APPLES AND PUMPKINS FOR A TASTY AUTUMN

5 October 2001




APPLES AND PUMPKINS FOR A TASTY AUTUMN

Shorter days, falling leaves, autumnal mists and

the sound of my father-in-law grumbling about the

unused windfall apples that he has to clear prior

to mowing the lawn all herald the harvest of

orchard fruits and the baking of apple-based

desserts for Philippa Vine

TRY this special apple and walnut sponge pudding in which whisked egg whites create a light, soft sponge over a caramelised apple base. This recipe can be adapted to any hard fruit that you have plenty of – pears or even quinces.

Pumpkins make a brief appearance in the autumn, but it is worth knowing that they will store well for several months.

This wonderful, vibrant orange vegetable tends to be dismissed as boring to eat and is mostly bought for making Halloween lanterns, which is a shame. It can be used in sweet and savoury dishes, but the most impressive I have come across is spicy pumpkin soup – thanks to Steve and Fizz at Jevington Place Farm for the recipe.

It is also a good time of year to eat wood pigeon and thanks to Derek and his shotgun we are well supplied. To transform pigeon into more of a delicacy, I marinate the breasts in red wine and garlic for at least 24 hours and then use the carcasses to make stock for the accompanying port sauce.

Spiced pumpkin soup with bacon

This is a delicious warming soup, perfect for halloween and bonfire parties. If you are cooking for small children just make a quantity of this recipe and reduce the spices and omit the chillies. Serve with good wholemeal bread.

Serves 4

50g (2oz) butter

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 small pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cubed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 small dried chillies

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 pints of chicken stock, preferably homemade

6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

125ml (1/4 pt) single cream

Dry roast the coriander and cumin seeds in a frying-pan without any oil for about 5 minutes over a gentle heat to draw out the flavours. Then grind up the spices using a pestle and mortar or a coffee grinder. Next heat the butter in a large saucepan and gently cook the onion for about 5 minutes, without browning. Then turn up the heat and add the pumpkin pieces and brown them – you may have to keep stirring to prevent from burning. Add the other ingredients apart from the cream and bacon, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Then puree the soup in a liquidiser and return to the pan and keep warm. Grill the bacon until crispy and brown and snip into bite-size pieces. Reheat the soup and taste for seasoning and serve with a little of the cream swirled into each bowl of soup and sprinkle the bacon on top.

Marinated pigeon breasts with

port sauce

This is a delicious recipe from Claire Macdonald of Macdonalds Celebrations Cookbook. I like to serve this dish with olive oil mashed potato and some root vegetables because they go particularly well with game dishes. Do remember that the uncooked pigeon breasts are best marinated for at least 24 hours (or over night if pushed) The flavour and texture of the meat will benefit.

Serves 4

4 Pigeons

2 tablespoons olive oil

50g (2oz) butter

For the marinade:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, sliced thinly

1 stick of celery, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

small bunch of any fresh herbs (optional)

250ml (1/2 pt) red wine

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon plain flour

4 juniper berries, crushed

250ml (1/2 pt) pigeon stock, made from pigeon carcasses

250ml (1/2 pt) port

1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly

Salt and pepper

Remove the breasts from the pigeons, keeping the carcasses to make stock. To make the marinade: sweat (gently cook) the vegetables, then pour in the red wine. Simmer for 4 minutes, then allow to cool. Pour the cooled marinade over the pigeon breasts and leave for 24 hours.

To make the pigeon stock, put all the carcasses in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add 2 sliced onions, a stick of celery, a teaspoonful of black peppercorns and salt. Simmer for 1-2 hours, then strain the stock.

Next melt the butter and oil in a frying pan. When it is hot, add the drained, marinated pigeon breasts and brown on each side, but dont overcrowd the pan otherwise the breasts will not brown evenly. Cook for 3-4 minutes, a little longer if you like meat well done. Take the breasts out of the pan and put them on a serving dish and keep warm.

For the sauce, add the flour to the fat in the pan together with the crushed juniper berries. Cook for a few minutes, stirring all the time. Next add the stock and port and bring to the boil. Continue to boil, stirring in the jelly until it melts and the sauce thickens. To enrich and finish the sauce, dice a knob of butter and swirl in a few pieces at a time. Add any juices that have collected in the pigeon breast dish to the sauce. Remember to check the seasoning at this stage and if necessary add salt and pepper. Spoon over and around the breasts. Serve straight away with root vegetables and mashed potato.

Apple and walnut pudding

Serves 4

75g (3oz) butter

150g (5oz) soft brown sugar

big pinch of cinnamon

pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

75g (3oz) walnuts, chopped

4 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm chunks

For the sponge:

150g (5oz) butter

75g (3oz) caster sugar plus extra 1/2 tablespoon

2 large eggs, separated

150g (5oz) plain flour

Up to 50ml (2fl oz) of milk if necessary

Preheat the oven to 200íC (400íF, Gas 6). Put the butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts and chopped apple in a large heavy saucepan over a high heat until the butter and sugar melt. Stir continuously and coat the apples in the mixture. You want the butter and sugar to caramelise quickly without letting the apples cook too much. It will take about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into a 30cm (12in) by 23cm (9in) baking dish. Next make the sponge by creaming together the butter and sugar, then mixing in the egg yolks and flour. If the mixture is stiff, add a little milk. Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks with the extra 1/2 tablespoon sugar, then fold carefully into the creamed mixture. Spread roughly over the apples. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the sponge is just cooked. The result is a golden sponge on the top and a rich caramel base. Serve with thick cream or a good vanilla icecream.


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