I-Lost in Austen: 2014

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Apple – Camembert & Cumin Crêpe – Crêpe aux pommes , camembert & cumin

Apple & cheese are made for each other . LOL This is a dessert that certainly impress your guests . A delectable sweet & savoury dessert with an unusual hint of cumin , an amazing combination of flavours . An easy recipe with apple cider crêpe & layer of caramelized apples with sliced camembert . I've made the crêpes quite thin so that I can fold & shape them easily into the ramekin . So do keep that in mind when making this crêpe . Bon Appetit

This post is linked to Little Thumbs Up event organized by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids with Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY& hosted this month by me , Kit from I-Lost in Austen .

***Thank you everyone for your support & sharing all your apple recipes with me . I truly appreciate all your effort & making this month's LTU a success . Thumbs Up to all of you

Apple – Camembert & Cumin Crêpe – Crêpe aux pommes , camembert & cumin

Recipe source from Best Of Gourmand magazine 2011

Ingredients for 6

4 apples – cored , quartered & sliced

1 camembert – sliced

3 eggs – lightly beaten

220g butter

220 ml milk

220 ml apple cider

220g flour

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

3 pinch of sugar

A pinch of salt

Oil

6 ramekins

Method:

1) In a large bowl , combine flour, salt, 2 pinch of sugar & eggs . Make a well & gradually add in milk with cider , stir till combine. Set aside to rest for 30 mins .

2) Heat a lightly greased small frying pan on medium heat . Scoop the batter into frying pan . Tit & rotate the pan so that the batter coat or spread evenly & as thinly as possible . When the edge begins to brown , flip the crêpe over & cook for 10 to 15 seconds till lightly brown . Remove cooked crêpe from pan & place on a plate . Repeat with the rest of the batter .

3) Preheat oven to 180°C . Caramelized slightly the sliced apples with a pinch of sugar in a sauce pan on medium heat .

4) Place crêpe on each ramekin , then layer it with caramelized apples & sliced camembert as shown below . Sprinkle cumin seeds over the crêpe & bake in the oven for 10 mins . Bon Appetit .

Apple Bakewell Tart

I'm craving foor Bakewell Tarts but they're not available at M & S (Mark & Spencer) . Yup! M & S is the only place that I can get Bakewell Tarts over here . They're quite nice & I love the rich buttery pastry crust . Anyway to ease my craving , I'll have to make some myself , don't I . I still have 2 jars of homemade apple jam in the fridge so let's make the most of it . LOL I've made a sweet crust pastry & almond filling which I've reduced considerably the amount of sugar . That makes the tart not too overly sweet . I love to enjoy this rich tart with some lemon tea . How about you ?

Apple Bakewell Tart

Recipe of I-Lost in Austen

For pâte sable ( sweet shortcrust pastry):

250g flour

125g butter - room temperature

75g powdered sugar

2 egg yolks

4 tbsp of milk

A pinch of salt

Rice or dried beans

20 cm pie pan/plate

5 – 6 Tbsp of apple jam (For recipe HERE)

For Almond filling (Frangipane) :

2 eggs – lightly beaten

80g powdered sugar

120g ground almond

60g butter – room temperature

1 vanilla pod – halved lengthways & seeds scraped out

20 g almond flakes

Method:

1) For sweet crust pastry:

Combine flour, sugar, salt in a bowl & rub in butter till crumbs. Add in sugar, egg yolks & milk & knead till smooth dough. . Place in a polybag & chill for 2 hours.

2) Preheat oven to 180°C & grease mini tart cases. Remove pastry from refrigerator & place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin that is absolutely straight. Lightly dust it with flour and place it in the centre of the dough. Roll the dough up onto the rolling pin and gently unroll it over one of the prepared pie pan. Press the dough into the pan and roll the pin over the top of the pan to remove the excess dough & prick all over the dough with a fork . Fill with rice or dried beans, & bake for 10 mins. Remove from oven & leave to cool.

3) To Make almond filling (Frangipane) :

Beat sugar & eggs till creamy . Whisk in ground almond & butter till well combined . Add in vanilla seeds & mix well .

4) Spread evenly apple jam on crust pastry then add buttery almond mixture over the top . Sprinkle with almond flakes & bake in the oven for 30 mins till golden brown . Remove from oven & leave to cool .

Apple Jam - Confiture de pommes

It's been ages since I last made jam so here I am making jam . LOL Less than 5 ingredients & an hour later , it's done . Homemade jam is always the best no matter what they say. Great with toast, scones or even in Bakewell Tart . Talking about Bakewell Tart , I'm craving for one now !!!! Ggrrrrr

This post is linked to Little Thumbs Up event organized by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids with Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY& hosted this month by me , Kit from I-Lost in Austen . To join this event & link with us at this post .

Apple jam - Confiture de pommes
Adapted from HERE

Ingredients:
1.2 kg apples -peeled, cored & thinly sliced
800g jam sugar
1 vanilla pod -halved
1 cinnamon stick
3 to 4 sterilized glass jar

Method:

1) In a large pan add all the ingredients & cook over medium heat for about 30 - 40 mins . Stir time to time with wooden spoon & cook till apples are translucent & softened .

2) Discard vanilla pod & cinnamon stick before spooning into glass jar . Store in the fridge up to 1 month .

Monday, September 29, 2014

Apple , Pear & Raspberry Crumble

My sons made this crumble again for dessert so here's another 'no fail' dessert - apple crumble . This time round they've added some pear & raspberries from our garden . Another easy recipe for the weeknight to indulge with ice-cream of course ! Too bad I don't have any ice cream left ! LOL

Apple , Pear & Raspberry Crumble

Recipe of I-Lost in Austen

Ingredients for 6

2 medium apples –peeled, cored & diced into 1 to 2cm

1 medium pear - –peeled, cored & diced into 1cm

A handful of raspberries

100g flour

40g ground almond

75g sugar

75g cold butter

6 ramekins

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 170°C . Greased ramekins .

2) Add some diced apples & pears together with raspberries in ramekins evenly .

3) In a large bowl , rub in flour , sugar , ground almond & butter till resembles breadcrumbs .

4) Scatter buttery crumb mixture over the fruit & bake for 20 mins till golden brown . Serve with ice-cream of your choice .

Dutch Apple , Almond & Apricot Pie – Dutch Triple ‘A’ Pie

A lovely Dutch tea time treat also known as Triple ‘A’ Pie . Triple ‘A’ for apple, almond & apricot that were the main ingredients to make this tasty pie . This amazing pie consists of a nice buttery pie crust with a layer of apricot jam & rich almond filling . I really love the crunchy almond flakes & apricot glaze topping .

I've made this pie into mini individual ones . Because of the addition of apricot jam in this pie , I’ve reduced quite a bit of sugar for this recipe . As I do want it to be overly sweet & it turned out to be just the right sweetness for us . I’ve also made some homemade almond paste & you can use store bought paste as well . Thanks to my friend Lannie from The Netherlands for this delicious recipe .

Dutch Apple , Almond & Apricot Pie – Dutch Triple ‘A’ Pie

Ingredients :

For the crust base :

200 g butter – room temperature

100g icing sugar (I’ve reduced to 70g)

300g flour

A pinch of salt

½ a lemon zest

1 egg

20 or 22 cm pie plate

For The filling :

3 big apples – peeled, cored & sliced

2 Tbsp apricot jam

½ of vanilla pod (Can be replace with 1 tsp vanilla extract)

½ a lemon zest

130g butter –room temperature

150g almond paste

130g icing sugar ( I’ve reduced to 90g )

3 eggs

130g flour

1 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

For the topping:

50g almond flakes

3-4 Tbsp apricot jam

***Homemade almond paste:

125g ground almond

152g sugar

1 fresh egg white

Method:

1) For the base crust: Cream butter & sugar till well combined . Add in flour, salt , lemon zest & egg . Knead into a smooth dough & cover with plastic wrap & place in the fridge for 1 hour .

2) For the filling : Add sliced apples with apricot jam , vanilla seeds & lemon zest together . Sift flour , baking powder with salt & set aside . Whisk butter till soft & creamy . Add in almond paste , sugar & eggs , mix well till all blended . Fold in flour mixture till almond paste mixture well combined & fluffy .

3) Preheat oven to 160°C & greased pie plate .

4) On a clean & lightly floured surface , roll out base dough with a rolling pin . Place base dough in pie plate . Gently press the dough evenly into the bottom & sides of the pie plate . Poke the dough base with a fork .

5) Spread evenly 2Tbsp of apricot jam onto the base dough . Add in half of the almond paste mixture & layer the sliced apples over it . Top the rest of the almond paste mixture evenly . Sprinkle almond flakes over the top of the pie & bake for 60 mins till golden brown . Let to cool .

6) To finish the topping : In a small saucepan , melt apricot jam on low heat . Brush melted apricot jam on the top of the pie & serve .

***To make homemade almond paste (marzipan) :

In a food processor , add ground almond , sugar & grind till fine for about 1 or 2 minutes . Add in egg white & mix with processor till form thick paste . Store in an air tight container in the fridge . Can be store for several weeks .

Rustic Apple & Brie Bread

This recipe is inspired from the Brie Bread from our local bakery . The only difference was I've added some diced apples in my rustic bread recipe . This is a dence rustic bread with ozzing Brie cheese . YUM! Great for brunch with some salad . But I must say that I personally prefer Camembert with apple though ! LOL

Rustic Apple & Brie Bread
Recipe from I-Lost in Austen

Ingredients:
400g bread flour
1 package of instant yeast
300 ml warm water
150g Brie cheese
2 medium size apples ( Gala or Golden )
1 tsp salt

Method:

1) In a large bowl combine flour & salt . Make a well , add in yeast with water & mix till form a dough . Knead for about 5 mins till smooth . (If it's too handle , add more water ) Let to proof for 1 hour in a warm place or till double in size .

2) Peel & core apples & diced 1 apple into small piece . Cut into thick slices the other apple for the topping .

3) Punch down the dough , knead for 5 mins & add in diced apples . Knead till all combined & roll it out in a disk & place brie cheese in the center . (You can also remove the outer skin of the cheese ) Wrap bread dough around the cheese & top with sliced apples . Let the bread to proof for another 30 mins .

3) Preheat oven to 220°C . Bake the bread for 35 to 40 mins till golden brown .

Roast Pork With Apple - Rôti de porc aux pommes

An autumny & comforting roast pork with apple for a busy weeknight meal . Easy yet delicious dish to enjoy with family after a long day .

Also submitting this post to Cook Your Books # 16 , hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours .

Roast Pork With Apple - Rôti de porc aux pommes
Recipe source from Best of Gourmand magazine 2014

Ingredients:
1 kg pork tenderloin
5 apples - cored & cut into wedges or quarters
3 sprigs fresh rosemary + 1 sprig for ganishing
1 large onion - sliced
35g butter - room temperature
3 Tbsp honey
salt & pepper

Method :

1) Preheat oven to 180°C . Place chicken on a roasting pan & sprinkle salt & pepper over the chicken . Coat with honey & then brush butter over chicken . Scatter with rosemary sprigs & roast the chicken in the oven for 10 mins .

2) Remove chicken from oven , add sliced onion around the chicken & make sure toss with the juice till well coated . Roast for another 40 mins .

3) After 40 mins , add apple wedges around the chicken & coat evenly with juice before roasting in the oven for 10 mins . Bon Appetit

Apple Tiramisu - Tiramisu à la pomme

Spotted this easy recipe from the latest Best Of Gourmand magazine this weekend , so I've decided to give it a try . Surprisingly my hubby love it very much as he's not a fan of tiramisu . This recipe calls for speculaas , apples ,mascapone & 20% fat cottage cheese , so to me (in my silly mind) this is kind of a 'light' tiramisu . LOL Anyway it's very fruity & creamy-licious , a perfect fuss free dessert . Just the way I like it , easy as A B C ! LOL

Also submitting this post to Cook Your Books # 16 , hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours .

Apple Tiramisu - Tiramisu à la pomme
Recipe source from Best of Gourmand magazine 2014

Ingredients make 4
3 Granny Smith apples - cored & diced in small pieces 2 apples . Cut into thin slices for the rest of the apple . ( I've used Gala)
200g mascapone
200g cottage cheese (I've used 20% fat cottage cheese)
1-1/2 Tbsp sugar
10 speculaas - broke into small pieces

Method:

1) In a large bowl , cream mascapone & cottage cheese with sugar till well combined .

2) Fill the bottom glasses with speculaas , cover with a layer of cheese mixture .

3) Add a layer of diced apples & spoon in another layer of cheese mixture . Top with sliced apples . Optional : Sprinkle the apples with light brown sugar . Refrigerate till ready to serve .

Monday, September 22, 2014

French Apple Pound Cake - Quatre-quarts aux pommes

Today I’m sharing my son’s favourite apple cake , Quartre- quarts aux pommes aka French Apple Pound Cake . Real easy to make & taste so good . Buttery rich crumb cake with apples slices , just the perfect delectable cake for afternoon coffee break . This is definitely not a guilt free cake but it's so delicious that I ate half of the cake . Very addictive apple-licious cake ! LOL

French Apple Pound Cake - Quatre-quarts aux pommes

Recipe adapted from 750G

Ingredients :

150g sugar

150g flour

150 butter –room temperature

3 eggs

2 Tbsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large apple –peeled, cored & sliced (not too thin)

1 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp rum (optional)

Light brown sugar

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 175 °C . Grease loaf pan

2) Marinate sliced apple with rum (optional) . In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt , cinnamon .

3) Whisk butter till light & creamy . Cream butter & sugar till fluffy .

4) Gradually add egg one at a time & mix well after each addition . Add in vanilla extract .

5) Fold in flour mixture into butter mixture till smooth & well combined . Pour half the better into prepared loaf pan . Add layer of sliced apple over the batter . Pour the rest of the batter over & spread evenly . Sprinkle brown sugar over the top & bake for 40- 45 mins till golden brown . Let to cool before serve .

Raspberry Popovers

This is another 1st for me , making popovers. I’ve chosen to make a sweet version as we’re harvesting raspberries now . So why not make the most of it .

To be honest my popovers did not really do justice to the original version as mine are a little over baked . But nevertheless they’re tasty with lovely soft custard like texture . Just love the sweet raspberries in this popovers as I’ve added more fresh raspberries . A perfect snack for anytime of the day

Raspberry Popovers

Recipe source from Vintage Mixer

Ingredients : Yield 10 popovers

2 eggs

1 cup whole milk

28g melted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

Zest of 1 lemon

Handful of fresh raspberries

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 190°C . Grease generously the muffin pan with melted butter . Place muffin pan in the oven to heat it up .

2) Whisk eggs & milk in a large bowl .

3) In a separate bowl , combine flour , sugar , salt & lemon zest . Fold this mixture into egg mixture till well combined . Don’t worry if it’s a little lumpy .

4) Pour batter into greased muffin pan & filling only 2/3 full . Scatter few raspberries over the top ( you can also mash the raspberries & then fold a spoonful mixture into each cup of batter)

5) Bake for 35 – 45 mins till puffed & golden . Sprinkle with powdered sugar . (I’ve added more fresh raspberries just before serve )

Sharing this post with Bake Along # 68 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours together with Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids & Lena from Frozen Wings . This month’s theme is Popovers.

An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate Nugget – Orange Flax Cake (THB)

I love chocolate - orange combo & that is why I’m really excited about this month’s THB (The Home Bakers) bake . Not only that , this recipe also calls for flax seed cereal . I’ve never tried flax seed in bakes before so this is another interesting ingredient . Thanks to Mich of Piece Of Cake who has selected this healthy flax cake for us to try out . This event is hosted by Joyce of KitchenFlavours . We are baking from LouSeibert Pappas cookbook , Coffee Cake . I’ve only made half of the recipe & in 10 mini cakes . The cakes turned out great with chocolate chip & nut topping . We like this healthy breakfast cakes pack with flavours . Goes wonderfully with a cup of cappuccino …. Yum ! For the recipe , please hop over to Mich & for more of this bake from the members of THB, HERE