Upside-down apple tart

I’m rather annoyed I missed apple day to post this one on! http://www.commonground.org.uk being a big fan of English Apples, and any excuse them. This recipe does just that, and being homemade, it can easily be made egg-free, dairy free- and lets face it there are not many egg-free, dairy free puddings around. Cooking puddings yourself also saves money, and is very satisfying!

This one is a vegan adaptation of the Upside-down apple tart, with orange and oatmeal pastry, from ‘The Almost Vegetarian Cookbook’ (sums me up nicely) by Josceline Dimbleby

The tart can be made in advance, kept in the tin and reheated (good for parties then) The cardamom, honey and orange give a lovely flavour…

Ingredients

125g (4oz) plain flour
50g (2oz) fine oatmeal
75g (3oz) caster sugar
half tsp salt
125g (4oz) dairy free marg
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1-2 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
750g (1 and half 1lb) apples
4tbs lemon juice
2 tbs fine-cut orange marmalade
2 tbs clear honey
seeds of 4-5 cardamon pods, ground finely

method

to make pastry, put the flour, oatmeal, caster sugar and salt into a food processor and whiz just once to mix. Add the marg to the flour mixture to the food processor and whiz again briefly, just until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Add the finely grated orange zest and with the motor running, pour in enough orange juice, whizzing very briefly, for the dough to begin to stick together. Pat the pastry into a ball, cover it with clingfilm and leave in the fridge to chill whilst you prepare the apples..

Smear the base and sides of a 19-20cm (7 and half to 8 inc sandwich tin with a little marg (don’t use a tin with a loose base) and preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200oC/400oF. Peel the apples and. Slice the apples in half and using a very sharp knife, cut out the cores. Slice the apples thinly in half moon slices, putting the slices into a bowl and sprinkling them immediately with lemon juice as you cut them to prevent them discolouring. Put the marmalade and honey into a bowl with the ground cardamon seeds, stir together and spread the mixture over the bottom of the buttered sandwich tin. Next arrange the apple slices neatly overlapping in the tin.

Take the pastry from the fridge and using a well floured rolling pin, roll it out very lightly on a floured board the size of the cake tin.
Carefully roll back the pastry over the rolling pin and place it on top of the apples in the tin. If pastry should break at all, don’t worry, simply press it together. Press the overlapping pastry edge down into the sides of the tin and pierce two holes in the top to allow the steam to escape.

Cook the tart in the centre of the preheated oven for 25mins, then turn down to gas mark 3/160oC/325oF for 30mins. Finally, turn off the oven, open the door slightly and leave the tart in the oven for a further 10-15 mins.

To serve: slide a knife around the edges of the tin and carefully turn the tart out on a flat serving plate. Serve tart warm with dairy free custard or cream…

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Crab-apple Jelly

Next to the Quince Tree (see Quince Chutney) was a small bag full of crab-apple windfalls, fantastic free food! I brought a jelly strainer last week, what a difference it makes, just load it up, then let it drip through over night- simple!
This Jelly is from Jimmy Doherty’s book ‘A Taste of the Country’ It’s the first time I’ve made it, very sharp and sweet at the same time… should go well on toast or with pork…

Ingredients

About 2kg/4 and half lb crab apples
granulated or preserving sugar

method

Wash and chop the crab apples. Put them into a preserving pan with just enough water to cover (about 1 litre/1 and three quarter pints) Bring to the boil slowly, then reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour. Stir occasionally, breaking up the fruit to release the pectin.

After an hour, pour or ladle the fruit and juice into a scalded jelly-bag and allow the juice to drip through for several hours. Measure the strained juice and our it back into a clean preserving pan. For each 565ml or 1 pint of juice add 450g or 1lb of sugar. Stir over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Boil until setting point is reached – about 10 to 15 mins. When the jelly is ready, take the pan off the heat, remove the scum from the surface, and quickly pour into sterilized jars –this jelly sets very fast.

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn 2008 www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Egg free chocolate cake

An absolute delight this one, its rich, dark and very chocolaty. You would never guess that its egg free and dairy free! Just a bit more washing up to do, but always worth it…

ingredients
650ml (22fl oz) boiling water
115g (4oz) creamed coconut
50g (2oz) cocoa powder
400g (14oz) self-raising flour
1 x tsp baking powder
large pinch of salt
225g (8oz) light soft brown sugar
200ml (7 fl oz) sunflower oil
a couple of handfuls of desiccated coconut (optional)
dark chocolate broken into chunks (optional)


method
Pour the boiling water over the coconut and stir until it dissolves. Cool
Sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and mix with the sugar. Make a well in the middle, then pour the oil and coconut mix. Beat everything together to make a smooth batter. Add a handful of desiccated coconut if you like it, and break up a handful of dark chocolate and add chunks. mix.

Pour the mix into a greased and lined 3 pint loaf tin, and if you like coconut, sprinkle another handful of desiccated coconut over the top.. and bake at 180o/350oF/gas mark 4 for 1 and a quarter hours (unless you have a really knackered oven like me, in which case it maybe half an hour longer!) You will know its ready when its well risen and just firm to the touch. (the first time I baked this it was slightly underdone, and was more like a hot pudding, it was delicious with custard/cream/icecream!) Leave to cool in the tin, for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

An ancient illustration, found in an old sketch book © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Rice pudding

A taste of childhood… but actually better than I remember! It’s so easy to make, lovely with cows milk or soya milk. Try different flavourings and extra’s such as adding raisons, or almonds, or using it as a bed for poached fruit. There are many variations on the rice pudding recipes, but this is a great one to start with…

Ingredients

200g (7oz) Italian risotto or pudding rice or sticky rice
350ml (12oz) water
up to 1 litre (1 three quarter pints) milk (or soya)
175g (6oz) sugar or to taste
zest of half a lemon (optional)
vanilla essence (optional)

method

put the rice in a large pot with the water. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered for about 5-6mins, or until the water is absorbed. Keep an eye on it, and stir so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add half to three quarters of the milk, bring to the boil and simmer on a very low heat for 30-40 mins, or until the rice is very soft and the milk almost absorbed (if this happens to quickly add the rest of the milk) stirring occasionally so the rice doesn’t stick. Stir in the sugar and the lemon zest and a vanilla essence to taste. Cook for a few mins longer. Serve hot or cold.

Illustration © Lois Blackburn please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more.

Fruit pie

Pies = a little bit of heaven


And at this time of the year, can cost next to nothing. With blackberries to pick and apples in season to scrumpy (or ask nicely for from a friendly neighbour)
Here’s a recipe for you to play with what ever fruit is in session… blackberry and apple like me, or apple, raisins and cinnamon or rhubarb and lemon…. The list goes on..

Ingredients

6oz short crust pastry (make your own for economy, or cheat like me and get it out of the freezer)
1 and half lb of fresh fruit
4 oz sugar

method

place the fruit in a pie dish with sugar spread on each layer, finish with a layer of fruit piled high in the middle, add a little water, cover with pastry.
Bake just above centre in a hot oven (425o-450oF) gas mark 6-7 for 15 mins, then lower the temp a little for about 20mins until the fruit is cooked. Dredge with sugar and serve hot or cold… with custard, with icecream, with cream, with a cup of tea, the choose is yours.

Today’s illustration © Lois Blackburn. www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more.

Blackberry jam

Everyone seems to have enjoyed the sunshine at the weekend, and been out picking blackberries, so I’ve been frustrated by significantly fewer around… still have one or two more secret spots to try.. got to get a stock in the freezer for winter crumbles…

Here’s a recipe I followed earlier this week for the cost of the sugar and lemon, a significant amount of delicious jam….

2 lb blackberries
2 lb sugar
juice of 1 lemon

method

warm the sugar for 1-2 mins, add the blackberries. Once liquid is forming, turn the heat up, and bring to the boil. Gently stir in the lemon juice. Skim the froth off. Boil until setting point is reached 105oC /220oF (about 6- 7 mins)
Pour into clean sterilised pots.

Today's illustration © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Flapjack

Flapjacks are so easy, tasty, filling and of course economical..Here’s a good basic recipe for you to try. If you fancy you can add extra’s, and loose the orange rind..I like a few spoons on mince meat (if you have any lurking at the back of the fridge like me- left over from last Christmas! Its still in date I promise) or dried fruit, such as apricots or dates, just cook them lightly in a bit of water or fruit juice, then add in a layer or just mix with the rest of the ingredients.. don’t be tempted to overcook flapjacks, they’ll turn crisp and dry and loose their chewy texture.

Ingredients for around 18
1 cup of unsalted butter (or marg)
Finely grated rind of large orange
Two thirds cup of golden syrup
Half a cup of light muscovado sugar (brown)
3 and quarter cups of oats

method

1.preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF/gas mark 4. Line the base and sides of a 28 x 20cm /11 x 8inc shallow baking tin, with baking parchment
2. put the butter, orange rind, syrup and sugar in a large pan and heat gently until the butter has melted.
3. add the oats to the pan and stir thoroughly, tip the mixture into the tin and spread to an even layer
4. bake for 15-20 mins, until colouring at the edges, it will be soft in the tin, but hardens when cool. Leave in tin to cool
5. lift the flapjack out of the tin in one piece and cut into your choice of shape.

Today’s illustration ‘Tala measuring jug’ © Lois Blackburn, www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Blackberry and apple crumble

Last night I made another blackberry and apple crumble, a staple of this time of year. It seems impossible to go out for a walk right now, without coming home laden with blackberries. I’ve just had a neighbour offer me apples from their tree to, so I’m sorted! My crumbles are all different, depending on what ingredients I have at hand, I recommend you do the same… see whats in your store cupboard, what around for free, and then experiment. Here is a basic recipe for you to play with:

Ingredients (filling)
3 large Bramley apples (or whatever you can get hold of for free)
150g caster sugar
pinch of cinnamon
a good punnet of blackberries

topping
50g/2oz butter or marg (butter crumbles are lovely, but marg works just fine)
110g/4oz plain flour (or I like a mix of flour and oats)
55g/2oz caster sugar
seeds such as linseed or flaked almonds (optional)

method
1. preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6
2. peel, core and cut apples into slices of chunks
3. add a splash of water to a pan, the sugar and cinnamon and gently sauté the apples until slightly cooked
4. add the blackberries to the apples and stir gently
5. to make the topping, lightly rub butter or marg into the flour (or flour oat mix) add the sugar an rub into crumbs.
6. spoon the apples and blackberries into a shallow, ovenproof dish, sprinkle over crumb mixture
7. cover with seed or flaked almonds if desired
8. place in the oven for about 20-30 mins or until light golden brown.
9. serve with icecream, or cream or yogurt or custard!

It freezes well, allowing you to take advantage of the glut of fruit.

Today’s illustration ‘blackberries’ © Lois Blackburn www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

Bread and Butter Pudding

And while we’re on bread puddings, I thought I better add my old favourite (sadly not anymore, with all those eggs and milk and butter) here’s the basic to play around with to your hearts content. Leave it as it is, or add marmalade, or apricot jam, or slides of orange, or pieces of chocolate, or……

Ingredients:
5 or 6 thin slices of bread and butter
1 pint of milk
2 eggs
1 dessert spoon of sugar
sultanas, currents, or candied lemon

method:
cut of the crusts and divide each slice into 4 squares, arrange them in layers in a well-greased pie dish and sprinkle each layer with sultanas or whatever is being used. Beat the eggs, and the add the sugar, stir until dissolved, then mix in the milk and pour gently over the bread, which should only half fill the dish. Let it stand at least an hour for the bread to soak, then bake in a moderately cool oven for nearly 1 hour.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 people

Today’s illustration ‘toast’ © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk to see more work.

Bread pudding

A friend of mine just asked if I have a recipe for bread pudding, although I have made lots of bread and butter puddings in my life, I’ve never made a bread pudding. Curious to find out more, I turned to my trusty “Mrs Beeton’s Everyday Cookery’ (an absolute gem of a cookery book and the basis for many an economical delicious dish) and here follows the recipe…. A great way of using up any remnants of bread..

Bread pudding, baked.

Ingredients:
8oz of stale bread
4oz of raisins or currents
2oz of finely shredded suet (you can get vegi versions of suet, or I’m guessing you could use butter)
2oz of sugar
1 egg
a little milk
a good pinch of nutmeg

Method:

Break the bread into small pieces, cover them with cold water, soak for half an hour, then strain and squeeze dry. Beat out all the lumps with a fork, and stir in the sugar, suet, raisins, nutmeg and mix well. Add the egg, previously beaten, and as much milk as necessary to make the mixture moist enough to drop readily from the spoon. Pour into a greased pie-dish and bake gently for about 1 hour. When done, turn out on to a dish, and dredge well with sugar. Sufficient for about 5 or 6 people.

Today’s illustration ‘toast’ © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk to see more work.

Hedgerow Jam

Around here there is an unending supply of blackberries at this time of the year, some of the other ingredients in this jam are a bit harder to forage, but I found enough last year to make this recipe, (you can always exchange ingredients if you have more of one and less of another) we’re about to eat the last jar from last years batch! Lovely spooned onto hot Porrage….

This fantastic virtually ‘free food’ recipe is from the ‘Women’s Institute, Jams, Pickles & Chutneys’ by Midge Thomas

225g (8oz) rose hips
225g (8oz) haws
225g (8oz) rowan berries
225g (8oz) sloes
450g (1lb) crab apples
450g (1lb) blackberries
450g (1lb) elderberries
115g (4oz) hazelnuts, chopped
900 g (2lb) sugar, plus the weight of the fruit pulp

1. wash and clean all the fruit well. Put the rose hips, haws, rowan berries, sloes and crab apples in a large preserving pan and add water to cover. Cook until all the fruit is tender- about 1 hour
2. sieve the fruits and weigh the resulting pulp. Put the pulp back into the washed preserved pan and add the blackberries, elderberries and chopped nuts. Simmer for about 15mins
3. add the 900g (2lb) of sugar plus as much extra sugar as the weight of the pulp. Cook over a low heat to dissolve the sugar and then boil rapidly until the setting point is reached. Remove any scum
4. pour into cooled, sterilised jars, seal and label.

Todays illustration, rosehips and hedgerow jam, pen and ink © Lois Blackburn, please go to www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more

whinberry, (whinberry, bilberry) muffins

Oh what beauties we found on our walk today. Dark blue/purple plump little berries, also known as Black Whortleberry, Burren Myrtle, Dyeberry, Huckleberry, Whortleberry...free food, great fun to pick, all the children helped, eat and dyed their fingers pinky purple. Here's a recipe to show them off..

makes 8

115g/4oz/1 cup plain flour
15ml/1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
65g/2half oz/half cup of soft light brown sugar
1 egg
175ml/6fl oz/3quarter cup milk
45ml/3 tbsp veg oil
10ml/2tsp ground cinnamon
150g/5oz/1 and quarter cups whinberries

1. Preheat the oven to 190oC/375oF/Gas mark 5. Grease eight (or more) muffin tins.
2. with an electric mixer, beat together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, egg, milk, veg oil and cinnamon until smooth.
3. fold the whinberries into the flour mix
4. spoon the mixture into the prepared tins, filling them about two thirds full. Bake for 25 mins, or till golden brown
5. leave to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then transfer the buns to wire rack to cool completely.

Todays illustration is 'whinberry'© Lois Blackburn, www.loisblackburn.co.uk

Meringue

Its got to be one of the sweetist, cheapest pudding bases....For that Eton Mess, or for Pavlova, or with icecream, or.....

2 egg whites
100grams golden caster sugar
quarter teaspoon of baking powder

Preheat the oven to gas mark 2/150 degrees C
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Whisk the egg whites until they reach soft peaks.
Beat into the egg whites the sugar a tbs at a time, whisking for 30sec between each spoonful.
Add the baking powder, whisk until consistency of shaving foam.
Spoon, pipe or use a spatula to spread the meringue mix onto the baking sheet.
Bob the meringue mix into the oven and immediately turn the oven down to gas mark 1 or 140 degrees C.
Bake for 2 hours, don’t be tempted to open the oven after the 2 hours, but instead turn the oven off and leave the meringue inside it, until the oven and it are completely cool. (easiest just to leave it overnight)
You should end up with a delicious, sweet meringue, crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle.

raspberry Eaton Mess

I made those fantastic raspberries that I gathered on the local walk into a delicious Eaton Mess. It’s traditionally made with strawberries, but if you love raspberries like me, you’ll love this version. Oh and its economical to! Home made meringue simple and very cheap to make, there's a recipe for them in the next posting.. and those raspberries didn’t cost me a shilling…

1. make your meringue the night before
2. Whip up some cream, to a light peak
3. lightly fold the fruit and the meringue into the cream
4. serve

a lovely addition is raspberry puree poured over or around the finished mess:
about 450g of raspberries to 50g of icing sugar. Throw the raspberries and icing sugar in a blender, blitz. Then push through a sieve.

The best chocolate cake

I’ve had to think long and hard whether to share this one, as its one of those precious family recipes. My sister Nicky brought it back from school many years ago, since then its been made (and adapted) by every member of the family for every occasion whether: birthdays, celebrations, commiserations or family get together. So I hope I don’t ruffle to many family feathers…

Sieve together 7oz self raising flour, 8oz caster sugar, and 4 tbs coco powder.
Mix with 4oz marg, mix it up in the air to make light mix.
Beat 2 eggs with 5tbs evaporated milk, add to the mixture.
Mix 5tbs water (or less, see the texture of the mixture- you want it quite loose)
Cook in two cake tins, in a medium oven for 35 mins.

Then my favourite bit of the cake, the icing:
Sieve together 3 and a half tbs coco powder with 8oz of icing powder. Mix with 2 and half oz marg. Mix with a little milk that’s been boiled and cooled. (or a little left over evaporated milk) Use the mix immediately otherwise it will set. Expect a fight over whose going to lick the spoon and bowl.

Today’s illustration is a silk painting ‘cocoa’ © Lois Blackburn. Please visit http://www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more images.