BAKING RECIPES FOR AUTUMN FRUIT: Crumbles, Cookies, Cakes: healthy fresh fruit

It's the season of 'mists and fruitfulness'...and nothing makes it better than desserts and treats with fresh late summer and autumn fruit...

Coxes apples - some of them unwaxed* - are back in the shops and they join pears, plums, nectarines and blackberries.  

With the Great British Bake-Off on the telly, it's a great time to dig out the mixing bowls and spoons and serve up some lovely fruity desserts/snacks.

Thrifty Spicy Fruit Rockcakes are actually quite tender and ever so easy to make.  

Or try the Lazy Wo/man's Late Summer Nutty Crumble, lower in fat and sugar.

Or a Fruit Crumble Topped Cake with a tender delicate crumb, higher in fibre and (where the sponge is concerned) a one-bowl-wonder.  

For something more sophisticated, try Ginger-y Fruit & Nut Crumbles in individual tart pans.

Enjoy!

Spicy Apple RockCakes

Lazy Wo/mans Late Nutty Summer Crumble

Autumn Fruits Crumble Cake

Ginger Pear & Blueberry Crumbles

                                                                 *Pomona: Belsize Park tube

                                                                     More fruit desserts NavBar: Recipes I/Fruity Desserts ...

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These recipes have been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission. 

(NEW) PLUM, NECTARINE & BRANDY TART, WITH CANDIED GINGER, vegan-option, wallet-friendly'ish, fresh fruit, versatile

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for the latest 67 'finds' in the supermarkets 

Fit for a special occasion...or just a bang-up Sunday lunch

A fresh fruit tart with brandy & ginger syrup that's a magnificent mouthful,
here with drizzle icing but could come with toasted flaked almonds or ice cream 

'Sensational!' 'The brandy was just right' not too much and not too little.' Tasters

This gorgeous French-style fruit tart is easier than it looks.  And, with both ripen-at-home plums and nectarines currently on special offers, it needn't cost the earth.

The plum & nectarine tart looks gloriously autumnal and was perfect for a late garden party.  It went down a storm.  

It's pretty simple to put together, whether you make your own pastry or buy an all-butter supermarket version, and you can always ask the kids or a guest to help cut and lay out the fruit.

67 didn't have the time to make pastry but if time had been available would have thrown together Candice Brown's Easy-Peasy Special Occasion Sweet Pastry. 

Instead, M&S' all-butter puff pastry was used (£2./25 for 320gms) mainly because it doesn't have to be defrosted and came in just the right size ...roughly 10 x 12 inches.  Waitrose's frozen all-butter pastry (which 67 has used before quite happily) is cheaper at £2 and comes in two 200gm sheets but does need planning.  For vegans, butter free puff pastry is readily available.

67 liked the combination of plums and nectarines because they provide a lovely colour palette but you can certainly have all plums or all nectarines if you'd like.  

67's plums were not as sweet as they could be.  Ice cream would have been the perfect accompaniment but white drizzled icing also did the trick and looked rather sophisticated.

Cost: £5.50, if buying pastry, less if you make your own

Makes: 20 squares for a crowd; 6-8 portions for a family

Ingredients:

A sheet of unbaked puff pastry 10" x 12"

5 decent-sized plums

3nectarines

2 tablespoons brandy (opt; replace with grape juice)

3 tablespoons ground almonds or breadcrumbs

scant 1/4 cup soft brown or white sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons juice from a jar of ginger in syrup

3 to 4 balls of ginger

Garnish with either:

Ice Cream

icing of drizzling consistency 

OR toasted flaked almonds

Method:

Start a couple of hours before baking

1. Cut plums in half vertically, remove stone; cut each half into eight wedges
2. Cut nectarines in half vertically, remove stone; cut each half into eight wedges
3. Place each in a separate bowl and drizzle with brandy; stir gently; leave at least an hour
4. Roll out the pastry on the paper provided; refrigerate until ready to use.
5. When ready to prepare for baking, preheat oven to 200C/400F
6. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper or a silicone mat; place in oven to pre-heat; a hot pan will encourage pastry bottom to crisp up nicely
7. Take pastry out of fridge; leaving a thin border cover the centre lightly with ground almonds/breadcrumbs to soak up any juices from the fruit (preventing a soggy bottom!)
8. Drain fruit, keeping plums and nectarines separate; dab with paper towels to remove excess moisture
9. Using a pattern of two plum slices and one nectarine slice, cover the pastry in four vertical lines; as evenly as possible, lightly sprinkle sugar over the fruit
10. Bake in centre of oven 40 to 45 minutes, turning the tray once; watch that the fruit doesn't blacken on the edges.
11. Chop ginger balls finel, keeping pieces as separate as possible  
12. Remove tart from oven and place on a cooling rack 
13. Brush fruit immediately with ginger syrup and scatter over pieces of ginger
14. Gently slide tart from pan to cooling rack; unless serving warm with ice cream, cool completely 
15. For a crowd, cut each vertical strip into 5 pieces; place each piece in a flattened muffin case for ease of access

Plum Nectarine Tart Slices for a Garden Party
(with (Not Giant) Spicy Crescent Cookies)

16.  For a lunch or dinner, cut into 6-8 portions

17.  Serve with icing sugar drizzle, ice cream or toasted almonds

COMMENTS:

'Wow!  Really sensational; the flavours were so unexpected but in all the right ways.'

'I really liked the dessert; the brandy was just right - not too much and not too little.' Garden party guests

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.      

(New) QUICK & EASY TURKEY ESCALOPES

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Perfect for a school or work night...

Who wouldn't love a thin layer of tender poultry encased in crunchy batter?

67 made these recently for an elderly friend after visiting the new Amazon Fresh store at Chalk Farm.

One of the purchases was turkey breast steaks -- 4 for under £4 (the price isn't currently listed and I've forgotten how much was paid but it was reasonable.). You don't have to use turkey; two or three good-sized chicken breasts will be fine but slice them in two like a butterfly (plenty of videos on You tube)

67's friend loves potatoes, particularly wedges; these crispy easy-cook escalopes seemed the perfect companion for his Sunday lunch.

There's not much work involved and the meal from start to finish shouldn't take more than 45 minutes with plenty of resting time.

And by the way...there are plenty of ready-made breaded poultry steaks on the supermarket shelves but nothing beats homemade - they're crisper, tastier and the meat is wonderfully tender and delicious! 

Note: 67 used baking potatoes which accounts for the size of the wedges but any good-sized potato or sweet potato will do

Cost: £5.00 with potatoes

Feeds: 3-4

Ingreds:

4 turkey breast steaks

1/2 cup seasoned flour

2 large eggs

1 cup breadcrumbs, home-made or panko preferred 

salt & pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

    OR  4 tbsp veg oil

Method:

1. Prepare wedges and put them in the oven to bake
2. Place each turkey steak between two large slices of grease-proof paper or in a large plastic bag; pound with a rolling pin until 1/3 inch thick
3. Place seasoned flour in a large flat bowl or plate
4. Beat eggs well and place in a wide bowl
5. Place breadcrumbs in a large flat dish
6. A pair of tongs will make these steps less messy but using fingers, only use one hand and keep the other hand free clean.  Dip one steak into the flour on both sides, shake off excess flour
7. Dip in eggs, coating completely
8. Drop onto breadcrumbs & cover completely with crumbs, if necessary pressing them on with your fingers to get a decent coating; place on a large platter or board, leaving space in between
9. Repeat until all turkey steaks are breaded. (If you have plenty of egg and breadcrumbs left over, you can do another coating of egg and breadcrumbs)
10. Fifteen minutes before potatoes are due to come out of the oven, place a large frying pan over med high heat - add oil, which should just cover the bottom of the pan - add breaded steaks but don't overcrowd; you may have to do this in batches 
11. Cook until underside is deeply golden - maybe 5 mins -  carefully turn; if necessary, add a bit more oil; cook until golden
12. Place on a baking rack lined with paper towels to soak up excess fat; transfer to a warmed platter and keep warm in the bottom of the oven no more than 5-10 mins
13. Serve with tomatoes sprayed with olive oil and lightly salted plus slices of lemon
14. The dessert you see is Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing scattered with a few chocolate chips

Comments:

'I really liked my lunch!' elderly retired priest

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.

(New) SINGLETON'S EASY CHICKEN, RADISH & BROCCOLI SALAD

Packed with protein and fibre, a salad from home for school or work

An easy salad that pleases and satisfies for singletons and small households  

When life is busy and stresses rise, a lunch of protein with carbs and green veg boosts flagging energy and gets you through the rest of the day.   

This salad is quick and easy,  travels well and bathed in a tangy lime dressing, tastes fantastic.  It's got great textures and looks so pretty and appetising.

True, it's not low-carb but when times are tough, a few carbs provide a vital boost to body and soul.

This is an occasion when supermarket or butcher's cooked chicken is a welcome friend (remove skin for lower cholesterol and fat) but if you want to make your own, try easy-peasy singleton's poached chicken.

Cost: £2.50

Feeds: 1-2

Ingreds:

1 large cooked chicken breast

60-80gm/2.1-oz tender stem broccoli

3-4 radishes

Lime Yoghurt Dressing

4 tbsp plain Greek yoghurt

3 tbsp mayonnaise

zest of 1 lemon

juice of1/3-1/4 lemon

salt & pepper 

Method:

1. Trim ends of tender stem broccoli; halve large pieces vertically to ensure they are of similar size and will cook evenly; drop into boiling water for 3-5 minutes depending on whether you like your veg crunchy or soft; cool in cold water
2. Cut chicken in generous cubes
3. Slice radishes finely
4. Make dressing; toss chicken cubes in just enough dressing to coat; store the rest in a small container with tight fitting lid 
5. Layer chicken with tender stem and radish in a container with tight-fitting lid. Pack with dressing.
6. When ready to serve, add more dressing

Comments:

'The tartness of the radish and the tangy lime dressing really made this salad, enhancing the succulent chicken and the tender heads and stems of broccoli.'  Retired Writer

Tip:

Boneless thighs can also be used for this recipe but the blandness of chicken breast works very well with the radish and lime flavours.

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.      

(New): CHICKEN THIGHS BRAISED IN SHERRY & SOY

 An easy supper for getting back into the groove at work and school...

Absolutely Delicious!  Better than a takeaway and much much cheaper

These wonderful chicken thighs are a departure from 67goingon50's usual repertoire.  

67 is all about low-fat, low-salt, low-carb.  But the 90-year-old 67 regularly feeds provides has entirely different needs - he needs building up.

67 took advantage of one of M&S's many specials on chicken pieces -- 5-6 decent sized thighs for under £2 -- to put together something that didn't require a lot of effort but turned standard supermarket chicken into something special.

There's little effort involved in this lovely dish but the results are delightful and satisfying.

The chicken skins were left on during browning but are easily removed for cholesterol-phobes.

Cost: £3.50, including rice

Serves: 4-5

Ingreds:

4-6 chicken thighs, bone in

Marinade:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sherry

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger

           1/4 tsp 5-spice powder (opt) 

peanut or other light vegetable oil

1/2-2/3 cup stock (cubes are ok)

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp cold water (if you don't have cornstarch, mash 1 tbsp plain flour with 1 tbsp soft butter to form a thick paste)

Herb garnish: finely sliced green onion OR green salad leaves

Easy-peasy low-fat Unfried Rice:

- all the ingredients of fried rice but much better for you.  Soft and gorgeous instead of crunchy, it provides a pillowy base for any Chinese dish, soaking up juices without going soggy 

Method:

1. Place marinade in a sealable bag; add thighs, massage together; rest 20 mins. Drain, keeping marinade for later
2. Heat a couple of tablespoons oil in a frying pan (which has a close fitting lid) over med-high heat; fry thighs skin-side down until golden, turn over for a few mins; flip thighs to right side up
3. Add marinade & stock - the liquid should come at least half way up the chicken pieces; bring to a boil, turn heat down to med-low; cover 
4. Cook 20 mins or until a knife pierces skin easily
5. Meanwhile, cook un-fried rice, adding egg & greens; keep warm 
6. Turn down down heat under chicken; add cornstarch slurry or flour-butter paste; stir well; the sauce should turn glossy and thickish; if it is too thick, add more stock or water
7. Add a bit of pepper but no salt
8. Spread rice over a platter or serving dish, remove thighs with a slotted spoon and arrange on top; pour over sauce

Comments:

'I wouldn't normally eat something like this for health reasons but it looked and smelled so good, I tried it and loved it.  Moreover, it wasn't as salty or fatty as I had feared.'  Retired writer

Tips:

1. Vee Tee white rice (Waitrose) takes only 10 minutes to cook and produces large separate grains
2. This recipe also works well with ribs or steak or thinly sliced economy beef
3. For those with blood pressure issues, reduce soy by a third and increase sherry

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These recipes have been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.