Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts

Hot Cross Buns


No doubt these represent to you all that is good about Easter; warm, fuggy goodness.

I was particularly interested to read that the humble hot cross bun pre dates christianity and were made and eaten in honour of the saxon goddess Eostre (Easter!) who was the custodian of the dawn in saxon lore. Interestingly the four sectors formed by the cross are reported by some to symbolise the four quarters of the moon. Kooky and yay to have a sweet bun eaten in honour of you.

So why not make some to celebrate the goddess in your family. I found this recipe below from Gourmet Traveller. I reckon a dash of cointreau would be very welcome in this too.

Hot cross buns

Serves 16

INGREDIENTS

Buns

750 gm (5 cups) plain flour, sifted

55 gm (¼ cup) caster sugar

2 tsp (14 gm )dried yeast

1 tsp allspice

½ tsp cinnamon

250 gm (1½ cups) sultanas

100 gm candied orange peel, coarsely chopped

1 orange, finely grated rind only

300 ml milk

100 gm unsalted butter, coarsely chopped

1 egg


Glaze

55 gm (¼ cup)caster sugar

¼ tsp mixed spice

METHOD

1

Combine 700 gm flour, sugar, yeast, spices, sultanas, orange peel and rind and 1 tsp sea salt in a bowl. Gently warm milk and butter over a low heat until butter melts and mixture is tepid. Add egg to milk mixture and whisk. Make a well in the centre of flour mixture, add milk mixture and stir. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled in size. Knock back dough and cut into 16 equal pieces. Knead each piece into a ball, place in a lightly greased 22cm-square cake pan, cover with a damp tea towel and stand in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled in size.

2

Preheat oven to 220C. Combine remaining flour and ¼ cup water and stir to a smooth paste. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle. Pipe lines down each row to form crosses. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 200C and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden. (They’re ready when they sound hollow when tapped).

3

For glaze, combine ingredients with ¼ cup water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Brush glaze over hot buns, then transfer to a wire rack to cool


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Hello Autumn



It feels like Autumn is trying to wash Summer away with the rain this morning. I personally cannot wait for the crisp cool air to waft on in and herald the beginning of the cosy months.

March 1 was strictly speaking the beginning of Autumn , I love changing seasons particularly with regard to cooking as it brings with it a new crop of ingriedients and produce that are at their best. I really believe in seasonal eating it just makes so much sense.

So hello Autumn and hello to your bounty


Beurre Bosc Pears
Quince
Pistachio
Hazelnuts
Almonds
Pomegranate

Red Cabbage and Lettuces
Pumpkin (see recipe below)
Ginger
Sweet potato/potato
Shallots
Fennel
Mushrooms
Leeks
Celery
Olives

What a bounty! So why not celebrate Autumn with this tasty pumpkin salad- recipe and photo from 101 cookbooks.


Roasted Pumpkin Salad

3 cups of pumpkin (or other winter squash), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
extra-virgin olive oi
fine grain sea salt

12 tiny red onions or shallots, peeled (OR 3 medium red onions peeled and quartered)
2 cups cooked wild rice*

1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 F
Toss the pumpkin in a generous splash of olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt, and turn out onto a baking sheet. At the same time, toss the onions with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and turn out onto a separate baking sheet. Roast both for about 45 minutes, or until squash is brown and caramelized. The same goes for the onions, they should be deeply colored, caramelized, and soft throughout by the time they are done roasting. You'll need to flip both the squash and onion pieces once or twice along the way - so it's not just one side that is browning.

In the meantime, make the dressing. With a hand blender or food processor puree the sunflower seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and honey until creamy. You may need to add a few tablespoons of warm water to thin the dressing a bit. Stir in the cilantro, saving just a bit to garnish the final plate later. Taste and adjust seasonings (or flavors) to your liking - I usually need to add a touch more salt with this dressing.

In a large bowl, toss the wild rice with a large dollop of the dressing. Add the onions, gently toss just once or twice. Turn the rice and onions out onto a platter and top with the roasted squash (I'll very gently toss with my hands here to disperse the pumpkin a bit). Finish with another drizzle of dressing and any remaining chopped cilantro.

Serves 4.

* To cook wild rice: Rinse 1 1/2 cups wild rice. In a medium sauce pan bring the rice and 4 1/2 cups salted water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes or until rice is tender and splitting open, stirring occasionally. You'll have enough for this recipe and some leftover.

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