friends apartment only to find the same situation! It was a nightmare but I decided to go for it. They were a little overdone but I'm blaming the fact that the oven was probably a tad too high, they should turn out much better for you :)

Apple & Cinnamon Muffins

Makes 12

• 240g plain flour
• 2tsp baking powder
• 60g butter (melted)
• 110g white sugar
• 2 medium apples (I used Jonagold)
• 11/2tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 110mls milk

Preheat oven to 200 C and grease/line a muffin pan

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl

In a separate bowl mix eggs, milk, and melted butter well

Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry mixing just enough to combine

Peel and grate the apples and fold gently into the batter mixture

Add 1.5 tbsp of batter to each hole in the muffin tray, dividing any remaining batter evenly between them

Bake for 20-25 mins

Cool in the tin for 5 mins then cool completely on a wire rack

Enjoy :D x

Pancake Tuesday

I love love love this holiday because it's a chance for my to bring together two of my great sources of happiness; my friends, and cooking :)! I missed out on having a big Pancake party last year (sad face) so I decided I'd make up for it this year by making totally super awesome pancakes :D! 


I was always going to make crepes because in my mind they are pancakes (we Irish don't tend to do the whole fluffy American style ones over here), but for the first time I was faced with the exciting task of making the fluffy type. Ethan (being from the U.S.) wasn't too keen on crepes so I went hunting for recipes. I eventually settled on a cinnamon pancakes recipe because I know how much he loves that spice (I also had some lengthy consultations with him). So yesterday at 3:30 I set about making pancakes for 6 people. I flipped the last one onto an eagerly awaiting plate at 5PM (boy was I sleepy afterwards). Oh, I didn't quit making them because I was out of batter by the way, everyone was just too stuffed! I still have crepe batter left over, which is the reason I haven't included how many this batter makes in the recipe below. It's in my fridge in a milk carton...I really hope no-one makes that mistake when they go for cereal...


Also, what are people's favourite toppings? Lemon and sugar, Nutella and banana and fresh blackberries in that order are my top 3 :)


Crepes

• 200g plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 600 mls milk
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tbsp caster sugar (superfine sugar)

Sift flour into a mixing bowl

Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, butter and half the milk

Gradually mix all the ingredients together and beat well until the batter is smooth

Add the remaining milk

Leave to stand in the fridge for 15-30 mins before cooking

Heat a small pan over a high heat and then reduce to a medium heat

Grease the pan with butter (I use kitchen towel to spread it), you can use oil instead.

Put enough batter into the pan and tilt the pan to spread it evenly into a thin layer

Cook until the top of the pancake is dry (around 1-2 mins), then turn over with a pallet knife/fish slice

and cook the other side.

Cinnamon Pancakes

(Adapted from Sugarlaws)

• 2 1/2 cups milk 
• 3 cups flour
• 4 1/2 tsps baking powder
• 5 tsps cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 5 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp butter (melted)

Sieve flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl

Add cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar and combine

Combine butter, eggs and milk in another bowl and add 1/2, mixing well

Add remaining liquid ingredients and combine

Leave to stand for 15-30 mins

Heat medium pan on medium and grease with butter/oil

Add 1 ladel of batter to the pan and cook until bubbles start to form 

on the top of the pancake (approx 1 min)

Flip and cook the other side for approx 1 minute

Serve both with your choice of toppings, applesauce goes amazingly well with the cinnamon pancakes!

Happy Mardi Gras/ Pancake day/ Fat Tuesday

x