Orange and Coconut Crumble

I picked up a couple of bags of nice looking naval oranges at the shops the other day, and after eating as many as we wanted to eat fresh, I decided to make something delicious and yet unusual with them. I had in mind to make a crumble . . . and why not?



We use all sorts of fruits to make tasty crumbles with . . . apples, pears, rhubarb, plums, blueberries, gooseberries and so on . . . why not oranges? Juicy and sweet, I thought they'd make a fabulous crumble . . .



Especially with a buttery crispy topping shot full of flaked coconut. Oranges and coconut . . . ambrosia!



I was going to add some macadamia nuts to the topping as well . . . but alas, I had none in the cupboard. Do try it if you want though. I'd add about 1/2 cup chopped nuts. It would be a fabulous addition I think!



Each mouthful of this was sweetly orangy, buttery crispy and moreishly scrummy! I dare to say it's quite healthy as well as there is not a lot of fat in it really.



Oranges . . . chock full of Vitamin C and fibre . . . and not just for juicing or eating out of hand anymore! I do hope you'll try this. ☺



*Orange and Coconut Crumble*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

Deliciously different. You are going to love this!

For the fruit filling:
6 large navel oranges
2 ounces orange juice (1/4 cup)
1 1/2 TBS of quick cooking tapioca (or an equal amount of corn flour)
1 TBS Grand Marnier (Orange flavoured Liqueur)
Butter

For the topping:
3 ounces of plain flour (2/3 cup)
2.5 ounces sugar (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
2 ounces chilled butter, cut into bits (1/4 cup)
2 ounces flaked sweetened coconut (2/3 cup)

Single cream to serve

Peel and section the oranges over a large bowl, reserving 1/4 cup of the juices. (Don't throw away the peels. I'll show you what to do with them tomorrow!) Stir in the tapioca and Grand Marnier. Let stand for about half an hour before proceeding, giving it a stir every now and then.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Lightly butter an 11 by 7 inch dish. Pour in the orange mixture. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar and salt for the topping together in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the coconut and then sprinkle evenly over top of the fruit.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm, spooned out into bowls along with some cream for pouring.

A Delicious Blackberry and Pecan Snacking Cake

I could tell you that this cake is moist and deliciously scrummy . . .



With it's lightly spiced and buttery batter . . . tucked beneath a layer of tart blackberries . . .



All that deliciousness . . . tucked beneath a crunchy layer of spicy buttery and nutty streusel . . .



I could tell you how it tastes even better the day after baking and warn you how difficult it will be to stop at one slice . . .



But instead . . .



I'll just suggest that you bake it yourself, and find all this out first hand. Bake it . . . soon. You won't regret it. I promise you this. If you only make one cake this month . . . let this be the ONE.



*Blackberry Pecan Snacking Cake*
makes one 8 inch square cake
Printable Recipe

A delicious cake, with a lightly spiced batter and topped with lovely blackberries and a scrummy brown sugar pecan streusal.

For the cake:
125ml of sour cream (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4.25 ounces plain flour (1 cup)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
4 TBS unsalted butter, softened
3/5 ounces granlulated sugar (1/2 cup)

1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries

For the Streusel:
6 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
2 ounces plus 1 tsp flour (1/4 cup)
1/'2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 ounces chopped toasted pecans (1/4 cup)
2 TBS unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small bits



Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ Butter an 8 inch square pan and line with baking paper, leaving an overhang to lift the cake out with later. Butter the paper. Set aside.

Make the streusel. Mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon with your fingertips. Drop in the butter and rub together until you get coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped pecans. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cloves and nutmeg for the cake batter in a medium bowl. Set aside. Whisk the sour cream, egg and vanilla together in a beaker. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly drizzle in the egg mixture, beating all the while. Beat in the flour mixture, in three additions, beating well after each and scraping down the sides of the bowl each time. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the blackterries over top and then sprinkle the streusel evenly over all.



Bake in the heated oven until golden brown and the cake tests down when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Reemove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cut into squares to serve. 

A nice scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream would not go amiss.  Just saying is all . . .

Pork Chops with Apples Sage and Stilton

 

I have to say that one of the Toddster's favourite meals has to be a good old pork chop.   Nice and thick, with a good round of fat along one edge.  I like to slash the fat at 1/2 inch intervals.   This helps the chops to lay nice and flat in the skillet when I cook them, and it gets all crispy and brown too.  I confess that I am not adverse to treating myself to a small bit of that succulent crispness  . . . I know, naughty girl.



I think the most delicious and succulent pork chops are the old fashioned bone in rib cut. You get the tender loin meat along with some tasty rib bits that are just yum yum yum!

I happened to be in the grocery store the other day picking up a rib roast for work, when I noticed the meatman cutting up a rack of pork into chops and they were just so darned good looking I had to pick up a couple for Todd and myself.

You know how it goes . . .



Anyways, these were absolutely wonderful. I cooked them up yesterday, all panfried and nicely browned, with crispy bits of fat clinging to the edges, and then finally roasted with some lightly sauteed apples laid out on top and crumbly bits of stilton.

Fabulous, darlings . . . just fabulous. A real marriage made in heaven . . .




*Perfect Pork Chops with Apples, Sage and Stilton*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is simple but impressive and gives you perfectly cooked pork chops every time. I like to use a good porkchop, like a rack pork chop. Delicious!

4 8-ounce pork chops, preferably free range
sea salt (I like to use smoked)
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and sliced into thick wedges
1 TBS butter
fresh sage leaves
3 1/2 ounces of good Stilton cheese, crumbled



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Slash the pork fat along the edge of the chops all the way to the meat. Fan open. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add some olive oil and allow it to heat while you season your chops well on both sides. Cook the chops in the hot oil until they are golden brown on both sides and the fat is crispy, some 3 to 4 minutes. I always hold them up with a pair of tongs fat side down to make sure the fat gets really crispy. Remove them to a shallow metal baking dish. Add the butter to the pan and then add the apples. Fry gently until golden, but still fairly solid. Fan these out on top of each pork chop. Scatter some sage leaves over top. Place into the oven and roast for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, scatter the stilton over top. Pop back into the oven long enough to melt the cheese.



I like to fry some tender sage heads in the pan drippings until crispy and garnish the finished dish with them.

Apple and Blackberry In and Out

What a completely miserable yukky day!! It's windy and rainy and not nice at all. Not fit for man nor beast as the Toddster would say . . . a bit depressing wot!

Just the perfect day for a fruity pudding . . . served up all warm and stodgy from the oven.



This is one I found in the Good Granny Cookbook, by Jane Fearnley Wittingstall. This is a favourite book of mine. It's chock full of traditional, family friendly and delicious recipes. Our kind of food.



No pretention. Just plain and simple ingredients presented in a plain and simple way. Tried and true's of a Granny. Wholesome and delicious.



Just the kind of food for a rainy day. Comforting and tasty. This pudding apparently is a Devonshire favourite! That's probably why they recommend Clotted Cream to be served with it.



Mmmm . . . you can't beat a buttery pudding, filled with tart apples and sweet blackberries (my addition) topped with a healthy dollop of rich clotted cream. This was like a little ray of sunshine on a very cloudy and miserable day. It can rain any day it wants to if this is waiting at the end of it all! (ok, maybe not every day.)



*Apple and Blackberry In and Out*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Apparently this is a real favourite in Devon when made with just apples. I added Blackberries because they taste good, and they always look so pretty when paired with apples.

8 ounces self raising flour (2 cups)
4 ounces shredded beef suet (1/2 cup. You can use grated ice cold butter instead)
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
a large handful of blackberries
1/2 pint of milk (about 1 1/4 cups)

3 TBS Caster Sugar



Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a 9 inch round baking dish. Set aside.

Mix the flour, suet and sugar together. Add the apples and enough milk to bring the mixture to a dropping consistency. Fold in the blackberries, gently. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and then bake until it is brown and crunchy on top (30 to 35 minutes.) Eat warm, spooned out into bowls and topped with dollops of clotted Cream.

Note: If your apples are very tart, you may add a bit more sugar if you wish. 

Another repeat I am afraid, but some things are just so good they bear repeating.  I promise to have something totally NEW for you tomorrow!

Lemon and Jam Slices

 I had some lemons that I needed to use up today. I always buy too many. I just love the sight of a bowl of lemons on the counter top.  They  just look so cheerful to me, and homey.  A little spot of sunshine on a dark and drizzly January day . . . lemons to me are the the perfect pick me up!

 

I decided to make some of my favourite slices . . . Lemon and Jam slices.  Or Squares if you would rather call them that.  I like to call them slices . . . sounds even more delicious when you call them slices.  A rose by any other name and all that . . .



I love these slices because they encompass three of my favourite things . . . a buttery, crisp baked shortbread crust on the bottom . . . sweet strawberry preserves in the middle . . . a tangy lemoncurd like topping . . .

 

Oh my . . . but these are heavenly bliss.  I love to enjoy them in the middle of the afternoon along with a hot drink.  They're so good.  These are the type of slices that you have  a hard time walking past without picking at them . . . and I confess . . . I can never wait until they completely cool before I dig into them.



You're supposed to wait until they are completely cold to cut them . . . but they are awfully good warm . . . just sayin is all.  They bring out the glutton in me.  The tang of the lemon is soooo very good with the sweet fruitiness of the jam . . . and that buttery crust.



Of course you could use another flavour of jam if you wished.  I just particularly love them made with strawberry jam.  Cherry, raspberry or apricot are all rather good too . . . and then there is wild blueberry preserves, another favourite of mine.

 

I confess . . . I sometimes use limes and ginger jam.  Those are awfully good too, especially if you add a little bit of ground ginger to the base.  Mmmm . . . mmm . . . good.  Are you not tempted???



 *Lemon and Jam Slices*
Makes  15 squares
Printable Recipe

 A butter, almost shortbread type of base, topped with sweet strawberry jam and a tangy lemon topping baked on top.  Delicious.

For the base:
200g of plain flour (2 cups)
225g of cold unsalted butter (1 cup, or 2 sticks)
42g sifted icing sugar (1/3 cup)
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

For the jam:
6 heaped dessert spoons (about 3/4 cup)

For the Lemon topping:
281g of granulated sugar
the finely grated zest of one un-waxed lemon
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 TBS plain flour
3 large free range eggs
the juice of 2 1/2 lemons (1/3 cup)

Icing sugar to dust


Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter an 11 by 7 inch baking dish,  Dust with flour, shaking out any excess.  Set aside.  (Alternately you can line with foil and butter and dust the foil, leaving an overhang to lift the slices out when done.)

Whisk the flour, icing sugar and salt together in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into cubes and drop it in.  Rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs.  Press this mixture into the prepared baking tin.    Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, just until it is firm.  Remove from the oven.

Whisk together the granulated sugar, lemon zest, baking powder and flour for the lemon topping.  Beat in the eggs and lemon juice until smooth.  Set aside.

Stir the jam together in a bowl with a fork to loosen it.  Spread this over the warm base.  Pour the lemon mixture over top and return the pan to the oven.  Bake for an additional  25 to 30 minutes, until it is set and lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before removing from the pan.  Dust with icing sugar.  Cut  into squares to serve.

Baked Apples with Ginger and Orange and the Flora Pro.ativ Christmas Challenge

I was recently contacted by Flora Pro.activ and asked if I would like to participate in a special  Healthy Christmas recipe challenge.  It's no secret that Christmas is the time of year that we have a tendancy to over indulge . . . what with holiday celebrations and those special foods we like to treat ourselves to at this time.  Winter is a time of canoodling and wanting to stay warm indoors and wanting to indulge ourselves in comfort foods.  The challenge was to show that we can still enjoy delicious comfort foods whilst also taking pro-active steps to help lower your cholesterol and maintain a health heart, and . . .  with that view in mind, they sent me a lovely hamper filled with goodies that would help me to do just that.

 

It really was a  wonderful hamper containing every thing that I would need to  create the recipe included . . . a fab Jamie Oliver mortar and pestle, some delicious honey, preserved ginger, a Christmas Apron, a really nice wooden cutting board . . .



Some lovely baking apples, macadamia nuts, ginger, orange, a beautiful Le Creuset stoneware casserole dish . . . heart shaped of course.  (As was the cutting board)


A tub of Flora pro-active.  Flora pro.activ spread contains plant sterols. Plant sterols have been shown to lower blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease. Consuming 1.5-2.4g of plant sterols per day can lower cholesterol by 7-10% in 2-3 weeks when consumed as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle with sufficient fruit and vegetables.

The Recipe . . .  Baked Apples with Ginger and Orange.  



Cooking apples are very tart.  I had my doubts as to whether this recipe would be sweet enough.  Stuffed with chopped dates and stem ginger . . . which were the only sweet ingredients involved with the exeption of 2 TBS of liquid honey in the topping which you create to spread over top of the baked apples when they are done.



They turned out to be absolutely gorgeous!  The apple was delightfully fluffy and the dates and stem ginger stuffing gave them a lovely flavour  . . . 



The topping of honey, beaten together with some Flora Pro-activ and some finely grated orange zest and powdered gave it just a touch of richness, and a bit of spice that was like the gilding on a quite, quite delicious lily . . .

 

They were absoutely flippin moreisly tasty,  and . . . . if I had not known that they were healthy and low in fat and sugar for myself, I would not have believed it.  They made for some definitely luxuriously feeling eating . . .  truly festive in appearance and in taste.  Worthy of being called a comforting holiday indulgence, but truth be known . . .in eating these you were actually doing your heart a favour rather than a harm.  Who knew healthy eating could be so delicious?  I'm converted!

*Baked Apples with Ginger and Orange*

Serves 2

Printable Recipe

A heart healthy recipe from Flora Pro Active.   It's nice to know that delicious can also be healthy!

2 cooking apples

30g (1 oz) stem ginger, finely chopped

55g (2 oz) ready to eat dates, finely chopped

4 TBS water

To finish:

25g (1 oz) Flora pro.activ
the zest of 1 orange, finely grated

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 TBS liquid honey 

 

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Have ready a baking dish.

Using an apple corer, remove the core and pips from each apple.  Carefully score the skin with a sharp knife all around the outside middle of each apple.  Place them into the baking dish.  Mix together the dates and stem ginger.  Stuff the centres of the apples with this mixture.  Add the water to the dish.  Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the apples are soft and cooked through.

Blend together the Flora pro.activ, orange zest, ground ginger and honey.   When the apples are ready, spread this mixture over the top of each, dividing it equally and allowing it to melt over the apples.   Delicious!

Normally with something like this we would have been tempted to have some cream or some custard, but my custard loving hubster did not miss it at all, nor did he ask!    I loved that we were eating something healthy, and that I was doing the Toddster a favor to his cholesterol by feeding it to him.



If you would like to take on the Flora Pro-activ challenge hop on over to their recipe page where you can find this recipe plus many more for you to enjoy!  (They have some truly lovely recipes, so DO check it out!)

Here are some easy to follow top tips  from Tanya Footman, the resident nutritionist at Flora pro.activ to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

1. Opt for healthy snacks:  Why not make up your own mix of seeds, nuts and dried fruit for healthy snacking at your fingertips. Or to get in the festive spirit, try roasting nuts for that delicious Christmas aroma.
2. Choose the right meats:  Opt for fish and poultry over fatty meat products.  Or try replacing fatty meats with beans, lentils, fish, and poultry without skin or lean meat.  Turkey is a great lean meat packed with flavour.
3. Get active:  Even every day activities can be turned into moderate exercise.  All that extra housework during the festive period is a great way to keep fit.  Small changes such as taking the stairs instead of the escalator and even hand washing your can can make a difference.
4. Plant Sterols:  Plant sterols are found at low levels in every day foods like vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, grain products, fruit and vegetables.  But to get a significan cholesterol lowering effect include foods with added plant sterols like Flora pro.activ in your diet.
5. Salt:  Eat no more than six grams of salt a day.  Experiment with herbs and spices instead and avoid salty snacks like crisps.  

Many thanks to Sarah and the people at Flora Pro.activ for sending me this lovely hamper and challenging me to get a bit healthier with my holiday cooking!

Vanilla Risotto with Oven Roasted Pears

 

Risotto doesn't always have to be a savory dish.  It can just as easily be a sweet and delious type of  pudding.  Something like this Vanilla Risotto here today.  People can be a little put off and afraid of making risotto . . .fearing that it is a bit too complicate or time consuming, but it really isn't.



It does require constant attention however, but so long as you stay with it and do what the recipe says, you will always be rewarded at the end with something quite silky and delicious, with just a tiny bit of bite.



This risotto is not overly sweet . . . the only sweetening being a bit of honey . . . it's nicely flavoured with vanilla . . . and just a hint of ground cinnamon and ground cardamom.  Warm sweet spices that go so well with both vanilla and pears . . .

 

Oh yes . . . the pears.  Oven roasted until just tender and then peeled . . . the oven roasting bringing out their natural sweetness.   Tender and sweet, sitting in an ocean of that delicious vanilla risotto.  Impressive.  Simple.  Delicious.  What more could a person ask for?

*Vanilla Risotto with Oven Roasted Pears*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

A deliciously simple vanilla risotto, sweetened with honey and served with oven roasted fresh pears. 

1 tsp Vanilla paste

(Alternately use 1/2 a vanilla pod)

500 ml of full fat milk (a generous 2 cups)

100ml single cream (scant 1/2 cup)

1 1/2 TBS unsalted butter 

175g of arborio rice (scant 3/4 cup)

2 TBS Orange Liqueur (Grands Marnier or Cointreau)

4 TBS liquid honey

pinch ground cardamon

pinch ground cinnamon

4 firm medium sized pears 

(You may need a bit of additonal milk)

a drizzle of warm honey and a dusting of cinnamon to finish 

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Place the pears into a baking dish and roast until they are tender without being mushy.  This will take about 20 minutes. 

While the pears are roasting put the vanilla into a saucepan along with the milk and the cream.   Heat just to the boil.  Take off the heat immediately.   Set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Once it begins to foam add the rice.   Cook, stirring to toast the rice for several minutes.  Add the Orange Liqueur.  Let the rice absorb it.  Begin to add the heated milk/cream mixture, a small ladle full at a time, allowing the rice to absorb most of the milk before adding another ladle full until most of the milk is absorbed and the rice is slightly al dente with a creamy sauce. (You may need additional milk)  This will take about 25 minutes.    Add the honey into it towards the end of the cooking time, along with a pinch each of cardamon and cinnamon.  Taste and adjust as necessary, adding additional honey if need be.


Peel your pears and place one into each of four dessert dishes.  Spoon the  risotto around the pears.  Drizzle with some warm honey and dust with a bit of cinnamon.  Serve immediately.