Around The World Part 4: My take on Apple Danish and Rye Bread

I know these aren't the original recipes but they are my take on them. With the Danish I wanted to try and simplify the recipe but you could always use the laminated pastry instead of the ready made pastry by clicking HERE .

The Rye bread isn't that dark bread but a much lighter one that I tried, using double cream for the fat content. It worked really well and I think I'll be trying that again.

1 packet of ready roll puff pastry (brought to room temp)
3 dessert apples peeled, diced and cored
A large knob of butter +some for greasing
40g Demerara sugar
2-4 tsp ground cinnamon
2-4 tbsp warmed sieved apricot jam
100g icing sugar
a little fresh apple juice

In a salute pan melt the butter along with the sugar and cinnamon, add the apples and gently fry until soft, put to one side to cool.

When the apple is cooled unroll the pastry and spread over the apple mix, then roll into a long cylinder and chop into about 10 rounds, grease 10 holes of a muffin tin and pop each round into the holes.

Cook in a preheated oven 200 for about 16-22 mins or until well baked and golden, leave to cool slightly in the tins (about 5-10 mins)

Then transfer onto a wire rack, brush with the warmed jam and leave to set. In the mean time mix the icing sugar with enough apple juice to make a glaze then drizzle over The pastries:

Rye Bread:
300g white bread flour
180g Rye Flour
15g sugar
8g sea salt
7g sachet yeast
300 ml lukewarm water
30ml double cream

In a freestanding machine (fitted with a bread hook) or a large bowl, put the flours, sugar, salt and yeast in.

Mix together the water and cream in a jug, make a well in the centre of the flour and gradually add the liquid with the machine running or bring together with your hands. If it is too wet add a little more flour but I try and keep my dough as wet as poss as I have found this makes the nicest bread.

Knead on the bread hook for 8 mins or by hand for 12, oil the bowl and cover leave to prove until doubled in size and springs back when touched, about an hour, turn out and knead for about a minute, shape and put into a buttered 2lb loaf tin.

Cover with oiled cling and leave to prove in a warm place for an hour. Uncover and brush with egg wash Bake in a preheated oven at 210 (I always put a couple of ice cubes in the bottom of the oven at the same time as the bread) for about 25-30 mins, turn out onto a wire rack, leave to cool before slicing.

Around the World Part 3; Cyprus Kleftiko, Spanakopita, Garden Salad, & Cardamom Orange & Walnut Syrup Sponge with Greek Yogurt & Honey

I've sort of fell into the routine of going with alphabetical order. I'm a bit like that, I need a pattern to follow, when there is too much choice and at least this way I don't feel overwhelmed by the amount of amazing foods that I'd like to blog about.

That said if I get to a week and there isn't a Country where I fancy the food, then I'll skip it. So this week is Cyprus. I had a few friends coming for dinner last night and my friend Maria is a veggie so this seemed the perfect night to make this Cypriot feast (my lot don't think dinner's a dinner without the obligatory meat dish). 

Everyone enjoyed all the dishes and as usual I had a little look on the internet plus a look through my books and decided what i'd like to make. Then I had a play to get what I thought would be great flavour and textures.

Spanakopita
I know this is traditionally made with filo pastry but when I went into the supermarket they didn't have any, so I was just about to pay and go onto another supermarket when I thought I'd try it with puff pastry and I have to say it worked really well.

1 Pkt of puff pastry (I had the ready rolled stuff)
1 red onion very finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of a lemon
200g spinach
A handful of basil leaves
100g feta
Pinch of salt

In a saute pan add a glug of olive oil and gently fry the red onion, once it begins to soften grate in the garlic cloves, then pop in the spinach, once the spinach has wilted squeeze over the juice of the lemon, it will sizzle, give a good stir and then tip into a sieve to remove all the excess moisture.
Cut the pastry into 4 equal pieces and spread the spinach equally over, tear up the basil leaves and equally distribute with the feta between the 4 pastries, roll up into long cylinders, put onto a baking tray and pop into the fridge for an hour to firm. Once firm, score diamonds onto the tops and brush with an egg-wash, bake in a hot oven 220 for about 12- 16 minutes or until golden.

Kleftiko
When I was looking for foods to blog about this week, this is what sold Cyprus for me. I love lamb and with these Mediterranean flavours I knew I'd be on to a winner. I used 2 pieces of shoulder of lamb, probably about 1kg each.

2kg Lamb
1 tbsp Oregano
2 large sprigs of fresh Rosemary
A good glug of olive oil
2 lemons

In a large roasting dish cover the bottom with some olive oil, 1 tbsp dried oregano, the zest of 2 lemons and the juice of 1. Put in the lamb and give a really good rub, chop up the other lemon into quarters and add to the Lamb along with the rosemary sprigs, now cover with a clean tea towel and leave for a couple of hours.
Take off the tea towel cover with parchment paper and cook at 210 for about 90 mins (depending on the size of your joint) then remove and put onto a wire rack that will fit into the tray, pop back into the oven to crisp (about 30 mins) and reduce the meat juices, pour some of the meat juices over the meat, leave to stand on a board for about 15 minutes before carving.

Garden Salad
For my Garden salad I just used a bag of spinach and lambs lettuce, a red pepper chopped into cubes, some room temp tomatoes quartered, I blanched some of those really slim asparagus tips, a handful of mixed Olives, a red onion chopped finely, some cubed feta, then I just put into a large salad bowl poured over a glug of good olive oil and the juice of half a lemon and gave a good mix just before serving.
                                           
Walnut, Orange and Cardamom Syrup Sponge
I wanted to do a dessert but as I was making pastry with the main I wanted to make something different. I love cardamon, walnuts and orange so this seemed to be the one. I have little pots of flavoured sugars and cardamon is one of them.

100g semolina

100g walnuts

150g soft light brown sugar

80g S/R flour

2 tsp baking powder

Zest of 2 oranges

170g olive oil

4 eggs

for the syrup

50g cardamon sugar

Juice of 2 oranges

2 tbsp runny honey

In a food processor blitz the walnuts and semolina to a fine dust. Add the sugar and orange zest, pour in the oil the add the eggs, then the flour and baking powder. Pour into a lined 24x24 tin. Bake at 170 for 25-35 mins. While your cake is baking, in a small sauce pan, mix together the orange juice, sugar and honey, bring to the boil and keep on the heat until reduced by half, then pour over the cooked sponge and leave in the tin to cool completely, serve with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey. 

I hope you'll enjoy our blog to Cyprus as much as me and mine did. Jo X

Around the World Part 2. Belgium Moules Frites & Banana Split Waffles

Another place I've never been to but hopefully one day (I say wistfully). I thought Moules Frites would be a good place to start.

I love anything in a garlicky wine sauce and throw in chips especially triple cooked ones and I'm a happy bunny.

Then on to dessert.  Oh my, waffles (tick) warm chocolate sauce (an even bigger tick) Chantilly cream (mmmmm delightfully nice) banana (surely part of my 5 a day?) and pecans (oh my i'm in heaven) So far I am throughly enjoying my globe trotting blog and so are my boys............. Serves 2 hungry people or 3-4 not so hungry.

Moules Frites
1kg Mussels
2 diced shallots
4 cloves of garlic (grated)
1 large glass of good white wine
A biggish knob of butter
Olive oil
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Tip the mussels into a large bowl of cold water. Discard any that remain open when tapped, then drain well and pull away any 'beards'. (Fresh mussels look black and shiny and should only smell pleasantly of the deep sea  avoid any that smell fishy look dry or are mostly open.)

In a large heavy based saute pan heat the butter and the oil add the shallots and gently fry for a couple of minutes add the grated garlic cloves (I use a micro plane). Carry on cooking until translucent, add the wine and reduce by half, in the meantime cut 2 pieces of parchment about 12inch x 28inch.

Place onto a baking trays, pop the mussels into the centres of the parchments and pre-heat the oven to 210. Make each parchment into an envelope around the mussels leaving the bottom flap open, gently tip half of the liquid into each packet and a sprig of thyme, fold over to seal, pop into the hot oven for about 10-12 mins. Bring to the table in the little envelopes.

(Only eat the open ones) 

Serve with crusty bread, garlic mayo and triple cooked chips

For triple cooked chips 
I use one large potato per person (if you like more then be my guest).

I give my potatoes a good rinse then leaving the skins on chop into thin chips, give another good rinse in a colander and shake and a quick rub with a clean tea-towel.

Now in either a deep fat fryer or a shallow pan, fry the chips until soft but still pale, remove onto kitchen roll and leave to cool.

Heat the oil back up and cook again this time until lightly golden, remove onto kitchen paper at this stage you can pop into the fridge on a baking tray until needed, when all you need to do is pop into hot oil until very golden and crispy. Drain and sprinkle with rock salt.

For the waffles
Mine aren't authentic as I think Belgium ones have yeast in them, but they are yummy just the same, I use a Nordicware waffle iron and it's great.

1 teacup of plain flour
1 teacup of whole milk
3 eggs separated (whisk the whites)
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 heaped tbsp butter melted

Mix together the flour, egg yolks, milk, sugar and melted butter, then fold in the egg whites a third at a time.

Heat waffle iron and cook (as manufacture's instructions). Heat 150 ml of double cream to below boiling stir 150g Belgium milk chocolate pieces, stir until glossy.

Whip 150 ml double cream with 2 tbsp icing sugar. Slice one large banana or two small on the diagonal, to plate up, arrange the waffles on the plate in angles, fan out the sliced banana, I put the whipped cream onto the warm waffle and then drizzle with the chocolate sauce finishing with vanilla ice-cream and a couple of chopped pecans.

I hope you all enjoy 'Our" globe-Trot this week. Love Jox