Lightly Spiced Mixed Stone Fruit Food

STONE FRUIT COBBLER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter a 3-qt glass or ceramic baking dish.
• Toss together filling ingredients in a large bowl. Spread out in baking dish and bake until just bubbling, 10 to 20 minutes. Make topping while filling bakes: Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 cup cream and stir just until a dough forms.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly dust with flour, then roll out with a floured rolling pin into a 1/2-inch-thick round (about 10 inches in diameter). Cut out biscuits with lightly floured cutter. If necessary, gather scraps and reroll once, then cut out more biscuits.
• Arrange biscuits 1/2 inch apart over hot filling. Brush tops with remaining Tbsp cream, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling in center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to warm, 30 minutes.

SPICED STOLLEN PLAIT

Steps:

• Put the dried fruit in a bowl with the brandy, rum or orange juice, cover with cling film and microwave on High for 1 min. Set aside to cool while you make the dough.
• Pour the milk and honey into a pan and heat until they just come to the boil, then remove from the heat, add the butter and set aside to cool a little, swirling now and then to melt the butter. Meanwhile, mix the flour, yeast, spices and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl.
• When the milk has cooled to body temperature, pour into the flour bowl. Add the egg and zest, and mix together with a spoon, then with your hands, until the mixture comes together as a dough. If it's a little sticky, add a little extra flour.
• Tip out onto your lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 mins or until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl, cover with greased cling film and leave to prove for 2 hrs or until doubled in size. You can put the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days at this point; just bring back to room temperature before continuing.
• When the dough has doubled in size, tip out onto the work surface and knock out the air bubbles. Knead in the soaked fruit.
• Roll the dough into a square, roughly 40 x 40cm, then cut into 3 long strips. Break the marzipan into 3 balls, then roll each to the same length as the strips of dough. Put 1 marzipan sausage on top of each strip of dough, then pinch the sides of the dough together to encase the marzipan - so you have 3 long sausages of marzipan-filled dough. Flip the dough over so the seams are underneath, then pinch the 3 ends together. Tightly plait the dough, pinching together to seal when you finish. Place the plait on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, tucking the ends under for a neat finish. Cover loosely with a sheet of oiled cling film, leave to prove for 30 mins-1 hr or until doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Uncover the plait, brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle over the almonds. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 mins until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving. Will keep for up to 5 days in a sealed container.

SPICED MIXED FRUIT

Steps:

• Drain fruit juices into saucepan. Add sugar, vinegar, salt, and cinnamon. Tie allspice and cloves in small cheesecloth bag and add to juices. Heat to boiling point and boil 5 minutes. Add all fruits and simmer 10 minutes. Do not boil. Cool. Remove bag of spices. Cover and chill at least 24 hours before serving. Good with meat or poultry as a relish, or with whipped cream for an unusual dessert. Fruit will keep several weeks in refrigerator without canning. The recipe did not say how many servings. I guess about 16. Prep time does not include 24 hour chilling.

SPICED HOT FRUIT

Steps:

• Drain pineapple, reserving juice. In an ungreased shallow 3-1/2-qt. baking dish, combine the pineapple, apricots, peaches and pears; set aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, ginger and reserved pineapple juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon sticks. Pour over fruit. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.

SLOW-COOKER SPICED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 6 ingredients. Place cloves and cinnamon sticks on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose seasonings; tie securely with string. Place bag in slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, curry powder and wine; pour over fruit., Cook, covered, on low until heated through, 3-4 hours. Discard spice bag; sprinkle with almonds. Serve with a slotted spoon.