Spices and the types of food they complement

 

 

 

 

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https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and health tips  

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https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com     is the latest addition to my blogs.

How to Make Baked Apples

 

 

1. Choose the Right Apples

My mom and I can never decide which is the best apple variety for making baked apples. Some varieties turn to mush so fast they explode out of their skins, while some stay weirdly firm. Either way they’re edible, but not ideal—a baked apple should stay intact but be soft enough to eat with a spoon. So I decided to make the dish with as many apples as I could find at the grocery store so I could set the record straight for my mama.

After making the dish in the exact same way with eight different varieties (Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Granny Smith, Gala, Pink Lady, Fuji, and McIntosh), there were were two clear winners: Gala and Fuji apples, which both got nice and soft inside, but maintained their shape when baked.

You’ll need one apple per person. It doesn’t matter how many you bake at once—just choose a baking dish that’ll hold your desired amount of apples with not too much empty space around them. (Sometimes I just make one single baked apple in a very small baking dish all for myself.) 

 

2. Hollow Out Those Apples

But don’t use an apple corer—it will slice all the way through the apple, which is not what we’re after. You want to remove the core and seeds while keeping the bottom of the apple intact so you have a nice little vessel in the middle to fill with sweet things and butter.

Start by using a paring knife to carefully slice around the top core of the apple, making sure not to go all the way through to the bottom. Then pull out what you cut, and use a spoon to scoop out the rest, making sure that all seeds are out. I find that the sharp edges of a 1/2 tsp. measuring spoon are ideal for scooping out the core, but any small sharp spoon or even a melon baller will do.

 

 

3. Fill Them With Sweet Things

Place your hollowed-out apples in a baking dish that has sides that are at least 2 inches high and doesn’t leave too much empty room around the apples. Then fill each apple with something sweet, some spices, and some butter.

You want about 1 Tbsp. of sweetener per apple: it can be either a liquid or granulated sweetener, like brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple sugar, maple syrup, or honey. Add a pinch or two of your favorite baking spices to each apple too: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, cardamom, and/or ginger. And don’t forget a pinch of salt too. A few little cubes of butter in each apple will help make them more saucy and delicious—add the butter along with the sweetener and seasonings. It doesn’t really matter what order everything goes in, since it will all melt together as it bakes.

 

4. Pour Liquid Around Them and Bake

To keep the apple from charring and sticking to the baking dish as it bakes, but also to help soften it as it bakes, you want to pour about 1 inch of liquid around the apples. Water is the easiest choice and will get flavored with the spices and sweeteners and juices from the apples as it bakes. For a sweeter sauce, use fresh apple cider—and go ahead and add a splash of bourbon or brandy to that apple cider if you like. (You could also spike your water and it would be delicious.)

Bake the apples in a 350°F oven until they are very tender, about 40 to 45 minutes. Start checking at half an hour, and if the liquid has evaporated so much that the surface of the baking dish is dry, add more.

I like my baked apples with cold heavy cream. Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell

5. Serve Them Hot, Maybe With Cream

When you pull the baked apples out of the oven, let them sit for five to ten minutes before serving to avoid burning mouths. Scoop some of the liquid from the baking dish into each bowl along with each apple. Then add a splash of cold heavy cream if you like (I do) or a scoop of ice cream or yogurt—something cold and creamy next to a hot, sweet apple is always a very good thing.

 

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and health tips  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com     is the latest addition to my blogs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast Puffs

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour/ maida

1 1/2 tsp baking pdr

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp all spice 

1 cup sugar, divided

1/3 cup oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup milk

6 tbsp melted butter

1 tspn cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and all spice pdr. 

In another mixing bowl, beat together ½ cup sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla on medium speed for 30 seconds. 

Add flour mixture and milk alternately to egg mixture, beating on low after each addition, just until combined.

Fill 10-12 greased muffin cups ⅔ full with batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until done.

Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, place the melted butter. 

In another shallow bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup sugar and cinnamon.

When the puffs are done, remove from cups and, while still hot, roll the tops in melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. 

Serve immediately, either plain or with butter and jelly, if desired.

those interested in cancer & health related topics are free to see my blog-

http://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com/


for crochet designs, my blog, those who like a particular design are free to mail me

http://My Crochet  Creations.blogspot.com

For info. about knee replacement, be free to view my blog-

http://knee replacement-stickclub.blogspot.com

Jam Cake

Ingredients

 butter    1 1/2 cups

sugar  2 cups

eggs  6

all purpose flour/ maida  3 1/2 cups

baking soda   2 tsp

ground allspice  2 tsp

cinnamon  pdr.  2 tsp

buttermilk   6 tbsp

strawberry jam   2 cups

Method 

Cream soft butter. Add sugar slowly, beating until creamy. 

Add eggs (room temperature) one at a time. Beat well after each egg. 

Sift all-purpose flour and measure. Then sift again with baking soda and spices. 

Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Mix to blend well. 

Mixing this cake requires about 25 to 30 minutes. 

Last of all fold in strawberry jam. If berries are quite large chop fine. 

Take four square 8-inch layer cake pans 2 inches deep and brush bottom of pans lightly with  oil. Flour well. 

Pour batter into pans and level the batter with spatula. Tap the pans lightly against the counter to remove any air bubbles.

Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees F) about 30-40 minutes or until done. 

Cool on cake rack 5 minutes, then turn out onto cake rack to cool completely before icing. 

Frost with Uncooked Caramel Icing. 

Uncooked Caramel Icing 

butter 1 1/2 sticks

cream  1/2 cup 

dark brown sugar  2 cups 

vanilla essence  2 tsp

salt   1/2 tsp

Confectioner's sugar (enough to make spreadable consistency) 

Melt butter and cream together. 

While hot, stir in brown sugar. 

Cool and stir in vanilla. 

Stir in salt and sifted confectioner's sugar, as needed.

This cake tastes better, when eaten after 1/2 days ! if you've the patience to wait ?

those interested in cancer & health related topics are free to see my blog-

http://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com/


for crochet designs, my blog, those who like a particular design are free to mail me

http://My Crochet  Creations.blogspot.com

For info. about knee replacement, be free to view my blog-

http://knee replacement-stickclub.blogspot.com