Happy Friday Treat - Plumapple Crumble

Plums & apples may not yet be in season,

but it’s always time for this treat, which is

assembled mostly from cupboard ingredients.

This little crumble has a lovely combination of flavours

and textures somewhat akin to stewed rhubarb.

If you have a can of plums just waiting to be used up,

then this is the recipe for you!

Plumapple Crumble (makes 1-2 servings)

Filling:

1 – 14oz can of *plums, drained & pitted

1 medium apple, peeled & grated

4 oz sweetened applesauce

(or add 2 tbsp sugar or honey to unsweetened applesauce)

¼ tsp cinnamon

*or 3/4 cup lightly stewed fresh plums

Topping:

1 one-serving packet of instant oatmeal

(I used organic apple-cinnamon oatmeal)

1 tsp flour

1 tsp butter

¼ tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375°.

Lightly grease a 1 ½ cup baking dish with butter.

Roughly chop plums in a mixing bowl and grate

the apple directly into the plums.  Fold in the

applesauce.

Stir in the cinnamon and pile all into the baking dish.

Assemble topping: Combine oatmeal & flour, add cinnamon,

and rub in the butter until the mixture has a crumb-like

consistency.

Cover the fruit mixture with the topping.

Bake in 375° oven on top of either a baking sheet

or a sheet of tinfoil to catch any drips, for 45-50 minutes,

or until bubbling around the edges.

Let cool for at least 30 minutes before eating.

Souper Skillet Supper: Acorn Squash Soup

This soup is fun to make and tastes utterly delicious.
Made in a skillet, it utilizes the second half of an
acorn squash with accompanying roasted garlic,
reserved after cooking Baked Acorn Squash with Apple.

Preparation: 10 minutes.  Cooking time: 1 hr.

Acorn Squash Soup (makes 2 bowls)

1/2 baked *acorn squash
2 medium cloves roasted *garlic
1 apple, peeled & sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
olive oil for sauteeing
1 medium-small potato, peeled & diced
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 bouillon cube
1 tsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp curry powder
fresh parsley, coriander or dill, snipped, for garnish (optional)

If your *squash half and garlic are frozen, allow
to stand at room temperature for 1 hour, or defrost
in a microwave for 2 - 3 minutes at half-power.

First in a separate pot, put on the broth along with
bouillon cube and the potato.  Bring to boil, reduce,
and simmer while preparing the rest of the soup.

In a stainless steel skillet (not cast-iron), heat up
1 tsp olive oil and add the onion. Saute gently on
medium-low heat, alternately covering & uncovering
the pan, until the onion is softening (5-8 minutes)

Add the apple and continue cooking.  When the mixture
becomes golden (5-8 minutes), add 1 tsp butter to the pan
along with the salt & sugar.  Continue to stir & cook down
for 5-8 more minutes.

Peel & chop up the squash (the peel slides right off);
squeeze out the roasted garlic from the skins.  Add to
pan, chopping all up with a spatula (2 minutes). 

Add the broth with potato, and add 1/4 tsp curry powder.
Return to the boil, then reduce heat, cover & simmer for
another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Mash down the
ingredients and cook 10 more minutes.

Either put the soup through a sieve right over the pan, pushing
the solids through with a wooden spoon, or puree everything
in a food processor, depending on how smooth you want it.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream & a sprinkling of freshly-
snipped parsley, coriander or dill, if desired.

Monday Quick-Fix: Baked Acorn Squash with Apple

This lovely dish can either be an entree or a side dish,

depending on your appetite.  If you cook the second 

half of the squash at the same time, you can reap the

benefits of a succulent squash soup at a later date (which will

be the subject of my next post).

Baked Acorn Squash with Apple

1 Acorn Squash, halved and seeds removed

4 oz applesauce

1 apple, peeled& grated

1 tbsp breadcrumbs

1 tsp butter

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

2 medium sized cloves of garlic, skin left on

Preheat oven to 375.  Lightly oil 1 or 2 pans

(whatever fits your squash), then wipe most of the 

oil off.  

In a bowl, combine the applesauce with the grated 

apple & cinnamon.

Invert each squash half onto the baking pan(s),

and bake for 20 minutes.  Turn them over, and fill

one squash half with the applesauce mixture; place
the garlic cloves into the other half.

Combine the breadcrumbs, butter & cinnamon & top 

the applesauce-filled squash half with the crumbs.  

Bake both squash halves for another 10-15 minutes, 

or until fork-tender.

The Baked Acorn Squash is delicious served 

with one or more of the following sides: steamed chard,

kale, callaloo, asparagus or broccoli, as well as succotash, 

corn on or off the cob, or a salad of baby spinach and fresh 

apple.  I like to have it with a couple of side dishes.  

It's also an excellent accompaniment to baked ham, 

pork chop or pork tenderloin.

Allow the squash half with the garlic to completely

cool, then either refrigerate or freeze.

Happy Friday! Tiramisu for 1 - 2

This scaled-down version of a much-loved Italian treat 

makes 2 servings - so you can either have it for dessert 

2 days in a row, or share it with a lucky someone.

Prepare today - enjoy tomorrow!

Tiramisu for 1-2:

9 ladyfingers

2 tbsp brandy*

1 tbsp ground coffee*

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp strong brewed coffee

1/2 cup marscapone cheese or lite creamcheese

2 egg yolks, whisked till smooth throughout

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch mixed to a slurry with 2 tbsp water

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cocoa powder 

Whipped cream (optional)

Pour the *brandy over the ground coffee; add sugar.

Stir, cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Dissolve sugar in milk and heat in top of double boiler

until steaming but not boiling.  Add cornstarch slurry

while whisking to prevent lumps forming; continue to 

whisk till thickened.

Add half the milk mixture to the beaten egg, whisking

with one hand while pouring in a stream with the other.

When this is all thoroughly smooth, stir back into the 

remaining mixture in the double boiler, and whisk 

gently for 5 minutes, or until the custard is quite thick.

Remove the custard, ladle into a bowl, stir in the vanilla,
and let cool for 1/2 hour.  Add the marscapone or lite
creamcheese and again whisk till smooth.

Pour the *brandy-infused coffee through a coffee-filter-lined

sieve into a small cup or bowl, getting as much of the liquid
out of the grounds as possible.  Add the brewed coffee.
Discard the coffee grounds.

Layer 3 ladyfingers in the bottom of your chosen dish(es).
(I use a 4"x5" dish that is 4" deep). Ladle 1/2 the brandied coffee
over the ladyfingers, then cover with 1/3 of the custard cream.

Repeat the layers once, then top with 3 more ladyfingers 

and dust with cocoa.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Good topped with whipped cream just before serving.

The remaining 1/3 of the custard is for eating

at once accompanied with fresh fruit of your choice,

a dollop of whipped cream, and more ladyfingers for dipping!

*If preferable you can substitute all coffee for the brandy.

Winging It - Apricot-Glazed Drumettes

These wings are quick to prepare and foolproof.  They can also
be cooked in a toaster oven - perfect for hot summer days!

Apricot-Glazed Wings
(serves 1 plus leftovers for a next-day picnic)

3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
10-12 chicken drumettes

Glaze:

3 tbsp Apricot preserves
2 tsp vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced finely
1/4 tsp Dijon or hot mustard

Warm oven or toaster oven to 375.  Put  1 or 2 lightly oiled
baking dishes into the oven (I use both an 8"x8" pan and a
4"x8" pan, or you could use a 9"x13" pan), and heat up for
5 minutes while preparing the wings. Oiling and preheating the
pan(s) ensures that the wings don't stick*.

Put the first 6 ingredients into a large plastic bag.
Add the drumettes, 3 at a time, and shake till coated.
Put all onto a plate, discarding the remaining flour mixture,
then open the oven.  Pull out the rack and add the drumettes
to the baking pan(s), dusting off excess flour first.

Bake for 20 minutes then turn the wings over.
Cook for another 15 minutes while preparing the
glaze ingredients, then remove and put into the bowl
of glaze mixture.  Toss thoroughly for a few minutes
until they have soaked up most of the glaze. Return the wings
to the baking dishes, and cook at 375 for another 10 minutes,
basting with any remaining glaze, and turning once.
Preparing the Glaze:

In a large bowl, combine all glaze ingredients and whisk
together, breaking up any lumps of fruit to incorporate
into the mixture.


When the wings are done, either remove to a platter
immediately or loosen them in the baking dish,
so they do not harden onto the baking dish as they cool.

All you need to accompany this is a green salad with lots
of colourful veggies added, and/or a bean salad if you're
really famished.

If you boil a couple of potatoes at the same time, you can
have potato salad the next day with your leftover wings -
plus any leftover bean salad and some fresh greens: a perfectly
simple picnic!

*The cleanup isn't so daunting if you soak the pans overnight with
hot water, soap & baking soda - they practically scrub themselves!

Monday Quick-Fix: Cauliflower Cheese

This dish is a fun vegetarian entree. It is equally good
made with either Broccoli, or  half-Broccoli &
half-Cauliflower.

The Cheese Sauce doesn't need a roux and comes 

together very quickly. The entire prep time for this dish 

is less than 10 minutes, and baking time is 20 minutes.

Cauliflower Cheese (serves 1-2)

Ingredients:

1/3 - 1/2 head cauliflower, separated into a few large groups of florets

Lightened-up Cheese Sauce:

1 cup  milk

2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 4 tbsp water into a slurry

1/4 tsp dijon mustard or 1/8 tsp hot mustard

1/8 tsp salt

a dash of pepper

1/2 cup grated sharp white cheddar or old orange cheddar cheese

Topping:

1-2 tbsp grated orange cheddar cheese, mixed with

1-2 tbsp breadcrumbs or crumbled cheese crackers,

and seasoned with a bit of salt, pepper & a dash of cayenne.

First put the cauliflower on to steam in a steamer set over a pan 

with 1" water in it. Bring to boil, cover and steam over medium 

heat for 4-5 minutes, or until just fork-tender but not soft.  Remove 

from the  heat and place in a shallow lightly oiled baking dish.

Make the cheese sauce while the cauliflower is steaming.  Have all

the ingredients for the sauce prepared prior to beginning, as it

cooks very quickly:

On medium heat, begin to warm the milk.  Season with the salt, 

pepper and mustard and whisk gently until the mixture is almost 

boiling, 1-2 minutes.  Reduce heat, do not allow to boil, and

immediately add the cornstarch mixture all at once with one hand
while whisking vigorously with the other hand.  Stir until bubbling 

and thickened, which will be almost right away.  Let bubble for 

1 minute, remove from heat, and stir in the cheese, whisking the 

sauce till cheese is melted in. 

Pour the *cheese sauce over the cauliflower, sprinkle with the 

breadcrumb/cheese topping, and bake uncovered at 375 for 20
minutes.

This is excellent served with a Baby Spinach & Apple Salad on the side, 

or Red Cabbage with Apple & Onion.

*If you have leftover cheese sauce, it can be reheated the next day
by splashing with 1-2 tsp milk then warming up gently, whisking
till smooth. Wonderful served over Poached Egg On Toast with
Broiled Tomatoes on the side.

Reap the Benefits - Next-Day Cottage Pie

Yesterday's Spatchcocked Game Hen was so satisfying that 

even after thoroughly noshing-out - as well as sharing with
Misty, my Akita/Shepherd - I still had 1/2 chicken breast left 

over. That, together with the leftover Combie and gravy, made 

this  wonderful dish:

Next-Day Cottage Pie (serves 1)

1/2 cooked Game Hen  breast, skinned, boned & cut into bite-sized 

pieces

1 medium potato, parboiled then peeled and diced

1/2 cup gravy

1/4 cup frozen peas

1 cup Combie

1 tsp butter

salt & pepper 

Lightly oil a 10-oz casserole.  Assemble the meat, potato, 

peas & gravy; season lightly with salt & pepper. 

Top with the Combie, smooth out, and score lightly with 

a fork.  Dot with the butter and bake on a small baking 

sheet at 375 for 1/2 hour.

Nice to have along with steamed broccoli & cauliflower
topped with lemon-zested sour cream or Greek Yogurt.