A Fool

I should start this post with a one-liner: you'd have to be a fool not to be able to make one... or something.  Fergus Henderson, who is rather more direct, entitles his fool recipe "You Fool" and begins: "Who are you calling a fool?"  Whatever the pun, the fool is quite the easiest and most delicious of fruity puds.  While you can smarten it up with drizzles and jus and marblings, or replace some cream with yoghurt, I think simple is best: a true fool is just whipped cream, fruit and sugar.  To my mind the tarter the fruit the better the fool.  Think: Gooseberry Fool, Rhubarb Fool - the dreamiest of creamy puddings.

This season we are into Damson, Blackberry or Raspberry Fools.  Here is a suitably messy Blackberry and Raspberry Fool.  The raw fruit is macerated in the sugar for a few hours then folded into the whipped cream.  Fergus Henderson's recipe from The Complete Nose to Tail [brilliant, brilliant, brilliant book - every kitchen must have it - where else does tradition meet style so imperiously?!] reads more or less as follows:

200g Fruit - 50g Caster Sugar - 400ml Double Cream.

Lightly cook fruit with half the sugar till juices run, or if very ripe just mix with sugar and crush with fork.  Whip cream with rest of sugar to soft peaks.  Fold in fruit.  Serve with Shortbread.

Yes, shortbread is a super accompaniment to a fool. I follow his recipe for shortbread too, but rather than cutting shapes, press it into a tin and break it at the table.

750g Plain Flour - 500g Butter - 250g Caster Sugar

Half quantities suffice.  Grate the butter into the flour.  Breadcrumb it between the fingers.  Add Sugar.  Press into a tin. Cook about 15 - 20 mins 160 C.  Should be pale but crisp not doughy.

Hedgerow Loaf Cake

It has to be said that, after a hot and close Summer, this past fortnight has definitely felt like Autumn.  Along with the cooler weather, the hedgerow fruits are here in abundance.  Here then a recipe for a hedgerow fruit and nut cake, which will hold whatever fruits you deign to gather.  This simplest of recipes served as a wholesome birthday cake for a mother-in-law fond of the hedgerows, and is seen here the following day with coffee.

Cream 200g Butter with 150g Sugar.  Beat in 4 Eggs one by one.  Fold in 150g Spelt Flour, 1 level tsp Bicarb., 1 level tsp Baking Powder (all sieved) and 150g Ground Almonds.  Then fold in autumnal fruits, nuts and seeds.  In this case I have used Windfall Apples, Elderberries, Blackberries, Walnuts and Hazelnuts.  The fruits and nuts should be about the same volume as the mix so that when folded into the mixture it contains them, but only just.  Spoon into a lined loaf tin.  I have then topped it with slices of Apple and Flaked Almonds.

Bake at 180C for about 40 mins until cooked through.

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Notes:
You could try replacing some of the ground almonds with ground hazelnuts - heat them, rub off the skins, then grind to flour.  I think that Maple Syrup instead of Sugar might taste really lovely in this cake.  I have yet to try this... Also, this is not a very sweet cake.  If you would like it to be sweeter you could sprinkle with Brown Sugar before cooking or drizzle with Honey or Maple Syrup once cooked and when still warm.

Redcurrant (not) Frozen Yoghurt

Ideally for this simplest of summer recipes, you have an ice-cream maker, and a freezer.  If this is the case, you coarsely blend 500g Redcurrants (or, even better, Blackcurrants) with 100g Sugar and one pot of Yoghurt, put this in the ice-cream machine, and when ready pot and freeze, for the most fragrant and fruit-filled of summer ices.

In my case I blitzed the Redcurrants, Yoghurt, a tablespoon of Sugar and same of Elderflower Cordial, dropped in a few Blackcurrants and we ate it as it was, tart and not frozen.

This recipe comes from Clare Island Yoga Retreat Centre, where they make yoghurt of their own Sheep's milk and are likely gathering their heavenly Blackcurrants as I write...

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On the sugar front - need I say that in this and all sugary recipes those of you who prefer to use alternative sugars (agave/maple/date/fructose &c.) replace as you wish.  Note however, I do cut down on sugar, use unrefined varieties and bake on the tart side.  At the same time, I don't hesitate to express my sympathy for the too-oft villified sugarbeet. 

Les Tartes aux Pommes

The season for Apple Tarts is upon us, and last night I set to on that pud suited to autumnal feasting: Une Tarte Tatin.

For the recipe see last year's post:  Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin 

It is important to use apples that don't fall to pieces, here I used Spartan, Cox and Egremont Russets.

And for the Pastry:  6oz Flour, 2oz Ground Almonds; 5oz Butter; 2oz Icing Sugar; 1 Egg; Vanilla Essence.

This morning, with the leftover pastry I made an Apple and Pear Tart.  Glazed only with Brown Sugar.

Winter Feasting (iii) A Feast Indeed! or How to eat Terrine: with lashings of Bread & Butter, Pickles, the like...

Besides the Terrines, how to satiate the stomachs of twenty-odd banqueters?

Game Terrine

The stoic winter staples: Puy Lentils, Cabbage and Bread.  These, and piles of Pickles and Jellies from the shed.  This finished with Baked Apples, and a variety of alcoholic fruit, again to be found in the shed-cum-pantry.  A moment to rejoice in that Summer-Autumn of perpetual preserving!

Redcurrant Jelly and Pickled Crabapples

Before dining: long milling over Mulled Cider.  The Cider, a dream, made by a friend and sweetened slightly in its flagon with the addition of Honey.  It was mulled with Quince, Allspice, Cinnamon, Cloves, Lemons.

The Lentils I failed, once again, to photograph in their steaming glory.  Simply: cooked the night before with Onions softened in Butter, Garlic Cloves in their skins, Thyme, Bay Leaves, Juniper and Water, flavoured nearing the end with Balsamic Vinegar, Red Wine, some Apple/Rosemary Jelly, a touch of Soy Sauce, Salt and Pepper.  They sat luxuriating in their sauce for a day, and were then heated up.

Sliced Terrine and Cabbage

The Cabbage was cooked in batches on the day, first with onions in Olive Oil, then slowly in a light, homemade Cider Vinegar, and masses of Caraway.  Reheated at the last minute, laid on Cabbage leaves and topped with roast Pumpkin Seeds.

An enormous Pumpkin

The enormous Pumpkin, was chopped into big beautiful chunks, and doused in a Marinade of Olive Oil, Chilli, Demarara Sugar (for lack of Maple Syrup), and a touch of Balsamic and Soy Sauce, and French coarse Sea Salt.  After about an hour of marinating it was roasted at high heat in the oven, and served hot.  The idea for the recipe (minus Soy and Balsamic) came from a fortnight spent in November back ‘midst the gales on Clare Island, a recipe for Pumpkin Crisps made with Uchiki Kuri.  I shall tell about the fortnight anon.

...chopped in big, beautiful chunks, sat in marinade

The Bread, all five loaves, were cooked as per the previous recipe.

Bread

Great sloshing bowls of Pickled Apples, Pickled Crabapples, Bar-Le-Duc Redcurrant Jelly and Rosemary Jelly were lain between bowls full of Butter.

Apples baked in Gin-soaked Bullace

Following on from that Baked Apples, stuffed with Figs (Norfolk Figs – oven dried) and Sultanas soaked in Quince Brandy.  Cooked in a bed of Gin-soaked Bullace, these the remnants from the Bullace Gin.  With those, to feed the multitude, Potted Brandy Figs, and a selection of post-Christmas chocolates of all varieties, Satsumas, and bowls of Hazelnuts and Walnuts (again from local gardens).

Potted Brandy Figs

Oh ‘twas a feast indeed…

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...breakfasting on leftovers

Potted Figs, Bullace Jam, Pumpkin Chutney...perpetual preserving

Halved Figs to be macerated in Honey, Lemon and Vanilla.

The Figs have been wondrous this year, and indeed, it seems a pity to cook them at all, when, despite an impoverished summer they are sweet, soft and nearly-not-quite comparable with memories of those bursting, bulbous falling from the trees of the Andalusian countryside.  If your tree hasn't produced same sumptuous crop, do bear in mind, as far as I understand, that Fig Trees like stress and sun.  They are often put in pots or planted in amongst builders' rubble against a South-facing wall to encourage fruiting and ripeness.

But, we are unable to eat them all, and besides piling them into a Tagine, as I did last week, potting is an excellent way of preserving them.  That said, drying now comes to mind.  A solar-dehydrator would do the trick, as would a hot no-too-damp greenhouse, or strung up inside the car.  Whether our Figs are sweet enough to preserve successfully dried, and whether Autumnal Norfolk has enough heat, I don't know. (Do let me know of any of your own experiements...)

Potted Figs.  I posted the recipe here when enjoying last-years potted figs, and simply mention it again as it's the season and I've been taking great pleasure in doing so at the cottage.  On this occasion I replaced the Whisky with Brandy and for lack of Vanilla Pod I used good quality (Nielsen-Massey) Vanilla Extract.

As, it seems to be the season of perpetual preserving, do bear in mind that you can also pot Pears, Peaches, Apples along these lines.  In most cases I would take the precaution of pasteurising as well.  On another note, the tradition of Rumtopf offers a great way of preserving fruits for pudding.

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Bullace, Port and Walnut Jam

This recipe was shared by Jules Jackson of De-lish (@dehyphenlish).  It's so good that I was near' pouring scalding hot spoonfuls of the stuff down my throat...only some last hold on reason prevented me.

Place about 2kg of stoned Bullace (Plums, Damsons etc will do equally as well) in a bowl.  Cover with Port and leave to macerate overnight.  The following day bring to the boil.  Take off the heat and add 2kg of Sugar, stirring until dissolved.  Add 400g of Walnuts, halved or quartered as desired.  I also added a good slosh of Balsamic vinegar (red-wine vinegar would do equally) to give the jam a slightly sharp edge.  Bring to heat again and simmer hard until setting-point is reached.  Pot in warmed, sterilised jars.

Despite being called a "Jam", a touch tart, this is really more of a confiture, to be served with savouries, such as Cheeses, Pork and Game.  Mr Jackson resolutely sticks to the term "Jam" merely, I suspect, due to a certain pleasure in the mundanity of the word... Or, indeed, he simply prefers to spick with the Anglicised version. Either way, I am sure this would be quite as dreamy on toast, but, truth told, I'm not really one for spreading jam on toast, and much prefer the savoury combinations...

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Pumpkin and Apple Chutney

Again, it seems a pity to put a Pumpkin in chutney as they store so well as they are.  This chutney was really a result of half a Pumpkin sitting around not being eaten and the eternal Apple glut.  I have quite a variety of Apple Chutney recipes up my sleeve, but this is a blend of the quirky and the traditional.

Chop 2 Onions, half a small Pumpkin (Uchiki Kuri), 8 large Apples (peeled, cored), oh, I see, a handful of green tomatoes (optional!),  1 Chilli (more or less depending on heat) into small pieces.  Grate 2 in. Root Ginger.  Put the lot in a pan with 1lt Cider vinegar.  Bring to the boil then take off heat and add 400g Demarara Sugar, 1 tbsp Corinader Seed, 1 tbsp. black Peppercorns, 1tbsp Brown Mustard Seed, a handful yellow Sultanas, a pinch of salt.  Stir and bring once again to the boil.  Simmer gently for several hours, stirring to prevent sticking.  Once the mixture is considerably reduced and of a thick, sludgy consistency which holds a wooden-spoon upright, it is ready to be potted.  Pot in warmed, sterilised jars.
Leave several months to mature before eating.

Mulled Pears

Divine with a Chocolate Mousse, dreamy with Soft Cheeses and Marscapone, or for a heavenly breakfast with Goat's Yogurt and Maple Syrup... these pears, which have sat mulling in wine for near' 10 months now, offer an otherworldly breath of Christmas in the Summer midsts. 

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1 Bottle of Red Wine

300g Sugar

Orange Juice

Lemon Rind

Mace

Cloves

Cinnamon

Ginger

Bring the above to the boil, and add whole, peeled Pears.  Cook at low heat for 2-3 hours until pears tender.

Bottle and Pasteurise.  Store.

I tend to do this recipe with early, slightly hard, windfalls.  As well as using them sweet, they work well with game and richer meats, much like the Pickled Pears.

Last night: A Huddled Banquet.

As yester'eve, the winds began to whirl, the rain to spill, the fires were lit and a simple summer supper became rather a huddled banquet.

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Merguez on Puy Lentils

To commence: 

Sortov Brawn from De-Lish on Spelt and Linseed Sourdough with Sweet Pickled Cucumber

Followed by:

Merguez (De-Lish again) on Puy Lentils with Broad Beans

Grilled Courgettes amd Baby Leeks

Mange-Tout

Caraway and Balsamic roasted Beetroot

Goat's Yogurt with Spring Onion and Land-Cress

that Pickled Beetroot

Courgettes from the garden

Pickled Beetroot (see Recipe)

Then:

Mulled Pears

Welsh and French Goat's Cheeses

Chocolate/Almond Brownie

Panier of gifts from A and N...

in that brown-paper-package-tied-up-with-string: 
an Almond/Chocolate Brownie, baked at break o' dawn...

...here's that thrifty Gooseberry and Elderflower (Vodka) Fool I mentioned...

Ever so simple:  Remove some of the Elderflower stalks from the strained remains of the Gooseberry and Elderflower Vodka.  (The Elderflower scent has actually somewhat pervaded the Gooseberries) Cook up the remaining Gooseberries with a splash of water and a dash of Raw Cane Sugar, gently so they hold their shape.  Once soft-ish, leave to cool, tasting the liquid for sweetness.

When cool, layer in a glass with Yogurt, (Sheep's Yogurt or Goat would give it a lovely rural depth of flavour) Marscapone, Creme Fraiche, or Whipped Cream, depending how gluttonous you are feeling.   Tart up with a sprig of Mint, a spray of Whitecurrants, a splash of Gooseberry and Elderflower Vodka, or leave it as it is (in picture).

Enjoy on a hazy Summer evening, lazing in the garden, with a long spoon.

Rumtopf

A great Germanic tradition of preserving fruits is: the Rumtopf.  Literally meaning “Pot of Rum”, it is a large ceramic jar in which fresh Fruits, Rum and Sugar are layered throughout the spring, summer and autumn seasons.  A plate is placed on the fruits to keep them below the level of the liquid, the jar is lidded and they are allowed to slowly mature.   The sweet rum-saturated fruits are then eaten in the depths of winter… a lovely, low-energy way to preserve those summer glutss.  We are just finishing last year’s pot in readiness for the coming seasons…

To 1lb of fruit add up to ½ lb of sugar and cover well with rum.

(try with: Gooseberries, Blackcurrants, Redcurrants, Whitecurrants, Strawberries, Loganberries, Jostaberries, Raspberries…)

Look out for traditional Rumtopf pots in charity shops, flea-markets and carboot sales, or make your own – I’m sure a foodsafe bucket or a plugged flowerpot would do... and ready yourself for the harvest.

A Figgy Pudding

The resurgence of cold nights and dawn frosts the last few days has offered a welcome opportunity to think once more about Puddings… to delve once more into the Store cupboards.  This recipe for storing Figs is a real favourite, and perfect for those not-quite-sweet-enough, not-quite-ripe-enough late-Summer Figs common to our climate.  I’ll blog about this more come Fig season, but for now, because it is sweet, sticky, figgy and utterly sublime…

The recipe actually comes from an American blog my mother found.  Here it is adapted to suit the British pantry…

1lb Figs

¼ lb Sugar

¼ lb Honey

1 Vanilla Pod

1 Lemon

Glass of Whisky

Halve Figs and place in an earthenware bowl with a split Vanilla Pod.  Douse in local Honey, Lemon Juice, a spoonful of Sugar and leave to macerate, covered at room temperature, for an hour or so.  Then gently move the Figs and liquid to a pan and bring to a simmer.  Return to the bowl and leave overnight in the fridge.  The following day strain off the liquid into a pan.  Add a glass of Scotch Whisky to the mix, flambé or boil off the alcohol, add the Figs again, simmer briefly.  Pour into preserving jars, chopping the Vanilla Pods into each one.  Close tightly, will keep for at least a year.  Serve with a home-made scoop of ice-cream as a sumptuous end to a dinner party, or indulge alone on those frosty winter nights.

The quantities given are a rough guideline as to the amounts.  I think this Summer I will try a version with more local ingredients.  We have our own Honey, and Norfolk now produces its own Whisky, perhaps with a dash of apple juice for the acidity...

Pasteurisation... Wintry Apple Compote

As ‘tis the season of eating all those vittles so lovingly preserved in the height of the harvest season, I thought I’d write a note on Pasteurisation.

Pasteurisation is a means of preserving fruits and veggies in jars.   It slows microbial growth and is particularly useful in storing products of high acidity such as tomatoes and fruits, the results keep for up to a year.  The process simply involves heating the jar containing the product to 72C, keeping it at that temperature for twenty minutes, and then rapidly cooling it. 

Wintry Apple Compote

Chop up a variety of apples, particularly those that don’t keep well, are better cooked than eaten or have a particular flavour.  I like using nutty Egremont Russets and Bramley for the sharpness, this also gives a really nice mix of textures.

Cook gently in a pan, with a little water to prevent burning.  Stir and add grated Root Ginger and a Spice Bag containing Cloves, Mace, Cinnamon sticks and a touch of Star Anise.  If cooked quickly the apples will break down, if simmered very slowly they will retain some of their shape.

Taste for sweetness and add a raw Sugar or Syrup to taste.  Heat, stirring.

Remove Spice Bag and pot in Kilner or Jam Jars rinsed with boiling water to sterilise.

Place the jars in a Water Bath to their necks, bring the water up to 72C and retain at this heat for twenty minutes.  Remove jars and allow to cool rapidly.  The compote will keep like this for up to a year.

Much like Apple Compote, Tomato Pasatas, Ratatouilles, Summer Soups and Stews, Curries and Gruels can be stored like this.  Keep them in a cool, dark place and enjoy when the garden is bare.