• Recipes
  • Tarte Tatin

    Tarte Tatin
    This wonderful caramel-flavoured apple tart is surprisingly simple to make, but somehow, much more impressive than a normal apple pie. Once prepared it should be deliciously sweet and full of mouth-watering flavours and textures of caramel and apple. According to legend, Tart Tatin was created when one of the sisters running the Hotel Tatin in France in the 19th century was trying to bake a normal apple pie, but left the apples cooking in the hot sugar and butter for too long and burnt it. She decided to serve it anyway, and to her luck, found that it went down a storm with the hotel guests. Whether or not the story is true, the dish has been popular in France ever since. Don’t be scared of turning the tart upside down just before you serve it. It should come out easily enough and it can be repaired quite easily if any pieces do start to fall apart. Like any apple pie, it is best served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or lashings of whipped cream. This recipe uses a ready-made sweet short crust pastry, but if you would rather then you can make your own using half fat to flour with a little sugar and beaten egg yolk.
    Ingredients
    1. Ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry 1 pack
    2. Tart apples 1 lb.
    3. Butter 2 ½ oz.
    4. Castor sugar 2 oz
    5. Vanilla essence ½ tsp
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    Instructions
    1. Heat the oven to 390 F.
    2. Peel, core and chop the apples into lengthways-slices. Melt half of the butter in a heavy-bottomed heat-proof cake tin or pie dish. You need to use a dish that can take direct heat from underneath.
    3. Add half of the sugar mixed with the vanilla essence. Then layer the apple slices over the sugar and butter mixture. Try to arrange the slices in a circular pattern. Carefully heat the dish from underneath on the hob for 15 minutes until the apples start to give off a caramel aroma.
    4. Roll out the pastry and use it to make a pastry cover for the apple slices. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry top is crisp and golden.
    5. Remove from the oven and turn the tart upside down onto a heatproof serving dish. Dot the remaining butter over the top of the apples and sprinkle on the remaining sugar. Heat under the grill until nicely caramelised. Serve immediately.
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  • Is Non-Stick Cookware Really Safe

    Non-stick cookware

    Non-stick cookware has become really popular since its introduction to the masses. It’s very likely that we are using this cookware in our homes for daily cooking. Women love to use non-stick cookware because it’s easy to clean and food doesn’t stick to the pans or pots, which makes cooking a lot easier. But despite […]

  • Recipes
  • Pork and Prune Casserole

    Pork and Prune Casserole
    If you’re looking for something a little special to serve as the nights start to get colder, you need look no further than this rich, herb-infused recipe for pork tenderloin with prunes and port wine. For such a special dish, you’ll find this casserole surprisingly easy to make. Once you’ve put the fried-up ingredients in the oven you can sit back and relax whilst the wonderful sweet and savory aromas of the casserole drift through the house.
    Ingredients
    1. Pork loin (trimmed of fat) 3 lb.
    2. Olive oil 1 tbsp
    3. Butter 1 tbsp
    4. Bacon (or thin slices of ham) 2 rashers
    5. Shallots 8-10 small
    6. Garlic (crushed) 2 cloves
    7. Leeks (trimmed and chopped) 2
    8. Dried pitted prunes (do make sure all stones have been removed) ½ lb.
    9. Port wine 300 ml
    10. Chicken stock 200 ml
    11. Fresh thyme 2 tbsp
    12. Bay leaves 2
    13. Fresh parsley 1 tbsp
    14. Salt
    15. Pepper
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    Instructions
    1. Pre-heat oven to 350⁰ F.
    2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet and fry the pork loin until browned on all sides. This should take between 4 and 8 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
    3. Add the butter to the pan and when hot add the peeled shallots and chopped bacon slices. Fry until golden then add the crushed garlic and leeks. Continue frying until soft but not burnt.
    4. Remove vegetables from the pan and de-glaze the pan by pouring in the port wine and stirring with a wooden spoon over a medium heat until all the impurities have been removed from the side of the pan and blended into the port. Now add back the meat and vegetables to the pan. Add the pitted prunes, the stock, the fresh, chopped thyme and the whole bay leaves.
    5. Bring to simmering point, season with salt and pepper. Cover the casserole with a firm lid and place in the pre-heated oven for 90 minutes.
    6. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Remove 8 of the prunes. Puree these and then add the pureed prunes back to the dish. Slice the meat into potion-sized rings and serve with the sauce spooned over, sprinkled with the fresh, chopped parsley.
    Notes
    1. This dish goes wonderfully with pureed potatoes, beans, green vegetables or carrots.
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