Tuesday 3 June 2014

winter


how i love winter
it's been cold enough to
 celebrate the new season with an open fire
cook comforting food
and cosy up in one of my quilts 
oh..how i do love it 



apple, rhubarb and ginger crumble*
tea with hazel
serves 4

 ingredients

6 medium sized granny smith apples 
4 stalks rhubarb (i used homegrown)**
1-2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon (tbs) golden castor sugar
70 gms butter
70 gms castor sugar
70 gms moscovado sugar
70 gms plain flour
2 tbs oats

method

~ peel, core, cut each apple into 8 sections, and place in acidulated water
~ cut rhubarb into 4 cm pieces
~ place apple pieces in a large saucepan with 3-4 tbs water and cook over low heat stirring gently until the apples are al dente
~ place apples in greased oven proof dish along with rhubarb, ginger and sugar
~ rub the butter into the flour, sugar and oats and top the fruit with the crumble mix
~ bake at 180 deg c until the crumble is crisp and brown and the fruit underneath is bubbling

serving

~ serve with cream, vanilla ice cream or as i prefer with a homemade vanilla custard

notes

*   i've been making apple crumble for years using the same recipe but i changed a couple of things recently such as adding ginger instead of lemon to the fruit and oats to the crumble mix..i've tried adding oats before but not in such a small quantity..it seems to make the topping adhere just the right amount so that it's biscuity and crunchier than my previous crumble..
**  at last i have the variety of rhubarb i want and like..the thinner stalked red one..my last two attempts at growing it resulted in unnaturally zealous plants with green stalks that stayed green despite everything..i tried to love it but i was put off by the green gloop it cooked into so it had to go..


this in pristine condition enamel dish is a recent op shop purchase..

do you love winter too?

4 comments:

  1. Jane...you have no idea how much I love a crumble. I could eat a big bowl of it right now, it is one dish that takes me back to my childhood and reminds me of winter. That enamel dish is perfect, what a great find.

    Yes, I love winter. No snakes, no constant need to monitor farms animals, no wilting garden, no lonely trips on hot, unforgiving outback roads. Bring on the warm fires and crumbles I say x

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    1. i love crumble too jane..it's basic stuff but i tend to prefer it to the more complicated confections..

      i can imagine what a relief winter would be for you and your husband..all i have to worry about is my garden and my own internal thermostat which doesn't seem to work in the hot weather..'i'm so hot' is my constant mantra in summer..x

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  2. Simple delicious comfort food. What could a person want more? Sometimes that's all that matters, all that counts and this looks delicious. Cheers for the excellent share and the childhood memories. My gran used to make this :)

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    1. i agree fran..i didn't eat it growing up though..i started making it in greece and i've been making and loving it ever since..my daughter alexandra loves it so much that she asks for it as a birthday treat! x

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