Upside Down Apple Cake

Image Leave a comment 09/02/2020 the wee caledonian cook

I do hate food going to waste so I used up my leftover apples and made an upside down cake and served with custard……OMG! Yummy! Scrummy!

Classic desserts don’t come much better than this. It was an extremely windy and cold day today so this little warming dessert was just a perfect home comfort Sunday dessert.

Makes 2 small individuals (2 x 4-5″ tin) or 1 large (10″ tin)

For the caramelise apples:-

2 Apples (of your choice)

60g unsalted butter

70g Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the cake:

2 eggs

110g unsalted butter

110g Self raising Flour

110g Caster Sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp milk

Pre heat oven to 180 deg fan
Melt 60g butter with the 70g brown sugar and cinnamon, stir together and put into the bottom of your tin.
Peel and slice your apples and place on top of the caramel.
Beat the cake ingredients together in a mixer and pour over the apples.
Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the cake springs back when pressed.
Remove from oven and tin and serve. Yum!

Apple & Raisin Filo Parcels

Image Leave a comment 28/01/2018 the wee caledonian cook

I had some left over apples and filo in my kitchen so it was obvious it had to be little apple parcels. These were so tasty and so quick to cook using my little crisper plate……..oh did I tell you how much I love this little crisper? lol!

Makes 4

2 Granny smith apples – chopped into small chunks

3 sheets of filo pastry

1 beaten egg for wash

small handful of raisins

70g light brown caster sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Fry oil – light

2 tbsps Icing sugar to finish

Spray a fry pan with oil on a medium heat
Gently fry the apple, sugar, cinnamon and raisins until just caramalised (about 8-10 mins) Remove and allow to cool.
Lay your first sheet of filo on a worktop and brush with the egg wash, then take your 2nd sheet and lay onto, brush with egg wash, and then your 3rd sheet as above. Then cut vertically into 4 sections.
Preheat your crisper plate for 3 minutes on dynamic crisp setting
Once cooked, remove from plate and allow to cool slightly. Sieve some icing sugar over the parcels and serve. These are lovely with ice cream, whipped cream or even caramel sauce. oh so yummy!

You can of course bake these in a 190 deg oven for about 20 minutes.

Oak Smoked Apple & Cinnamon Doughnut Muffins

Image 2 Comments 21/01/2018 the wee caledonian cook

I recently bought this little jar of Oak Smoked Apple Butter from The Sweet Beet Company, I decided to give doughnut muffins a go……..oh WOW! So tasty and different, another great food find for my recipe book.

Makes 12

For the Muffins

260g plain flour

32g Caster Sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp oak smoked apple butter

1 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs beaten

100ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp melted butter

For the Topping

1/4 cup of caster sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 egg beaten for wash

Preheat oven to 165 deg.
Grease a muffin tin
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl
Add in melted butter, milk, vanilla, apple butter and eggs and mix together until well blended, if too thick just add a little more milk.
Spoon mixture evenly into the muffin tin, only about 3/4 full.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
Mix together the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl for the topping, and set aside the egg wash. Once the muffins have cooled, remove from tin and brush with egg wash then dip into the sugar mix, thoroughly coating the whole muffin, lay on a rack to set.
Serve with a lovely cuppa! These are so moreish!

Braised Red Cabbage

Image Leave a comment 05/12/2017 the wee caledonian cook

I was inspired to give this a try after seeing and tasting it at a Kitchen Aid event I attended recently. Beautiful flavour, and perfect for my New Years Day steak pie. So I gave it a trial run…..delicious! I even went all out and made proper Goose fat roasties. Mmmmm.

Makes enough for 10-12 people

500g red cabbage – sliced

250g onions – chopped

250g cooking apples – peeled, cored and chopped

1/2 garlic clove

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 heaped tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

15g butter

Preheat your oven to 150 deg
Shred the cabbage then start to layer your dish, cabbage, seasoning, onions, apple, spices and sugar. Continue to layer up.
Now pour in the red wine vinegar and top with the butter.
Put a lid onto the casserole dish and cook for about 2.5 hours.

This is great as any leftovers you can pop in freezer for a later date or even use through a pie.

Black Pudding, Haggis & Apple pastry Rolls

Image Leave a comment 10/09/2017 the wee caledonian cook

Inspired by Scottish Foods and a visit to a food festival recently I decided to try these little rolls myself. So yummy!

Makes about 10 mini rolls

200g Stornoway Black Pudding

200g Haggis

2 x Granny Smith apples

1 shop bought ready rolled puff pastry (saves so much time)

Tomato or Brown sauce (whichever is your preference)

1 egg for wash

Salt & pepper to taste

Cook the black pudding and haggis as per instructions, about 4 minutes on each side.
Meanwhile peel off skin from apple and core, chop into small chunks. Caramelise the apple in a fry pan for about 15-20 mins.
Roll out pastry and cut length ways once
Once haggis and pudding are cooked, place in a bowl and mash up with apple and seasoning
Spread the pastry with your choice of sauce about 3 tbsp each length then fill the centre of each length with the pudding mixture
Brush the egg wash around the edges of the pastry then roll up the pastry and seal the edges. Use a knife of fork to seal gently.
You can now cut into the size you desire
I used my magic little Crisper plate to bake these but you can of course bake in a preheat oven of 190 deg for about 20 minutes. Using the crisper, preheat for 2 minutes on dynamic crisp setting. Bake on crisper for 8 minutes.
Serve….yummy!

Lentil Salad with Apple and Lovage

Image Leave a comment 19/06/2016 the wee caledonian cook

This recipe was inspired by fellow blogger Fae’s Twist & Tango, I have changed it slightly to suit what I had in my cupboard’s but all the same it was absolutely delicious, you can see the original recipe here from http://fae-magazine.com/2016/06/16/lentil-salad/.

50g Yellow Split peas

50g Green Lentils

2 tbsp Olive Oil (a good one)

1 lemon – juice off

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground rainbow peppercorns

1 medium apple, diced with skin – I used Golden Delicious

Handful of chopped Lovage (this is an erect, herbaceous, perennial plant growing to 1.8–2.5 m, the stems and leaves are shiny green to yellow-green and smell somewhat similar to celery when crushed.)

15g Almonds – chopped

Firstly cook the lentils, bring about 500ml water to boil and boil for 10 mins then reduce to a simmer for about 20 mins.
While lentils are cooking, prepare the dressing:- Olive oil, lemon juice, honey, ginger, salt, pepper mix together in a bowl.
Once lentils are ready pour in dressing a mix through.
Empty in with the apple, almonds and lovage and mix through.
Serve in a dish and enjoy!

Haggis with Beetroot, Apple & Chilli Pepper Boats

Image Leave a comment 05/06/2016 the wee caledonian cook

Looking for something different to do with haggis and having some Chilli relish in the cupboard with thanks to Lynn from Everything Chilli http://www.everythingchilli.co.uk/ and my local Food Assembly, I came up with this perfect match.

Haggis – 100g – I used Scott’s of Huntly (really tasty Haggis)

2 tbsp of Beetroot and Apple Chilli Relish

Assorted Vegetables to serve

1 Pepper (Colour of your choice)

Firstly pre-heat your grill to high and slice in half the pepper then chargrill the peppers until slightly browned.
Using a microwave on high level cook the haggis for approx 2 mins per 100g.
Mash up and stir in the relish until mixed through.
Remove the peppers and spoon the haggis mixture into pepper boats……..Serve! Yummy!

Toffee Apple Custard Tarts

Image Leave a comment 17/04/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I was inspired to try these by a local baker I met this week, I have to say I didn’t quite get the custard as I would have liked but they did taste absolutely divine.

Makes 6-8

For the filling:
3 large free range eggs, plus 2 large free range egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 pint of single cream (2 cups)
2 ounces caster sugar (a scant 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 whole nutmegs, grated
1 tsp of softened butter

For the toffee sauce:

150g caster sugar

75ml pot double cream

25g butter

Base:-

3-4 sheets Filo Pastry

1/2 Lady Red Apple – sliced very thinly

Place the cream and vanilla into a saucepan and bring it up to a simmer.
Whisk the beaten eggs and sugar together in a large heatproof jug.
Slowly pour the hot cream over the beaten eggs, whisking continuously.
Whisk in half of the nutmeg.
Carefully pour the whisked mixture into the pastry case and scatter the rest of the nutmeg over top.
Bake for 10 minutes, then place the sliced apple on top carefully, place back in the oven for a further 20 mins or until the filling is golden brown, firm in the centre and slightly puffed.
Meanwhile, cut the filo pastry into squares, size to fit your muffin tin. Lightly grease your tin.
Brush the filo with melted butter and place 3 squares on top of each other to form a star shape, carefully press into muffin tin.
Now to make the toffee, tip the sugar into a heavy-based frying pan, stir in 4 tbsp water, then place over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Turn up the heat and bubble for 4-5 mins until you have caramel.
Take off the heat, then carefully stir in the cream and butter.
Once oven has finished, remove and spread the toffee over the top and allow to cool for about 1 hour. Serve! Yummy!

Cinnamon and Apple Rose Bakes

Image 6 Comments 12/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I made these for my mum as she loves apple and cinnamon and a wee treat now and then. I first saw these on Pinterest and just had to give them a try. Not only do they look amazingly good they taste fantastic. Would be lovely served with some ice cream or cream.

Makes 6

Ready rolled Puff Pastry

2 tbsp Apricot Jam

2 Pink Lady Apples

Flour for rolling pastry

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Cinnamon Powder

little icing sugar to decorate

Firstly preheat oven to 180 deg.
Cut apples in half and remove core and any seeds, very thinly slice the apples to make arch like shapes.
Fill a bowl 1/2 full with water and squeeze the lemon juice in, place the apple slices in the water and microwave on full power for about 3-4 minutes until apples are soft and flexible.
Remove and allow to cool.
Mix apricot jam with 1 tbsp water and microwave for 1 minute on full power. Remove and allow to cool.
Roll out your pastry thinly, and cut into strips about 6-8 inches long and 2 inches wide.
Spread a little of the Apricot Jam onto pastry.
Lay the apple slices along the pastry overlapping them slightly, but placing them only half way down.
Sprinkle with cinnamon powder for extra flavour.
Take the bottom of the pastry and fold up onto the apples.
Then very gently and not too tight, take one end and roll the pastry up.
Once rolled, place into a lightly greased muffin tin.
Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes, until cooked and slightly browned.
Place into cake cases and lightly dust with icing sugar and serve. Yummy!!

Black Pudding Truffle with Scrambled eggs

Image Leave a comment 23/05/2015 the wee caledonian cook

I visited my local butchers (Patrick’s of Camelon), they had a new black pudding recipe with apple and onion through, they called it the Truffle Black pudding…sounding different and delicious I had to try.

1. Heat Black pudding in the microwave for 50 secs and mash up.

2. Scramble up 2 eggs adding in some crack black pepper and some chives. Serve up together.

The pudding was definately different a bit sweeter but absolutely delicious. A yummy scottish brekkie.

THE WEE CALEDONIAN COOK

DISCOVERING MY INNER CHEF

apple