Apple, Blackberry and Elderberry Crumble

Hi again, I didnt have enough time to finish the coverage of the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival because I had to go to scouts- playing capture the flag in the pouring rain- lots of fun! Anyway, this was the second dish I demo'ed at the festival- Apple, Blackberry and Elderberry Crumble.
This dish is great served fresh out of the oven with ice cream or custard. All the fruit can be foraged in most hedgerows and this time of year- even though its coming to the end of the season- there is still an abundance of these great, and free, fruits. Over the summer, it is rutine for us all to spend a sunday afternoon picking fruit. Elderberries arent used that often, but when cooked correctly they taste great. However, large quantities raw can upset your stomach so make sure you cook them to bubbling point so the toxins boil off. They hang in large clusters and are commonly seen in parks and woods. They have thin, feather like leaves and grow on purpley-green fronds.

Ingredients-

3 Large Apples- such as cox or bramley- chopped and peeled

100g Blackberries

2 Handfuls of Elderberries

300g Plain Flour

150g Unsalted Butter
75g Golden Catser Sugar
75g Demerara Sugar- this gives the topping a nice golden colour
3tbsp Oats- most people have oats in their cupboard and they add a nice crunch
1tsp Grated orange zest

Preheat an oven to 180'c. Now, genbtly heat the apples in a saucepan with a splash of water until soft, but not mushy. Rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugars, oats and orange zest with the butter and flour. When the apples are starting to soften, stir in the elderberries and heat until the juice runs out of them and starts to boil. When bubbling, mix in the blackberries and spoon into a baking dish. Spoon over the crumble topping and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and crispy.

This dish is great served with ice cream, by itself or- if your weird like me- with natural yogurt. But I dont think anything goes with crumble like custard. Custard is incredibly easy to make and is really quick. Why not try making this simple custard that can be whipped together in about 10 minutes?

Ingredients-
300ml Double Cream
200ml Milk
3 Eggs
1 Split Vanilla Pod
1 Cinamon Stick
75g Caster Sugar

Start by heating the milk, cream, vanilla pod and cinamon stick over a gently heat until steaming and nearly boiling. Whisk the eggs and cream together. Remove the vanilla pod and scrape out the vanilla with a spoon and stir into the milk and cream. Remove the cinamon stick and whisk the milk and cream into the eggs and sugar. Now you must reheat the custard. You should always make sure when reheating custard that the pan is clean. I you dont clean the pan that had milk and cream in it, the milk and cream stuck to the sides will burn quickly and ruin the taste of your custard. So, in a fresh pan, reheat the custard over a gentle heat so the eggs gently cook. To make sure the eggs dont scramble, stir constantly. Heat until steaming and nearly boiling then pour over your puds.
If the custard starts to scramble, pour the custard through a fine seive to separate the lumps from the liquid.

thats it for now,
Sam.

Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival 2010

Last week I got a call wether I was available to give some cooking demo's at the Aldeburgh Food Festival, promoting the County Council's "Love Food, Hate Waste" campaign. So, after a week of hectic preparation the festival arrived. Me- and my mum- got to the festival early on saturday to find out that I would be cooking along side Paul Freeman- head chef of the Queens Head at Blyford- a great man and chef. We cooked on the small stage on Saturday, which was a nice warm-up for the main stage on Sunday. The demo's went well and we got quite big crowds on both days- although it helped it was raining so people came and watched for shelter!

Me doing my thing!

Anyway, heres what I cooked. I made Sausages with an Onion Gravy and Root Vegetable Mash. All my ingredients were sourced localy- especially the sausages which were from Pauls farm were he rears rare black-saddle pigs which make fantastic sausages and bacon. The root vgatable mash can be made with whatever you've got lying around- hence the "Love Food, Hate Waste" idea.

Ingredients-
8 Pork Sausages
2 Onions, thinly sliced
1tbsp Flour
2tsp English Mustard
2tsp Worcester Sauce
Sprig of Fresh Thyme
600ml Vegetable Stock
Salt and Pepper
2tbsp Vegetable Oil- low fat if preffered
Mashed Root Vegetables like carrots, swede, potatoes, parsnips etc
1tbsp Chopped Parsley
1tsp Grated Nutmeg

Start by heating the oil in a deep bottomed frying pan and brown the sausages until golden brown. When browned, remove from the pan and roast in an oven at about 180'c/ gas mark 4. In the oil from the sausages, caremalise the onions until soft. Now add the frlour and coat the onions evenly. Add the mustard, worcester sauce and thyme. Stir for 1minute so it doesnt burn. Now add the stock and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until thick. To make the mash, mix the mashed veg with the parsley and nutmeg.

Serve by dolloping a big splodge of mash on a plate, followed by the sausages on top and pour over th gravy. Enjoy.


I've got to go to scouts now so ill put the second dish I cooked up soon- Apple, Blackberry and Elderberry Crumble with Homemade Custard.
Peace out.
Sam.