Toffee Apple and Pecan Streusal Tart

This delicious tart can be served warm with custard or at room temperature with a blob of softly whipped cream, yum!

Ingredients

For the Pastry

200g Plain Flour

100g Hard Butter, grated on a coarse grater

25g Sugar

5-6 tablespoons Milk

 For the Apple filling

Approx. 500g Bramley Apples

50g Butter

100g Light Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons Golden Syrup

4 tablespoons Double Cream

For the Streusal

125g Plain Flour

100g Light Brown Sugar

100g Soft Butter

Half a teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)

Freshly grated Nutmeg (optional)

100g Pecans, roughly chopped

• To make the pastry case tip the grated butter into the flour and the sugar then cut through with a knife to distribute (this way there is no need to rub in).  Gradually add the milk whilst stirring with the knife until it clumps together into a dough.  Wrap the ball of dough in greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C (fan) and thoroughly butter a loose-bottomed flan/tart tin.
• Roll out the pastry until it is about 5mm thick then carefully transfer to the tin and gently ease it in, leaving some pastry overhanging the edges to trim later.  Put greaseproof paper onto the pastry case and fill with ceramic baking beans or dried pulses (I use lentils or yellow split peas).  Blind bake in the oven for 10 minutes then remove the beans and paper and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until golden brown.  Trim the edges then set the pastry case aside until needed.  Reduce the oven temperature to 175C (fan).
• For the toffee apple filling, melt the butter, light brown sugar and the golden syrup together in a wide shallow pan and heat until bubbling.  Simmer for about 5 minutes then add the cream.  Peel and thickly slice the apples and put them into the toffee pan, simmer for a few more minutes then turn off the heat.
• To make the streusel, tip the flour, light brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl then mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until a clumpy crumble is formed.  Add the pecans to the bowl and stir them through.
• Spoon the toffee apple mixture into the pastry case, spreading out the apples evenly then strew the crumbly streusel mixture over the top.  Bake for 30 minutes until the streusel is crunchy and golden with the toffee bubbling around the edges.

Spiced Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup

This is a beautiful soup for the autumn with creamy, sweet squash and wholesome lentils enhanced by warming spices.  It can be made with any squash, including pumpkin and also works well with sweet potato.

This recipe makes a big pan of soup which can be frozen in portions if it isn't all needed.

Ingredients

Approx. 1 kilo (2 medium sized) Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed

1 medium Onion, finely diced

Olive Oil

2 cloves of Garlic

Salt and Black Pepper

100g Red Split Lentils

1 teaspoon Ground Coriander

1 teaspoon All Spice

Half a teaspoon Ground Cumin

2 pints Chicken Stock 

• Pour a generous glug of olive oil into a large saucepan and put on a medium heat.  Add the diced onion, the garlic and all the spices including a good seasoning with salt and black pepper.
• Sizzle the onion with the spices until soft then tip in the squash.  Continue to cook over a medium heat (adding more oil if it starts to stick) for about 10 minutes until the squash is softening and colouring around the edges.
• Tip the lentils into the pan then pour in the chicken stock.  Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the lentils aren’t sticking to the bottom.
• After this time the butternut squash should be meltingly soft.  You can now either blend the soup (I find a stick/hand blender useful here) or, if you like a bit more texture, use a potato masher.  Taste and season with more salt and black pepper if needed.
• To serve, a blob of crème fraiche and a handful of croutons finish the soup off perfectly.