On Saturday when our guests were here we went for a mooch around Craft and I picked one of these up for 50p. Cool huh?
I forgot to take a picture of mine but you get the idea. Anyhow, yesterday I was seeing what was ready to pick in the garden etc and looked at the apples, established they are cookers -yay! so picked a few amongst other bits and pieces.
I came round to thinking that the balckberries on the cycle path MUST be ready now so me and Jake headed out, basket in hand, to do some foraging.
Soooo chuffed I came home with this little lot.
As you can see they weighed in at a goodly amount and I only needed 200g for my planned recipe.
Then I set about making some pastry, I used the pastry from this recipe which is almost the same as the one of hers I use for my mince pies.
Here is the recipe itself but it is quite a simple process, just follow the pictures a bit!
Apples in the pan with sugar until soft then leave to cool.
Add the blackberries and coat in the syrup.
Put a good dollop on each recrangle leaving a bit of a gap all round.
Make your lattice tops, egg wash the edges, pop the tops on, seal and then wash again and sprinkly with sugar. Just had a thought, you could make these with cranberries at Christmas and they would be soooo good. Pop them in the oven until they are...
golden brown and tasty looking!
The recipe asks for puff pastry but I only buy puff at Christmas (have I just mentioned the C word again?) and prefer to make my own anyhow. Our apples, free food in the form of the blackberries and made by me. Get in!
For my lunch yesterday I used up some veg from tea the night before and made a bit of a grow your own soup. I added to it some of our tomatoes, one of our courgettes, the few beans I have managed to harvest just recently, an onion and some of our own dried oregano with a veg stock cube, seasoning, water and boiled; thickened with cornflour it was just yummy. Sorry, no after picture - too hungry!
Now, this isn't food but I just need to do it so I can get rid of the phot that has been hanging around in my To Use folder! A good while ago I shared a photo of some fabric I bought and said I had plans for it.
Well, finally it has been put to its intended use. As you go down our cellar steps there is a ledge that we keep suitcases on. I have wanted to find something to cover it up and so this is what we have now after I'd nipped and tucked and did the best I could with both curtains.
It is a bit wonky at the bottom but I'm not too bothered - does the trick.
Last thing, this morning as part of my breakfast I had almost the last of the blackberries on toast. Nom nom!!!!
Right, after having spent the whole time talling about food it is time to get my lunch and watch the first TGBBO from last night. (I should point out that I have made efforts this week to start running for fitness and with all I have just posted I flippin' sound as if I need it!)
Bye for now.
Lou.xx
Those apple and blackberry slices look so good, I am on the look out for one of those thingy's at the weekend at the car boot x
ReplyDeleteThe thingy is very niffty!x
ReplyDeleteThe thingy is called a lattice cutter! lol!!
ReplyDeleteYup, we know that!
DeleteHi Lou, My copy of Daphne's diary arrived today with 2 pages about preserving mini cucumbers and onions in jars. Wash cu's in cold water and then soak in a bowl of water/salt for 36 hours. 1ltr to 75g of salt. Rinse under running water and then
ReplyDeletecut them in strips,chunks and slices and fill jam jars with as many as you can. Keep same shapes together. Bring white wine, vinegar, sugar and water to the boil Add 10g herbs(mustard seed, dill seed, paprika, dried chilli pepper , peppercorns, coriander seeds, bay leaves and cloves) and boil mixture for 5 mins. Pour mix into jars just up to the rim, put top on and turn upside down and cool. Leave them for 8 weeks at least.
Now in the book the instructions didn't quite tally with the recipe so I've altered it slightly. Daphne says you can experiment with the mix yourself so if you prefer to change water and wine around you can until you like the flavour.
10 fresh cu's
400ml white wine
little salt
150g sugar
10g herbs( as above)
200ml vinegar
150ml water.
The onions were slightly different so ask if you want that recipe.
Happy Preserving!!!
Thanks for that. I've just put some cucumbers in a sweet brine to sit over night but will add this recipe to my book.x
Deletethose slices look so good.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Jon made custard to go with them but I also like plain yoghurt with things like that, too.
Delete