Recipe of the Month - October

Apples - some favourite, traditional recipes

The Fulham Palace garden has an interesting mix of apple varieties, some of which are quite rare, each variety has a different quality and most have been chosen because of their links with the Palace or with former Bishops of London. Future years will see the fruit trees coming to prominence in the Walled Garden as those along the arches grow and the espaliered trees mature and become more of a feature. We can look forward to a great variety of apples available on the barrow.

Canterbury Tart

This Tart is not as well known as many other forms of apple tart - it is slightly more complicated but is very delicious. The recipe uses both sweet and cooking apples. The history of this tart is not clear, there are those who would like to trace it back to Chaucer but there is no real evidence for that. This is a Mary Berry recipe.

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 100g/4oz butter, cubed
• 200g/8oz plain flour
• 25g/1oz icing sugar, sifted
• 1 egg, beaten
• or a sheet of readymade dessert pastry or shortcrust pastry

For the filling

• 4 eggs
• 200g/8oz caster sugar
• 2 lemons, rind and juice only, grated
• 100g/4oz butter, melted
• 2 large Bramley apples (about 350g/12oz in weight), peeled 
• 2 dessert apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 25g/1oz demerara sugar

Method

1. If making the pastry by hand, rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Stir in the beaten egg and bring together to form a dough. This can also be done in a food processor. 

3. Chill for about 30 minutes. Roll the dough out on a floured surface and line a round 28cm/11in (3.5cm/1½in deep) flan tin. Form a lip around the edge. Chill for a further 30 minutes while making the filling.

4. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

5. To make the filling, beat the eggs, caster sugar, lemon rind and juice together in a large mixing bowl. 

6. Stir in the warm melted butter.

7. Coarsely grate the Bramley apples directly into the mixture and mix well.

8. Remove the tart from the fridge and spread the runny lemon mixture over the base. 

9. Level the surface with the back of a spoon and arrange the dessert apple slices around the edge, overlapping. 

10. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar.

11. Put on a heavy baking tray and bake in the oven for about 40-50 minutes until the centre feels firm to the touch and the apples are tinged brown.

12. Serve warm with some cream, it is also good cold.

Dorset Apple Cake

This is a traditional, rustic cake with a lovely crunchy top and moist chunks of fruit in the cake, there are lots of versions of this recipe. Thin slices of apple or flaked almonds can be used to decorate the the top of the cake.

Ingredients

• 225g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 115g unsalted butter, diced and chilled, plus extra for greasing
• 115g light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 6-8 tbsp milk
• 225g Bramley or Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 100g sultana (optional)
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Grease and line a deep 20cm cake tin with baking parchment.

2. Mix the flour and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour using your fingers, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the light brown sugar. Beat in the egg followed by 6 - 8 tbsp of milk – you want to achieve a smooth, thick batter.

3. Add the apples and sultanas and mix to combine. Scrape the batter into your prepared tin and gently level out. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

4. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool further. Best served still warm with a little custard.