Apple Pie made in the Apple!

Goodmorning…. here in New Zealand it is autumn. Apples are fully in
season, and the cooler days make warm apple pie such a delicious option.






Here is a recipe for Apple Pie…. made IN THE APPLE.




But I am being sneaky… this is my recipe, but I currently have it in a
pie making contest.  If you would like to make this pie, and I
recommend you do, please pop over to my Instructables account.  Here are step by step instructions on making the pie.  If you would, I would love it if you would vote for my pie. Instructables is free to join, and well worth it in my mind.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing

A whole ago I bought the Sunbeam Pattie cupcake maker, and I figured it would be a cute and easy way to bake with my niece. WRONG! It turns out that is is awesome for making just enough cupcakes for morning tea, so that they are always fresh!

Except generally cupcake recipes are for more cupcakes. Pattie makes 6 at a time so easily, so I've been working on recipes to make just a half dozen cupcakes at a time.

These are soft, fluffy and gorgeous.



Vanilla Cupcakes
1 egg
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/6 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat the egg in a jug. This makes it easier to fill the cupcakes....

Add softened butter and sugar and beat. The mix should be light and soft.

Add milk, flour, baking powder and vanilla. Combine with a spatula.

Heat Pattie, placing the cupcake liners in the spaces. You can bake these at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes, but Pattie is only about 8 minutes.

Pour the mixture into cupcake liners, leaving about a cm at the top of the liner. The cupcake should rise to the top of the liner.

Bake for about 8 minutes in Pattie, or 15 in a conventional oven.

When cool, ice.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing

Tablespoon of butter
2 mini tubs of cream cheese
Strawberry essence
1/2 cup icing sugar

Heat the butter and cream cheese in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir briskly, mixing into a paste.

Add a few drops of strawberry essence. Stir.

Add the icing sugar, stir until combined.

Load into a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.


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Apple and Berry Crumble

This weekend Dad came over to help the husband install some sound system. Yes, I bribed with food. And praise. And beer. Shamelessly. Long time readers will be aware of all the berries we grew over summer, and how after washing them briefly, they got frozen. Now it was time for a comeback.



Ingredients
4 apples
1 cup mixed berries
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 knob butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup (honey or golden syrup can be used)
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Peel and slice all the apples, and place in an oven proof dish. Sprinkle the frozen berries over the apples, stir in a little. Sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the fruit.


In a separate bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats, maple syrup and brown sugar. Rub in the butter. When combined, spread over the fruit.



Bake for around 20-30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Serve with custard or whipped cream.






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Apple Pie - Simplified

I love apple pie.... Really. To the point that large ones get eaten too fast to be healthy.

This weekend I had leftover puff pastry, and I hate wasting pastry. Nom nom nom pastry.

Simply roll and line a greased pie tin. Peel and slice 2 apples. I used Braeburn because I had them. Sprinkle with cinnamon and throw in 2 cloves. Cut pastry strips and form a lattice top. Roll the edges and bake for approx 15 minutes at 180 degrees C.

Wait a little. Or it will burn your entire face. Eat while warm.... I ate mine fore eating dinner.... Then I skipped dinner.

I think a simple peeled sliced apple works well, as the pie doesn't get too damp, yet has a good moist quality, without running the pastry. The pie doesn't need sugar in my opinion.

Amazing with custard or cream. Or both.


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Apple Pies... in the apple!

So, I saw these apple pies cooked in whole apples on pinterest.  It was great.  So, I tried to make them myself.... and it was delicious!

Firstly, you will need apples.  I went with 4.  Because I am not patient.  (and I have 4 large ramekin dishes).  I chopped the tops off (well, 2 I cut the bottom off, but the smaller end works better).  Using a melon baller, hollow the apples, leaving between 5mm and 1cm of "wall" with the skin on.

Remove the pippy bits from the extracted apple.  Stew the fruit with cinnamon, nutmeg, a little ginger and brown sugar.  When soft, spoon the stewed fruit into the apple cases.  Place each apple in a ramekin dish.  This will stop them falling over, and be WAY easier to deal with if they explode!

Cover the tops with lattice work puff pastry.  I used bought stuff because... well... I am only as masterchef as buying pastry.  One day I will make it, but it seems really hard!  Press the edges of the pastry down onto the apple, about 1cm down from the top opening.  Using a blunt knife, trim any excess pastry from the sides just to make them pretty.

Bake at 150 degrees C.  For about 20 minutes or until the pastry is browned.  Don't leave it longer or the apples will explode.

I ate one straight from the oven with yogurt - YUMMO.  I even packed one in my lunch, and it was a great treat cold with lunch.

Nouvelle-Calédonie.... bon appétit

Wow!  After a wonderful trip to New Caledonia, I am inspired to eat!

Sort of.

There were a couple of things I discovered early on in my journey. 

1. I can read French reasonably well... better than I had even imagined possible.
2. And the worst part, the French don't really do much for vegetarians.

This second realisation meant that I was put into a smaller category of people who remove ham from bagettes, or people who eat things covered in chocolate.

I love chocolate.

I did however discover some wonderful French dainty desserts.  Yummo.

Raspberry and Ginger tartlet

Coffee filled almond topped donughty thing

One thing I did learn was portion sizes.  French portions are TINY!  Bagettes were huge, but sparing on things like cheese.  The sweets were so rich, eating more than one was a challenge in itself.  But I am so glad to be home, where I don't have to point and gesture, or try to add large numbers in my head (Pacific Francs are crazy to work with, a bagette was like 350 Francs, a can of "Solo" was 280 Francs, and my ability to count aloud in French is to 20.......)

So, getting back on track, thank you Nouvelle Calédonie for a magnificent time.