Speed Sweet

I give you TATT – or toffee apple tart tatin. This is the fastest tart tatin you'll ever make. I made the toffee apple base ahead and put it in the freezer. Along with the puff pastry sheet which likewise came from the freezer you can pull both of them out whenever the fancy takes.

Toffee Apple Tart Tatin

Pre-heat oven 180 fan/200c/Gas 6

6-8 large Cox's apples, peeled, cored and sliced

115g unsalted butter

125g soft dark brown sugar

1 orange, zest and juice

One ready to use puff pastry sheet.

6 individual circular tins measuring 10cms in diameter.

Place the apples, butter, soft dark brown sugar, orange zest and juice into a large frying pan and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

If you want to plan ahead you can prep ahead and freeze then assemble when you wish.

Roll out your puff pastry sheet and cut into six circles, using a ring that is at least the same diameter as the tin – it can be slightly larger. Spoon the toffee apple mixture into your tins and then add a puff pastry circle, tucking it into the tin.

Bake for 25 minutes.

When you are ready to serve – I would suggest you use a dessert bowl – place it over the tin and flip it – ensuring you do so away from yourself. Serve with clotted cream.

Here's my tip – which I think is actually mentioned on the instructions with the puff pastry sheet – to stop the sheet cracking when you unroll it let it “rest” at room temperature before use.

Moving on, and to help you with this recipe, here's a photograph of the individual tin I used along with the completed dish.

The Verdict …

I plucked up the courage and asked my guests to comment on the food – no obligation of course – here's what they had to say :

Retro Rooms

“Easy, quick and sooo delicious – would make a great starter for Saturday night in front of the television.

Such a simple supper dish but so tasty, easy to prepare – superb!

Absolutely delicious.

10/10.

Perfect light starter for a dinner party, loved the parsley on top”.

Smoked Fish Pie

“Light but tasty, sauce not thick but coated. Pastry nice and short. Looked easy to make, must give it a go. Filling delicious.

Perfect for meals in advance and didn't need to rest the pastry.

Pastry brilliant – 10/10.

Simple as pie! Pastry is light – fish and vegetables blend into a delicious medley.

A meal on its own, nothing else needed. Great pastry and tasty filling, wonderful!”

TATT

(Toffee apple tart tatin)

“Wow, what a dessert.

The best ever.

Simplicity and delicious too!

What can I say? We are never disappointed – 10/10.

Very easy dish and can prepare in advance – a dinner party special.

Simple yet impressive – melt in the mouth, would be equally great with the home-made ice cream”.

I've posted these comments so that you'll get honest feedback and know that the recipes are real, they work and to encourage you to give them a shot. I hope you do and they're a hit.

We had a blast, so much fun – thank you Ladies for your critiques.

Next up … techniques for your Smoked Fish Pie

You wouldn't describe the basics of a pie filling as technically difficult so lets get these out of the way.

The filling

*4 parsnips – peeled and cut into cubes of a

similar size and roasted

*6 shallots, peeled and into quarters and roasted

glug of rapeseed oil

salt and black pepper

petit pois – approx 6oz defrosted

*600g smoked haddock or cod – you could

use 300g smoked fish and 300g salmon, baked in

foil, cooled and broken gently into large chunks

*500g Charlotte potatoes, cooked, peel and cubed

-x-

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Place your parsnips and shallots in an oven-proof dish (or in my case a foil version), season and add a glug of rapeseed oil. Roast for 30 minutes – turn after 15. Bake the fish for 15 minutes. Test your vegetables after 30 minutes – they should be firm. Set both your vegetables (covered) and your fish aside to cool.

All the ingredients marked * above can be made ahead.

The Sauce Supreme that completes your filling comes next and is a different kettle of fish (sorry!) and requires your full attention.

You'll need:

300ml cold fish stock

15g unsalted butter

15g plain flour

½ tsp Dijon mustard

200ml double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2/3 mins, stirring continuously – do not walk away.

Then tip your cold stock straight into the roux and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 15 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the mustard and cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Perfecting certain techniques and making use of stock you've created yourself (although not compulsory – you can buy it ready-made) to produce this delicious sauce, is very satisfying and definitely worth the effort – be patient! If you generate your own stock and freeze it – don't forget to label!

Mix your vegetables, fish, and sauce supreme together in a large mixing bowl and then place in your pie dish ready for its lid.

You might think that this is an unusual mixture of ingredients, so to explain myself - parsnips, peas and shallots are sweet, the smoked fish is salty and the potato gives a balance, a neutral flavour if you like. A word to the wise - other than the seasoning mentioned don't add any more salt. You've enough in the fish and in the stock. Taste your filling when it's ready and adjust if you need to.

Finally in this recipe, the technique of making ordinary pastry is easy for some, not so for others. Gluten free pastry appears to be more of a challenge, hence the demonstration and the recipe used is the one below :

Phil Vickery's gluten free

shortcrust pastry

225g Mix A (see at end of post)

pinch of gluten free baking powder

½ tsp xanthan gum

2 pinches salt

110g stork margarine

1 medium egg, beaten

cold water

Method :

Place flour, salt and margarine in a bowl and mix well.

Rub into fine breadcrumbs (you can use a food processor).

Add egg and a drop of water, mix well. The texture should be nice and soft – add a drop more water if required.

Roll out and use straight away.

Xanthan gum gives your pastry a stickiness – a substitute for gluten, it will tighten.

Here are my tips :

Be precise with your measurements – it's a science!

Texturally it reminds me of making dessert pastry – it's fragile so take it easy – be gentle.

Roll out your pastry onto baking parchment into your required shape and size then flip the parchment over onto your pie filling. The recipe given is perfect for a pie lid measuring 24x24 cms. If the pastry breaks don't panic – use the pieces to patch any gaps in the edges.

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas6.

Pop the lid onto your pie filling and bake for 30 minutes – check after 25 minutes – ovens vary. You should get a light tasty pastry with a good colour.

Serve!

I intended to photograph the pie – sadly it was demolished before I got the chance.

For Phil Vickery's Mix A

Mix A

350g fine white rice flour

100g potato flour

50g tapioca starch or flour

Mix thoroughly (can do in a food processor)

Store in an airtight container.

A Sneaky Peek at Class!

To “paint a picture” for you, here's a couple of photographs of the Dem Room, ready to rock and roll!

On arrival my guests are welcomed with a glass of whatever takes their fancy together with a recipe pack for the evening and we begin.

We have three “courses”, although I should explain this is a demonstration and a tasting, not a three course dinner! Tonight's class includes three elements, retro, technique and speed and is designed to offer recipes that are quick and useful.

First up is the appetiser, a little morsel to whet the appetite – this is definitely a trip down memory lane, back to the 70ies :

Retro Rooms

Serves 6

750g chestnut mushrooms cut into quarters

2 tbsp flat leaf parsley – finely chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

Glug of dry sherry

6 tbsp rapeseed oil

100g unsalted butter – at room temperature

4 garlic cloves – or equivalent paste

salt and black pepper

Mix the butter with the garlic. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the mushrooms and season with salt and black pepper. Add the lemon juice and a glug of dry sherry. Add the butter and garlic mixture and cook for 5/7 minutes, fold in the chopped parsley.

Serve in ramekins with warm crusty bread to mop up the garlicky yumminess.

As an alternative you could add croutons to your mushrooms and not bother with the crusty bread.

You can always tell how well received your dish is – it's silent!

Fin!

That's the end of the grid for Autumn – may be (and I hope) its given you a fresh outlook on how you shop, cook and eat and consequently you might have found bits and pieces that will make life easier.

Coming up next I thought you might be interested in having a sneaky peek into a cookery class - of course there will be the recipes too.

My class format is simple – an informal atmosphere where guests sit back, relax with a glass of wine and watch me cook – they then get to taste.

Before I go, a postscript …. from a grumpy old woman.

In future I need to leave a large note next to the alarm clock – a month later and I'd forgotten that we had to get up at 4.30 am the morning we left and so was not a happy bunny when it went off at that same time this morning! You can laugh!

See you soon.

Saturday Supper with Strictly!

This is the quickest chilli you'll ever make. Originally I came across it in Nigella's book “Nigella Express”.

As usual I tweaked it,

150g chorizo sausage, cut in half and

cut into small half moons (diced chorizo is available

and it's quicker)

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or

equivalent of roasted garlic paste

500g minced steak

½ tsp each of ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 500g carton/jar of passata

60ml sweet chilli sauce

1 can of red kidney beans - 390g

or a can of spiced mixed beans if you prefer

¼ tsp chilli powder (optional)

salt and black pepper to taste

Before we go any further can I remind you of a recommendation I made in “Kitchen investments and Wednesday supper” :

“Many moons ago I invested in a frying pan (available with or without lid) that is suitable for use from hob to oven. It did not cost a fortune and has been worth its weight in gold. There are loads to choose from but, as a rough guide, approximately 30cms diameter costs £30ish. I've had mine for a few years now and the best recommendation I can give is that when it finally wears out I'd replace it immediately.”

If you made the investment and bought a family size pan, this is where it comes into its own. Before you begin your day's chores and errands, spend a few minutes with your frying pan and cook the supper.

Fry the chorizo on a medium heat so that it crisps and set aside. Add the onion and garlic until softened and then the cumin, coriander and cinnamon for 2 minutes to enable the spices to release their flavour. (Add the optional chilli too if desired). Add the minced steak and cook, breaking up the mince so that it is able to brown thoroughly.

Add the sweet chilli sauce and the passata and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Turn it off and cover with a lid and carry on with your day.

Fast forward to the evening. You have a choice - pre-heat your oven 180 fan/200c/Gas 6 and pop the chilli into the oven for 20 minutes so that you can get changed and pour yourself a glass of wine - or re-heat on the hob. WARNING – if you use the oven option take great care when removing the pan – I would suggest the chilli is served from a warmed bowl so that it avoids any chance of an accident.

Just before you're ready to serve sprinkle in 50g of dark chocolate – 50% cocoa solids works well - to enrich your chilli and then add the red kidney beans and warm through.

It's serve yourself night – a stack of bowls, with soft wraps together with guacamole and sour cream dips – or with rice (and you don't have to cook it – use frozen rice that can be microwaved) with potato wedges – with jacket potatoes – it's Saturday night – give yourself a break!

GOM Chapter 26 – The Finale

We are now in Indian Land, Charlotte and enjoying the wonderful hospitality of my friend's Daughter and Son-in-law.

We're all off today for a spectacular end to our stay, with a visit to a favourite restaurant “Cuzcatlan” specialising in Salvadorian and Mexican cuisine. We have our own Spanish speaker and so it was impressive to listen to our order – Quesadillas and salads, fried beans and cheese stuffed pancakes. There were two big hits - sopa de pollo, which, as you might have guessed is chicken soup. This is not any old chicken soup, it's a meal in itself, tender pieces of chicken breast in a spicy broth with black beans and corn. Soft tortillas to dunk and tortilla strips fried so that they are crispy sprinkled on top of the sopa – TDF! Who would have thought to include king prawns wrapped in bacon as part of a mixed grill – a magical combination of sweet prawns and salty bacon – surf and turf after all.

Generously I was given a menu as a souvenir – here it is!

A memorable end to a memorable day and a memorable stay!

Off to the airport and home. It has been an absolute blast. Hope to be back again soon.

Thanks for having us. xxx