Cranberry Orange Apricot Bars

I have lots of dried fruits in my baking pantry, which I am trying to clear. Found two unopened packs of dried cranberries, I must have forgotten that I already have a pack when I bought the second one! Note to self : do not buy anymore dried fruits until I have finished the ones I have right now, golden raisins, black raisins, prunes, apricots, black currant, cranberries! Those are only dried fruits, there are nuts, various types of flour and other knick knacks! Much as I like my pantry to be cleared as much as possible, I really do like a well-stocked pantry. Do you buy your ingredients only when needed and enough for that one bake? Or like me, can't help myself when it comes to baking ingredients and then months later, got to find recipes to clear them off! Haha! Much as I'm always trying to clear my pantry, I have never succeeded before, and I don't think I ever will! wink!

The first thing that came to mind with these dried fruits are bars or slices. And found a really nice recipe from this lovely book, which I have been neglecting for a while now, "Bake Something Great", which has 400 bars, squares and cookies recipes, by Jill Snider.  Wonderful thing is, it uses three types of dried fruits, and what a coincidence, I have all three (ha!ha!, really!). Big grin!! 

These Cranberry Orange Apricot Bars has a buttery crust at the bottom, with a fruity-nut layer on the top.

The crust is really easy and quick to make, it is a mixture of flour, brown sugar and butter, which are processed until crumbly and then spread in the baking pan to a thin layer. It is then baked about 10 to 12 minutes until the sides are a little brown. It took mine about 15 minutes, maybe because I lined the pan with baking parchment extending over two opposite sides, for easy removal of the whole bars for easy cutting later.

To prepare the top layer, the dried fruits are chopped and bring to boil with some freshly squeezed orange juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid. 

Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until blended, add the flour and cinnamon and stir until combined. Pecans and the boiled dried fruits are stirred in, spread mixture over the baked crust. Return to oven and baked until the top layer is golden brown and set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. Remove the whole bar by lifting the two ends of the baking parchment, cut into bars to serve.

My notes : This is a lovely bar, with buttery crust and fruity-nutty topping.  I have reduced the sugar for both the crust and the topping, and believe me, you would not miss out on the sugar. Even with the reduced amount of sugar, I can definitely taste the sweetness of these bars, which comes from the dried fruits. Really nice to snack on, and wonderful with a cup of warm tea.

Cranberry Orange Apricot Bars
(adapted from "Bake Something Great', Jill Snider)
Preheat oven to 350F (180C)
9-inch square cake pan, greased (I greased and lined the pan with parchment paper, extending over opposite sides for easy removal of the whole bar)

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (I use 1/4 cup loosely packed)
1/3 cup cold butter, cubed (I use 70gm)

Filling
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar (I use 1/2 cup loosely packed)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans

1. Crust : In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Using a pastry blender, 2 knives or your fingers, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven until golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Filling : In a saucepan, combine raisins, cranberries, apricots and orange juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes. Liquid should be absorbed. If necessary, drain off any excess.
3. In a bowl, whisk eggs and brown sugar until blended. Add flour and cinnamon, whisking until smooth. Stir in pecans and fruit mixture. Spread evenly over crust.
4. Return to oven and bake until top is set and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack. Cut into bars.

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This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Bake For Happy Kids, and My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Ann of Anncoo Journal . 

and 

Cook-Your-Books #11 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

Muesli Slice : IHCC

"Pantry Magic" is the theme for our second week of cooking with Donna Hay, at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). This week is all about our ingredients from our pantry.

Funny thing is I keep trying to clear stuffs from my pantry and at the same time, I keep adding stuffs in!! After almost a year of trying to clear my pantry, I now know for sure that I can never, clear my pantry! No sooner when I have almost finished that packet of dried fruits that I have been trying to clear for almost a year, I would get another pack before that one is used up! I bet I am not the only one !  wink! 

I was browsing through Donna Hay's website for recipes when it was confirmed that she would be our next featured chef. And there are many recipes from her website which I have selected, and would like to try, the only thing is to match the recipes with IHCC's weekly theme. So when the theme "Pantry Magic" was announced, I knew just what I would make for this theme! I have been eyeing this Muesli Slice, and wanted to use up the dried apricots which I bought for the purpose of jam-making, but never did! And that was almost a year ago! Yikes!!!

Ingredients from my pantry ; rolled oats, dried apricots, dried cranberries, sultanas.

These Muesli Slice is so easy  and really quick to make. The butter and golden syrup is heated over a low heat until the butter melts. Meanwhile combine the oats, dried fruits, self-raising flour, brown sugar in a large mixing bowl, and mix till evenly distributed. Add the melted butter and golden syrup mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to mix evenly.

Press the mixture into a 20x30cm baking pan, lined and greased with baking parchment, extending the paper on both opposite sides to remove the Muesli Slice easily after baking. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20-25 minutes or until golden, mine took about 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely in pan before slicing.  

Once cool, cut to slices.

Smells wonderful and it tastes fantastic! I love all the combination of the dried fruits and the oats! Very good with a glass of cold milk. Yums!

Best eaten on the day this is made, as the next day, it has soften and somewhat crumbly, but still tastes amazing. We finished the slices in two days, well, mostly me!

Muesli Slice
(source from : donnahay.com)
125gm butter (I use salted)
1/4 cup (90gm) golden syrup
1 cup (90gm) rolled oats
1/2 cup (80gm) sultanas
1/2 cup (65gm) sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup (75gm) chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup (75gm) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (90gm) brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Place the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, until the butter is melted.

Place the oats, sultanas, cranberries, apricots, flour and sugar in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter mixture and mix to combine. Press into the base of a lightly greased 20cm x 30cm tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool completely in the tin before cutting into slices to serve. Makes 8-10.

To see what everyone are cooking from their pantry, with Donna Hay, drop by IHCC. You might just be inspired to join us! For more details about joining in, click here.

And I'm sharing this post with :
See Ya In The Gumbo @ Ms. enPlace
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
My Meatless Monday @ My Sweet And Savory

Chicken with Apricots : IHCC

"Dried Fruit" is our theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), where we are currently cooking from Madhur Jaffrey's recipes. What's my favourite dried fruit? Apricots! I love apricots and have used it in some bakes, but never in a savoury dish before. So when I came across this recipe of MJ using apricots in a chicken dish, I knew that sooner or later, I'll be cooking it! And when IHCC selected dried fruits as this week's theme, I just knew exactly what I will be cooking.

According to MJ, this is a sweet and sour dish of the Parsi community in India, and is one of their culinary tradition. "This dish is generally served with a mountain of very fine, crisp potato straws but it may also be served with rice".  Well, I served it with rice, but I do not like this dish very much.

Firstly the apricots are boiled in some water for about 15 minutes to soften the fruits. The chicken pieces are marinated with some salt and lots of ground black pepper, then fry in a little oil with cinnamon sticks and cumin seeds, remove and keep aside. Saute the sliced onions until lightly brown, add the ginger, tomato puree, and all the chicken pieces. Some water and salt is added, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, and add the garam masala, cayenne pepper and the apricots. Now the recipe calls for some sugar and red wine vinegar. I tasted the dish before I added in these two ingredients, and it was good. I thought of omitting the sugar and red wine vinegar, but then this is really a sweet and sour dish, so I followed the recipe and added these two ingredients in. However, I only used half a teaspoon of sugar (original is 1-1/2 tablespoons), as I do not like very sweet dishes, especially curries! And the apricots do have its own sweetness too. I added in only 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar (original is 2 tablespoons). And after the addition of these two ingredients, I tasted the dish again, and I did not like it! The taste is sweet and sour, just as MJ describes, but to me somehow, the addition of sugar and red wine vinegar does not blend well with this dish. Maybe it is just me, but if I happen to cook this dish again, it will be without the sugar and red wine vinegar, as I prefer this dish BEFORE these two ingredients are added in.

My son thinks this is OK, maybe he wants to make me feel better, seeing how disappointed I am with this dish. The hubby thinks that it is a little sweet. Overall review : There's nothing wrong with this dish, just that it is not my cup of tea, or my family's. But if you like sweet and sour dishes, then this might be for you, as I have read good reviews about this dish when I googled for it. This may not be my cup of tea, but it could be yours!

Please stop by I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) to view the other yummies that my friends are sharing.

For the full recipe, you may get it here Curry Nation, Madhur Jaffrey

THB : Apricot-Pistachio-Lemon Coffee Cake

Second bake of The Home Bakers (THB), Apricot-Pistachio-Lemon Coffee Cake, chosen by Chris of Yummy Bakes.  Pistachio is not an ingredient that I use very often, mainly because they are quite costly, yes, I am sometimes that stingy when it comes to certain ingredients! I bake quite often, so budget is always on my mind, as it can be quite costly shopping for ingredients! Most of the time I ended up buying more than I need, yikes!! Almost all of the nuts here in Malaysia are fully imported, that's one of the reasons why they are so expensive! But for these, I could not find myself substitute with walnuts (much cheaper than pistachios), which I often do! So pistachios it is! I bought a small pack of 250gm since this recipe does not use much pistachios, and now I have some balance I'm keeping for other bakes! (yipee!!) !!

My favourite ingredients, apricots and lemons, and of course the pistachios! I only made half the recipe and bake it in my 9-3/4" bundt pan for 35 minutes.

I like the lovely golden brown of the crust. While this cake is baking in the oven, I can smell the mixed aroma of the apricots and lemon, really nice. Apricots are my favourite dried fruit (I even have a label for apricots in my side-bar!!) and I simply love lemons!

I did reduced the sugar slightly, and it was just right for us. This cake is really nice, there's a light lemony taste and fragrance, with a lovely combination of the tangy apricots and pistachios.

I had this with a cup of warm Earl Grey tea.

Please visit our other baking friends at THB for this bake and hop over to Chris from Yummy Bakes for the recipe. 

THB is currently baking from Coffee Cakes by Lou Seibert Pappas, if you would like to join in, please hop over to THB for details on how to become a member. Everyone's welcome!

Apricot and Walnut Bars : Free and Easy Bake-Along #15

This is such a delight to eat! For our Bake-Along this week, together with my baking buddies, Lena from Her Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, we baked this fabulous "Apricot and Walnut Bars". It is a two-layer bar, the bottom is a buttery shortbread, the top is filled with apricots and toasted walnuts. 

This is baked in a 8x8" pan, just a right portion for the family. The brown sugar used for the top makes a beautiful brown.

The shortbread crust is buttery and the topping is really nice, with the mixture of moist dried apricots which has been softened by boiling it first before baking, and the toasted walnuts gave a nutty, delicious crunch.

I baked this at night, we had a  piece each and finished the rest the next day. I find that after leaving overnight, it tasted even better. It is even more moist, soft and tastier the next day. Definitely a bar that is worth making again!

This delicious Apricot Walnut Bars is our Bake-Along's last bake for the year 2011! How time passes by! There will be more interesting and fun bakes in the year ahead! Do join us, bake along together with us! Everyone is welcome! 

Please stop by at Lena, Zoe and our friends who are baking along with us at the linky below. For our next Bake-Along, we will be baking everyone's favourite, Brownies! Yup, our theme is "Brownies". You may bake any brownies. Do you have a favourite or maybe a recipe that you have eyeing for ages? Now is the time to make just that and join us on 9th January 2012, our linky will stay open for 5 days. See you!

Apricot and Walnut Bars
(adapted from "Bon Appetit Desserts" by Barbara Fairchild)
Shortbread Layer
Nonstick vegetable oil and spray
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes


Apricot Layer
2/3 cup (packed) dried apricot halves, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar (I use loosely packed 3/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Powdered sugar


Shortbread Layer 
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter, using on/off turns, process until coarse meal forms. Press crumbs firmly onto bottom of prepared dish. Bake until center is golden, about 25 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.


Apricot Layer
Meanwhile, place apricots in small saucepan; add enough water to cover. Boil until soft, about 4 minutes; drain. Set aside and cool.


Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat eggs in large bowl. Add brown sugar and vanilla, beat until blended. Stir in flour mixture, then nuts and apricots. Spread over shortbread.


Bake until puffed and dark brown and tester inserted into topping comes out with small moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Cool in dish.


Cut into bars. Transfer to waxed paper. Sift powdered sugar over bars.

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I would like to wish everyone "A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND  HAPPY HOLIDAYS".  Have a fun, enjoyable time with your family and friends! And for those who are travelling either to your loved ones or for a festive holiday, wish you a Safe and Comfortable journey to your destination and back home again!  See you!

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Happy Fathers' Day : Zabaglione Ice Cream Torte

Happy Father's Day to all fathers! 

We had a Father's Day dinner at a Japanese Restaurant but our dessert at home! Made this Zabaglione Ice Cream Torte. No ice cream maker is needed to make this. You just need to be patient over the stove, with an electric hand-held mixer!

I'm linking this to
Sweets For A Saturday over at Sweet As Sugar Cookies
Sweet Tooth Friday over at Alli n Son

Zabaglione Ice Cream Torte
(adapted from "The Ice Cream Book" by Joanna Farrow and Sara Lewis)
Serves 10
175gm (6oz) Amaretti Biscuits (I use McVities Digestive Biscutis)
115gm (4oz/1/2 cup) ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely chopped
65gm (2-1/2oz/5 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted (I used an additional 1 tbsp melted butter)


For The Ice Cream
65gm (2-1/2 oz/5 tbsp) light muscovado sugar
75ml/5 tbsp water
5 egg yolk
250ml/8fl oz/1 cup double cream
75ml/5 tbsp Madeira or Cream Sherry


For The Apricot Compote
150gm/5oz/generous 1/2 cup ready-to-eat dried apricots
25gm/1oz/2 tbsp light muscovado sugar
150ml/1/4 pint/2/3 cup water

1. Put the biscuits in a strong plastic bag and crush finely with a rolling pin. Tip into a bowl and stir in the apricots and melted butter until evenly combined.
2. Using a dampened dessertspoon, pack the mixture evenly on to the bottom and  up the sides of a 24cm/9in loose-based flan tin about 4cm/1-1/2in deep. Chill. (I only did the bottom layer)
3. Make the ice-cream. Put the sugar and water in a small, heavy-based saucepan and heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes without stirring. Meanwhile bring a large saucepan of water to simmering point. Put the yolks in a heatproof bowl to fit over the pan without touching the water.
4. Off the heat, whisk the egg yolks until pale, then bowl gradually whisk in the sugar syrup. Put the bowl over the pan of simmering water and continue to whisk for about 10 minutes or until the mixture leaves a trail when the whisk is lifted.
5. Remove the bowl from the heat and carry on whisking for a further 5 minutes or until the mixture is cold. In a separate bowl, whip the cream with the Madeira or sherry until it stands in peaks.
6. Using a large metal spoon, fold the cream into the whisked mixture. Spoon it into the biscuit case, level the surface, cover and freeze overnight.
7. To make the compote, simmer the apricots and sugar in the water until the apricots are plump and the juices are syrupy, adding a little more water if necessary.
8. Serve the torte in slices with a little of the compote spooned over each portion.

Apricot Chutney

I'm always looking out for recipes with apricots, in my case, dried apricots, as the fresh ones are not easily available and even if they are, are really very expensive. I can never get enough of this delicious tangy dried fruit!

This is another lovely recipe from Mridula Baljekar,  Apricot Chutney.

It is really easy and delicious with a mixture of sweet and sour. Great with rice and as a side condiment with Indian curry and freshly made bread.

Make some and have a jar of this delicious chutney, serve alongside your favourite meats, I'm sure that you will enjoy this. I did! 

I'm sharing this with these lovely sites :

Cookbook Sunday over at Mom's Sunday Cafe

Full Plate Thursday over at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Recipe Swap Thursday over at Prairie Story

Apricot Chutney

(source from : Curry by Mridula Baljekar)

450gm dried apricots, finely diced (I use 300gm)

1 tsp garam masala

275gm light brown sugar (I use about 200gm)

450ml malt vinegar (I use 250ml)

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp salt  (I use about 1-1/4 tsp, to taste)

75gm (1/2 cup) sultana

450ml water (I use 250ml)

1. Put all ingredients together into a saucepan and stir well to mix. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. When the chutney becomes syrupy, remove from the heat. Leave to cool, then ladle into a hot sterilized jar and cover. Chill after opening.

Rebecka's Apricot & Ginger Conserve

Dried apricots are my favourite dried fruit. It is at the top of my list for dried fruits. I always have a packet of dried apricots in my pantry. There's something about them, pop one in the mouth and you'll reach for another one. I love the tangy sourish sweet taste and the  unmistakenly wonderful smell of apricots! 

I love their vibrant, cheerful, happy yellow, colour of sunshine brightness! When I came across this recipe for Apricot and Ginger Conserve over at Rebecka's blog from At Home With Rebecka, I really wanted to make this. Rebecka uses fresh apricots! How I would love to have fresh apricots, but they do cost a bundle over here! Rebecka advises me to use dried apricots instead, and I did! These Apricot and Ginger Conserve turns out to be so good! Rebecka even added dried mangoes for extra flavour. I did not since I can't find any!

Since I use the Dried Apricots instead of the fresh ones, I cut them in half and soak them in unsweetened apple juice for about 8 hours, to plump them up first. Then I cooked them as per Rebecka's instructions. I did not use any pectin for these as the conserve set up rather well. Now what is a conserve? I get confused sometimes over conserve, jam and preserve. As what I understood from "Homemade Preserves" by Maggie Mayhew, a brief explanation, "These are similar to jams, but they have a slightly softer set and contain whole or large pieces of fruit". 

These are what I got from the three cups of dried apricots. I used my recycle bottles from the mayonnaise and pasta sauces that I bought, so the sizes varies. All in, estimated yield, about 4 bottles of 250ml sizes.

These are really good, the chunky pieces of apricots and the sliced candied ginger are full of flavour.

Guess where this spoonful end up after taking this photo?  Mmmm.... delicious!!

Hop over to At Home With Rebecka for the full recipe and read a charming childhood story of how Rebecka and her brothers used to go berry-picking for her mom. I love reading stories like this!

Since I used the dried apricots, I did a little adjustments. Here's my recipe :

Dried Apricots and Ginger Conserve
(source from At Home With Rebecka, with slight adjustments. For the original recipe that calls for Fresh Apricots, please visit Rebecka's blog, I think using Fresh Apricots will be more flavourful!)
3 cups dried apricots, cut to half
3 cups unsweetened apple juice
1/4 orange juice
juice from half of one small lemon
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/3 cup candied ginger, sliced
1/2 cup sugar

1. Slice dried apricots in half. Place in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except candied ginger and sugar. Leave aside, covered, for about 8 hours.
2. Transfer contents into a deep saucepan, add in candied ginger and simmer slowly until apricots are tender. Stir frequently and when apricots are soft but not mushy (as this is a conserve), add in sugar.
3. Cook until sugar melts and mixture is thick. 
4. Remove from heat and pour into prepared sterilized jars and seal. Enjoy!

This is one  delicious tasty conserve that I'll be making again. The addition of candied ginger is really fabulous! Thank you, Rebecka for this wonderful recipe! 

Apricot And Coconut Squares

Apricot and Coconut Squares. I did not plan on making this.  I wanted to make something else which I had planned to bake for the last couple of days.  Took out my flour, sugar, etc.. and,  my recipe book, "Brownies and Bars", which happens to be my favourite, at the moment. But somehow, I found myself turned to another page, and that's it, I'm making this now!  So another unexpected recipe came to see the light of day, and the other one being shoved away until later!  Has this happened to you before?  Well, this is not the first time for me! 

This is a sweet delightful treat. The addition of desiccated coconut gives it a soft chewy texture.  Of course there is the delicious tanginess from the apricots and the walnuts gave an added slight crunch. As usual, the sugar is reduced, which turned out perfect.  

I'm linking this recipe to Recipe Swap Thursday #5 at Prairie Story. Check out other yummies at Prairie Story and link yours too!

Apricot and Coconut Squares

(adapted from "brownies & bars" by Liz Franklin)

Makes 15

Preparation time : 45 minutes

You will need a lightly buttered deep roasting tin or cake tin measuring 20x30 cm/8x12 inches

Base

100 gm/3-1/2 oz self-raising flour

100 gm/3-1/2 oz desiccated coconut

100 gm/3-1/2 oz caster sugar (I use 80gm)

100 gm/3-1/2 oz butter, melted

Topping

200 gm/7 oz dried apricots, chopped

150 gm/5 oz caster sugar (I use 110gm)

50 gm/1-3/4 oz desiccated coconut

100 gm/3-1/2 oz walnuts, roughly chopped

2 eggs, beaten

50 gm/1-3/4 oz dark chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/gas mark 4.  To make the base, sift the flour into a bowl and add the coconut and caster sugar.  Stir in the melted butter and spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.

To make the topping, mix the apricots, sugar, coconut and walnuts together in a large bowl and stir in the eggs.  Spread over the base and then bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and springy.  Leave to cool.

Drizzle the cold cake with the melted chocolate to decorate and then cut into squares or bars.  Store them in an airtight container.

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Ever seen this flower?  Can you name the plant of this flower?

Apricot & Almond Slice

Delicious, moist, buttery cake.  Just as I like it! I love buttery cakes. The canned apricots are a little sourish with the tangy taste of the fruit and this really pairs well with the cake which is not too sweet (after I reduced the sugar).  I think this would be lovely with fresh apricots!  This is a really tasty and delicious cake to share with family and friends.  

I'm bringing this to 
Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen
Cookbook Sundays at Brenda's Kitchen
 please click to see more delicious treats at Potluck Sunday and Cookbook Sundays.

Apricot & Almond Slice

(adapted from "Biscuits, Baking & Cakes" by Gina Steer)
Ingredients :
2 tbsp demerara sugar
25gm/1 oz flaked almonds
400gm can apricot halves, drained
225gm/8oz butter
225gm/8oz caster sugar (I use 180gm)
4 medium eggs
200gm/7oz self-raising flour
25gm/1oz ground almonds
1/2 tsp almond essence
50gm/2oz  ready-to-eat-dried apricots, chopped
3 tbsp clear honey
3 tbsp roughly chopped almonds, toasted

Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.  Oil a 20.5cm/8 inch square cake tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
2. Sprinkle the sugar and the flaked almonds over the paper, then arrange the apricot halves cut-side down on top.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
4. Gradually beat the eggs into the butter mixture, adding a spoonful of flour after each addition of egg.
5. When all the eggs have been added, stir in the remaining flour and ground almonds and mix thoroughly.
6. Add the almond essence and the apricots and stir well.
7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, taking care not to dislodge the apricot halves.  Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until golden and firm to the touch.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly for 15-20 minutes.  Turn out carefully, discard the lining paper and transfer to a serving dish.  Pour the honey over the top of the cake, sprinkle on the toasted almonds and serve.

(my notes : I use orange essence instead of almond essence.  The cake was done at 48 minutes instead of 1 hour, so watch out for the baking time. I omitted the last step of pouring the honey and toasted almonds, as the top is already moist!)

I'm linking this to "Make It With ..... Mondays" over at Couscous & Consciousness

Apricot and Oat Slices

I love dried apricots.  They are really yummy with a unique tangy taste unlike any other fruits that I have tried. This Apricot and Oats Slices are really good with a cup of hot tea.  It is great as a snack or treat yourself to a slice anytime of the day!  This recipe is so simple and easy to follow.  Another great recipe from Liz Franklin's "brownies and bars" . When eaten it barely warm,  the crumble has a very light crispy crumbly texture, which is very nice.  The taste gets even better the next day, when the crumble has soften and the apricot has cooled and set.  Do this in the evening, and enjoy it for breakfast, if it can last that long! I will make this again, for sure.  

 This recipes makes a rather large slice.  For half the recipe, I use a 7x7 inch baking pan.  I would advise that all four sides of the pan, lined with parchment paper, to avoid the apricots becoming too dark at the sides of the pan.  I mashed the apricots lightly even though the recipe doesn't call for it, its your preference.  You can still see bits and pieces of the apricots, a little bit chewy in every bite, just as I like them!

Apricot and Oat Slices

(adapted from "brownies  & bars" by Liz Franklin)
Makes 15
Preparation time : 1 hour, plus cooling.
You will need a baking tin measuring 24 x36 cm /9-1/2 x 14 inches

Filling

500 gm/1 lb 2 oz dried apricots, chopped
100 gm /3-1/2 oz sugar

Crumble

250 gm/9 oz butter
350 gm/12 oz flour
200 gm/7 oz caster sugar
50 gm/1-3/4 oz jumbo oats

To make the filling, put the apricots and sugar in a saucepan with 100 ml/4 fl oz water.  Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, until the apricots are soft.  Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C/375 degrees F/gas mark 5.  Rub the butter and flour together until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Add the sugar and oats.

Sprinkle half of the mixture over the base of the tin and press down gently.  Spread the apricot mixture over the base.  Scatter the remaining crumble evenly over the apricots.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cut into squares or slices.  Store in an airtight container.

Fruited Muesli Bread

This is the first recipe that I've chosen from my latest bread making book, "the bread book" by Sara Lewis (a gift from my sister). The instructions given are really clear and easy to follow. She has given two options, either to make by hand or to make with a breadmaker. I chose to make it by hand instead, since the instructions seems easy enough, it doesn't require long kneading process, which I'm lazy at most of the time. However, this is baked in a 8" springform baking tin, there is no picture of this bread in the book, so I can only imagine that it will turned out looking very much like a cake. I thought of making it in a loaf pan instead, but since this is the first time that I'm trying a recipe from this book, I decided to follow it all the way. It turned out to be a lovely tasty bread, and it does look like a cake, at a glance! The texture is dense, soft and moist. The addition of dried cranberries and apricots makes this bread rather chewy and tasty. It can be eaten plain just as it is which is really nice or just spread it with a little butter. Will I be making this bread again? Yes, I will, when I feel like having a chewy, moist and tasty bread, I will definitely make this again.

Fruited Muesli Bread
(adapted from "the bread book" by Sara Lewis)
Ingredients :
475 gm (15 oz, 4-1/2 cups) strong white flour
2 tbsp milk powder
3 tbsp soft light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp butter
100 gm (3-1/2 oz, 1/2 cup) fruit muesli
1-1/4 tsp fast-action dried yeast
300 ml (1/2 pint, 1-1/4 cups) water (I only used about 250ml)
100 gm (3-1/2 oz, 1/2 cup) ready-to-eat dried apricots
50 gm (2 oz, 1/4 cup) dried cranberries

To Finish :
1 egg yolk, to glaze
3 tbsp muesli, to decorate (I use rolled oats instead)

To make by hand :

1. Put the flour, milk powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the muesli and yeast then gradually mix in enough warm water to mix to a soft dough.
2. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic then put back into the bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Tip the dough out on to the work surface, knead well then gradually work in the chopped apricots and cranberries.
4. Shape the dough into a round then press into a greased 20 cm (8 inch) springform tin. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise for 30 minutes or until the dough is at the top of the tin.
5. Remove the clingfilm, brush the top of the bread with the egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water. Sprinkle with extra muesli and bake in a preheated oven, 200C (400F), Gas Mark 6, for 35-40 minutes until well risen and the bread sounds hollow when tapped with the fingertips. Cover with foil after 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning.
6. Holding the tin with oven gloves, loosen the bread with a palette knife. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
   

To make with a breadmaker

1. Take the loaf tin out of the bread machine, fit the kneader blade then add the measured cold water, milk powder, butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
2. Spoon the flour and muesli over the top then make a slight dip and sprinkle in the yeast. (Make a slight dip into the centre of the flour making sure that the yeast will not come into contact with the liquid. This is especially important of you are using the delay timer facility. Measure the yeast carefully and sprinkle it into the dip).
   
3. Insert the tin into the bread machine. Shut the lid and set to dough or basic dough. Press start.
4. At the end of the programme, lift the tin out of the machine, tip the dough out on to a floured work surface and continue as step 3, above.

Tip : This bread can be mixed and baked in a bread machine fitted with a 2.5 litre (4 pint) bread tin, but halve the amount of fruit and add it at the raisin beep instead.