October - a month for Bramley apples
Apple Day will be celebrated throughout the country this month with the traditional Bramley Apple topping the list. And there's no better time than now to cook with apples. In fact I think every family should sit down to an apple pie or crumble, or a delicious buttery Brown Betty at least once a week.
So although it's the peak of the year for home-grown produce, with hints of autumn to come, and we can still enjoy the final vestiges of summer with fat juicy tomatoes and the last of the Scottish raspberries, this month I will be celebrating Apple Day with some delicious Bramley Apple recipes for you to cook and enjoy.
WEST COUNTRY SAUSAGE AND APPLE PIE
When I lived in Somerset, this pie was always a good standby at our village Harvest Supper, and I usually make at least two so that I can have one in the freezer. Will freeze well, raw or cooked.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients: 450g puff or short crust pastry. 450g sausage meat. 1 large onion, finely chopped. 2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs. 1 medium Bramley apple, peeled and sliced. 2 heaped tablespoons chutney (or Branston sandwich pickle). Seasoning.
Method: Roll out the pastry to line a 9 inch tin or shallow oven proof dish. Reserve the trimmings for the lattice top. Mix together the sausage meat, onion, herbs and some seasoning. Fill the pastry case with this mixture, pressing down to level it off. Spread the top with the chutney, then arrange the apple slices to cover the chutney. Roll out the trimmings from the pastry and cut into strips – lattice or criss cross these strips over the filling. Brush with beaten egg to glaze. Place in the middle of the oven for 40 – 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with green salad and saut potatoes.
BRAMLEY APPLE AND PORK BAKE
Serves 4.
Take 450g potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges and 6 shallots peeled. Place in a roasting tin and toss with 4 whole garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season to taste and bake at 350F, 180C, Gas Mark 4. for 15-20 minutes. Stir in 450g peeled and cored Bramley apples. Lay 4 pork steaks on top and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of fresh or dried sage. Return to oven for 20-30 minutes until pork is golden brown and cooked through. Serve with green vegetable of your choice.
BLACKBERRY AND APPLE MERINGUE
Serves 4.
Ingredients: 25g pudding rice. 50g granulated sugar. 110g caster sugar. 110g blackberries. 425ml milk. 1 large Bramley apple. 2 egg whites.
Method: Put rice, milk and oz sugar into a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently until most of the milk is absorbed. Leave to cool. Meanwhile put the blackberries into a pan and let the juices run. Peel, core and slice the apple and add to blackberries. Cook until soft, adding 1oz of sugar. Leave to cool. Spoon the fruit mixture into an oven proof dish, cover with the cooked rice and sprinkle the remaining sugar over. Whisk egg whites until stiff, then whisk in half the caster sugar. Fold in the remaining caster sugar. Spread meringue over fruit and rice mixture and cook for 15 minutes at 375F, 190C, Gas Mark 5 until golden brown. Serve cold. For quickness, a tin of rice pudding could be used.
SPECIAL APPLE CAKE
This moist cake is brimming with apple fruitiness, all topped off with a crisp almond crumble topping. It's more of a dessert than a teatime cake.
Serves 8.
Ingredients: 175g unsalted butter. 175g caster sugar. 675g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and sliced. 3 large eggs, beaten. 200g plain flour. 2 tsp baking powder. 150g pot of soured cream. Topping: 50g unsalted butter. 50g soft brown sugar. 1 tsp ground cinnamon. 75g plain flour. 50g toasted flake almonds.
Method: Lightly oil and line a 20cm spring form tin with baking parchment. Melt 25g of the butter and sugar together in a large frying pan. Add the Bramley apple slices and saut for 3-4 minutes or until the apples are tender. Leave to cool. Make the crumble topping, melt the butter and stir in remaining ingredients. Cram the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then gradually add the eggs, beating well between additions. Sift over the flour and baking powder, then gently fold into the mixture with the soured cream. Spoon two thirds of the cake mixture over the base of the tin, scatter over a third of the crumble mixture and top with the remaining cake mixture. Finally scatter over the Bramley apples and remaining crumble mixture. Bake in preheated oven 350F, 180C, Gas Mark 4. for 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool in tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a plate. Serve warm in wedges with more sour cream if desired.
APPLE TURNOVERS
Peel, core and finely chop 6 Bramley apples. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in saucepan and saut apples for about 6 minutes until partially cooked. Remove from heat and add sugar to taste. Add tablespoon rum or brandy and a teaspoon vanilla essence and set aside to cool. Meanwhile roll out 4 to 6 rounds of puff pastry (I use a medium sized dessert plate as a guide), moisten edges and fill the centres with the apple mixture. Fold circle of pastry in half to enclose filling and crimp up edges too form a border. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake in preheated oven 230C, 450F, Gas Mark 8 for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm as a dessert or make smaller ones and serve cooled for tea.
In season this month.
Root crops are really coming in this month – swede and turnips are great with the warming stews of autumn, Brussels sprouts too. For October my fish man recommends, brill, cod, haddock, halibut, whiting and turbot. The most economical fish of the month is probably the autumn herring. We have pheasant this month, which can be difficult to roast without drying out, so try steaming two birds in a large Pyrex bowl, seasoning well, and putting bowl into a pan of boiling water. When cooked after two to three hours, flash the birds under a hot grill to brown. Plums and damsons are no longer good for uncooked eating, but they are still fine for crumbles and pies. Sprinkle the new season cobs and hazelnuts on to a crumble mix to give a crunchy tasty topping.
Look out for your nearest local Apple Day event. Wheldon's Fruit Farm at Newton Leys, Sudbury, are holding their Apple Day on Sunday, 24th October, starting at 10am - 5pm. in their newly opened Farm Shop, and Wicks Manor will be there holding a barbecue, selling their delicious burgers and sausages. Events not to be missed! Evelyn Curtis.
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Weather for Sudbury
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
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