Tag: tea time

Categories
Dessert

Can’t tell the varieties apart? You just have to ‘apple’y yourself.

Apple strudels are easy to make with a sheet of puff pastry, some honeycrisp apples and warm spices and brown sugar to go with them. They pair nicely with a cup of tea or coffee.
Apple strudels are easy to make with a sheet of puff pastry, some honeycrisp apples and warm spices and brown sugar to go with them. They pair nicely with a cup of tea or coffee.

“Those apples were kind of pricey, weren’t they?” Joey asked me as we exited the grocery store recently.

“They’re honeycrisps,” I told him.

“So, they’re high-end apples?”

“I mean, kind of.”

It’s amazing that after 15 years of marriage, I can still discover new things about my husband. Case in point: he has no knowledge of apple varieties. At all.

I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I don’t think he could tell a Granny Smith from a red delicious.

OK, so it’s probably not that bad, but you get my point.

Regardless of his lack of apple knowledge, after I had my honeycrisps sliced up and baked with plenty of warm spices, Joey agreed that they were absolutely delicious, despite being a more expensive variety.

The recipe I tried comes from the Instagram account @tisrarewegetout. I switched up the seasoning a bit for my version.

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Apple Strudels

Apple strudels are easy to make with a sheet of puff pastry, some honeycrisp apples and warm spices and brown sugar to go with them. They pair nicely with a cup of tea or coffee.
Course Dessert
Keyword apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, easy dessert, fall dessert, ginger, honeycrisp apples, nutmeg, puff pastry, tea time

Ingredients

  • 13.2 ounce sheet puff pastry thawed
  • 2 large honeycrisp apples
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 egg

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Prepare a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
  • Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into about four-inch squares. Place the squares about one inch apart on the prepared sheet(s).
  • Slice the apples into about 1/4-inch slices, and cut a hole out of the middle to remove the core. (There’s no need to peel them.)
  • Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, and dip the apples in the mixture, coating them on all sides.
  • Place one coated apple slice in the middle of each puff pastry square, and fold the corners of the pastry up to the middle of the apple slice (you can cut some slits in the pastry to make it fancier, if you so desire).
  • Beat the egg in a small bowl, and brush each pastry with a liberal coating of egg. If you still have any liquid in the bowl from the sugar mixture, pour it evenly over the top of the prepared pastries.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are softened.
  • Serve warm with some ice cream or a good cup of tea or coffee.

These were amazing right out of the oven. They were still awesome a day later, but the puff pastry wasn’t nearly as crisp after it sat in a container over night.

The warmth of the spices with the sweetness of the apples and crunch of the pastry was a fabulous combination.

This was easy to make, too, and would be nice for a breakfast or brunch or if you’re hosting an afternoon tea or coffee.

And I would argue this was worth the “high-end” apples—even if Joey is still not sure I actually know the difference.

This piece first appeared in print Aug. 28, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Guests will pound the table for more of this cake

For a beautiful and lightly sweet dessert, look no further than this raspberry lemon pound cake, which is moist, full of fresh berries and has a light tartness from fresh lemons. It’s a great treat for summer or springtime.
For a beautiful and lightly sweet dessert, look no further than this raspberry lemon pound cake, which is moist, full of fresh berries and has a light tartness from fresh lemons. It’s a great treat for summer or springtime.

If you’ve been following my raspberry series the last few weeks, you know that I went on a mission to see if I could make raspberry dishes that my husband, Joey, (a known raspberry hater) would enjoy.

The other two recipes I tried received a thumbs up from him, but I wanted to see if I could win with one more.

This one might have been cheating a little, because it features fresh lemon juice and zest, and if there’s something Joey loves in a dessert, it’s a bit of citrus.

But, hey, if you make up your own challenge, I suppose you make up your own rules, too, right?

The recipe I landed on comes from the blog “The Seaside Baker.” You can find the original post at https://theseasidebaker.com/raspberry-lemon-pound-cake/. I eliminated the glaze from my version and added more raspberries and a smidgeon more lemon.

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Raspberry Lemon Pound Cake

For a beautiful and lightly sweet dessert, look no further than this raspberry lemon pound cake, which is moist, full of fresh berries and has a light tartness from fresh lemons. It’s a great treat for summer or springtime.
Course Dessert
Keyword butter, fresh lemon, fresh raspberries, frozen raspberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, pound cake, raspberry, sour cream, tea time

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries divided
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup butter room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • juice of 1 medium-sized lemon
  • zest of 1 medium-sized lemon
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper and spraying it with cooking spray. Set it aside.
  • In a bowl, gently mix one cup of raspberries with the cornstarch, and set it aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until it’s light yellow (about two minutes).
  • Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the lemon juice and zest.
  • Finally, add the baking soda and salt and then alternate adding the flour and sour cream, beating in between, until everything is well combined.
  • Fold in the raspberry and cornstarch mixture, and pour the batter into the loaf pan, spreading it out evenly.
  • Lightly press the remaining raspberries about halfway into the top of the batter so you can still see the tops of the berries.
  • Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let the pound cake cook completely before removing from the pan and slicing.
  • Store the cake in an airtight container.

I was absolutely head over heels for this recipe. It was moist and buttery and the pops of raspberries, combined with the light tartness from the fresh lemon was fabulous. I could totally picture this on the table for a tea party.

As for Joey, he said he gave the cake a seven out of 10. He said if you’re like him and really like lemon, go ahead and add a bit extra to this to make it even better.

Overall, I was pretty happy with my raspberry experiments, and Joey admitted that maybe he doesn’t dislike the berries as much as he used to, so it was a win in my book.

Unfortunately for him, that also means I will probably continue to use him as a guinea pig for all kinds of random ingredients, whether he thinks he likes them or not.

This piece first appeared in print Aug. 22, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Breakfast Snack

Proudly blow your own ‘crumpet’ for British cakes well made

Crumpets are really easy to make, with a short rise time and only a few ingredients. They are a bit like pancakes and should be enjoyed slathered in butter and honey.
Crumpets are really easy to make, with a short rise time and only a few ingredients. They are a bit like pancakes and should be enjoyed slathered in butter and honey.

In the lead up to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Sept. 19, Newsweek reported that projections for people watching around the world was clocking in at over four billion.

I have to admit that despite my general lack of interest in the Royal Family, I did tune in for just a bit, wanting to see a smidgeon of the display.

That passing interest most definitely came into play as I decided what new recipe to try this week and landed on what I consider a quintessential British dish: crumpets.

I’ve never had a crumpet before, so I figured it was high time to give them a shot, and they were absolutely delicious. Really, they’re the Brits’ answer to the pancake, and I can totally see why they would be great with a cup of tea.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “RecipeTin Eats.” I recommend giving the site a visit, since the author’s videos always feature her adorable golden retriever, Dozer. You can find the original post for this recipe at https://www.recipetineats.com/crumpet-recipe/. I didn’t change anything in the ingredients outside of increasing the amount of yeast, and I decided to use a little bit of a different cooking method.

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Crumpets

Crumpets are really easy to make, with a short rise time and only a few ingredients. They are a bit like pancakes and should be enjoyed slathered in butter and honey.
Course Breakfast, Snacks
Cuisine British
Keyword crumpets, high tea, tea time

Ingredients

  • 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) yeast instant or active dry
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons butter for cooking

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine the yeast with one and one-half tablespoons warm water and stir to combine.
  • In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, water and salt for two minutes, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Add the yeast, sugar and baking powder and whisk for another minute. It will be a loose batter.
  • Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm spot for 30 minutes or until the top of the batter is super bubbly.
  • To cook the crumpets, either use a small non-stick skillet (I have one that is about four inches in diameter that I used), three- to four-inch metal rings or three- to four-inch sturdy rings made of aluminum foil. If using rings or foil, grease the inside of them with butter. For the skillet, brush it with butter when it’s preheated. (If you have a larger skillet, you can always cut your crumpets into halves or quarters, too. Don’t let equipment keep you from trying these.)
  • To use the rings, brush a large skillet with butter and place the rings inside. Heat the skillet to medium heat. Once it’s hot, pour about 1/4 cup of batter into each ring.
  • For a small skillet, heat it over medium heat and just pour the batter right in. You’ll want it about one centimeter deep.
  • Let the crumpets cook for about one to one and one-half minutes. You’ll notice bubbles starting to form on the surface. You’ll know it’s time to flip the crumpet with the top looks mostly dry.
  • Flip the crumpet over to brown it lightly, and then remove the crumpet from the heat and transfer to a plate or cooling rack.
  • Continue until all the batter is used.
  • When the crumpets are cooled, serve them by popping them in the toaster, and then slather the bubbly side with plenty of butter and serve with honey or your favorite jam. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Like I said, these were very much pancake-like, although they puffed up quite a bit more. The recipe only made about one-half dozen of these, so if you’re looking for a week’s worth of crumpets for breakfast or for your next fancy tea party, you’ll want to double or triple the recipe.

I ate mine in the traditional way, with honey squeezed over top, and they were really good. I’m certain my tiny nod to the monarchy wasn’t much of a fitting tribute, but it sure was a delicious one.

This piece first appeared in print on Sept. 22, 2022.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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