Blushing Betty Food

BLUSHING BETSY COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, peel the rind of the grapefruit into a long strip. Twist it so that it makes a cute curl shape. Juice the grapefruit. Set aside.
• Add the whiskey and sugar cubes to a rocks glass. With a cocktail muddler or handle of a wooden spoon, muddle the sugar cubes into the whiskey.
• Fill the glass with ice and top with the juice of the grapefruit. Place the grapefruit curl on the top and serve.

BLUSHING BETTY

Steps:

• Slice the rhubarb thickly.
• Place the rhubarb into a large saucepan, together with the sugar and water.
• Cook over medium heat until the rhubarb has softened but still retains some of its shape. Stir frequently to make sure the rhubarb is not sticking to the pan, and to gently break up the rhubarb.
• The rhubarb mixture should be relatively thin (i.e. not a thick mixture). If not, add a splash or two of water so that the rhubarb filling is more on the wet side than dry.
• Taste the rhubarb to see if you need to add more sugar.
• Pour the rhubarb into a baking dish. I generally use one which measures 23 cm/9 inches in diameter or which has a 1 litre (4 cup) capacity.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F (without fan).
• Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
• Add the vanilla extract.
• Beat in one egg at a time, followed by a tablespoon of the flour to prevent the batter from curdling.
• Add the remaining flour and baking powder, as well as the milk.
• Beat everything together until you have a thick and smooth batter.
• Dollop the batter on top of the rhubarb in the baking dish.
• Use a spatula or palette knife to evenly spread the batter. Don't worry about stretching the batter to completely cover the rhubarb - the batter will spread as it bakes in the oven.
• Sprinkle the batter generously with demerera sugar and flaked almonds.
• Bake the pudding on the middle shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the pudding is lightly golden and set in the centre.
• Check the pudding at about 25 minutes to make sure it is not browning too quickly. If necessary, loosely cover it with a piece of foil.
• Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream or custard.

DECADENT APPLE BROWN BETTY

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 180*C/375*F. Butter a shallow 1 ½ litre baking dish.
• Place half the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cubes with 2 TBS of melted butter and set aside.
• Spread the apple slices over the bread cubes in the baking dish. Stir together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, water, lemon juice, lemon rind and the remaining 5 TBS of butter. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour evenly over the apples, then top with the reserved bread cubes.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the bread is well browned. If it is browning too quickly, cover lightly with foil. Serve warm or cold with cream or ice cream.