Apple Crumble

I'm back with another recipe today......I'm nearing the end of this blogging week. It's been fun but coming up with recipe has been a bit hard when I have been busy.

I really should do this more often though, it pushes me to create new content for the blog. Also in other news I am nearing 100 blog posts, I really should do something AMAZING for my 100th blog post.....I'll try and have it figured out my then. Hopefully.

So, today's blog post I think I'll do something that is sweet, after all I'm in a sweet mood these days. I feel like something that is a classic and heart warming.

Apple Crumble. That is what today's recipe is going to be. I know that I have been doing a lot of western recipes this week, but I promise that for tomorrow I am going to blog a Korean recipe.

The humble apple crumble, something that we all saw on our dinner tables a couple times a year.There isn't much to be said about this recipe other than that it will always be loved for it's soft apples and crunchy topping. I hope that you will like this recipe of it, and let's get started!!

Ingredients
4 green apples
1 lemon, juiced
4 tbsp caster sugar
90g plain flour
40g cold butter
65g caster sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
handful of desiccated coconut

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 190˚C. peel and chop the apples.
2. Place into a microwavable bowl and mix with the lemon juice and 4 tbsp sugar.
3. Microwave for 4 minutes on a high setting to soften the apples.
4. Pour into an oven proof baking dish.
5. Rub the butter and flour in a clean bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
6. Add the caster sugar, brown sugar and desiccated coconut, then stir together.
7. Sprinkle over the fruit.
8. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
Serve hot with cream or ice cream.

And there you have it, a scrumptious apple crumble that is to die for any time of the year.

I hope that you enjoyed that recipe because I know what I'm going to be having for dessert tonight. Until tomorrow remember to stay happy, healthy and safe.

Valentine's Day Breakfast Smoothies

Sup people, so today is VALENTINES DAY!!!!! So you've already got all the dishes ready for your three course meal right? You haven't? Well check out my three previous blog posts for an entree, main and dessert.

To really tops things off I decided that I should also teach you how to make a drink that you can use during the night, so something that you can drink after dessert. Night cap? I don't think that's the right word....but something that you can drink after dinner.

This is going to be something light and fruity, perfect to make you feel healthy after that large Valentines day meal. In fact you can also serve this for breakfast in bed...you can still make it in time as long as you are behind Sydney in time zones, in other words practically the rest of the world.

I'm going to be showing you how to make 2 different fruit smoothies, one that has a refreshing zing, whilst the other is a nice summer one.

The first one will be a cucumber, kiwi and apple smoothie (summer) and the next one is a lime, apple and pineapple smoothie (refreshing)

So I guess it's time to get started:

Ingredients 
Cucumber, kiwi and apple smoothie 
½ small cucumber
1 apple
1 kiwi tiny knob of fresh ginger
few cashews
small glass of apple juice
pinch of salt
dollop of natural yoghurt
extra chopped kiwis (optional)
Lime, apple and pineapple smoothie
½ small lime
1 apple
3 rings of a pineapple (1/2 cup)
1 scoop of vanilla ice cream OR some yogurt
2tbs honey
pineapple rings cut in half (optional)

Method
Cucumber Kiwi and Apple Smoothie
1. Peel the kiwi and ginger, core the apple and roughly chop all three.
2. Chop up the cucumber. 
3. Whiz everything in a blender or juicer until smooth
4. Done, serve with some chopped kiwis on top.
Lime, apple and pineapple smoothie
1. Core and peel the apple and roughly chop it up.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender and squeeze in half the lime, whiz until it is smooth.
3. Serve in a glass with the pineapple on the edge of the glass.

I hope that you will all like these refreshing smoothies because they are really great for your body, packed with vitamins and antioxidants that will make your skin shine. 

Hopefully you will all have a great Valentine's Day, whether you are alone or in a couple, and that you are most important of all happy. I'll be continuing on with the rest of my blog week, and I look forward to posting up more interesting recipes for you all to follow. 

Fruit and Nut Rice Balls 잡과편 Japgwapyon

So it has been a hell of a long time since I have posted a recipe on this blog, and I'm really sorry. But life has been busy, I've had to work, finalise some things for uni and the main reason would be because I was going away for a couple of days and needed to organise all of that. But I'm back now and I'm going to try and post as much as I can.

Maybe I should have a week of blogging like I used to do. Should I do that?

I should probably do it, I'll start with TODAY!!!!

I guess that this blog post will mark my return to food blogging because I honestly think that it has been a month since I have lost blogged, and I hope that no one thinks that I have stopped, I've just been way to lazy.

So today I was thinking of posting a recipe for something sweet, as a lead up to Valentines day. This week might turn out to be a week of desserts......

Anyways, today's recipe is going to be a Korean dessert that is made from glutinous rice flour, fruits and nuts. Japgwapyon or 잡과편 is something small that can be brought out to the table when guests arrive, they look great and taste amazing. And it will be sure to impress your Valentine if it is wrapped up nicely in a box.

And this year it is the perfect time to make these because the Lunar new year and Valentines day are so close together.

I think that the intro has been long enough, let's get started with the recipe:

Ingredients
2 cups glutinous rice flour
2 dried persimmons
10 chestnuts, boiled and peeled
4 dates
4 Tbsp pine nuts, chopped roughly
3 Tbsp honey
1 tsp salt

Method
1. Dice the chestnuts.
2. Cut or scrape the seeds from the dried persimmons and dates.
3. Finely chop the persimmons and dates.
4. Pound the seeds with a pestle (in a mortar).
5. Mix the seeds with the chopped persimmons, dates, chestnuts and pine nuts.
6. In a mixing bowl, add the salt and about 3/4 of a cup of water to the rice flour.
7. Add a few more tablespoons of water if it seems too dry.
8. Knead dough into 1 inch rounds.
9. In a medium pot, boil the rounds and then rinse in cold water. When they float, the rice cakes are done.
10. Dip the rice cakes in honey and roll them in the mixture of fruit and nuts.

And there you have it, a VERY easy and quick dessert that you can use all year around to impress people with.

I wish all my reader a Happy Lunar New Year!!!!

I hope that you all have a prosperous year of the snake and that all your dreams and wishes may be fulfilled. But most important of all remember to stay happy, healthy and safe.

I shall blog again tomorrow but remember, that there is no reason why you cannot cook something awesome everyday of the year.

Watermelon Punch 수박 화채 Subak Hwachae

Day 5 of posts, I'm almost done with the week of posting.

It has been super humid and hot in Seoul for the last couple of days so I'm going to introduce you to a refreshing dessert drink that you guys caa make to help cool down the summer.

Watermelon Punch or 수박 화채 is a refreshing drink that will take you away from the heat of the Summer and help cool you down. Hwachae is commonly made with various fruits and sweet drinks and served as a dessert or snack. There are many variations, and some are even made with edible flower petals or grains such as barley or rice cakes. Traditionally, the base drink is water sweetened with honey, syrup, or sugar. In modern times, carbonated drinks and fruit juices are also commonly used. Hwachae made with watermelon (subak) is a summer favorite.

Today I'm going to add some ginger ale, but other soft drinks such as 7 Up and lemonade will also work. you can also substitute it with some fruit juice. You can also add some rice cake balls to complement the dish and to help give it some chewiness to cut through the crunch from the watermelon.

Ingredients
2 cups watermelon, balled or cubed
1-1/2 cups honeydew, balled or cubed
12 - 16 rice cake balls (gyeongdan) - optional (Recipe follows)
2 cups ginger ale
3 tablespoons Korean drinking vinegar (or pomegranate or cranberry juice)
pine nuts for garnish - optional

Method
1. Scoop out watermelon and honeydew with a melon-baller. (Or, cut into about 1-inch cubes.) Place them in a large bowl along with any juice from the fruits.
2. Add the ginger ale and the drinking vinegar (or pomegranate or cranberry juice) to the fruits. Stir gently. Taste the drink and adjust acidity and/or sweetness by adding more drinking vinegar (or juice) and/or sugar.

Simple rise cake balls:
1/2 cup glutinous rice powder/flour (sweet rice powder/flour)
2 teaspoons sugar
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons boiling hot water

1. Mix the rice powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix in the boiling hot water with a spoon. When cool enough to handle, knead by hand until a dough is formed.
2. Shape the dough into a 3/4-inch thick cylinder. Cut into (or pinch off) 3/4-inch pieces. Roll each piece between the palms to make a small ball.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the rice cake balls. Cook until all the balls float. Transfer to a large bowl with cold water to cool. Drain.

When you are ready to serve put everything together and add some ice cubes into the punch so that it keep cool in the heat.





And there you have it, a simple and fruity drink to keep you cool and refreshed in the summer. Tomorrow will be blog number 6, so don't forget to check back from more recipes.

Until tomorrow keep safe, happy and healthy. See you tomorrow!!

Cinnamon and Persimmon Punch 수정과

Hi, so I am already up to days four of the week, I'm more than half way ^^

Today I will be introducing you to a beverage that is muck loved by Kkoreans. I know that it has been a long time since I have last posted about a beverage, I think the last time was in my post about Sikhye. Anyways, on to today's drink...

Sujeonggwa is a Korean traditional fruit punch. Dark reddish brown in color, it is made from dried persimmons, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn and is often garnished with pine nuts. The punch is made by brewing first the cinnamon, ginger and peppercorn at a slow boil. The solids are then removed for clarification and the remaining liquid is boiled again after adding either honey or brown sugar. The dried persimmons are cut into portions and are added to soak and soften after the brew has completely cooled. This is usually done several hours before serving, as extensive soaking of the fruit may thicken the clear liquid to a murky appearance.

Sujeonggwa is served cold and commonly as a dessert, much like sikhye, due to its sweet taste. It is also widely available in canned form.photo

The earliest mention of sujeonggwa dates back to 1849 in the book Dongguksesigi (동국세시기, 東國歲時記), a book of seasonal customs written by scholar Hong Seok Mo (홍석모). The sujeonggwa recipe mentioned in the book is a dried persimmon brew with added ginger and pine nuts.

That is a very through introduction to sujeonggwa and its history. I think it is time to get started on the recipe....

Ingredients
10 Cups Water
About 12 Cinnamon Sticks
About ⅓ Cup Ginger
½ Cup Sugar
½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
Some Dried Persimmons
Some Pine Nuts (to Garnish)

Method
1. In a pot, bring water, cinnamon, and ginger to a boil.
2. Simmer vigorously for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, strain and discard solids, and stir in sugar to dissolve.
4. Place persimmons into liquid and steep for at least two hours or store in refrigerator to serve cold.
5. To serve, ladle punch into small bowls or teacups and garnish with a few pine nuts per serving. (You can remove persimmons or slice and add to drink)



And there you have it, a sweet drink to serve either hot or cold according to the weather. You can always make more and bring it out when guests come over, or even have some at the end of a long day to relax.

That is it from me today, tomorrow I will be back with another post. Please look forward to it ^^