Apple and Sultana Crumble

Ingredients:-
For the fruit:
8 medium apples – peeled and chopped
1 oz soft brown sugar
2 cloves
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 oz sultanas
2 tablespoons water
3 teaspoons lemon juice


For the Topping:
4 oz wholemeal flour
4 oz plain white flour
5 oz soft brown sugar
3 oz butter at room temperature
1 level teaspoon baking powder.

(I actually use 4 oz of wholemeal flour, 2 oz of plain white flour and 2 oz of gram flour. Gram flour is a flour made from ground chana dal, a legume otherwise known as chickpeas. I think it just gives a slightly different texture to the crumble.)

Tinned custard

Method:-
Place the apples and water into a large saucepan, adding the sultanas, sugar and spices. Cook gently until the apples are soft and fluffy. Spoon the mixture into a pie dish.


Place the flour in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle in the baking powder, then add the butter and rub it into the flour lightly, using your fingertips. Then when it all looks crumbly, and the fat has been dispersed fairly evenly, add the sugar and combine that well with the rest.

Sprinkle the apple mixture with the crumble topping. Using a fork, even it out but don’t press it down. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes in a medium oven (gas mark 4; 350°F; 180°C) until the topping is golden brown.

Serve with hot or cold custard.

Recipe for humour

How come when you mix water and flour together

you get glue?..


and then you add eggs and sugar...


and you get cake?

Where did the glue go ?

NEED AN ANSWER?

You know darned well where it went!

That's what makes the cake

Stick to your ass..

Chicken Soup

Ingredients
4 large potatoes
1 large carrot
1 large onion
1 clove of garlic
100 gm noodles
3 chicken stock cubes
1 chicken breast
! small packet croutons

Method
In a very large pan bring to the boil 3 pints of water. Add the chicken stock cubes and continue to simmer and stir on a low heat throughout the rest of the process.
Dice one potato into very small cubes and put them in the water.
Grate the other three potatoes and add them.
Grate the carrot and add it.
Grate the onion and add it.
Crush the garlic and add to the mix.
Add the noodles.
Lightly fry the chicken breast in oil. Cut it open when there is a chance that it is cooked. If not completely cooked continue to fry until it is. (The more lightly it is cooked the more tender it will be.)
Cut and tear the chicken breast into tiny pieces and add to the soup.
Continue to simmer with the occasional stir for half an hour.
Remove from the heat and insert a stick blender. Lightly blend, leaving some of it thick so that there are some potato pieces and noodles left whole.

Serve with croutons.

Makes enough for six as a snack or as a meal starter. Any not eaten at the time can be frozen for the future - ideally in individual portions for snacks - or kept in the fridge for three days.

(There are, of course, many variations of this such as using left-over chicken; adding sweetcorn; using only half the amount of potato, carrot and onion and blending strongly prior to putting in the noodles to give a thinner, chicken noodle soup.)

Florentines - of a sort

These are my attempt at making Florentines like the ones found in the Woodlands Centre at Stornoway. They aren't the same by any means but they are acceptable. when I perfect the recipe I shall post it again.

Ingredients:-
2 oz butter
1 tablespoon syrup
3 tablespoons golden granulated sugar
1 tablespoon mixed dried fruit - mainly sultanas
½ tablespoon chopped almonds
½ tablespoon glace cherries - chopped
15 squares of chocolate
10 squares of chocolate for drizzle
Cornflakes

Method:-
Melt the ingredients - excluding the cornflakes and chocolate for drizzle - in a large saucepan. Then add cornflakes and turn slowly - trying not to break up the cornflakes but to cover them with the mixture. Try to add enough cornflakes to absorb all the mixture without adding so many that some cornflakes remain uncovered.



Spoon out onto greaseproof paper and mould into roundish shapes. Allow to cool. Melt the 10 remaining squares of chocolate and drizzle them over the 'Florentines'.
Put in the fridge to cool down for a while. Store in an airtight container.