Category Archives: Skillet

Skillet Caramel Apple Crisp

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Yields: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

Caramel Sauce

  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature
  • 1 cup whipping, heavy cream, room temperature
  • Sea salt flakes, to taste

Filling

  • 1 ¼ kg tart, firm apples, such as Ganny Smith, Jonathan or Honeycrisp (about 6 medium apples)
  • Grated zest of 1 orange
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoons good quality vanilla paste or extract
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ⅛teaspoon ground cloves
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Crisp Topping

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ⅓ cup chopped pecans
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

Method

Caramel Sauce

  1. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar and water in a large saucepan set over a medium–low heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 10–12minutes until it becomes a deep gold colour, but not dark brown. DO NOT STIR at any point. If you need to you can gently swirl the pan to make sure the mixture is melting evenly. When the caramel begins to colour, it will darken quickly so keep a close eye on it
  2. Once it reaches the correct color, quickly, but carefully, remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter cubes and using a wooden spoon gently stir until the butter has melted and is well combined. It will bubble a little and release steam so take care not to burn yourself!
  3. Next, add the cream and again slowly stir, again taking care not to burn yourself from the rising steam
  4. Once well combined, add sea salt flakes to taste (carefully tasting as you go!) and whisk to combine. Set aside to cool completely in a hat-proof container while you prepare the rest of the crisp*

Filling

  1. Heat your oven to 350F degrees and lightly butter/ oil a 9- or 10-inch oven-safe skillet
  2. Peel, core and slice the apples into ½-inch slices
  3. Combine the sliced apples, both zests, both juices, vanilla extract, spices and salt in a large bowl, and stir to combine. Drizzle ½ cup cooled caramel sauce over the top and stir again. Scrape the apples and all their juices into your prepared skillet

Topping

  1. In the same bowl, combine the flour, oats, pecans, sugar and salt. Stir until well combined, then add the butter and mash it into the dry ingredients with your fingers until crumbs form. Pour the crumb topping evenly over the apples
  2. Bake the crisp until the topping is golden and the juices are bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes
  3. Serve warm with more warm caramel sauce and ice cream

*Store any remaining sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week. It can be rewarmed for later use in a saucepan over low heat.

Irish Skillet Cookie

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Makes

  • 2 pints ice cream
  • 2 cups caramel sauce
  • 1 x 10″ cookie

The quantities in this recipe make more than enough ice cream and caramel sauce for this recipe. Any surplus can be stored as noted at the end of the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Irish Cream ice cream

  • 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
  • 1 can (300ml) sweetened condensed milk
  • 3/4 cup Irish cream liquer
  • pinch salt

*before starting the ice cream ensure that your bowl, beaters and cream are chilled in the fridge for a couple of hours

Caramel sauce

  • ½ cup water
  • 2 Tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature
  • 1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
  • 2 Tablespoons Irish whiskey

Skillet cookie

  • 375ml Irish porter stout
  • 1 cup brown sugar, divided into 1/4 and 3/4 quantities
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 2 Tablespoon rendered bacon fat
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon hot water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 Tablespoons milk powder
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 Tablespoon butter

Method

Irish Cream ice cream

  1. In a medium bowl add the sweetened condensed milk, Irish cream and salt, whisking to combine. Set aside until needed
  2. In a large bowl whisk the whipping cream until soft peak stage
  3. Add in the Irish cream mixture, folding gently so as not to deflate the whipped cream
  4. Pour into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 5 hours, or overnight, until the ice cream has set. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve

Caramel sauce

  1. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar and water in a large saucepan set over a medium–low heat, swirling the pan until the sugar melts. Bring to the boil and cook for 10–12minutes until it becomes a deep gold colour, but not dark brown. DO NOT STIR at any point. If you need to you can gently swirl the pan to make sure the mixture is melting evenly. When the caramel begins to colour, it will darken quickly so keep a close eye on it
  2. Once it reaches the correct color, quickly, but carefully, remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter cubes and using a wooden spoon gently stir until the butter has melted and is well combined. It will bubble a little and release steam so take care not to burn yourself
  3. Next, add the cream and again slowly stir, again taking care not to burn yourself from the rising steam
  4. Once well combined, add the whiskey, and whisk to combine. Return to a medium heat and cook for a further minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heat-proof bowl. Allow to cool completely

Skillet cookie

  1. In a pan combine the porter stout and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Heat over a medium heat and reduce until 1/3 cup remains. Remove from heat and set aside to cool fully
  2. Preheat your oven to 375 degree F. Heat a 10″ cast iron skillet in the oven while making the cookie batter
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, white sugar, remaining brown sugar and bacon fat, beating until well creamed, pale and fluffy
  4. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating to combine thoroughly before proceeding. add in the vanilla extract and cooled porter stout syrup, beating until uniform in color and well combined
  5. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and add to the batter along with the salt, stirring to combine
  6. Add in the flour and milk powder, stirring to combine well. Finally fold in the chocolate chips
  7. Carefully remove the hot skillet from your oven, and melt the butter in it, swirling it to coat the bottom and sides of the skillet. Add the cookie batter and carefully spread it out using a spatula or spoon to fill the skillet
  8. Return the filled skillet to the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes until cookie is deep golden brown color
  9. Remove from oven and allow to cool to serving temperature

To serve

  1. To serve, finish the warm cookie with scoops of Irish cream liqueur and drizzle generously with the whiskey caramel sauce

To keep

  • The baked cookie can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days
  • The ice cream should be kept in an airtight, freezer-proof container for up to 3 months.
  • The caramel sauce can be stored in an airtight, sterilised container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. If it sets too much in the fridge, remove and allow to come to room temperature

Pear & Almond Skillet Cake

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Almonds are a favorite of mine, no matter what the form. Whether it’s the sweet grainy Niederegger of Lubeck; soft indulgent amaretti of Italy or the crisp, salt sprinkled Grecian bar treats- I’m in. I get they can be divisive. Not everyone can take to the vaguely chemical woodiness of the nuts but whatever the form I remain a fan.

The lure of the almond nut has been such throughout time that people have even braved the  high levels of  hydrocyanic acid (HCN) of the wild, bitter almond to partake of it. Eating 50, or less, of the wild nut could potentially kill an adult with cyanide poisoning. Yet such was the allure of the nut that there are recipes from as far back as the 4th century as to how to neutralize the nutty nastiness within. St. Basil’s Hexaemeron, a Christian text from around the fourth century, contains the following guidance:

“Pierce an almond tree in the trunk near its roots, stick a fat plug of pine into its center and its almond seeds will undergo a remarkable change.”

It would seem that the introduction of a foreign botanical sample triggers a metabolic reaction which neutralizes the trees natural HCN production. I can’t testify to the effectiveness of this trick so in the words of all good PBS science programs- please don’t try this at home. But fear not folks,  thanks to a genetic mutation thousands of years ago, modern domesticated sweet almonds are delicious and safe to eat. Unless consumed in massive quantities wherein constipation; Vitamin E overdose and weight gain (to name a few) might result. Everything in moderation as they say! Enough serious talk- you came here to bake (or accidentally got redirected here whilst researching Michael Keaton’s back catalogue).

In my view almonds and pears are one of those quintessentially ideal pairings for baking with. Maybe it’s because they both conjure up images of lush, bacchanal orchard woodlands in my head? Or maybe it’s some other more exacting culinary scientific reasoning unbeknownst to me. As it is, this time of year with bumper pear crops just begs for some autumnal-tinged goods to be baked in the kitchen. I love this recipe as it’s very  much a no-fuss, rustic as you come affair. Cooking it in a skillet means no tin, springform or otherwise, to faff around with and presentation is as easy as pie (or should that be “cake” here? If you’re serving it warm why not go the whole way and slide a dollop of ice cream next to it on the plate? I can whole-heartedly recommend a French vanilla morphing into ribbons of silky, creaminess aside the fragrant cake.

I will hold my hands up and admit this – I also use the simple icing sugar dusting to hide the lack of my Instagram worthy pear pinwheel finish to the top of the cake. Of all the times I’ve made this cake I’ve only maneged the fluke of getting the pears to bake atop the surface twice. More often than not the pears sink that little bit and the batter rises that little bit so the pear slices get engulfed in the finish cake with morsels subtly peaking out here and there. Not that this is a bad thing I suppose? It could be argued that this adds an extra layer of interest with unexpected bites of fruitness throughout the cake. My point is don’t beat yourself up too much about not having the “pear wheel” on top or how it looks- this will taste seriously good anyway!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup and 2 Tbspns (separated) salted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups fine sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup ground almonds
  • 1 cup AP flour
  • 1/4 tspn kosher salt
  • 1 Tbspn ground ginger
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 medium Bosc pears, cored and sliced into 8 vertically
  • Icing sugar, to dust

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Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and place a 10″ cast iron skillet in to heat through
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until pale and fluffy, I usually do it for 6- 8 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl halfway through
  3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
  4. In a small separate bowl, whisk together ground almonds, flour, salt and ground ginger. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition
  5. Beat in both the extracts until combined. Set mixture aside for now
  6. Carefully remove the hot skillet from oven and melt the 2 Tbspns butter on it, swirling to coat the bottom and sides
  7. Spoon batter into the heated, greased skillet and lightly spread to an even layer.
  8. Arrange pear slices in a pinwheel fashion over the top of the batter
  9. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
  10. Remove and let the pan cool in pan for 10 minutes. Dust with icing sugar, and serve warm
  11. The finished cake can be sliced and stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days

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