Roasted Pears with Honey, Cinnamon & Cardamom

 

We were very grateful to have been able to get our hands on a fruit and vegetable box last week.  It was filled with all sorts of lovely things and I have been making sure that I make the most of everything that was in the box.

 

I have been enjoying eating the apples out of hand, and Todd has been enjoying the bananas.  One night I made us a cut fruit salad with some of the bananas, some cut up oranges, a kiwi and some coconut.

 

And of course we have been enjoying the potatoes, onions, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower in the box.  I still have parsnips and a butternut squash to make use of.  Not a problem.

 

There was a quantity of Conference pears, which can be awfully hard to eat out of hand, but they are beautiful for cooking with as they hold their shape well. 

 

Conference pears are a medium-sized pear with an elongated bottle aand are quite similar in appearance to the 'Bosc pear'. A table pear, it is suitable for fresh-cut processing. The skin is thick greenish-brown, becoming pale yellow when ripe. The flesh is white, but turns pale yellow when the pear is ripe. The texture is very fine and soft, and the flavour is sweet. They have always reminded me of Russet Apples in a way.

 

They are beautiful roasted!  Roasting softens them up nicely and really enhances their beautiful pear flavour.

 

This is not so much a recipe as it is a technique which you can apply to any quantity of the hard fleshed fruit. In fact you really want hard fruits for this as they stand up better in the roasting, and hold their shapes well.

 

To do this I peel the fruit and then I scoop out the seed portion of the fruit using  a metal measuring spoon, or a melon baller if you have one. This leaves a little bowl shape, which is perfect for filling with things  . . .  like little nobs of butter  . . .

 

I lay them out on a baking sheet, lined with paper, cut side up and do just that.  Pop a little knob of cold butter into each bowl.

 

It is probably not more more than 1/4 tsp.  We are awfully fond of the flavours of cinnamon and cardamom and so we also sprinkle a modicum of ground cinnamon and ground cardamom over each pear half. I finish them off with a small drizzle of honey and then I roast them in a hot oven . . .

  

It doesn't take too long . . . only about 20 minutes or so.  I start them cut side up, roast for a bit, then flip them over, roast for a bit longer, and then I flip them and cook them just for a little while longer until they are just slightly caramelised and beautifully sticky.   These are gorgeous served with a nice dollop of thick yogurt or some cream.  Ice cream would also be very nice.

Roasted Pears with Honey, Cinnamon & Cardamom

Yield: Variable

Author: Marie Rayner

This is not so much a recipe as it is a technique.  Its great for when you end up with fruit that is rock hard.  These always turn out perfect.

Ingredients:

• fresh pears
• honey
• butter
• ground cinnamon and cardamom

To serve:

• thick plain yogurt, or pouring cream
• vanilla bean ice cream

Instructions:

How to cook Roasted Pears with Honey, Cinnamon & Cardamom

1. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Line a baking tray with some baking paper.
2. Peel your pears and cut them in half lengthways.  Using a metal teaspoon or melon baller scoop out the seeds of each half and discard.  I also like to trim off the blossom end, although I do leave on the stems for asthetic purposes.
3. Place the pears cut side up on the baking tray.  Put a little dab of butter into the hollow in each pear half.  Sprinkle with each with some cardamom and cinnamon and then drizzle with honey.
4. Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, flip over and roast for a further 10 minutes.  Flip again and roast until the pears are sweetly glazed, soft and golden.
5. Serve warm with some of the juices spooned over top and a dollop of yogurt or some cream, or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream of you have it.

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I can't help feeling a tiny bit sad today as this was the day that I should have had my children arriving. Oh what a joyous reunion that would have been.  It has been 8 years since I have seen them. Nevermind, with any lucky and the goodness of God it will still happen later in the year.  Stay happy, stay healthy, wash those hands and, if you can,  stay home!  

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Berry & Cream Croissant French Toast for Two

 

I saw this fabulous casserole on Half Baked Harvest one day and I fell in love with the photograph and recipe.  I mean . . . . croissants, jam, cream cheese, eggs, fruit  . . .  what's not to love about that!  I thought to myself, I'm IN!

 

However it was far too large of a casserole for me to justifiably bake for Todd and myself, and it will be about a month and a half before my kids come over.  I didn't want to wait that long.  I wanted to taste this gorgeousness NOW!

 

I also happened to have 3 large stale croissants here in the house leftover from when Todd bought some at Costco the other day. We had eaten as many of them that we could and I couldn't bear throwing any of them away.  This breakfast casserole was really calling my name.

 

Her recipe serves 8 people. We are only 2. What to do, what to do . . . .  I reduced it by half and then by half again and crossed my fingers.

 

Just look at that.  It turned out perfectly!  Amazingly scrumptiously perfect!

 

You get flaky butter bits of croissant . . .  along with souflee-like bread pudding bits  . . .  interspersed with pockets of wild blueberry jam and nuggets of rich cream cheese  . . .  oh my goodness . . .

 

I love wild blueberry jam . . .  and fresh blueberries of course.  I just love blueberries and they work wonderfully in this. Raspberry jam and fresh raspberries would also work, and here's a thought  . . .  peach or apricot jam with raspberries, kind of like a peach melba . . .

 

She served hers with whipped cream.  I just happened to have a lovely tub of extra thick Jersey cream in the refrigerator.  You can't beat that.  Its perfection.

 

And so I dolloped a bit of that on each serving, about a tablespoon full  . . .  scrummy yummy . . .

 

Real Maple syrup  . . .  fresh blueberries   . . .

 

I am definitely going to make this for my children when they come over.  They are going to love LOVE it!

  

I just had a thought that would also be very good . . .  Orange Marmalade along with black berries  . . .

  

Oh my the possibilities are truly endless.  One thing is certain, I am making this again, and you deffo need to make this!

Berry & Cream Croissant French Toast for Two

Yield: 2 generous serving

Author: Marie Rayner

A delicious breakfast casserole.  You must wait at least 30 minutes to bake it, or up to overnight.  Great to throw together the night before, banging it into the oven on the morning.

ingredients:

For the Casserole:

• 2 large free range eggs, beaten lightly
• 120ml whole milk (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 TBS Maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch salt
• 3 large stale croissants, torn or sliced into chunks (you want about 3 cups)
• 3 ounces wild blueberry jam (1/3 cup)
• 3 ounces cream cheese, cut into small cubes
• 2 TBS cold butter, sliced
• powdere sugar to dust at the end

To Serve:

• Whipped cream
• maple syrup
• fresh berries

instructions:

How to cook Berry & Cream Croissant French Toast for Two

1. Beat th ggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl. Add the croissant chunks and gently toss together.
2. Butter a 6 by 8 inch baking dish. Layer half of the soaked croissants in the dish. Dot with the jam and the cream cheese. Top with the remaining croissants and pour over any egg/milk mixture that remains in the bowl. Let stand for at least half a hour or in the refrigerator overnight, covered.
3. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 6. Dot the top with the slices of cold butter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the FrenchToast is golden brown and crisp. If you think it is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
4. Serve warm with some whipped cream, fresh berres and maple syrup for pouring.

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I am enjoying reducing recipes and trying them out in smaller sizes.  Its a bit of a challenge, but a most delicious one.  One thing I have learned is that its well worth it.  Don't ever let the size of a dish daunt you or make you think that you can't possibly remake it as a smaller  recipe.  What are some recipes/dishes that you would like to see me try to make smaller?  I am up for the challenge! 

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Skillet Apple Crumble

 

I had purchased rather a lot of apples that needed using up and so I thought to make us an apple crumble.  I say us, but really I mean Todd.  I hardly ever eat dessert, although I do always taste it.  Quality control, you know how it goes.

This turned out fabulously tasty!  It is also a part of my  commitment to sharing more recipes for smaller families this year.   If you are not a smaller family, you could certainly double the ingredients for this one, or I do have a full sized crumble recipe here.

 

You will need an 8-inch oven-proof skillet to bake this in, but failing that you can also bake it in a small casserole or loaf tin.  (That's pouring cream on top.)

 

Todd loves custard or cream on his fruit desserts . . . .  well, really he loves it on any dessert, and he is a lucky creature in that he seems to be able to eat these things without any problem, whereas  I just have to look at them and I put on ten pounds.

 

That's life and as the old saying goes, Life isn't fair!

 

A simple crumble topping is made using oats, flour, chopped walnuts, brown and white sugars and butter . . . .

 

The fruit filling is a mix of cinnamon sugar coated apple slices sauteed briefly in butter  just until they are tender.  You top them with the oat mixture and then briefly bake in a hot oven until crisp and golden brown.

 

It is delicious served warm and spooned into bowls along with lashings of cream or custard, or vanilla ice cream, which would be my personal choice.

 

Tender sweet, buttery Cinnamon apples  . . .  crisp crumbly oat-nutty topping  . . .

 

This really is very good.

 

VERY very good . . .  but don't take my word for it.  Bake it for yourself and see.

  

If you wanted to you could switch out the walnuts for almonds and add some frozen or fresh raspberries to the apples, in which case it would  be a Skillet Apple & Raspberry Almond Crumble.  Delicious either way.

Skillet Apple Crumble

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: cook time: total time:

Apples caramelised in butter bake beneath a scrumptious walnut and oat crumble topping for the perfect comfort dessert for two. You can also bake this in a small loaf tin if you don't have an oven-proof skillet. It is a bit of an extravagance

ingredients:

For the apples:

• 4 large pink lady apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 2 TBS granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 TBS butter
• 120ml cloudy apple juice (1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp lemon juice

For the crumble topping:

• 35g plain flour (1/4 cup)
• 20g old fashioned oats (1/4 cup)
• 30g chopped toasted walnuts (1/4 cup)
• 3 TBS packed soft light brown sugar
• 1 TBS granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 TBS melted butter

instructions:

How to cook Skillet Apple Crumble

1. First make the topping. Combine the flour, oats, walnuts, cinnamon and both sugars in a bowl.  Add the melted butter and stir together with a fork to combine into a crumbly topping.  Set aside.
2. Toss the apples together in a bowl along with the granulated sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside.
3. Put the apple juice into an 8-inch oven-proof skillet.  Bring to the boil and boil for about 3 minutes until reduced to 80ml/1/3 cup.  Tip out into a beaker and add the lemon juice.  Set aside.
4. Melt the butter in the skillet and add the cinnamon apples.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the apples have begun to soften and become translucent, about 15 minutes.  Gently pour in the apple juice mixture and stir to combine. (If you are using a small loaf tin, transfer them to the loaf tin now.)
5. Preheat the oven to 220*C/420*F/ gas mark 7.
6. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the apples, breaking up any larger chunks.
7. Place the skillet/loaf tin onto a baking sheet to catch any overflow.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.  Serve warm.

NOTES:

If you wanted to you could substitute flaked or chopped almonds for the walnuts and add a handful of fresh or frozen raspberries to the apples before topping them with the crumble topping.

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Oh but the weather is so dismal and windy and grey here today, this was a real mood lifter for Todd. I hate British winters  . . .  there is nothing redeemable about them.  Sigh  . . . .

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Maple & Cranberry Baked Apples

 

 Baked Apples one of the comfort foods we like to enjoy in the Winter months.  Apples are plentiful and at their best. We don't mind having the oven on, and they are delicious and very easy to do.

 

I had recently gotten some fabulous Organic Dried Cranberries and Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks from Buy Wholefoods Online and I felt they would be perfect for using in this simple and easy dessert. If you are not familiar with Buy Whole Foods Online you really need to look them up. I buy all of my dried fruit from them every year for my Christmas Cakes, and other bits and bobs throughout the year. Buy Whole Foods Online is an international health food supplier, based in Minster, Ramsgate, North East Kent. They deliver top quality natural and organic wholefoods, and related healthy living products, directly to homes and businesses across the UK and Europe. I have always been very happy with both their products and their service.

 

Baked apples make for a lovely breakfast treat or a dessert for after your dinner. I think they are very homey and comforting. You can bake just about any apple, but today I chose to use Pink Ladies as that is what I had in the refrigerator.  You will need to core them.

 

I have an apple corer, but today I also wanted to keep the bottoms intact, so I just used it to punch a whole down into the apple almost through to the bottom and then I used a metal 1/4 tsp measure to scoop out the core and enough surrounding apple to give me a one inch cavity down most of the length of the apple.

 

You need plenty of room to hold a cinnamon stick and that buttery cranberry, oat and maple filling! There's a bit of freshly grated nutmeg in there as well. I like to buy my nutmegs whole.  They last forever and freshly grated nutmeg is far superior to the already grated stuff you can buy.  At Buy Wholefoods you can buy anywhere from 125g up to 1 kg.   (It would take you a long time to use the larger amount.)

 

I always cut a really shallow line into the apple all the way around it horizontally.  This helps to prevent the apple from bursting when it is baking.  You will see it when you first take the apple out of the oven, but once the apple settles it disappears pretty much.

  

 You could of  use ground cinnamon but I really like the way that a whole cinnamon stick uses in these.  You don't eat it of course, but it does impart a nice cinnamon flavour to the whole apple and when you are done you can use add it to a saucepan along with some orange peel, whole cloves, star anise and water to make a natural air freshener.  When we had the wood stove I always had a container filled with this simmering on the back of the stove all winter through.  It made the house smell gorgeous and put some moisture into the air at the same time.  Wood fires can be so drying.

 

Isn't that pretty!  You stuff around the cinnamon stick with the oat, maple and cranberry stuffing. It helps to hold the cinnamon stick in place and adds even more lovely flavours to the apples.

 

They bake in a small baking dish along with some boiling water and a bit of Maple Syrup.  This forms a bit of a sauce when all is said and done, which is lovely spooned over the finished apples.

  

Depending on the apples you use it will take anywhere from between 40 minutes to an hour for them to bake to a nice softness  . . . I like them to be just soft enough to easily push the tip of a sharp knife into them.

 

These were done just right in about 45 minutes.  Take them out after about 40 and check them. If you think they are still hard, cover them up and pop them back in for a little bit longer.  Nobody enjoys a hard baked apple.

 

I have given quantities today for only two, but you can of course double or triple the amounts if you want more.

  

These were just perfect with some double cream poured into the bowl with them, but custard or vanilla ice cream would also be nice. In all truth they are also very tasty just on their own.

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Maple & Cranberry Baked Apples

Natures comfort food. All natural and delightful served for breakfast or dessert. We like cream with them, but custard is also very nice, as is ice cream.

ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet eating apples (I used Pink Ladies)
• 1 TBS finely chopped dried cranberries
• 3 TBS maple syrup, divided
• 4 TBS rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 TBS butter
• 120ml boiling water (1/2 cup)

instructions:

How to cook Maple & Cranberry Baked Apples

1. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 4.  Have ready a small baking dish.
2. Wash and dry your apples. Using a sharp measuring spoon, or apple corer, remove the cores from the centre of the apples, leaving the base intact.  I push down with the corer to where I want it to go and then use the measuring spoon to remove the apple. You will want about a 1 inch wide cavity for filling. Lightly score horizontally around the centre of each apple.  This helps to keep them intact so that they don't burst open when baking.
3. Mix together the dried cranberries, oats, 1/2 of the butter, 1 TBS of the maple syrup and the nutmeg.  Put a cinnamon stick in the centre of each apple and fill around the sides with the oatmeal mixture.  Put them into the baking dish. Dot the tops with the remaining butter.  Whisk together the remaining maple syrup and the boiling water. Pour around the apples in the dish. Cover tightly with aluminium foil.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the apples are cooked through and tender.  Remove from the oven and spoon any juices in the dish over top.  Serve warm.

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I bet I probably bake apples at least once a week in the Winter months. Todd just loves them and as far as dessert goes, they are not all that unhealthy.  Low in sugar and fat, and high in fibre too! 

 

I got a few other things from Buy Whole Foods.  Organic Barley Flour, (which I am going to make some bread with),Pickling Spice (I am thinking pickled carrots here or red onions.  It is also great with red cabbage), Turmeric Powder (Fabulous to give you brilliant colour in a curry and  also has a great many other health benefits) and Brewers Yeast, which is another great nutritional supplement.  Try it mixed into your hot drinks or smoothies.  It is a great source of chromium which can help control your blood sugar levels. You can also add it to baked goods. 

I really would like to recommend you checking out Buy Wholefoods Online!  They are a wonderful and affordable source for nuts, seeds, fruits, health supplements, herbs, spices, personal care and alternative therapies, speciality foods, Japanese foods, dried vegetables, coconut and a whole lot more!  Their prices are very reasonable and their delivery service impeccable. They have been my go-to for a lot of things over these last few years because I can trust them, and I think you will too! 

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