Crunchy Nut Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble is comfort food in a dish. Sometimes a very simple recipe can provide you with the most unexpected treat. This recipe for Crunchy Nut Apple Crumble is no exception. It is also a good friend's recipe, so it is tried and true.

IN MY KITCHEN - February 2021

 January 2021 was a month of recovery and readjustment from Christmas holidays, concern over the Covid crisis, tropical heat, some tropical rain, reading good books, relaxing, and not that much cooking or gardening. We were in Cairns, Far North Queensland for Christmas and New Year, and drove home on the 2nd January, just in time before the roads flooded the next day near Ingham cutting off the Bruce Highway to all traffic. We drove carefully through some torrential rain that day, and it was lovely and quite a relief to arrive home. Despite a wonderful holiday, there's no place like our own home. 

When we're in Cairns we always go to Chef Link, a countertop store and warehouse which supplies all of the Cairns restaurants, cafes and bakeries with their catering requirements, but is also happy to sell to and assist members of the public at no extra cost or the need for an ABN. I love this shop, and they are always so helpful. They will also accept orders online. Mr. HRK was looking at their coffee cups, I was looking for bread making equipment, and anything else that caught my eagle eye.

This time I bought a Herbert Birnbaum, plastic polypropylene Brotform, or a bread proofing basket. Brotforms, Bannetons, and bread proofing baskets are all the same thing. This range is made in Germany, is guaranteed to last a lifetime, and is recyclable.  I can't wait to try it. No need to use a tea towel or any cloth to cover the base, it just needs to be misted and lightly floured and the dough placed in it to rise. If it works to my liking, I'll invest in a rectangular one for a large loaf as well. I have a couple of round cane bannetons which I bought at Chef Link during 2020 last year, but they need a tea towel insert to work. Can't have too many though I reckon. 

Then we ventured onto the shopping centres, enjoying the air conditioning during the Cairns heat,  and whilst in a kitchen shop, we bought a new chopping knife. The Japanese make great knives, and their packaging is very attractive and designed to house the knife very well. Mr. HRK likes to use a good, sharp knife when he's chopping and I'm very happy to support him with that.

It is a Baccarat Kiyoshi Japanese Stainless Steel 42012 15 cm Chefs knife. The packaging says it is inspired by the traditional Japanese craftsman and Samurai sword makers.The blades are made from premium Japanese Steel that has been mined in the same Japanese region of Chuo-Ku, Chiba since the middle of the last century. I hope that is all true because I love a good story about the kitchen items we buy.

I still can't bear to discard the beautiful packaging, so I store the knife in its packaging in a drawer.

Australia Day, always on the 26 January,  was somewhat of a meat fest here , when good friends Paul and Jenny, brought over some very large, marinated beef ribs which we cooked in our BBQ. 

I made a sourdough cob loaf to complement the meal, and I used my cane proofing basket for this one.

There were some delicious salads, mixed grain, potato and tomato.

We had a great time and ate and laughed a lot.

And for dessert, I made Mango, Lime and Coconut Panna Cotta which I wrote about in a previous post, and here is the link to the recipe if you missed it and are interested. The recipe serves 6 people.

The seasonal Bowen mangoes were delicious during December and January here, but are finished now making way for the southern stone fruits.

I haven't been cooking nearly as much as I usually do, blame the heat and the holiday vibe. However I made some delicious Chicken Burritos from scratch recently. Believe me, there were no El Paso spice mixes to be found in this recipe. I'll be publishing it on my blog shortly. I just have to make them again  to take a photo of the finished product. I have photos of the process, but I forgot to take a photo before they all disappeared. Familiar story?

Throughout January it has been very hot and humid and we ate lots of salads. Salads, salads, and more salads was my mantra. Last week, I made some comfort food though, as my gut was telling me to take a step back and just eat some plain steamed vegetables, chicken, brown rice and so forth. Part of the problem I think is that Mr. HRK is waiting to have surgery on his sinuses this month, and as a consequence can't taste anything, which is quite frustrating for him so I have been trying to spice my cooking up a bit more than usual so that he can hopefully taste some food. I might have overdone it with spices when I have actually cooked, so I am being careful for a while and eating blander foods, while he continues to add condiments like Kewpie Mayo with wasabi and sweet chilli jam to our meals which he loves.

I made one of my favourite comfort food dishes last week for us, Paleo Beef Chow Mein which just has a minimal amount of curry powder added and is full of vegetables.  Always a winner. I used cabbage instead of kale which is in the original recipe.

Beef Chow Mein with some Kewpie mayo added for Mr. HRK.

Lots of fresh green cabbage added, yum.

Because I haven't been doing that much cooking compared to what I normally do, it's been the perfect time to clean and reorganise my pantry, spice drawer and baking products. I discarded quite a lot of unnecessary clutter and have made some space for the rest of the year. Mind you my friends, I found a couple of duplicate spice jars, as the small jars are now arranged in alphabetical order. I wonder how long they will stay that way. However I am very happy with the result.

We are looking forward to watching some tennis this month, with the Australian Open Tennis Tournament starting tomorrow in Melbourne. The overseas tennis players are so happy to be here and to be able to play after not much competition in 2020 because of Covid. Hope it all goes well for everyone. The summer of tennis in Australia is a long standing tradition. We love our tennis.

I am sending this post to Sherry of Sherry's Pickings for the In My Kitchen event, that was started by Celia of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial,  If you would like to join in, send your post to Sherry by 13th of the month.  Or just head over to her blog to read more In My Kitchens.

 

That's all folks and thanks for visiting.

Best wishes.

Pauline

Mango, Lime and Coconut Panna Cotta

Australia Day tomorrow in the land Down Under, always the 26th January, when Aussies celebrate a Public Holiday by heading to the beach (whilst still practicing social distancing of course and avoiding the stingers here in North Queensland), or by having friends and family over for a late barbie in the arvo, playing some backyard cricket, and generally kicking back with a stubby or two (a bottle of beer that is), and some of the men might still be wearing stubbies (short shorts). It will be red wine for Mr. HRK and me, and celebrating how lucky we are to be living in this large sunburnt country of huge climatic extremes. I know I am glossing over the political arguments that always arise in the lead up to Australia Day, but I think I'll  leave that to the media and the politicians.

Lamb is often the meat of choice on Australia Day for the BBQ, or seafood, however we will be enjoying beef ribs this year with our good friends who are doing the marinating and we are doing the cooking.

It's my job to provide dessert, and generally host the meal, so whilst I still have some of the delicious Caramel Mango and Coconut Ice cream from a previous post still in my freezer, I also still have a few of the fresh mangoes in the frig that we picked ourselves. A chilled mango Panna Cotta  with sweet fresh mango seemed perfect as it can all be prepared the day before, and perhaps we will have just a smidgen of ice cream as well. The two desserts really are a perfect pairing, as the ingredients are quite similar, both cold, and will complement each other beautifully. Add a couple of meringues in place of the pavlova if you have them, and we are set. My friends are you still enjoying mangoes this summer? It is a short season for them from November to March approx., however they can be bought frozen now, so we can enjoy mango desserts all year round. No complaints here. As we had a few extra, we sliced and froze some mangoes last week, so now we can eat them throughout the year, much more reasonable than buying frozen mango at the supermarket.

INGREDIENTS:

300 g fresh diced mango (2 cups) , or thawed frozen mango

600 g Vanilla Custard, homemade or from a carton

70 g caster sugar (1/3 cup)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (60 ml)

1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest

6 g small gelatine leaves (about 4)

2 cups (560 g) coconut flavoured yoghurt, lactose free will be fine

1 medium ripe mango (430 g), extra, thinly sliced for garnish

 100 g mini meringues for garnish if using

METHOD:

Pour your custard into a large bowl. I'll admit I guiltily bought the custard for this dish, as I was also baking sourdough bread this morning so time was at a premium. 

Then process the diced mango until smooth in your food processor.

Place the gelatine leaves in a small bowl of cold water until softened, allow about 5 minutes. Do this as close as possible to coincide with the lime mixture being taken off the heat, which is the next step.  Squeeze the excess moisture from the gelatine, and add the gelatine to the saucepan of heated lime juice and mango puree. Stir until the gelatine is dissolved.

Place the sugar, lime zest, lime juice, and just 1/4 cup of the mango puree in a medium saucepan. This mixture needs to be stirred over a medium heat until it reaches just below simmering point. You will see some steam start to come off the surface, but no bubbles. Allow about 3 minutes for this.

Now you need to work quickly. Immediately whisk the lime mixture, including the softened gelatine, into the custard. Spoon in the yoghurt and the remaining mango and whisk until smooth.

Strain this mixture through a fine sieve into a large jug. This might take a little time because of the sieving process, and you will be left with a small mixture of thick fruit pulp and custard in the sieve. It is quite tasty and nice with any leftover yoghurt, waste not want not. The panna cotta should be smooth and lump free.

Select 6 x 1 1/4 cup (310 ml) shallow bowls or ramekins, and pour the panna cotta mixture into them . Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight until set.

I made these dishes late in the morning before lunch, and they were beautifully set by 5 pm that afternoon. Garnish the dishes with sliced mango, and mini meringues or whatever you wish really. Some toasted coconut flakes would also be nice. There was some multitasking this morning, with three sourdough loaves baked, whilst I did the prepping for the panna cotta. \

After I had taken the photo for this post, I said to Mr. HRK, " I think I might have put too much mango on the panna cotta for the photo." He said, " You can never have too much mango." Always helpful, he said, "I wouldn't use the toasted coconut flakes next time." 

This is the cob loaf I made this morning, and two other sandwich loaves to be sliced for the freezer.

Happy Australia Day, and to my Australian friends and any Aussies overseas,  how are you celebrating tomorrow?

Warm wishes

Pauline

Slightly devilish Aussie beef mince burgers perfect for weekend dining

Aussie Beef Mince Burgers

Aussie burgers that you can assemble yourself have become a popular way of eating Down Under and are perfect when entertaining at home, particularly on the Australia Day weekend. However, to be a true Aussie burger it must contain tinned or pickled beetroot which really takes it to new heights. Beef rissoles are easy to make, tasty and can be prepared in advance. This recipe has stood the test of time. 

Go straight to the recipe here:

The basics remain  the same, and chefs of today have taken it to a restaurant level by increasing the amount and combinations of fresh herbs they use, replaced onions for eschallots, and ensuring that the condiments served with the burgers tantalise the taste buds. For example, I have discovered the Slightly Devilish Spicy BBQ Caramelised Onion relish, just like Lee, from the Beerenberg Family Farm in Hahndorf, South Australia. I make most of my own relishes and chutneys, however chopping up all of those onions to make a relish doesn't excite me and this relish is so delicious. Definitely a must to serve with your Aussie burger along with a good Spicy Tomato relish, or even incorporate it into the beef mixture before cooking.

However the beef rissole needs to be tasty, and I would suggest  after you combine the mince with the other ingredients with your clean hands, you fry up about a dessertspoon full in a pan, taste it and see then if it needs more seasoning or herbs. Once the mince is formed into rissoles, you are past the point of being able to add to the ingredients, unless you start over.

Lamb can also be used but is more expensive. This is a fun alternative to a more formal style of entertaining and so tasty.

We enjoyed the leftovers the next day with vegetables, or rather I did. My Man of the House had another burger. This recipe is enough to feed 8-10 people, however if you are only feeding 2-4,  it is very time and cost efficient to still form the mince into rissoles, and freeze what you don't eat in a plastic container with layers separated by baking parchment. You can them take them out of the freezer and cook them as needed. And they will taste even better the next time.



Rissole ingredients:

Serves 8-10 people

1 kilo of premium grade beef mince
2 onions
4 slices brown bread (a few days old)
4 tbsp. mixed fresh herbs, including parsley (2 tbsp.), sage 2 tbsp.), and 4 teaspoons chopped tarragon if you have it (it is a strong herb with great flavour) or use 1 tbsp. dried mixed herbs instead
4 tsps. Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, squashed and finely chopped (optional)
2 beaten eggs
2 tablespoons grated carrot (optional) - great though if you are trying to encourage your children toe at more vegetables
2 tablespoons oil
1/4-1/2 cup flour

Method:

• Place onion, herbs, and bread in a food processor and process until finely chopped
• Add to the mince with the pepper, salt, sauces, beaten egg, carrot, and mustard
• Mix this all up in a large bowl with your clean hands until well combined 
• Form into even sized balls and flatten (or) use an egg ring to shape and flatten them uniformly
• Leave to rest on a plate in the refrigerator, covered in alfoil or cling wrap for at least an hour so that they firm up
• Remove from the refrigerator and dust with plain  flour
• Cook for about 8 minutes turning over halfway
• Drain on absorbent paper
• Heat oil in a fypan or on the BBQ and fry rissoles until they are cooked. They can be kept warm and covered  in the oven for a couple of hours before eating if this suits your agenda

Burger accompaniments:

Grated carrot

Sliced cucumber

Lettuce

Baby rocket leaves

Sliced tomatoes

Tomato relish (preferably homemade) Click for recipe.

Pickled beetroot slices or canned beetroot slices (Absolutely essential for an Aussie burger)

Cheese slices

Caramelised onion

Mayonnaise

Flat Bread rolls for easy eating

Slice and Butter the bread rolls on the inside and place down on the grill or BBQ and brown.
Caramelised onion and tomato relish can then be spread onto the bread. The burger is then assembled by your guests according to their individual taste.

Be sure to give your guests napkins.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and find it useful.

Thanks for dropping by  to read my blog.

Warmest wishes and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Pauline xx

It's Australia Day, a public holiday and a time to relax and celebrate being Australian

Australia Day is the anniversary of the arrival and landing of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, at Sydney Cove in N.S.W  on 26th January, 1788. It's surprising how some people still aren't sure of what we are actually celebrating and each year it is a little controversial as to whether we should actually be celebrating this event or not. Despite the politics, I think it should be a time to relax, and just celebrate living in such a wonderful and diverse country.

Chillis

I went for an early walk around my garden this morning with a cuppa and it reminded me how closely linked my garden is to my kitchen and my cooking and how some of the produce is only days away from being harvested and included into some delicious dish for us to eat. It is also a very multicultural collection of plants, some things that my Mum would never of thought of growing in her garden in the 50's or the 60's. That is exciting to me, how far we have come with what we grow and cook now. These photos are just a selection of what we have growing.

Our new ramp now finished

Mr. DIY has now finished our new ramp at the back of the house. He has done such a great job. Perhaps it needs just one more coat of varnish.

Eggplant

I am having an easy day at home today. Pickling some beetroot because it needs to be done, watching some cricket and some tennis, and enjoying just living in the Lucky Country. We will be eating BBQ Lamb as after all Australia rode on the sheep's back.

Tarragon, ground orchids, and oregano next to the bird bath

My miniature rainforest

Happy Australia Day everyone! I hope you can all enjoy a relaxing day.