KEY LIME PIE

The other day I spied that limes were in season. I wanted to make something with them, and the first idea that came to mind was Key Lime Pie. I have never made it before - this was my first attempt - but I have to say it was delicious.

I tried to cheat a little and make a recipe that didn't require refrigerating but I have to admit that it tasted much better the following day after it had been chilled - it wasn't quite so tart. (Although we enjoyed it warm too.) So this is a recipe that I'd recommend making the day before - which is quite handy in a way, especially if it's for guests as you don't need to worry about baking and cleaning up afterwards. Otherwise, make it in the morning if you plan to consume in the afternoon or evening.

Also, more traditional recipes call for whipped cream on top. I can understand that this neutralises the tartness a little, especially if served warm. But I'm not big on cream, and so we had ours with (coconut) ice-cream instead - which was a delicious flavour accompaniment.

INGREDIENTS 
200g wheatmeal or Granita biscuits
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
100g butter, melted
4 eggs, lightly beaten
395g can condensed milk
2/3 cup (160ml) cream
Finely grated rind and juice of 4 limes

1. Preheat oven to 170-degrees C. Grease and line base of a 20cm springform tin with baking paper.
2. Process biscuits until fine crumbs. Add almonds, sugar and butter, process until combined. Press mixture firmly into the base and 3cm up sides of tin. Refrigerate.
3. Whisk eggs, milk, cream, lime rind and juice until smooth. Pour into biscuit crust. 
4. Place on tray and bake for 40-45 min or until set. Cool. Serve with extra lime slices.

images the indigo crew

APPLE + RHUBARB CRUNCHY CRUMBLE

I've made fruit crumbles for almost as long as I can remember. When I was still living in England, we had a rhubarb and gooseberry bush as well as apple trees (redcurrants and strawberries too), and so there was always something to hand for the filling during summer-time. And I can still remember the recipe that I used for the crumble from my home economic teacher.

Old-school crumble
8 oz flour
2 oz sugar
2 oz butter, chilled

However, times have changed since then and you can almost make a crumble out of anything. I've tried variations substituting the sugar with maple syrup and honey. I've swapped the flour for oats and almond meal, and even used olive oil instead of butter. 

This is the recipe I made the other day, and I have to say it tasted pretty delicious.

Fruit compote
1 bunch rhubarb, chopped
4 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

Crunchy crumble
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup oats
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup almonds 
50g butter, chilled and cubed

1. Pre-heat oven to 180-degrees. Prepare fruit and simmer over a medium heat until soft.
2. Mix dry ingredients and rub in cold butter until mixture resembles crumbs. 
3. Place fruit compote in oven-proof dish. Top with crumble and bake for about 25 minutes. Serve with ice cream or yoghurt.

image the indigo crew

EASY CINNAMON SCROLLS

The other day while making an apple clafoutis, the girls had lots of fun rolling and playing with the leftover puff pastry. Quickly we turned the activity into a cooking project - cinnamon scrolls. They had so much fun as soon as they finished making one batch, they wanted to make another. While a simple treat, the girls enjoyed eating them for afternoon tea, too.

INGREDIENTS
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
50g butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 180-degrees-centigrade. Once puff pastry is defrosted, paint on butter with a pastry brush.
2. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sieve on top of pastry.
3. Roll pastry and cut about 2cm wide. Place on a tray with baking paper and cook for about 25 minutes or until golden. Best served warm.

images the indigo crew 

SUPER QUICK SCONES

Sometimes we bake not for the result but for the activity. Of course, it's good to educate how food is made, and the role of the different ingredients, but there's also a lot to be said for just letting children get their hands dirty and experience what it's like to feel butter rubbed against flour, and see a bunch of dry ingredients take shape and make something.

For a while I've wanted to make scones. I remember that they were one of the first things that I learnt to make as a child. I have clear memories of being in primary school and regularly making scones - not even needing to look at the recipe because I could remember all the quantities off the top of my head. Unfortunately, I don't remember that recipe now. But I did find a super quick and easy recipe to make these scones. The girls made them mostly on their own so it's a little tricky to judge whether this is the best recipe out there for taste. I'd say, it isn't. But it does only use three ingredients, which is a big bonus when you're trying to make something on the fly - you're likely to have everything to hand, and the whole process doesn't take a long time.

INGREDIENTS

Plain flour, for dusting

3 cups self-raising flour

80g butter, cubed

1-1 1/4 cups milk

Stewed apple and rhubarb (or jam), to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

2. Place flour in bowl, add butter and rub until resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Pour 1 cup of milk and mix until dough forms. (Add  more milk if needed.) Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth.

4. Pat or roll dough into 2cm round. Cut out scone shapes and place on baking tray, about 1cm apart. Bake for 20 to 25 mins until golden and risen. Transfer to a wire rack.

images the indigo crew