Apple, pear, apricot & ginger chutney

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Apple, pear, apricot & ginger chutney

Ingredients:

• 1 apple
• 2 pears
• a handful of dried apricots, cut in cubes
• 40 g raisins
• 1 large onion
• 2.5 cm ginger, grated
• zest and juice of a lime
• 12 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 250 g dark brown sugar 

Preparation:


Peal the apple, the pears and the onion, then cut roughly in cubes. Place in a heavy saucepan with 8 tbsp vinegar, the mustard seeds and the zest and juice of a lime.

Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Add the grated ginger, the raisins, the apricots, the remaining 4 tbsp of vinegar and the brown sugar.

Mix, bring to the boil and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until thick and pulpy.

Leave to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before packing in sterilized jars.

Apple, pear, apricot & ginger chutney

Cinnamon raisin walnut bread

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This recipe is taken from Peter Reinhart's The Bread baker's apprentice book, which I recently purchased. The book is quite good, especially when it comes to the fundamentals of bread-making. There is an interesting chapter deconstructing bread – the so-called "twelve stages of bread" and instructions on how to properly shape loaves. This has certainly helped me produce better looking breads, which is always a plus. The recipes included in the book vary from the very classic ones (ciabatta, baguettes, whole wheat, brioche, rye) to breads you might not have tried or made before (e.g. New England Anadama bread, corn bread, Armenian style lavash crackers, Portuguese sweet bread).

Cinnamon raisin walnut bread

 Ingredients: (for one loaf, as pictured)

• 1.75 cup flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 0.65 tsp salt
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 0.65 tsp cinnamon
• 0.5 beaten egg
• 1 tbsp butter or vegetable shortening, melted
• 0.25 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 0.37 cup water, at room temperature
• 0.75 cup raisins
• 0.5 cup walnuts
• for the cinnamon swirl: 0.25 cup sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon
• for the coating: melted butter, some cinnamon and sugar

Preparation:

Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and cinnamon. Add the egg, butter, milk and water. Stir until the ingredients come together and form a ball.

Knead for about 10 minutes until you get a soft, non-sticky dough, adding a little flour if necessary. Sprinkle in the raisins and walnuts during the last 2 minutes of mixing, distributing them evenly whilst taking care of not crushing them too much.

Lighlty oil a deep dish, transfer the dough and roll it gently to coat it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough ferment at room temperature for about 2 hours or until it doubles in size.

Shape the dough into a loaf. Flatten it slightly in a rectangular shape. Sprinkle the cinnamon swirl mix on the dough. Then fold down the short edge of dough, one small section at a time, pinching the crease at each rotation. Pinch the final seam closed with the back edge of your hands or your thumbs.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled loaf pan, making sure the ends touch the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Place the loaf pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes then turn the loaf pan 180° for even baking, and continue baking for about 20 to 30 minutes until the bread is golden.

Immediately remove the bread from the loaf pan. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Leave to cool on a rack for 2 hours before slicing.

Cinnamon raisin walnut bread

Scones

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I last had scones about 20 years ago (!) and never ever made any. A cold, snowy Saturday was all I needed to start baking... :)

Scones

Ingredients: (makes about 10 5-cm wide scones)

•  225 g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 30 g caster sugar
• 55 g butter
• 55 g raisins or sultanas
• 150 ml milk
  

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 200°C. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar in a bowl, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the raisins or sultanas, if using.

Bit by bit, add 150ml milk until you have a firm dough. Turn out onto a floured work surface. Pat the dough into a circle about 1 1/2 cm thick and cut out the scones.

Put onto a non-stick baking sheet or a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Brush the tops with milk. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Serve with butter, butter and jam or jam and clotted cream.

Scones