More Apple Recipes

I make no apologise for adding more apple recipes. We love them and at this time of year there is nothing better than a fresh British apple. Here are two simple recipes that will make easy and tasty autumn meals.

Pork Chops with Apple and Fennel sauce

This can be made with pork loin steaks or belly pork, if you use belly, cook it for longer at a lower grill setting then crisp it up for the last few minutes.

Serves 4

For the sauce:

200g fennel, chopped

2 large Bramley apples

100ml water

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon honey

20g butter

4 large pork chops

1.Make the sauce by putting all the sauce ingredients, except for the butter, in a pan and simmering for about 10 minutes until the apples are soft and pulpy.

2.Beat in the butter and set to one side whilst you cook the pork.

3.Just before serving the meat reheat the sauce gently until just bubbling and pour around the chops.

I like to serve this as an alternative to a roast dinner, so I make some roast potatoes and serve glazed carrots and and a green vegetable also. It is easy and delicious.

Baked Apples Stuffed with Mincemeat

Use large dessert apples such as a 'James Grieve', Keswick Codling' or a 'Blenheim Orange'

Serves 4

4 apples

4 knobs butter

4 dessertspoons good quality mincemeat

20g chopped ready to eat dried apricots or prunes

2 tablespoons honey

100ml hot water

1.Butter an ovenproof dish and preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4/350F

2.Core the apples and use a sharp knife to score the skin around the widest part of the apple.

3.Put the apples in the prepared dish.

4.Mix the mincemeat and dried fruit together and spoon equal amounts into the centre of each apple.

5.Drizzle with honey and add a knob of butter to the top of each one.

6.Carefully pour the water around the outside of the apples and bake for about 30-40 minutes depending on the size.

Serve hot with custard or cream, as a special treat add a little calvados or brandy to the cream.

Marzipan

I always prefer the marzipan layer of Christmas cake topping to the icing, so I tend to put on a thick layer of marzipan paste and a thin topping of icing. I never bother to fuss over the icing, we like peaks of 'snow' and our little silver robin decoration in the centre. Keeping it simple at the time of year I think, is essential.

Making marzipan is very easy and satisfying. It can be used for many things from Battenburg cake to moulding into shapes and serving with after dinner coffee. It can be lightly toasted to give a different flavour, this is good on a simnel cake.

Try adding a little brandy, rum or your favourite liqueur, Amaretto is gorgeous to echo the almond theme, roll into small balls and use a cocktail stick to dip them into melted chocolate. A great present for marzipan lovers.

Recipe for marzipan:

Makes about 650g

350g ground almonds

200g icing sugar

150g caster sugar

A squeeze of lemon juice

1/2 -1 teaspoon of almond extract

1 egg, beaten

Method

1.Put the almonds, sugars, lemon juice and almond extract into a mixing bowl and mix well together.

2.Add sufficient egg to make a stiff pliable paste. If you are adding brandy or liqueur add it now with the egg as this will alter the amount of egg needed, 2-3 teaspoons should be sufficient. Knead until smooth on work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar.

As easy as that!

Use it for many wonderful goodies or cover a fruit cake or Battenburg with it.

Easy Christmas Cake

Don't think you can't make your own Christmas cake, you can. You will need a few hours to prepare and bake it, though the preparation of this one is much quicker than other recipes. You will need about four hours spare from start to it being baked, but it is well worth it.

Even though this must be the easiest Christmas cake to make it is just as delicious as a more complicated one.

Here are a few tips before you begin:

Make your cake at least 8 weeks before Christmas for the best flavour.

Always prepare your tin first, lightly grease a 24cm round or 20cm square tin. Line it with baking paper and wrap aluminium foil around the outside, squeezing it in around to fit the tin.

Weigh out all ingredients and set them out ready to use.

Preheat the oven just prior to mixing the cake.

Have ready a bowl to mix the cake in and one to mix the fruit and flour together.

Ingredients

225g butter, at room temperature

225g soft brown sugar

1 tablespoon black treacle

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

265g plain flour

2 rounded teaspoons baking powder

1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ -1 teaspoon mixed spice

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1kg dried fruit to your taste, raisins, currants, sultanas, cranberries, pineapple etc

200g glace cherries, halved

50g ground almonds

50g chopped almonds

5 eggs, beaten

Brandy to feed the cake after cooking

1.Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3/320F

2.Cream the butter, sugar and treacle together in a large bowl.

3.Sift in 4 tablespoons of the flour, then beat in the eggs, lemon zest and juice.

4.Sift the flour, baking powder and spice together in a bowl and add the fruit and nuts. Mix everything well together and the fruit is coated in the flour.

5.Stir this evenly into the creamed mixture using a metal spoon.

6.Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin, pressing down gently and making a depression in the centre. This will level the top of the cake so help with the icing later on.

7.Tie a double layer of brown paper or greaseproof around the outside of the tin to protect the cake from over browning on the outside.

8.Turn the oven down to 150C/gas mark 2/300F. Place the cake on a baking sheet and place in the centre of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes then turn the heat down again to 140C/gas mark 1/280F and cook for a further 2 hours.

After this time check to see if the centre of the cake is cooked by pressing a metal skewer into the cake. If it comes out clean and free of cake mixture it is cooked. If not bake for a further 20 minutes and test again.

9.When cooked leave in the tin for 1 hour, then remove from tin and place on a cooling rack still with the paper on. Leave for another 30 minutes before removing the paper.

10.When completely cool prick the upper surface of the cake with a skewer and trickle 3-4 tablespoons of brandy down the holes. Wrap in greaseproof paper then a layer of foil and store in an airtight tin.

11.Feed the cake once more after 2 weeks then repeat this once more two weeks later.

About 3 days before you wish to ice the cake put a layer of marzipan over either the top or the entire upper surface and sides of the cake.

300g is sufficient to top the cake or 500g will cover the whole cake.