I know, it sounds outrageous. And it is. Outrageously delicious! And if you seriously doubt that, try this: Chocolate/apple recipe
Ingredients:
golden delicious or fuji apples mars bars sultanas dark brown sugar liqueur muscat pure cream/crème fraiche
Method:
Apply an apple corer to four golden delicious or fuji apples – the variety is vital for this recipe as apples you would expect to be ideal for baking on a barbecue, such as granny smiths, are not – but do not push it all the way though. This is important because for the full effect, you need to retain a seal within the hollowed apple. So, remove the corer when you have pushed it about three-quarters of the way into the apple and dig out the core, and a bit of the surrounding flesh to enlarge the space inside, with a melon baller. Now, chop a Mars bar into small cubes of about 5mm and put a few into each apple. Add a few sultanas, some dark brown sugar, and fill the rest of the space, loosely, with Mars bars cubes. Then, pour in liqueur muscat to fill any remaining space and finish with a few more Mars bars cubes which can protrude from the apple. Shape four 10cm squares of foil into rough halos in which you can stand the apples. Place these on a trivet on a hot grill and cook for about 20 mins. When they are clearly cooked – you will know, I promise you – lift the apples off and serve in bowls with a drizzle of pure cream or a dollop of creme fraiche. And, now, as the apple-chocolatecaramel-muscat syrup drizzles down your chin, say thank you, and apologise for doubting us. OK?
Monster of the deep The Spider crab is a native of our shores but it’s a nightmare to pick so we got advice from our freinds at Seafresh to find out how to prepare for the sweet taste of crab meat success. If you’re lucky enough to pull one out of your fishing net, and if it is large enough (minimum 130mm from between the eyes to the back of the carapace for males), then keep it cool and out of water. As soon as you can, cook it. First, scrub it with a vegetable brush to remove the worst of the muck that collects on them, then kill it with a spike pushed through the centre of the underside and wiggled. On males, go in at the end of the pointed flap. It will go limp. Put it in a big pot of boiling water with a handful of salt added, and boil for 25 minutes. Take it out and plunge in cold water, then stand it on end to drain. There will be plenty of gunge floating about, just wash this off, it looks a bit horrid but it is OK. Cool it as fast as you can, and keep it in the fridge - eat within a couple of days.
To “pick” a spider crap, pull off all the legs and claws, break each segment with a hammer or rolling pin, and pull the white meat out. To get at the white body meat, prise off the shell and peel off and remove the feathery gills that are all around the body. Wash your hands after, these can harbour nasties. Then get to work on the leg sockets, that is where there is a load of white meat. There is some edible gooey brown meat around the shell if you fancy it. Getting at the socket meat is fiddly but worth it. Each leg socket has a thin shell around it, so you have to cut or pick this open and flick the meat out - it is best to use an old bent skewer and flick the meat into a bowl. All this will take ages, and you will scoff what you have prepared in a minute or two. Be careful though, if the cat gets there first and scoffs it, you will probably kill it in a fit of rage and then you would have some explaining to do.