Apple Crumble

APPLE CRUMBLE

Apple crumble is a yummy dessert which can be easily prepared in no time. Tastes delicious if savoured warm. It makes an excellant hot and cold two in one dessert when served along with ice cream.


                                     


INGREDIENTS

Fresh and firm apples - 2
Lime juice - 2 drops
Sugar - 2tbsps ( or 3tbsps if you have a sweet tooth )
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Plain flour - 4 tbsps
Butter - 2 tbsps

Method

1. Wash, core and dice the apples with the peel intact.
2. Mix the diced apples with lime juice.
3. Mix half the quantity of sugar and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon powder with the apple.
4. Line an oven proof dish with this fruit mixture.
5. Mix plain flour with the remaining sugar and cinnamon powder.



                                     


6. Rub in cold butter into the flour mixture till it resembles bread crumbs.
7.Shower the apple mixture evenly with the flour crumbs.
8. Bake in a pre heated oven for 25 minutes at 180 degrees C. Time to switch off the oven when you get a pleasant aroma of cooked apple.

If you prefer a brown topping, grill the apple crumble for 2 minutes after baking, taking care not to burn the dish.


                                      

Apple crumble can be relished as it is or with cream or ice cream.

READ MORE - Apple Crumble

Banana, Walnut & Love Muffins

1/2 cup oil, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup self raising flour, 1/2 t sodium bicarbonate, 2 over ripe bananas, a few pieces of walnuts, 1/2 cup milk. Mix everything, and bake in a muffin tray at 180 degrees (mine is a fan forced oven) for 20 minutes.... for some MUFFIN LOVE!

READ MORE - Banana, Walnut & Love Muffins

Baked Cauliflower Capsicum Milk Rice Cheese & Inspiration Casserole

...and so it was another evening, after a looooong workday. The temptation is strong to get a take away dinner from the Indian reastaurant at the mall, where they serve not so Indian food! Changed my mind... walked to the kitchen... opened the fridge... hmm ...hmmm...
cauliflower ...maybe,
leeks ...use them soon ....
cheese.... a little maybe ,
ready made thai red curry paste .......NAAAAH!
whats the main? gotto to use the rice..

INSPIRATION ..

Burner 1

Heat 2 tbs oil

throw in 3 sliced leeks
Burner 2

heat 2 tbs butter

add 2 tbs corn flour, (gotto to mix it well before it forms lumps!)

pour in milk (if measured it could be 4 tea cups)

keep stirring, stirring, on low flame.
Burner 1

Leeks are browned

Add 1/2 the giant cauliflower broken into large florets

Add salt

Generously add hot red chillie powder (we like rocket fuel)

Masalas? No No!!!

Maybe a spec of mixed herbs...just a spec.
Burner 2

Sauce is just beginning to thicken,

add salt, add pepper.

What else??

open the masala rack, cinnamon powder? ...hmm okay. Add a pinch.

Stir, Stir ....

Burner 1

Looks like cauli will take forever to cook...could burn

Hey ..throw in a sliced capsicum.

3 sliced Tomatoes too...

Shall I add water? NO!

Cover tightly with a lid, and turn flame to low
Burner 2

Smells heavenly ..

Add cheese

Stir

Add the 3 cups of cooked rice that was set aside in the morning for dinner
Mix well.

Switch off
Burner 1

Cauli has cooked ..yeah Switch off...

....in comes hubby... "something smells terrific...."

Pick up the foil tray,

lightly coat with oil spray

Pour in the red hot chillie cauli-capsi

Pour over the milky white rice

Sprinkle pizza cheese

Sprinkle bread crumbs

will the bread crumb brown without oil? ...Spray a little oil on top.

Into the fan forced oven at 200 degrees.

Forget it for 1/2 hour ....play WII golf with hubby...

Open the oven .... oh WOW ... Heaven!!!!

READ MORE - Baked Cauliflower Capsicum Milk Rice Cheese & Inspiration Casserole

Buns

As some of you have asked me, here's how I made the Buns in the earlier post.

Ingredients
Self Raising unbleached flour - 2.5 cups
milk - 1/2 cup
water - 1/4 cup
melted butter - 2 tbsps
dry yeast - one sachet. The cover says '7 grams (15 grams compressed)'.
1 tsp sugar
I forgot to add salt!!!

Method
1. Mix yeast with a little warm water and the sugar as set aside. Within about 5 - 6 minutes it froths.
2 Take the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add water, milk and butter and the yeast and keep stirring. Once all the dough comes together, take it out on a clean flat surface and start kneading. I kneaded for 10 minutes.
3. Cover it with cling wrap, as set aside for 1/2 hour. I left it inside the microwave as its a 'safe' place!
5. The dough would have risen by now. Punch it down, and make 8 equal sized balls. Knead each ball for about two minutes each, and arrange on a baking tray. Cover the whole lot with cling wrap and leave it aside for 1 hour.
6. I pre-heat my oven (it is fan forced) to 180 degrees centigrade for about 10 minutes.
7. Now bake the buns for 12 minutes (the top becomes a nice pale brown as shown in the picture in the post below)
8. Remove from oven immediately, and quickly coat the top of the buns with melted butter.
9. Loosely arrange the buns into a large bowl, so that they max suface area is free for aeration! (I don't have a wire rack!)

The End!

READ MORE - Buns

My First Buns!

MY FIRST BUNS.......
Okay ...it’s not like it sounds! :-))

Anyway, after a disastrous baking experience in Kolkata that ended with a command (plea?) from my husband, “Thou shalt not bake at home, what can be bought at the grocers” I did not venture again, into the bread, cakes, and cookies world.

But then, the food blogging world has happened! It seems like the whole world is baking, and successfully, by the looks of it! “Hmmm ...but then why is 'Daring Bakers' called 'daring' if it’s no big deal?” I ask myself, even as I smuggle a pack of dry yeast and a kilo of self-raising unbleached flour, into our monthly groceries.

“What’s that for?” asks my husband suspiciously eyeing the small pack of dry yeast that caught his attention. I ramble about the difference in gluten content in Kolkata wheat and Sydney wheat, and a video I saw on Bread making for Dummies, even as the cashier at Coles cheerily packed, billed, and dismissed us with a “Thank you, have a great day”.

“If you must, why don’t you just join a course at TAFE and learn the proper way?” asks Hubby weakly. “Okay” says I meekly, and a tad too fast, putting the topic to an end.

“What can TAFE teach me, that my Foodie World Power cannot?” I say to myself later, as I furiously google away. I find this simple, down-to-earth blog by Rhonda. Wow …simple living is real hard work! Anyway, some simple values rub off on me, and I make up my mind that no ‘no-knead breads’ or short cuts for me, until I first learn the ‘real’ way.

I browse over to thank Purnima - a new visitor to my blog, and here’s is what I find! Thanks Purnima! This is it! The time has finally arrived! A quick jump to Anjali's and Bee’s posts, and the yeast prayer, I begin mixing the flour at 7:16pm. My first buns are ready by 9:46pm.

Served with melted butter, and delicious home made leek and asparagus soup, even hubby gallantly admits it’s a hit.

“I shalt NOT not bake at home, what can be bought at the grocers” I make a determined promise to myself!

READ MORE - My First Buns!