First autumn Sunday lunch of the season

We’ve been to Borough Market today (along with a flying visit to Tate Modern and tea at Laura’s followed by a trip to the top of St Paul’s – legs still aching) on the look out for scrumptious things for lunch with Alice and Rebecca tomorrow. Stillfield Farm had a chunky joint of rare breed pork and on our way out I spotted that Turnips had quinces. I’ve just spotted this Sophie Grigson recipe on the BBC good food site and it looks perfect. We brought some apples back from Sussex so I think a slightly quincy apple crumble might be good for pudding. I’ve also got a bag of slightly aging greengages left from last weekend so I think we might have to eat another greengage and almond tart tonight, sigh…Diets are only for week days.

Leek and tarragon tart

This is a muckabout of a couple of Tamasin Day Lewis’s lovely tart recipes, plus a bit of tinkering about. It’s good warm or cold, but not absolutely boiling hot.

Pastry made with 60g plain white flour, 60g rolled oats, 60g unsalted butter, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of water (usual method – blast flour, oats, salt and diced cold butter in blender until like damp sand, then drizzle over the iced water and whizz again until it starts to come together. Put in the fridge for 30 mins – not longer as this pastry is a bit crumbly and rather a pain to work with).
5 big leeks (about 1.3kg), green and tough outer leaves and ends removed and sliced
90g unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
150ml double cream
small handful of chopped tarragon leaves
Salt, black pepper, nutmeg

Roll out the pastry into a 22cm/9inch shallow tart tin and put this back into the fridge. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/150 fan.
Sweat the leeks in the butter until they’re soft. Stir in the tarragon leaves. Let this mixture cool.
Whisk the cream and the egg yolks and season with salt, pepper and a small grating of nutmeg. Pour this into the cooled leeks and give it a good stir. Spread this mixture over the pastry case. Bake in the oven for 35-40 mins.

Sarah’s spiced parsnip soup

2 large parsnips
4 small carrots
1 clove garlic
50g butter
Tablespoon fromage frais
2 tbsp grated creamed coconut
1tsp mild curry powder
Pinch cinnamon
2pts chicken stock
1tbsp chopped coriander

Chop parsnips and carrots into small pieces and sweat in butter for 10 minutes. Add garlic after 5. Add spices and cook for further minute. Add enough stock to cover, bring to high summer then turn down to low simmer and cook until soft (15-20 minutes). Whiz in food processor or with hand blender. Add coconut, coriander, fromage frais and remaining stock and heat through

Beef and ale casserole

2tbsp sunflower oil
450g beef, cut into good chunks
2 large onions, thickly sliced
2tbsp light brown soft sugar
1tbsp plain flour
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
500ml bottle Timothy Taylor’s Landlord strong pale ale
2tbsp creamed horseradish
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 150°C/Gas 2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in casserole dish with lid. Brown beef lightly. Set meat aside.
Sauté onions over a low heat for 6-7 minutes until beginning to soften. Add sugar, flour and balsamic vinegar and stir over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Pour ale over onions and stir until reaches boiling point.
Add beef to casserole, season, cover and cook in oven for 1.5-2 hours until meat very tender. If liquid too runny at end, remove meat from pan and boil hard to reduce.
Mix creamed horseradish and thyme leaves together and serve as an accompaniment to the casserole with mashed potato.

Roast quail

Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Season and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes and allow to stand for 2 minutes before serving.

Puddings I’ve done that have been successful

Blackberry ice cream Autumn
Cranberry and blueberry Eton mess winter
Strawberry pavlova summer
Calvados syllabub
plum and pecan crumble autumn/winter
Apricot and walnut crumble
Plum clafoutis
Lemon cheesecake (Marie Claire flavours)
Rhubarb ice cream
Strawberry ice cream
Bread and butter pudding made with croissants or chocolate croissants
Petits pots au chocolat (Eat Up)
Layered blueberries, crème fraiche and crushed mascarpone biscuits with lemon rind
Gooseberry and elderflower ice cream
Raspberries with ricotta and lemon sugar (River Café Easy)
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Beef casserole with horseradish (Waitrose)

http://www.waitrose.com/recipe/Beef_Casserole_with_Horseradish.aspx

Rachel Green’s celeriac and mushroom soup

50g butter
1 medium onion, chopped
110g celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped
15g dried wild mushrooms, soaked for 20 minutes in 150ml boiling water
300ml stock
200ml crème fraiche
1tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper

Melt butter in a saucepan and add onion and celeriac. Cover and cook gently for 10 minutes. Strain mushrooms and reserve liquid. Chop the mushrooms, add to the pan and cook gently for about a minute. Add stock and strained liquid and bring to boil. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Cool a little and purée. Stir in crème fraiche and herbs and season. Gently reheat to serve.

Caldo verde

500g floury or all purpose potatoes
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 litre water
0.5 tsp salt
500g kale cabbage (or spring greens or Savoy cabbage), shredded very finely
2 chorizo or other garlicky sausages
Salt and pepper

Peel potatoes and slice into 2cm dice. Cook with olive oil and garlic in the 1 ltr simmering water until tender. Mash in the water. Add cabbage and return to boil Simmer for 5 minutes, then season. Slice sausage on diagonal and fry until lightly crisped. Pour soup into bowls and top with sausage. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Partridge

• brown first in pan to seal juices
• roast in pre-heated oven 275/450/Gas 7 for 10 mins
• allow to rest for 10 mins