Apple Crumble Ice Cream

My friend Coral and I go scrumping at this time of year, so along with the apples I grow myself, I have an abundance of them. In the village there is an abandoned orchard with row upon row of old trees laden with large apples, sadly this year may be the last time we can bring back masses of the crisp fruit since the orchard is becoming increasingly taken over by the ubiquitous bramble.

I really enjoy making ice cream and have for some time wanted to create a recipe for an apple flavoured one. There is a fair bit of effort in making the two extra components that transform the ice cream into the completed apple crumble dessert, you can always chose not to bother making the candied apple and the crumble but do consider making the ice cream, the rich creaminess belies the fact that there is a large component of apple.

For the ice cream you will need;
600g of double cream
240g of caster sugar
500g of apples, peeled and cored
3 yolks from large eggs
1/2 teaspoon of citric acid
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Begin by dicing the apples. Add the citric acid or use the juice from half a lemon as an alternative. Add 200g of the sugar and cook over a very gentle heat for 15 minutes or so. The sugar will dissolve and the cubes of apple will change from opaque to translucent as the sugar and the heat draws out and drives off the water. Blend the cubes of apple along with all juices in a blender until it becomes a really smooth puree (always be careful blending hot ingredients, they expand and the lid can be forced off)
Make the custard base for the ice cream by whisking the egg yolks along with the 40g of sugar. In a saucepan, heat up the cream to scalding, just below boiling point. Add the cream to the egg and sugar mixture, whisking while you do so. Return the mix to the saucepan and over a very gentle heat, heat the custard until it begins to thicken, Do this slowly in order to avoid heating too much and causing the custard to split. Remove from the heat and whisk in the apple puree and salt. Place in a container and once cooled, leave to chill in the fridge  I usually leave mine overnight before continuing to churn into ice cream. I would suggest you do need an ice cream churning machine to make great textured ice cream, there are inexpensive ones on the market that require you to freeze the unit before churning. If you wish to make ice cream in larger quantities and often then it's worth investing in a machine that freezes while it churns.
Churn the ice cream and transfer it to a polythene container, pop it into the freezer to complete the firming process, ideally 8 hours.

For the crumble you will need;
40g of slightly salted butter
70g of plain flour
50g of sugar
Rub the ingredients together until you have a breadcrumb like mixture. Form into large crumbs by squeezing together a little before baking on a baking tray in a moderate oven 160C for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crumbs take on  a golden colour. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

For the candied apple you will need;
100g of diced apples
60g of caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon of citric acid

Again bring the ingredients to a slow simmer in a saucepan until the small dice become translucent. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake in a low oven 100C for 40 to 50 minutes or until the apples have firmed up. Allow to cool and chop up a little before storing in an airtight container.

To serve, simple place a scoop of the ice cream in a dish and sprinkle on some crumble crumbs and a sprinkle of the candied apple.

Notes:
If you chose to make the crumble gluten free, use half GF flour and half ground almonds.
When you store the candied apple, you can add a tablespoon of calvados if you have some.......I dont, sadly!
This is the third flavour in the Cremonezi ice cream series, the first two flavours will be published before too long.

Cauliflower & Cheddar Loaf

I think a cauliflower is such a good vegetable, I love it roasted, cooked and served in a rich cheese sauce, in a creamy soup du Barie, curried, pureed and served with seared scallops, there are so many ways that deliver subtle but excellent flavour. As I was driving home from the market this morning I came up with this recipe. A couple of slices served hot with roast potatoes and peas with a mushroom sauce makes a good dish, I enjoyed a couple of slices at room temperature with my roasted beetroot click here for the recipe, delicious!

For this recipe which makes 2 loaves and feeds 6, you will need;
500g of cauliflower
300g of mature cheddar cheese
180g of breadcrumbs
6 eggs
2 teaspoons of Marigold Bouillon Powder or 1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Using a food processor, process the cauliflower until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, place in a large mixing bowl. Process the bread to form fine breadcrumbs, it's important to use good bread, ideally your own sourdough or at least a firm crumb loaf, 2 or 3 days old. Add to the bowl and add the cheese having grated it. Mix thoroughly along with the seasoning and the eggs. Divide between two 500g loaf tins, which should be lined with baking parchment.
Bake at 160C for an hour and 15 minutes, when the loaf should be nicely puffed up and a rich brown on top. Serve sliced either hot or at room temperature.

Notes:
You can play around with this recipe easily by adding herbs of your choice, perhaps a teaspoon of toasted cumin seeds or varying the cheese.
A slice of this loaf can form part of a sandwich and can be easily brought back to life by frying in a little oil and butter and serving with a fried egg.

Balliol Fig Frangipan Tart

My fig tree has produced so many fruits this year,enough to not only enjoy fresh but also cook in one of my favourite tarts.

For this recipe you will need;
250g of sweet pastry, (I use Pate Brisee)
8 fresh figs
1 large egg
80g of butter
80g of caster sugar
150g of ground almonds
50g of self raising flour
50ml of amaretto liquer
1 teaspoon of baking powder
Apricot jam to glaze

Begin by lining a 20cm baking tin with pastry. I find if you do this the evening beforeand leave the tart shell in the fridge overnight, it bakes very easily the following day with minimum shrinkage. Prick the bottom and bake at 180 for 18 minutes. Meanwhile cut each fig in four. Mix together the other ingredients to form a soft paste. Take the baked tart shell out of the oven, place in the frangipan mix and then distribute the quartered figs evenly and in a rough pattern. Bake in a moderate oven, 180C for 45 minutes or until the centre of the tart seems well risen and firm. When cool melt 2 tablespoons of apricot jam sieve and brush onto the tart to glaze.

Notes:
This tart works perfectly well with other fruits.
I served this tart this evening with my caramel ice cream.

Carrot Cake

Two things puzzle me about carrot cake, why is it that despite the fact I created this recipe for carrot cake 15 or more years ago, it's only now I am getting around to publishing it. The other thing is why despite being totally adorable, is Miranda Hart so down on carrot cake. . . . . even this one!
One slice may provide one of your 5 a day vegetables, sadly 5 slices don't provide 5 of your 5 a day!

Ralph finds Carrot cake can add unwanted inches to his thighs so he only ever eats one slice at a time.

There are of course many versions of this classic cake out there, the main difference between mine and all the others is mine contains chocolate, not much but just enough to add a depth of flavour. Use only the very best dark 70% minimum cocoa solids chocolate you can find, I use Indonesian Black - 100%. If you prefer pecan nuts to walnuts, simply substitute one for the other.

For this recipe you will need;
275g of finely grated carrot
300g of Self Raising flour
400g of caster sugar
200g of chopped walnuts
250ml of vegetable oil
40g of grated dark chocolate
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Begin by lining two 20cm sandwich cake tins with baking parchment and turning the oven on to 180C.
Put all the ingredients in a food mixer and mix for a minute or until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Divide between the two cake tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 35 minutes.

When the cakes are completely cooled, sandwich together with a cream cheese frosting. I make mine from;
300g of icing sugar
100g of cream cheese
50g of unsalted butter

Chocolate cosmos from the garden with Lady Emma Hamilton.

Notes:
Never use reduced fat cream cheese, it makes the  frosting far too wet because of the added water. As a rule I think reduced fat products are to be avoided, if I want to reduce the amount of fat I eat I reduce the amount of fat rather than buy adjusted products. Occasionally however I find you can reduce the amount of fat in a recipe without too much of a compromise. 

Stock Pot Potatoes

Now I'm certain the French have a name for potatoes cooked in this fashion, I'm also sure they would never use vegetable stock. It's the time of year when I am digging potatoes from the garden and this year there seems to be a real abundance of them, enough to make me try cooking them in a variety of ways, I find this one of the most comforting and versatile.

For this recipe you will need;
1 kilo of potatoes
500g of onions
4 fat cloves of garlic
3 bay leaves
1 sprig of thyme
1 tablespoon of olive oil
knob of butter
400ml of vegetable stock
white pepper

Begin by slicing the onions, chopping the garlic and sweating them in the olive oil and bay leaves, over a gentle heat for 10 minutes or so until the onions take on a little colour.
Meanwhile slice the potatoes, not too thinly, I find 5mm minimum works well.
When the onions have taken on a little colour, arrange them in an ovenproof casserole layered with the potatoes. Pour the vegetable stock over the layers and pop the sprig of thyme on top, either put on the lid or a piece of kitchen foil and bake in a moderate oven, 170C for an hour. Remove the lid or foil and dot the top with the small amount of butter, bake for a further 30 minutes until the top has browned a little.

Notes:
Caramelising the onions makes all the difference to this dish, adding a depth of sweet, onion flavour.
Add grated cheese to these potatoes when cold and you have an excellent filling for a quick pastie of pie.