75 g butter
2 dl sugar
3 egg yolks
250 ml flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
125 ml milk
3 egg whites Topping:
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 Bramley apple, cored, peeled, chopped into small pieces or slices as you like.
Preheat the oven to 220C
Whisk butter & sugar, Add egg yolks one by one, whisking at same time.
Mix together flour, baking powder & salt. Add it to the butter mixture along with milk.
At last add the whisked egg whites.
Pour the mixture into the 24 cm baking tin.
Scatter over the apple pieces.
Chop together all ingredients for the topping, sprinkle over the cake.
Bake ca 30 min.
Its time to get in mood with all these carved pumpkins, dancing skeletons, smiling ghosts & witches riding on brooms.
Samhain is the most important holiday of the Celtic calendar. It is the start of the Celtic New Year. This is a good time to make new year resolutions (I make them twice in a year now, just in case I fail, I'll still have 1.January for a second chance :)). In addition to celebrating the year’s end, it is also a celebration of the beginning of Winter.
The doors are opened between the worlds & the paths are travelled by the spirits going back & forth on this night. This world & the Otherworld become equivalent to each other & no barriers exist between the dead & the living, that is, the “Veil” is at its thinnest.
Light a candle for a loved one who has passed on.
Don't forget to leave out food for the fairies on Halloween night at home or at the nearest hawthorn or white-thorn bush to appease the spirits.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:
Whilst carving your Jack O’Lantern,save the seeds. Roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious & are rich in nutritious minerals such as zinc.
Preheat the oven to 120C.
Wash the pumpkin seeds to remove all the pulp & place in a bowl. Melt a bit of butter in a pan & then pour in the seeds slowly, tossing while you go. Do not use too much butter, but just enough to lightly coat the seeds. Add salt, spread the seeds out over a baking pan & bake, turning occasionally, until crisp & lightly golden browned. Overcooking causes the nuts to toughen and lose flavor.
Irish Champ:
Classic Irish recipe of mashed potato & scallions or spring onions (you can use leeks instead).
750 g-1 kg potatoes, peeled & quartered
1 cup scallions/spring onions
55-75 g butter
75-100 ml milk
Salt and pepper
Simmer the potatoes in lightly salted water until cooked.
Finely chop the white part of the scallion/spring onion & roughly chop the green part. Keep to one side.
Drain the potatoes & add the butter & milk & mash until smooth & creamy.
Add the finely chopped white part of the onion and mix well.
Season well with salt and pepper. Serve with the green part of the onion sprinkled on the top.
Colcannon also has a special meaning at Samhain. On Samhain, colcannon has divination properties, it contains charms -- a ring to symbolize a marriage, a coin to symbolize wealth, a pea to symbolize poverty, a thimble to symbolize spinsterhood & a stick to symbolize "one who will travel far."
1 kg (2 lbs) potatoes, freshly cooked & mashed
250 g ( ½ lb) kale or white cabbage, just cooked, drained & finely chopped
Milk, butter, salt & black pepper
Mix potatoes & kale or cabbage together. Heat some milk with a generous knob of butter. Beat it into the potato mixture until smooth & creamy. Season well.
Did You Ever Eat Colcannon?*
(Traditional)
Did you ever eat Colcannon
When 'twas made with thick'n'd cream
& the greens & scallions blended
Like a picture in a dream?
Did you ever scoop a hole on top
To hold the melting cake
Of clover-flavoured butter
That your mother used to make?
Did you ever eat & eat, afrain
You'd let the ring go past,
& some old married sprissman
Would get it at the last?
Gods be with the happy times
When trouble we had not
& our mother made Colcannon
In the little, three-legged pot.
Another Halloween treat is a Barmbrack, a rich Irish fruit bread. Again, the “charms” baked into each loaf would foretell the future of the recipient. Placed in the barmbrack were: a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth & a ring. Whoever received in their slice the pea, would be unmarried; the stick, would be a fighter; the cloth or rag, would be poor;& the ring, would get married within the year.
Barmbrack is usually baked in a round (20 cm or 8″) cake tin with a loose base.
2 tea bags, or 3 tsp. loose tea (a strong black blend works best)
350 g mixed dried fruit (raisins, golden raisins/sultanas, currants, candied peel)
240 ml milk
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. dried active yeast or 25 g fresh yeast
450 g strong bread flour
1 tsp. salt
25 g brown sugar
75 g butter
1 beaten egg
1 tsp. mixed spice
Make 2 cups of strong black tea.
Soak the dried fruit in the tea for few hours or up to overnight.
Warm the milk until it is hand-hot. Stir in the teaspoon of sugar & the yeast & leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes or until it becomes frothy.
Mix the flour, salt & brown sugar in a large bowl.
Rub in the butter or margarine.
Add the yeast, the beaten egg & the spice.
Drain any remaining liquid from the fruit, then add the fruit to the mixture.
Mix well to make a smooth dough (add extra flour if the mixture is too wet).
Turn the dough onto a floured board & knead it thoroughly.
Place it in a buttered tin, cover with a clean towel or cling film & leave in a warm place to rise for 45 – 60 minutes; the dough should have doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Place the tin in the oven & bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the tin, turn it upside down & put it back in the tin or directly on the oven shelf.
Bake for another 20 minutes or so. The loaf will be ready when it sounds hollow when you tap on each of the sides.
Cool the loaf on a wire rack before serving.
Filling:
70 g butter, soft
50 g roasted hazelnuts
50 raisins
3 tbsp sugar
brandy for taste
For serving:
vanilla ice cream
chocolate sauce
2 passion fuits or passion fruit syrup
Crush the nuts slightly.
Mix the filling together.
Cut off the top ca 1 cm of the apples, core & scoop out some flesh.
Divide the stuffing among the apples.
Cover with foil & bake at 200C for 15 min, take foil off & bake until ready.
Serve with ice cream, chocolate sauce & passion fruits on the side.
After lovely few summery days we are now back to black here in Ireland so one big warming cake is a necessity.I was in the mood for something extra sweet & fruity so I came up with this traybake to meet the needs:)
Base:
400 g flour
250 g butter,at room temperature
125 g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
Filling:
500g-800g apples,cored & chopped
125 g sugar
100 g raisins
50 g chopped almonds(you can also use hazelnuts instead)
1 tbsp brandy( optional :) )
4 tbsp raspberry jam
With a wooden spoon beat the butter & the sugar together until smooth.
Add egg,stir in the flour mixed with baking powder & cinnamon.
Using your hands knead the mix together.Take a small bit of the dough for the hearts to decorate the cake.
Butter and line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking paper.
Press the dough over the baking tray.
Spread with raspberry jam.
For the filling mix all ingredients together & scatter over the base.
For the hearts roll out the rest of the dough to about 1/2 cm thick. Cut out your shapes & arrange over the cake.
Bake at the 220C for 30-40 min,until golden brown.
4-5 pears,very ripe
3 apples
1 clementine
~100 ml sugar
handful of raisins
Peel,core & cut the pears & apples into the smaller pieces.
Peel & cut the clementine,make sure all seeds are out.
Put apples,pears & clementine into a small sauce pan,cover with water & boil until soft,add sugar.Add water if needed.Boil it for extra 1-2 min,take off the heat & blend.You can also press it throu the sieve.Add raisins,back to the heat,check the taste if you need more sugar or want to add some spice to your jam,cinnamon or ginger,maybe nutmeg,bring it to the boil ,take off the heat & spoon the jam into the jars(about2x250 ml jars).Close the jars airtight & keep in the fridge.
I had loads of pears waiting for somebody to eat them way too long,in some reason they are not too popular fruits in our family.So i had to use them up & now I got this beautiful spread for our sunday pancakes!Delicious & not too sweet,so the fruits can spoil your taste buds.
1,5 cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
100 g butter
1 lemon,grated rind
50 ml yogurt or sour cream
1 egg or just yolk Filling:
2 big apples
2 cups of strawberries
50 g sugar
juice of half of the lemon
1 tbsp cornflour
Sift the flour into a bowl.
Add the butter & rub in with your fingertips,until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.Add the sugar & egg,then yogurt or sour cream.Combine to form dough.Place it into the fridge. Make the filling:
Chop the apples.
Quarter the strawberries.
Mix in the lemon juice,sugar,then cornflour.
Place the baking paper on to the big 25x35 cm baking pan.
Roll out the dough,place it onto the baking pan,spoon the filling in the middle leaving a border of ca 6 cm on all sides.
Carefully fold the edges of the pie crust up and over so that circle of the filling is visible..
Bake at 180C for 40 min.
Serve warm or cold with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Base:
300 g flour
200 g butter,cut into pieces
100 g sugar
1 egg
grated rind of half lemon
Sift the flour into a bowl.
Add the butter & rub in with your fingertips,until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.Add the sugar & egg.Combine to form dough.
Place the baking paper on to the big 25x35 cm baking pan.Press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan.
Prick it lightly all over with a fork.Chill for 30 min.
Preheat the oven to 200C.Bake the base for 10 min.
Filling:
1 kg Bramley apples,cored,quartered,sliced
1 lemon,juice
100-150 g sugar
1tbsp cinnamon
Separate the egg yolks from egg whites.
Whisk the whites until soft peaks form then gradually add sugar,still whisking until stiff.
Whisk the egg yolks until pale in colour,add to the egg whites.
Sift in the flour & cornflour mixture.
Gently mix everything together.
Arrange the apple pieces over the cake base,scatter the sugar & cinnamon over & pour the egg mixture on to the top.
Bake at 200C for 20-25 min or until deliciously golden.
Before serving dust with dusting sugar & drizzle some strawberry coulis over....
Strawberry Coulis:
250g strawberries
50g caster sugar
1tsp lemon juice
Wash and dry strawberries, then hull. Place in a food processor with sugar and lemon juice and whizz until the sauce is glossy and the sugar has dissolved.
Can be also stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for three or four days.
This cake will be absolute heaven with rhubarbs as well..
25 g fresh yeast or 7 g dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
30 g butter
250 ml water
100 ml sour cream
Filling:
3 apples
handful of raisins
handful of pecans
juice of half lemon
50-100 g sugar
cinnamon
melted butter for brushing
egg,beaten for eggwash
If using dry yeast then follow the instructions on the package.
If using fresh yeast:
Boil half of the water & pour it over the butter,mix until completely melted.
Add the rest of the cold water,you should get lukewarm mixture.
Add flour & salt,sour cream.
Melt the yeast with sugar & mix everything together.
Knead for 5 min or until dough starts to come off the hands & bowl. Sprinkle over little flour & leave to stand in warm place,covered with cling film or clean towel for 40 min or until its doubled in size.
For the filling cut the apples into the small pieces.Sprinkle with lemon juice & sugar.Add raisins & chopped nuts.
Roll out the dough on floured surface 40x40 cm.
Brush with melted butter.Scatter over some sugar & cinnamon.
Place the filling all over & roll it up.Pinch together all loose ends & lift the roll onto the prepared baking tray.
Cover it with clean towel & leave for 30 min in warm place.
Brush with egg & bake at 200C for ca 40-50 min.
5 eggs
150 g sugar
100 g flour
3 Bramley Apples
1tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
Preheat the oven 200C.
Line the 30x40 cm baking tin with baking paper.
Peel & chop apples into quite small pieces,mix with sugar & cinnamon.
Whisk the egg yolks with sugar until pale yellow.
Whisk the egg whites with pinch of salt separately until stiff.
Mix 1/3 of egg whites egg yolks,add flour.
Gradually add the rest of the egg whites.
Pour the mixture into the baking tin & scatter apples all over. They will sink in while baking.
Bake 25-30 min.
Scatter over some dusting sugar.
Serve with vanilla ice cream
2 large Bramley Apples,peeled,quartered,cored
40 g butter
140 g sugar
2 eggs,separated
vanilla extract
Heat the oven to 200C.
Cut the apples roughly into 2 cm chunks.Cook along with the butter & 20 g of the sugar gently for 10-15 min until the apples are soft.Stir occasionally.Remove from the heat & cool ca 5 min.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff.Gradually whisk in the rest of the sugar to make a thick,glossy meringue.
Whisk in the vanilla extract.
Beat the egg yolks into the apple mixture & spoon into 4 buttered 100 ml ramekins.
Spoon the meringue gently on top & place on to the baking tray.
Bake for 10-15 min until meringue is just set & very lightly browned.
Serve hot.
Filling: 250 ml rhubarb(4-5 stalks),cut into 1 cm pieces 2 apples,cored & chopped handful of raspberries handful of almond flakes 1 dl sugar 1 tsp cinnamon
Cream the butter & sugar until light & fluffy.Add eggs,strongly mixing. Combine flour & baking powder & add to the mixture. Press the dough over the bottom & sides of the baking tin(27 cm). Place the rhubarb,apples & raspberries on to the base.Sprinkle with sugar & cinnamon. Scatter over some almonds. Bake in the preheated oven at 175-200C ca 30 min.
2 cooking apples,cored,sliced ~50 g sugar 200 g blackberries & blackcurrants 1 lemon,grated peel & juice Prepare the fruit & spread in the bottom of the baking dish or ramekins. Sprinkle over the lemon juice & peel.Scatter sugar on top.
75 g butter 150 g flour 75 g sugar,can be soft brown sugar 75 g hazelnuts or almonds If you wish add some cinnamon Rub the flour & butter together until it resembles very coarse breadcrumbs.stir in the sugar & chopped nuts.Scatter the topping over the fruit. Bake the crumble in the preheated oven at 180C for 35-40 min(or 15-20 min in the ramekins)until golden & bubbly.
Serve the crumble with Creme Anglaise: 500 ml fresh cream 50 g sugar vanilla extract 6 large egg yolks Put the cream in a heavy-based sauce pan with 1 tbsp sugar. Slowly bring to the boil. Beat the egg yolks & remaiing sugar together until pale & creamy. When the milk is at the boiling point,pour about third of it to the egg mixture,whisking well.Gradually pour in the rest of the milk,whisking continuously. Return the mixture to the pan,stirring.Cook on a very low heat,stirring all the timewith the wooden spoon until it thickens slightly_enogh to coat thinly the back of the spoon.If you draw a finger down the back of the spoon,it should leave an impression. Immediately remove the custard from the heat & strain through the fine sieve into a chilled bowl.Cover & allow to cool,stirring occasionaly to prevent a skin forming.Chill.
500 g flour 200 g sugar 250 g butter 2 eggs 2 tsp baking powder vanilla For filling: ca 800 g apples 200 g seedless grapes 50 g sugar 100 g pecan nuts cinnamon
Mix all dry ingredients,pieces of butter.Work it all together with your fingertips,until crumbly texture forms. Slice apples. Place 2/3 of the crumble mix over the prepared big baking tray. Place apples & grapes on to the top.Sprinkle over with sugar & cinnamon. Cover the cake with the rest of the crumble.Scatter over pecans. Bake in the preheated oven at 200C for 40 min or until golden brown.
500 g puff pastry 3 big apples 3 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon Filling: 250 g soft cheese 1 dl sugar 1 egg 2 tsp corn flour 0,5 tsp vanilla sugar
Oven 200C. Roll out the pastry & cut out 6 squares. Halve the apples,remove the core. For filling mix soft cheese,sugar,egg,corn flour & vanilla sugar together. Place some filling on to the each square,place the apple half on to the top.Sprinkle over some sugar & cinnamon.Lift up the corners of the each pastry & securely squeezetogether. Brush with egg & bake ca 30 min or until lovely golden.
500 g flour
250 ml water
100 g butter,soft
75 g sugar
30 g yeast
6 g salt
Filling:
3 apples,cut into small pieces
0,5 lemon juice
3 tbsp. sugar
cinnamon
Glazing:
lemon juice
icing sugar
Mix the yeast with 1 tbsp of sugar until it dissolves.
Combine 200 ml boiled water with 400 g cold water,should be at hand temperature.Add flour,rest of the sugar,salt,yeast mixture & butter.
Knead until dough becomes smooth & elastic,ca 10-15 min.
Cover & chill 30-40 min.
Roll out the dough into 2 circles.
Place apple filling in the middle of each circle.Put few bits of butter over the filling.Turn sides up all around & securely press together on the top,make sure apple juices wouldn't leak out from anywhere.Place the bombs on to the prepared baking trays.Cover with clean towel & leave for 30 min. in warm place.
Brush with egg.
Bake in the preheated oven at 200C for 20 min.,or until lovely golden brown & done.
Drizzle over some glazing when slightly cooled.
