Caryl's Apple Crumble

Ingredients

6-8 apples
¼ cup wholemeal flour
¼ cup soft brown sugar
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup soft butter
¼ cup oats
¼ cup chopped nuts of choice (pecans or walnuts are good)

Directions

1. Peel and core the apples. Slice thinly and layer into a buttered dish.

2. Cut the butter into the flour until mixture is crumbly (a bit like breadcrumbs). Stir in cinnamon, sugar, oats and nuts.

3. Sprinkle crumble mixture onto apples.

4. Bake in oven at approx. 180° degrees for about 20 mins.

Oh, and don't forget to eat it with custard or ice-cream...... OK, then - both! :)

Caryl's Tweaks

Even though this is my own version of Apple Crumble, I still tweak it as follows:

1. Sometimes I chop the apples into pieces and mix in a little cinnamon and sugar with them before piling them into the dish.

2. Add crushed weetabix or cornflakes to the crumble mixture, or even some wheatgerm.

Caryl's Mackerel Fillets in Soy Sauce with Oranges

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sake
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs rice vinegar
4 oranges, cut into rounds
5 mackerel fillets, skin on
Spring onions, chopped

Directions

1. In a large skillet, mix together the sake, sugar, vinegar and orange rounds. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

2. Add fish, skin side down, carefully placing the soaked orange slices over the top. Simmer, until the fish is cooked through - approx. 8-10 minutes.

Serve on white rice and garnish with the spring onions & orange slices.

Enjoy!

Caryl's Tweaks

1. The sake can be replaced with dry sherry and the rice vinegar can be replaced with white wine vinegar.

2. Try adding thin slices of peeled fresh ginger to the mixture with the oranges.

3. Crushed garlic can also be added.

We like it served with fresh baby spinach leaves on the side!

Caryl's Cheesecake

Ingredients

Base:

1 cup biscuit crumbs (I use digestive biscuits)
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:

250g cream cheese, room temperature
250g ricotta cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated, whites stiffly whipped
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tbs plain flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbs grated lemon rind

Topping:

Fruit of choice

Directions

Base:

1. Combine biscuits crumbs and butter. Press into base of a 23cm (9") spring form pan; chill.

Filling:

2. Beat cream cheese until soft, stir in all remaining ingredients - carefully folding in egg whites last.

3. Pour into prepared crumb crust. Bake at 140 degrees C for approx. 1 hour. Allow to cool in oven. Chill for a few hours.

4. Decorate with your choice of fruit and freshly whipped cream!

This is a surprisingly light cheesecake, which means you can eat more without feeling too full! :)

Caryl's Tweaks

1. Graham crackers can be substituted for the digestive biscuits.

2. I prefer to use fresh fruit in season, but you can also use tinned fruit.

3. Sometimes I like to make a glaze for the top of the fruit - Blend 3/4 cup of sweet juice with 3 tsps cornflour. Heat, stirring continuously until boiling. Brush over fruit.

4. You can leave off the cream if you prefer..... ;)

Vegetable Tagine with Prunes & Couscous

Ingredients

60g (3 tbs) butter or margarine
1 x medium white onion, roughly chopped
2 x garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
300g orange sweet potato (kumara), peeled, cubed
2 x small zucchini, cut into 5mm-thick slices
1 x 300g can chickpeas, drained
1 x 425g can peeled whole tomatoes, undrained, roughly chopped
85g (1/2 cup) pitted prunes
125mls (1/2) cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 x 500g packet couscous
500ml (2 cups) boiling water

Directions

1. Heat 40g (2 tbs) of the butter or margarine in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion is just soft.

2. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, sweet potato and zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables are coated with spices.

3. Stir in the chickpeas, undrained tomatoes, prunes and stock. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-18 minutes or until the sweet potato is tender.

4. Meanwhile, place the couscous in a heat-resistant bowl and pour the boiling water over while stirring with a fork. Cover and stand for 5 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Stir with a fork to separate the grains and stir through the remaining butter.

5. Serve the couscous with the vegetable tagine.

6. Enjoy!

Gourmet Tip

Add ½ tsp ground cardamom and ground cayenne pepper to taste with the turmeric and cumin.

Caryl's Tweaks

1. If your family isn't too keen on prunes, replace them with dried apricots instead.

2. Cubed pieces of carrot and/or pumpkin (squash) are also a nice addition.

3. Also delicious served with rice instead of couscous, but would recommend brown rice instead of white. It has a nicer, consistency for this dish.