Autumn Recipes
Written by: Grace Agar
Autumn Food Favourites
With rainy days arriving, we embrace spending a little more time indoors, baking home-made goods and indulging in slow days in the heart of the home. As we head into the season of hosting, Autumnal tablescapes are laden with fall-hues and felt pumpkins, and an abundance of warming, home comfort foods. This week, we share some of our team's favourite Autumn recipes, perfect for cosying up with on a cold, Autumnal day.
recipe 1.
Plum & Ginger Cake
Heat oven to 180C and grease and line the base of a square cake tin with baking parchment. Butter the paper generously and sprinkle with 2 tbsp of demerara sugar. Halve 500g of plums and arrange in the base of the tin in 1 layer, cut-sides down. For the cake, melt 175g of butter, 175g muscovado sugar and 140g of golden syrup in a large pan over a low heat, stirring until smooth. Cool for 10 mins, then stir in 2 eggs and 200ml milk. Sift in 300g self-raising flour, 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda and 1tbsp of both ground ginger and mixed spice, then mix to a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the tin, over the plums, and bake for 45-55 minutes until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turnout onto a wire rack and leave to cool, and enjoy your cosy Autumn cake.
recipe 2.
Forrest Fruit Crumble
Heat oven to 190C. Combine 120g plain flour and 60g caster sugar in a large bowl, then add 60g unsalted butter, rubbing it into the flour using your fingertips to make a light breadcrumb texture. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins or until lightly coloured. Meanwhile, for the compote, peel, core and cut 300g Braeburn apples into 2cm dice. Put 30g unsalted butter and 30g demerara sugar in a medium saucepan and melt together over a medium heat. Cook for 3 mins until the mixture turns to a light caramel. Stir in the apples and cook for 3 mins. Add 115g blackberries and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, and cook for 3 mins more. Cover, remove from the heat, then leave for 2-3 mins to continue cooking in the warmth of the pan. To serve, spoon the warm fruit into an ovenproof gratin dish, top with the crumble mix, then reheat in the oven for 5-10 mins. Serve with vanilla ice cream!
recipe 3.
Pumpkin Soup
In a large pot over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp butter. Add 1 large potato and 1 large onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for around 8 minutes. Add around 1000ml chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in 1 can of pure pumpkin, then using a blender, purée the mixture until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in half a pot of cream and heat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve hot!
