summer fruits Archives - THE BAKING SKILLET

It is summer and everyone wants to be out and about. I get it! So, I won’t blabber on too much coz I have some sun to soak up, patios to be at and summer cocktails to sip! Do people here drink Pimm’s Cup? Or is it just an English thing? My sister-in-law, who is not a big dessert person, made a Pimm’s fruit crumble and she loved it. I trust her taste buds so I had to make it! But not before I made a couple of drinks for myself and I discovered I quite enjoy the herby, citrusy flavour. I haven’t had one of these since I first tasted it in a small town outside of London while visiting some friends. I am an Aperol Spritzer person and that is usually my summer drink of choice. However, it is nice to change it up and since I have purchased a bottle of Pimm’s now, I think I will be drinking Pimm’s long drinks with lots of fruit this summer! Since everyone is looking for easy summer desserts, this is a great option, especially to make good use of all that gorgeous fruits we are buying in bulk! And since I am a big sucker for mini / individual portion desserts and adding alcohol in my dessert, this one hits all the right notes. I mean, I am pretty sure that 80% of the time you have a chilled drink at hand while cooking so why not add some to the food right! From start to finish this takes about 45 mins with actual standing-at-the-counter time being 10 mins. Really, every amateur baker / cook should have a crumble in their repertoire because it is so easy, delicious and fool-proof! And intermediate / advanced bakers need not feel shame in making such a delightfully easy dessert because sometimes you need to chill with everyone else without having to fret over a show stopping 4-layer cake in a hot kitchen! Notes - I used rhubarb and cherries because that is what I had at home, but you can substitute for your choice of fruit. Make sure to chop into small pieces. - Use all AP flour if you prefer, I like the mix of the two and the nutty taste of whole wheat. - Baking the crumble topping in two layers helps all of it to crisp evenly – ref. Fine Cooking - The crumble is ready when the fruits is bubbling and overflowing. Make sure to place the ramekins on parchment lined baking sheet for easy clean-up. Pimms Summer Fruit Crumble Ingredients – makes 4 individual servings For the Rhubarb Cherry Filling 1 cup (135g) Rhubarb – chopped into ¼ inch pieces 1 cup (170g) Cherries – pitted and chopped into half 3 tbsp Pimm’s ½ tbsp Cornflour 1 tsp lemon zest 3 – 5 tbsp fine granulated sugar (at 3 tbsp, it is slightly tart. Go up to 5 tbsp for a sweeter filling) For the Crumble Topping ¼ cup (55g) butter – medium soft ¼ cup (40g) brown sugar ¼ cup (25g) AP flour 3tbsp whole wheat flour ¼ cup pecans – chopped Make the Fruit Crumble Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 4 ramekins slightly with butter. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Mix all the crumble topping ingredients in another bowl with two forks or your fingers till it comes together in chunks. If it seems to wet, add some more whole wheat flour – 1 tbsp at a time. It should not be too dry and grainy and not too wet like a dough. You need whole pecan sized chunks. Divide the filling equally amongst the ramekins. Top with a thin layer of topping. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Add the rest of the topping and bake for another 15 – 20 minutes till the filling is bubbling over and the topping is golden brown. Enjoy warm with a chilled Pimm’s drink!

A super easy summery dessert with rhubarb and cherries and a to die for pecan crumble, this Pimm’s Summer Fruit Crumble is great for summer entertaining! It is summer and everyone wants to be out and about. I get it! So, I won’t blabber on too much because I have some sun to soak up, patios to be at and summer cocktails to sip! Do people here drink Pimm’s Cup? Or is it just an English thing? My sister-in-law, who is not a big dessert person, made a Pimm’s fruit crumble and she loved it. I trust her taste buds so I had to make it! But not before I made a couple of drinks for myself and I discovered I quite enjoy the herby, citrusy flavour. I haven’t had one of these since I first tasted it in a small town outside of London while visiting some friends a couple of years back. I am an Aperol Spritzer person and that is usually my summer drink of choice. However, it is nice to change it up and since I have purchased a bottle of Pimm’s now, I think I will be drinking Pimm’s long drinks with lots of fruit […]

Angel Food Cake – Sponge Cake – The Classics

A terrible thing happened this weekend in Orlando. From news channels and social media to café small talk, all of it revolved around the shock, the grief, the anger, the speculation, the analysis. There is a sense of déjà vu. Whether it is Orlando, California, Oregon or Charleston, the talks are the same, the reactions are the same. The common people talk about gun control, the erudite talk about deeper issues in society and the families and friends mourn. The actions taken may seem feeble, even complacent, the discussions may feel repetitive, there maybe some hostility in the air but the talks are important. The momentum generated through the thousands of tweets shows that for every lost individual who resorts to guns, there are millions out there who condemn violence and stand up for peace and assimilation. These are the days I want to be grateful for love and beauty and small things that make me happy. Another classic – it gives the impression of something pure and simple and innocent with the pillowy cloud like structure and melts in your mouth lightness. Angel food cakes might seem a bit intimidating to make. How will I achieve that lightness? How […]