Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Wednesday 9 January 2013

Pumpkin Granola Bar

My family loves granola and our my favourite granola supply come from "maameemoomoo" who always surprise us with her innovative flavoured granola like honey, pumpkin and chocolate. And since we have missed out Sherie's pumpkin granola during Halloween orders, I decided to try making something similar to satisfy our craving. So with a twist and some research which I Google, I manage to bake some decent Pumpkin Granola Bar instead.

Although my granola bar might not taste as good as Sheri's but at least I happy with the end result and also it's a challenge for me to bake something with such a long ingredients list too.

Wednesday 12 December 2012

{Christmas Bake} ABC Power Cake

I am sure for those who love fruit juice you would probably have tried the ABC (apple, beetroot and carrot) Detox Juice during one of your orders. But other than the juice, have you ever tried any cake which is made from ABC Juice and it's residues. If NO, here is a new recipe that I would like to share with you and it might come in handy for this Christmas season.

As Christmas is approaching, I wanted to bake something which has some festive feel like Mixed Fruit Cake, Ginger Bread, Cookies or etc. And the idea of this ABC Power Cake inspired me from my Okara Black Butter Cake which I have shared sometime back.


ABC POWER CAKE
(using Juice and Fruit Residues from Apple, Beetroot and Carrot)


This cake has a brownish red colour tone which similar to those Christmas mixed fruit cakes or sticky date pudding which we all loved. Furthermore this cake is light and fruity in flavour as compared to those traditional Christmas bakes which are loaded with spices and dried mixed fruits or chocolate. 


(Make: 2 tins (17cm x 8cm x 6cm) | Preparation: 10 minutesBaking: 45 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 180g Self-Raising Flour
  • 20g Valrhona Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
  • 4 Eggs (55g each)
  • 200g Unsalted Butter
  • 180g Castor Sugar
  • 150g ABC Fruit Residues
  • 50ml ABC Juice


Method:-
1. Preheat Oven to 170°C degree Celsius.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (beating with an electric mixer for about 4 - 5 minutes on medium speed).

3. Add in 1 egg at a time, beating well in between each additions. Beat in ABC Fruit Residues till combined (a few seconds).


4. Using a rubber spatula, fold in half the sifted flour mixture (careful not to over-stir or beat the mixture) and follow by ABC Juice and remaining flour.

5. Divide the batter into the prepared casing, bake the cake in preheated oven for 40 - 45 minutes or until a skewer insert in the middle and come out clean.

6. When cooked, remove cake from the oven, allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.


This cake is very moist and perfumed with fruity flavour and aroma from the fruit juice and residues used and with each bite you could also taste a mild beetroot flavour in it. For a change from the usual traditional Christmas bake, perhaps this power cake would be something that you would love to share with your family or friends during this festive season. And for party or potluck idea, you could even bake this in small cupcake size, dust with icing sugar and decorate with Christmas cake toppers too.

Monday 22 October 2012

Apple, Oat And Walnut Crumble Slice

Apples are beautiful fruits that can be used in both dishes and bakes. For our family, I often use it to make Apple Tea or Double-boiled Apple With Gingko Nut and you could read more on my collection of apple recipes(here). In order to show my support for Bosch "Apple-tizing" Health Recipe Contest 2012, I decided to make this health Apple, Oat & Walnut Crumble Slice with added Chia seeds which is an amazing ingredient that loaded with lots of health benefits.

Following the successful debut of the Bosch cooking contest in 2011(read more here), this year they are having Bosch ‘Apple-tizing’ Cooking Contest 2012 which is open for entries till 31 October 2012.

To particular, you must own either a Bosch Kitchen Machines or Food Processors in order to submit a healthy recipe using APPLES (submit via Bosch Singapore website here). After which the six best entries will be shortlisted to compete in a cook-off contest on 22 December 2012 using their own Bosch appliance.

So if you have either one of the mentioned Bosch appliance(s) maybe you could consider to send in your "secret recipe" featuring Apples and your Bosch appliance. For your information, Grand prize winner gets "A pair of economy tickets to Germany (plus $1,000 allowance)".



APPLE, OAT AND WALNUT CRUMBLE SLICE


Here for my buttery pastry I have added some cinnamon powder instead of mixed spice and as for the filling I choose Granny Smith Apples and golden rinse to balance the sweet and sour taste. And to create a crunchy texture with healthier toppings, I choose Organic Rolled Oats, Walnuts and Chia Seeds to go with the buttery crumbs. 


(Make: 16 x 26cm pan | Preparation: 15 minutes | Baking: 20 minutes + 35 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups (340g) All Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup (60g) Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder/Mixed Spice, optimal
180g Unsalted Butter, chopped
2 Tablespoons Ice Water

Apple Mixture:
4 - 5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, diced
1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar
Rind of 1 Lemon, optional
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/3 Cup (60g) Golden Raisin
1/3 Cup (35g) Rolled Oats
1/3 Cup (45g) Walnut Nuts, chopped
2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds, optional


Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (degree Celsius). Grease a 3cm deep, 16cm x 26cm brownie pan and line it with baking paper, allowing 2cm overhang on all sides.

2. Process flour, brown sugar, butter and spice(if using) in Bosch MCM 4 food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons chilled water and process until mixture just comes together to form a dough (adding more water if required).

4. Wrap 3/4 cup dough in cling wrap and refrigerate until firm. Press remaining dough using fingers tips or spatula evenly into the tin and bake it in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until pastry turns golden in colour. Remove and set aside to cool.


5. Next add apples, caster sugar, lemon rind and juice in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved.

6. Increase heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until apple is soft. Allow mixture to cool completely before stirring in raisin.


7. Spoon apple mixture over pastry base. Coarsely grate chilled dough into a bowl with rolled oat, walnut and chai seeds mixture then gently stir to combine.

8. Sprinkle dough mixture over apple mixture. Bake in 180°C (degree Celsius) for 35 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool completely in pan before sliced.


Baking is like doing science where we tends to experiment with different recipes and ingredients in our pantry. So according to your preference, you may choose to replace walnut with almond or chia seeds with black sesame seeds or anything that is available in your pantry.

Actually Apple Crumble is not difficult to make, and you could even prepare the pastry dough or apple filling a head ahead. You could serve your Apple Crumble wither hot or cold with ice cream, cream or custard. Love mine with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream!

Below are some recipes that I have tried using BOSCH MCM 4100 food processor.

ABC Detox Juice

Lemon Berry Tarts

Baked Lemon Cheesecake


Friday 6 July 2012

Soft Apple Pound Cake

I have being craving for Cakes which made with "apple" ever since my last "Apple Crumble Cheesecake" from Starbucks a few weeks back. So when I came across Ann's "Apple Soft Pound Cake" post from her website last month, I told myself I must bake it after my Cruise Trip.

And after the holidays break, I finally managed to settle down with some free time to bake this cake while my kid is at school. Honestly I love this cake because of it's ingredients used, as you notice this is definitely a rich butter cake with hint of lemon scent that makes it prefect for afternoon tea.

Thursday 16 February 2012

{Happy Call Pan Version} Apple Upside-down Cake

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The Happy Call Pressure Pan (HCP) craze kept burning among Happy Call Chefs who contributes many wonderful recipes at Munch Ministry website as well as their HCP discussion group over at facebook. After my 1st successful attempt on baking the Pineapple Upside-down Cake using HCP I decide to use the same recipe with a twist to make this Apple Upside-down Cake since we have some granny smith sitting in the fridge compartment.  


APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
(using Happy Call Pan)


This is indeed something that I am looking forward to serve as tea cake especially that soft layer of Apple and light Cinnamon fragrant that is sitting beautiful on top of the cake. The caramel is not too sweet and it definitely brings out the unique taste of this cake together with layer of texture from the apple, walnut and raisin.


(Make: 30 x 25cm | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 - 25 minutes)

Ingredients:
180g Plain Flour
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
4 Large Egg(60g each)
90g Caster Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Grated Rind of 1 Lemon
60ml Unsalted Butter, Melt
60ml Grape Seeds Oil

Caramel Apple:
50g Unsalted Butter
100g Brown Sugar
50ml Water Water
2 Green Apple, skin remove and cored
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
50g Walnut
60g - 80g Golden Raisin

Method:-
1. To prepare the Caramel Apple; sliced the apple into about 0.5cm thick, lightly marinate it with lemon juice and cinnamon powder. Set aside.

2. Simmer unsalted butter and brown sugar over low heat in HCP until sugar dissolve and mixture begins to bubble. Sir in marinated apple slices, water and continue to simmer over low heat for another 3 - 5 minutes till apple slightly soften. (Pan close but don't lock it)

3. When done, turn off the heat and arrange the apple, walnut and half of the golden raisin as close as possible without too much gaps in between. Set aside and prepare the cake batter.

4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla extract with a hand mixer till well-mixed(about 1 minute) and mixture slightly turn pale in colour (you can refer to the step-by-step photo above).

5. Next whisk in the melt butter, grape seeds oil and follow by the sifted flour mixtures(plain flour + baking powder) and continue to stir until the flour is in-cooperate into the batter (the batter will be slightly like thick cream texture) before stirring in the remaining golden raisin(lightly coat raisin with flour so that it wont sink during baking)

5. Pour the mixture over the prepared caramel apple, smooth the top and bake(lock the pan) over very low heat for about 23 - 25 minutes(usually you will see steaming coming out when cake is ready) or until a skewer inserted and come out clean.

6. Carefully flip the pan over and bake the top of the cake for another 5 minutes to brown the top before removing it from stove.

Tips:-
~ You can also bake this Apple Upside-down Cake in the oven at 180 degree for about 40 - 50 minutes using an 8" round tin.

As I have mentioned before this is a very easy to prepare tea cake which can be done within 30 minutes if proper preparation is done before hand such as weighing the flour, sugar and replace melted butter with oil. So while catching up with your guest you could just pop into the kitchen and get ready the batter to bake this cake. And most importantly you need not need to be around the stove to look after the cake. All you need to do is set the timer on and check it out after 20 minutes of baking time. Remember on very LOW heat.

Lastly I would like to share with you a good new. I have won an interesting cooking book know as "Pork Appetite - 猪圆玉润" from the January Happy Call CookOff Challenge organised by Munch Ministry. You can take a look at the entries HERE

Monday 14 November 2011

Crisp Duck with Apple & Orange Sauce serve with Rosemary & Garlic Flatbread

I have hardly use DUCK meat as one of my ingredient while planning for our daily meals. I guess the only dish that I known how to cook by using whole/portion duck is to make "Braised Duck with Dark Soya Sauce" which is a well-like dish in most Asia families. Not long ago, I have read up a recipe and post from Jacob over at Cook.Snap.Eat.Love where he takes the effort and time to prepare Duck Confit as a main course to host a few food bloggers on a tasting session(read more HERE).

After going through Jacob's recipe plus some others similar recipes online, I find making Duck Confit was rather complicated and time consuming for my standard as a home cook. So after much consideration, I think I better settle for something easier which I could managed and keep that big project aside for the time being.


CRISP DUCK WITH APPLE AND ORANGE SAUCE


This is a pretty easy dish with minimum preparation but comes with delicious combination of savory crisp duck, crunchy fresh apple plus salad greens swam in pool of aromatic spiced orange sauce. Personally I love the sweet and tangy taste of the orange sauce which really goes well with the whole combination and especially on the crisp duck.

Here I used half portion of the duck(which included the duck breast fillet and drumstick) instead of two duck fillets because I have left over from the previous dish on braised soya duck. If you are getting the duck from the wet market poultry stalls, you could also ask them to help you de-bone the fillet which would be easier for you.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 30 minutes | Cooking: 25 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 Duck Fillets, skin on
1/2 Tablespoon Sea Salt
Dash of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Red Delicious Apple, sliced thinly
2 Servings of Salad Greens


Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking tray.

2. Make shallow incisions diagonally across skin of duck apart 1cm apart, rub sea salt into skin.

3. Place a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, add duck, skin-side down and cook for 8 minutes until skin is crispy.

4. Transfer to wire rack, skin-side up and bake for 12 - 15 minutes until tender. Remove from oven and stand on wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing it.

5. Using a vegetable slicer or knife, sliced the apple thinly and place it on the duck slices on prepared plates.

6. Drizzle some orange sauce on the apple and duck mixture, top with some salad greens and homemade rosemary and garlic flatbread on the side and serve warm with extra orange sauce.


Orange Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Orange Marmalade
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
Zest of 1 Orange
125ml of Orange Juice
60ml Cup Water
2 Star Anise

Method:-
1. Place orange marmalade, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, star anise and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved.

2. Simmer for 8 - 10 minutes, until sauce reduced and sightly thickened. Strain and serve warm.



ROSEMARY AND GARLIC FLATBREAD


A flatbread is a simple bread made with flour, water, salt and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened which is made without using yeast or sourdough culture similar to the recipe shown below. And in order to make the above crisp duck salad more filling, I decided to pair it with some homemade Rosemary and Garlic Flatbread which could be used to wrap up the crisp duck salad.

Recipe adapted and modify from Australia Masterchef website HERE.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 30 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
125g Plain Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
65ml(1/4 cup) Lukewarm Water
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Fresh Rosemary
Extra Flour, dusting
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter


Method:-
1. Combine olive oil and lukewarm water in a jug.

2. Process flour, salt and rosemary in a food processor or alternatively place them in a large mixing bowl.

3. Slowly add olive oil and water mixture to the flour to form a dough.

4. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Rest dough for at least 30 minutes

5. Divide dough into 6 dough balls, roll out flat and fry(without oil) for 2 minutes each side or until golden.

6. Brush with melted butter. Keep warm and serve together with the Crisp Duck salad above.

Other than making your own flatbread from scratch you could also purchase those ready-made "Wraps/Tortilla " which are available in most leading supermarkets. I am sure you would like this dish as much as I do, and if duck fillets are not available in your area or liking you could always replace it with chicken fillets. And furthermore if you could get hold of kumquat marmalade I am it would add extra and unique flavour to this dish too. Enjoy!

Tuesday 11 October 2011

{Quick Version} French Apple Tart


I have some extra Green Apples left in the fridge after making the "Pork Schnitzel And Apple Salad" so after gathering a few related ingredients from the pantry I decided to make this quick and simple French Apple Tart for afternoon tea snack. And in order to shorten the preparation time I decided to use our favourite frozen puff pastry(i always keep a pack in the freezer) as we love that buttery flaky base.

Most of the French Apple Tart use two different layers of fillings such as cooked apple cubes top with apple slices. But since this is a quick version I have omitted the cooking process and replaced it by layers sliced apple.


FRENCH APPLE TART


(serves: 4-6 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients: 
1 Sheet frozen Butter Puff Pastry, partially thawed
Knot of Butter, to grease
1/4 Cup Ground Almond Meal
2 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Egg White, lightly beaten
2 Granny Smith Apples, halved, cored, thinly sliced
1/2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar, optional
2 Tablespoons Apricot Jam/Marmalade


Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 220 Degree Celsius. Lightly grease a baking tray with butter and place pastry sheet onto greased tray.

2. Using the tip of a sharp knife, score pastry by only cutting half way through, 2cm from edge.

3. Combine almond meal, sugar, cinnamon and egg white together. Spread over pastry within the inner border.

4. Top with apples, overlapping slightly, sprinkle some brown sugar evenly on the apples and bake in preheated oven for about 18 - 20 minutes or until apples are tender and pastry is golden.

5. Mix jam with 2 tablespoon boiling water in a small bowl until spreadable. Brush over cooked tart, cut into pieces and serve. (you can serve it plain with pair with vanilla ice-cream or custard)


The end result was great and addicting as you can have different layers of texture range from moist fragrant apple, cinnamon and flake spread on top of those flaky buttery base. This is definitely a quick and easy tea snack with a cup of decent tea with a couples of friends.

To make your tart look more attractive with that shinning outlook you can also glazed it with some apricot preserves that is dilute with hot water and in a way it also enhance the apples with a moist texture too.


Thursday 6 October 2011

Pork Schnitzel And Apple Salad

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Salad isn't just some mixture of vegetables, mixed fruits, pasta and etc with dressings. Sometime it can be consider as a Main Meal with additions of meat and seafood to make it more nutritious and family meal. Here we have Pork Schnitzel to go with some salad green and crunchy apples for combination of textures and flavour. And for me I find this is also a good way to get kids to eat vegetables and fruits with that extra slices of yummy pork schnitzel that goes with it.


PORK SCHNITZEL AND APPLE SALAD 


(serves: 4 | Preparation: 20 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients: 
4 Pork Sirloin Steaks, fat trimmed
1/2 Tablespoon Cornflour
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine 
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 Cup breadcrumbs or Panko
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
2 Green Apple, cored, halved and thinly sliced
1 Packet Ready-to-serve Salad Green with dressing

Mustard Dressing:
Some Mayonnaise
Some Wholegrain/Creamy Mustard Sauce

Method:-
1. Using a meat mallet, pound pork slices evenly to 5mm thick. Marinate it with cornflour, cooking wine and lightly beaten egg for about 3 - 5 minutes.

2. Coat marinated pork slices evenly with breadcrumbs by pressing the meat down against the crumbs.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat, cook pork schnitzel for 3 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through. Drain well on paper towels.

4. Meanwhile, toss the pre-packed salad with accompany dressing before transferring them to a serving plate and top with apple slices. (you can soak apple slices with some lightly salted water to prevent it from oxidized and turns brown)

5. Next thickly slice pork and arrange on salad and drizzle mustard dressing over pork and serve.



Overall this can be a very flexible dish as you can use different types of salad green as well as changing the Pork Schnitzel to Chicken or Fish fillet depending on what is available in your pantry. And if you find it is a trouble to prepare Pork Schnitzel you can also purchase those ready-made(frozen type) and oven baked them according to the packet instructions.


Monday 29 November 2010

Almond And Apple Tea - 苹果杏仁茶

There is always a saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, and apple itself contains high nutritional value, promotes digestion and help to prevent diseases and other functions too. This common fruit which is suitable for all ages often comes in various sizes and varities from different countries. During recent years studies iit also shows that Apple may prevent or reduce food allergies in human too.

Recently I get to learn how to make this drink from one of my boy's classmates granny who loves to boil soups for her family. She shared with us that this soup is good for health in long run and it also helps to prevent cough and cold due to the ingredients used. Above are some collage photos of the ingredients and steps of preparation.

Sweet & Bitter Almonds(南北杏), Apricot Seed
Warm. Influences the lung and large intestine channels. Stops cough and moistens the intestines. Commonly used to treat dry cough and constipation.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
2 - 3 Big Apples, cut into wedges
1 Tablespoon Sweet & Better Almond
1 Piece of Candidate Tangerine
4 Strips of Candidate Winter Melon, optional
1 Knot of Pandan Leave
1.5 Litres of Water

Method:
1. Rinse, peel and core the apples then cut them into wedges. (about 6 - 8 wedges per apple)
2. Bring 1.5 litre of water to boil and add in all the ingredient except pandan leaves.
3. When the water comes to boil again, lower the heat and simmer on low heat for about 20 - 25 minutes.
4. Add in pandan leaves at the last 5 minutes then continue to let it simmer.
5. When done turn off the heat, remove the sweet & bitter almond pack and pandan leaves from the pot.
6. Serve warm or cold with the cooked apple as drink or dessert.

Note:-
~ Spoon the sweet and bitter almond into stock bag and secure it before adding it to cook with the rest of the ingredients.


This is a very refreshing tea that makes you hook on it due to its sweet and sour taste together with the fragrant of the apples and other pairing ingredients used. You can even boiled this tea and consume it as normal daily fluid by having an option to remove the adding of candidate winter melon to reduce the sweetness. And from some research shown Apples can also reduce high cholesterol, blood pressure and at the same time maintain consistent sugar level in the human body. So this quick and easy tea is sure to be a good keeper in most of our family and it also makes a great drink for kids too.


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