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@BellasKitchen1

Today I turn 23. So, to celebrate this day I’ve taken a break from my usual ramblings about wartime Britain (scroll down for my earlier posts on these) to compile a list of the hallmark characteristics of my early 20s.

• Unemployment and uncertainty after graduation
• Inevitable move back home post-graduation and teenage-esque style bickering with parents
• The moments after said teenage-esque bickering with parents when harsh reality strikes and I remember that, as an adult, I no longer have the right to even live at home. Damn those sky high London rents.
• Worrying that I’m not successful enough
• Drunken overly emotional quarrels with friends
• Love cropping up and surprising you when you least expect it… and then hurting you when you least expect it
• Having a good job but not a career
• Worrying that I’m not successful enough (did I say that already?)
• Living and dealing with anxiety

I guess all the struggle (which I try to convince myself daily everyone else goes through) comes from a deep rooted fear above all else of getting to a certain age and regretting how I’m spending this time, but then one of the most significant ways I’d have regrets is by not being happy or appreciative of the things I already have.

So here’s a list of all the good and novel stuff of my early 20s:

• Getting to work in one of the best cities in the world and enjoying the social life that goes with it (e.g. post work Friday drinks)
• Pay day (if it falls on a Friday, even sweeter)
• Making new friends and relationships
• Enjoying my free time on the weekends
• Not having to rely on my parents for lifts to places (as I don’t drive though I rely on my friends instead!)
• Getting to sit at the grown-up table for meals at big family gatherings

I guess it’s all bittersweet. Which leads me onto my next cooking adventure, a tangy and sharp apple “batter” pudding which I balanced with a sweet vanilla cream.

Bella’s Apple “Batter” Pudding with Vanilla Cream

I got this recipe from my war-time cook book from May Byron: ‘The Great War Cook Book’.

INGREDIENTS
4 apples cored and sliced
1 tbsp brown sugar
A sprinkle of nutmeg

Batter:
2 tbsp flour
Three quarters of a pint of milk
1 beaten egg

Cream:
3 tbsp double cream
2 tbsp vanilla

Of course, I could have just visited my local supermarket to buy a bag of apples, but I thought I would make things a bit more interesting. I paid a visit to Lathcoats Farm in Chelmsford, which is a lovely family business specialising in apple growing.

I went there to pick out a certain type of apple currently in season that I had read about on their website. This apple is called ‘Discovery’ and it is a type of apple which originated from Colchester in Essex.

I used this very handy tool to core and slice the apples.

I was quite nervous about what to do with the skins as I didn’t want tough bits of apple skin in the pudding, but if reading war time cookery books has taught me anything, it’s that wasting is a sin (and it was even debated by our wartime British government whether such ignorance should become a punishable offence). So I tried peeling some apples whilst leaving the skin on some of the apples to see what would happen. And, if I were to do this dish again (which is likely as the family liked it so much), I would definitely leave the skins on as they do soften when baked. Not only that, but the apple has a bright red skin which extends to the flesh of the apple, adding a nice pink tinge to the pudding after being cooked.

So once the apples were washed and sliced, I tried frying them in a tablespoon of butter to sweeten them a bit.

By the way, this is what I have to compete with when I’m trying to cook…

When the fruit started to golden, I poured them into a baking dish and moved on to making the batter. Before pouring this all over, I added a tablespoon of brown sugar and a sprinkling of nutmeg.

I then placed it into the oven at 180 degrees for about 50 minutes when the top started to brown.

Here’s hoping the next year of my life brings me a bit more certainty and ‘know how’ of being an adult… (and hopefully a bit more ‘know how’ in cooking)!

In the meantime, I’m focusing on trying to tame this crazy animal…