Tag: Apricots

Apricot Crumble Cake

  • I saw a recipe using tinned apricots and a crumble type mix on top.
  • I thought my Mama’s cake dough for apple cake –  jabłecznik –  for the base would be better than the one in the recipe I saw.
  • I think tinned apricots are my favourite tinned fruit.

Ingredients – Base

  • 150g  plain flour
  • 1½ teaspoons of baking powder
  • 100g butter
  • 40g granulated sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or water
  • *
  • 2 tins of apricots – drained – chop each half into four

Ingredients – Topping (kruszonka)

    • 120g plain flour – krupczatka – pastry flour – if you have it.
    • 60g butter
    • 40g granulated sugar

Method – Base

  • You have to use a loose bottom or spring-form tin or you will not be able to get the cake out.
  • I use a loose bottomed anodised aluminium cake tin which is 22cm in diameter and 8cm deep.
  • Grease the tin well.
  • First make the cake base by rubbing the butter into the flour to make crumbs, then stir in the sugar.
  • Add the baking powder and stir.
  • Add the yolk and lemon juice and bring the ingredients together to form a soft dough – do not handle the dough too much.
  • Cover and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • *
  • Pre heat the oven to GM 4 – 180ºC.
  • Make the dough into a rough flat circle and press it into the base of the tin.
  • Cover the dough with the chopped apricots.

Method – Topping

    • Make the topping by rubbing the butter into the flour to make crumbs and then stir in the sugar.
    • *
    • Sprinkle the topping crumbs over the apricots.
    • Bake in the oven for around  65 – 70 minutes.
    • Leave to cool in the tin.
    • Use a long metal spatula to ease the cake from the side of the tin, then place the cake onto the top of a tin can and slide the side down.

Duchess – Bramble Rose tea plate

Apricot & Sultana Keks

  • This is a lovely moist cake which stays good for several days.
  • It was made in a long narrow Continental loaf tin.
  • I am sure it would be good in a 2lb loaf tin – but this has not been tested.

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g dried apricots – chopped into small pieces (I used already chopped apricots)
  • 100g sultanas
  • Hot Earl Grey Tea
  • *
  • 225 butter
  • 300g caster sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 3 eggs
  • *
  • 200g plain flour
  • 40g ground almonds
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Large pinch of salt
  • *
  • 80g Greek style yoghurt

METHOD

  • Make some strong Earl Grey tea – if using loose leaf tea – strain the leaves from the liquid.
  • Cover the apricots and sultanas with the hot tea.
  • Leave for 20 minutes.
  • *
  • Strain the fruit and pat them dry with kitchen roll.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 200ºC
  • Grease and line a long narrow loaf tin.
  • Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence till pale and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs – 1 at a time – beating after each addition.
  • *
  • In a seperate bowl mix the: flour, baking powder, almonds and salt.
  • Toss the fruit in the flour and mix together.
  • *
  • Put half the flour and fruit mixture into the creamed butter mixture.
  • Stir lightly.
  • Stir in the yoghurt.
  • Stir in the rest of the flour and fruit mixture.
  • *
  • Pour the batter into the baking tin.
  • Bake for 50 – 55 minutes.
  • Cover the top with greaseproof or tin foil if it starts to burn before being cooked through.

Royal Doulton Sonnet tea plate.

Pork Loin with Apricot Sauce

  • After making this dish with gammon I thought I would try it with pork loin.
  • This was voted delicious too!
  • INGREDIENTS
  • Pork loin joint – 1kg or more
  • Tin of apricots in syrup
  • *
  • 1 tablespoon of potato or corn flour – optional
  • Sugar – optional
  • METHOD
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190° C.
  • This is best cooked in an enamelled tin with a lid.
  • Empty the apricots and the syrup into the base of the baking tin.
  • Place pork loin joint on top.
  • Place the lid over the tin.
  • Place in the oven and cook for the time specified for that weight of meat.
  • *
  • Just before the cooking time is up seperate the apricots and the meat.
  • Put the meat back into the oven with the lid on the tin.
  • Put the apricots into a small saucepan and heat up a little whilst stirring.
  • The apricots should have become a thick pulp with just a few large pieces.
  • Though this will depend on the size of the joint.
  • *
  • Optional
  • Mix the potato flour or cornflour with a little water.
  • Stir this into the apricots and heat gently with stirring to thicken the sauce.
  • Sweeten the sauce with sugar to taste.
  • *
  • Slice up the joint and serve with the sauce.

Gammon & Apricot Sauce

  • After cooking grilled gammon and apricots I thought about making the dish with a larger gammon joint.
  • Mine was around – 1kg.
  • I think this is best with an unsmoked joint.
  • Tinned apricots in syrup are best.

Ingredients

  • Unsmoked gammon joint – 1kg or more
  • Tin of apricots in syrup
  • *
  • 1 tablespoon of potato or corn flour – optional
  • Sugar – optional

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190° C.
  • This is best cooked in an enamelled tin with a lid.
  • Empty the apricots and the syrup into the base of the baking tin.
  • Place gammon joint on top.
  • Place the lid over the tin.
  • Place in the oven and cook for the time specified for that weight of meat.
  • *
  • Just before the cooking time is up seperate the apricots and the meat.
  • Put the meat back into the oven with the lid on the tin.
  • Put the apricots into a small saucepan and heat up a little whilst stirring.
  • The apricots should have become a thick pulp with just a few large pieces.
  • Though this will depend on the size of the joint.
  • *
  • Optional
  • Mix the potato flour or cornflour with a little water.
  • Stir this into the apricots and heat gently with stirring to thicken the sauce.
  • Sweeten the sauce with sugar to taste.
  • *
  • Slice up the joint and serve with the sauce.

Meakin serving plate and Royal Doulton Burgundy dinner plate.

Thought – will be trying this with a pork loin joint next!

Semi-Steamed Fruit Cake

  • I came across this recipe the other day in a Christmas magazine.
  • It is different in many ways from other fruit cakes (keks) that I have made in several ways.
  • The dried fruits included apricots and dates.
  • All the dried fruits were left overnight in apple juice.
  • Butter and Sunflower oil were used.
  • When baking the tin was covered for some off the time – which resulted in the cake being more steamed than baked.
  • Then the lid or foil was removed and the cake was baked for the rest of the time.
  • *
  • I adjusted a few of the ingredients so that this fruit cake – could be more easily made.
  • I halved the original quantities.
  • A large circular dish was originally used – I tried a 26x20cm tin.
  • Rectangular or square cakes are much easier to slice up than circular ones.
  • *
  • The result was a very lovely moist fruit cake, which I will be making often.

Note – you start this cake the evening before

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g raisins
  • 75g dried apricots – chopped
  • 40g mixed peel
  • 75g glacé cherries – chopped
  • 90g dates – chopped
  • 125ml apple juice
  • *
  • 55g butter – softened
  • 90g granulated sugar
  • 60ml sunflower oil
  • 1½ tablespoons of runny honey
  • *
  • pinch of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  •  *
  • 2 eggs
  • 100g plain flour
  • *
  • 45g chopped walnuts – optional

METHOD

  • The evening before baking put all the fruits into a saucepan and add the apple juice.
  • Mix well over a low heat until all the fruits are covered.
  • Cover the pan and leave this until the next day.
  • *
  • Pre-heat oven to GM3 – 160°C
  • Grease and line base and 2 sides of a 26×20 cm baking tin.
  • Cream the butter and sugar together.
  • Add the sunflower oil and mix well.
  • Add the salt and spices and mix well.
  • Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.
  • Add the fruit mixture.
  • Add the walnuts and stir until everything is evenly mixed.
  • *
  • Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
  • Cover the tin with aluminium foil.
  • Bake for 65 -75 minutes until the top is set.
  • Remove the foil and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
  • *
  • Leave to cool on a wire rack.
  • Cut into squares or rectangles to serve.

Royal Standard – Lynsdale tea plate

Option – not tested

  • Use a round pyrex dish with a lid for the first part of the baking.
  • Then remove the lid for the final part.

Gammon & Apricots

  • Grilled gammon and grilled pineapple (usually tinned) is a very popular dish in England.
  • Whilst doing some research I discovered that a much older idea is to have apricots with gammon.
  • Apricots were very popular in Elizabethan times, when fruit and meat together were often served.
  • Apricots in these dishes could have been dried apricots but here I have used tinned apricots halves.
  • Apricots in Polish are morela.
  • Apricots are from the Genus Prunus and they are drupes – stone fruits.
  • *
  • Fruit served with meat is very popular in Poland and I think this dish would be well liked.
  • Gammon slices have been used here but this dish could be adapted to use a large piece of ham or gammon.

    Ingredients

  • A thick piece of gammon per person
  • 2 apricot halves (tinned) per person – ones in syrup are the best.

Method

  • Grill the gammon on both sides.
  • Drain the apricots from their juice/syrup.
  • Grill the apricots.
  • Serve the gammon with the apricots.
  • *
  • This would go well with potatoes & garden peas and/or a cabbage salad.

Apricot Keks

  • I made a lovely apricot and prune keks – fruit cake – several months ago.
  • I still had a lot of dried apricots so decided to make this just with apricots.
  • This time I made it in a 21 centimetre square tin
  • It too was delicious.

  • You have to start this cake the night before.

    Ingredients

    • 385g dried apricots
    • 100ml hot Earl Grey tea
    • 100ml sherry
    • *
    • 115g currants
    • 115g sultanas
    • 115g raisins
    • 50g mixed peel
    • *
    • 150g soft brown sugar
    • 150g butter
    • 2 eggs
    • *
    • 185g plain flour
    • 2 teaspoons of mixed spice

    Method

    • Chop the apricots into small pieces.
    • Place them into a bowl and pour the hot tea over them.
    • Leave until this is cold.
    • Add the sherry, cover and leave overnight.
    • *
    • Add the other dried fruits to the soaked apricots and mix well.
    • *
    • Grease and line all sides of a 21 cm square tin
    • Pre-heat the oven to GM 1- 140°C
    • Mix the flour with the mixed spices.
    • Cream the sugar and butter till well blended.
    • Add the eggs and mix well together.
    • Fold in the flour mixture.
    • Add the dried fruits and mix well together.
    • Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth down the top.
    • Bake for  3 – 3¼ hours.
    • Leave to cool in the tin.

Note

You can use a 24cm tin – and bake for 2 – 2¼ hours.

Apricot & Prune Fruit Cake

I have been going through my recipe cuttings and came across this one, which I have been meaning to make for ages as I wanted to try a fruit cake made with either dried apricots or prunes and this has both!

This could easily be described as a keks in Polish.

It is a delicious and moist cake, which can be eaten straight away – so could be a very late bake for Christmas!

The recipe was for a very large round cake but I thought a square would be better for cutting up and so I scaled down the ingredients and made it in a 24 centimetre square tin.

You have to start this cake the night before.

Ingredients

  • 120g dried apricots
  • 165g stoned prunes
  • 100ml hot Earl Grey tea
  • 100ml sherry
  • *
  • 115g currants
  • 115g sultanas
  • 115g raisins
  • 50g mixed peel
  • *
  • 150g soft brown sugar
  • 150g butter
  • 2 eggs
  • *
  • 185g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons of mixed spice

Method

  • Chop the apricots and prunes into small pieces.
  • Place them into a bowl and pour the hot tea over them.
  • Leave until this is cold.
  • Add the sherry, cover and leave overnight.
  • *
  • Add the other dried fruits to the soaked fruits and mix well.
  • *
  • Grease and line all sides of a 24 cm square tin
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 1- 140°C
  • Mix the flour with the mixed spices.
  • Cream the sugar and butter till well blended.
  • Add the eggs and mix well together.
  • Fold in the flour mixture.
  • Add the dried fruits and mix well together.
  • Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth down the top.
  • Bake for 2 – 2¼ hours.
  • Leave to cool in the tin.

 

 

Tea set by Spencer Stevenson from the mid 20th Century

Note

Yesterday I baked this for the second time in a 21 centimetre square tin – this needed 3 – 3 ¼ hours.

Hazelnut Meringue & Apricot Cream

Although I  have been using this recipe for many years I just cannot remember where I got it from.

I make the meringue in a nest shape and fill it with apricot cream when I have many people to eat it in one sitting.

Otherwise I make little meringues with 1 tablespoon of mixture on baking sheets.  These can be stored for ages and served with the apricot cream in individual dishes when required.

Ingredients

  • 4 Egg whites
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 75-100g chopped roasted hazelnuts
  • *
  • 1 tin of apricots in syrup
  • Around 200g of yoghurt cheese
  • Around 2-3 tablespoons of icing sugar

Method

  • Use the loose base of a baking tin 25cm in diameter.
  • Lightly grease the circle.
  • Cut a 25cm circle of greaseproof and stick it on the metal circle.
  • Place the circle on a large baking tray – one without sides is best.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM1 – 140°C.
  • Whisk the egg whites until stiff.
  • Add the sugar and whisk again till stiff.
  • Fold in the chopped roasted hazelnuts.
  • Using up to ½ of the mixture cover the circle on the tin.
  • Using the rest of the meringue put spoonfuls around the edge.
  • Bake for 50 minutes.
  • Turn off the oven and leave the meringue inside for 20 minutes.
  • Take out and leave to cool completely before filling.
  • *
  • Drain the apricots from the syrup
  • Purée the apricots – a stick blender is good for this.
  • Mix the apricot purée with the yoghurt cheese and some of the icing sugar.
  • Adjust the sweetness with icing sugar – you do not want it too sweet.
  • *
  • Put the meringue nest onto a serving plate or stand.
  • Pile the apricot cream into the centre of the nest.

 

 

Coffee set – Elizabethan – Lace – 1966 – 1982

 

Soda Bread with Spelt

Having had success with soda bread recipes with rye flour,  I decided to try these out with the spelt flour I had bought recently.

Spelt –  Triticum spelta – is an older type of wheat known to have been used from around 5,000BC.

Modern wheat is Triticum sativum.

I use a yoghurt & whey mix, as I nearly always have these in when I make yoghurt cheese, but you can adapt by using a milk & water mix or buttermilk instead.

Ingredients

250g spelt flour

150g plain flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

200ml of yoghurt

150ml of whey

Spelt flour

Method

Pre-heat the oven to GM 6 – 200°C

Flour a baking tray.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl.

Mix the yoghurt and whey together in jug or bowl.

Add the yoghurt mixture to the dry ingredients, bit by bit, using a wooden spoon to mix it all together .

Use your floured hands to bring it all into a soft dough ball, trying to handle the dough as little as possible.

Place the ball onto the floured baking tray and flatten it slightly.

Using a sharp large knife cut a cross or star through most of the thickness

Bake for 30 – 35 minutes.

The base should sound hollow when the bread is cooked .

Leave to cool on a cooling rack.

Fruit Version

To the flours add a 100g of dried fruits – raisons, sultanas, dried apricots etc.

 

I love the taste of the apricots!

Note

As with all soda breads, they do tend to become stale very quickly,  however they are delicious toasted.