PEAR CRISP

29.10.2020: If you would recall from my last post on Pears (Pear Cobbler), I had some extra poached pears left over from the Cobbler. I refrigerated it overnight and used it the next day to make this Crisp.

I followed the quantities mentioned in the recipe and ended up with extra topping. Not wanting to again, store the toppings, I dumped it all on the poached pears. Also, the amount of peanut butter wasn’t clear in the recipe. It appeared as 1 cup which I thought was too much and noticed the same pointed out in the comment section. So I ended up putting too little of it. Halfway through baking, I pulled the dish out and added some more peanut butter and ended up making a bit of a mess which I have expertly covered with ice cream and a flower :D in the picture.

The quantities mentioned below are perfect for a 5-6 inch baking dish. You can easily adjust the quantities as per the size of your dish.

Skip said this was better than the Apple Crisp as the crust had a lovely peanut butter flavour. You can use any recipe for a Crisp and substitute plain butter with peanut butter. We had it warm with a scoop of mango ice cream (vanilla wasn’t available!!!)

Now that Skip and I spend a lot of time with each other, there are days when we get on each other’s nerves and end up quarrelling like siblings. I hadn’t realised that I ask Skip to not act stupid when he misbehaves. The other day when I said ‘stupid’ in anger, Skip looked hurt and said that he wasn’t one and that I shouldn’t keep calling him that. I felt rotten, I didn’t want my son growing up thinking he was stupid because his mother called him that thoughtlessly in a fit of anger. In the evening I called him aside and apologised and explained that I used the word ‘stupid’ merely to express my anger at him and that it was wrong to do so. We sat and pondered for a bit over what word I could use instead. We have decided on using the word ‘gemstone’ (there’s really no reason for having chosen that word). So now, when he doesn’t behave, I call out gemstone and he rolls his eyes, stops the mischief and pretends to sulk but I have noticed a little smile creep across his face.

 

PEAR CRISP

Ingredients:

Pears – 2

Ground cinnamon – ½ tsp

Sugar – 2 tbsp

Oats – ¼ cup

Whole wheat flour – 2 tbsp

Chunky sweetened peanut butter (cold) – 4-5 tbsp

Nuts/seeds – optional

Method:

1.     Toast the oats either on a pan or in the oven for 5-8 minutes until they turn golden brown.

2.     In a saucepan, add chopped pears, sugar and cinnamon and cook on medium heat until the sugar melts and the pears soften.

3.    In another bowl, combine the oats and wheat flour (and nuts/seeds). Add the peanut butter in batches and rub the mixture between your fingers until it resembles bread crumbs (chunky bread crumbs). If you feel the need to add more peanut butter, please do so. The mixture shouldn’t be dry.

4. Transfer the cooked pears into the baking dish ( I used a 6 inch dish). Evenly sprinkle the peanut butter mixture over it  and bake it at 180 C for about 20 minutes until the top layer has browned.

5.     Done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRIFLE

09.06.2020: Trifle is a British layered dessert comprising of a sponge cake layered with fruits and custard, cream or jelly. Besides Rasmalai, this was the other dessert Mamma prepared for our house parties and it tasted different each time she made it. I love Trifle for its versatility. All you need is a sponge cake (it could be store bought), a soaking liquid, some fruits (I usually love the seasonal ones like mangoes, grapes and cherries) and a semi-solid ingredient such as cream, custard or jelly. You could make this with as many or as few an ingredient you have available at home as long as you have the four bases covered.

Sky and Skip love Trifle as much as I do, unfortunately I don’t make it as often I would like to. I had a box full of gorgeous, red cherries at home and while I was contemplating between the cherry bar and cobbler, I ended up using it to make a compote to add to the trifle. I have been miserly in the amount of cherries I used and hence you see only a sparse spread of that wonderful tangy and sweet cherry sauce.

I prefer adding stone fruits like mangoes, peaches, plums, lychees, cherries to the trifle. Bananas are a staple. You may add any fruit you like, to it. I also add nuts to the Trifle as I like the crunch they provide. I typically sandwich the layers with whipped cream/regular cream.

This is the perfect party dessert. It doesn’t take much time to assemble. It tastes better if prepared the previous day and left in the fridge overnight. You cannot go wrong with this recipe. There is no added sweetener. There are no fixed quantities to the ingredients Besides the cake, there is no additional baking or ‘letting it set’ required. Trifle is a dish best served cold.

For more recipes, please do follow me on Facebook and Instagram @lucidlucent. Thank you.

TRIFLE

Ingredients:

Vanilla cake  (you could also use a store bought plain vanilla sponge)

Fruits – bananas, mangoes, cherries(you may use any fruits of your choice)

Nuts- walnuts, cashews (toasted)

Cream (you may use whipped cream, custard or jelly)

Soaking liquid - Condensed milk dissolved in water (you may use fruit juice or sugar water)

Topping - cherry compote (you may use chocolate shavings, chopped nuts or more fruits)

Method:

1.     Split the cake into three layers.

2.   Place one layer of the cake in the serving dish. Mix 2 tablespoons of condensed milk in half a cup of water and pour half of it on the cake.

3.  Top it with cream. Add chopped bananas and toasted walnuts. I have sprinkled Milo (chocolate malt powder).

4.     Add the next layer of cake. Pour the remaining soaking liquid.

5.     Top it with cream, mangoes and cashews.

6.   Add the final layer of cake. I’ve spread a little cream and topped it with cherry compote and toasted cashews.

7.  For the cherry compote: Take a handful of pitted cherries (or more), add 1 tablespoon of sugar, juice of half a lemon and cook over medium heat until the cherries soften and the liquid thickens. (Around 5 -8 minutes)

8.     Done.

The Trifle pictures may not look the best but it did taste delicious. I would recommend making this a few hours in advance so that the juices soak through the cake.