3 AUTUMN FRUITS, 3 QUICK & EASY RECIPES

Autumn is a time of abundance when it comes to fresh produce - so when life gives us apples, figs and pears, we turn them into something delicious! Here’s a few of our must-try recipes, making the most of seasonal fruits to enjoy this autumn.

Ingredients

·         ½ cup chopped walnuts

·         1 Gala apple (or other sweet apple), cored and chopped

·         ½ cup celery (two stalks), sliced

·         4 Tablespoons mayonnaise

·         1 Tablespoon lemon juice

·         ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

·         ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

·         2-4 lettuce leaves

·         ½ cup red, seedless grapes (about 20), sliced in half (optional)

Method

Spread walnuts on an oven tray and roast in oven at 180 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper. For a tangier flavor, add more lemon juice a teaspoon at a time.

Add apples, grapes and celery and mix until well-coated with mayonnaise mixture.

Add toasted walnuts just before serving, mix well.

Arrange lettuce leaves on small plates and divide salad mixture among them. Serve heaping spoonful’s on top of lettuce leaf.

Ingredients

For the basic dough

250g white flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp salt

½ tsp dried yeast

125–145ml warm water

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling and drizzling

For the pizza topping

Tomato paste/ purée

250g mozzarella cheese, sliced

8 slices prosciutto, ripped up into bite-sized pieces

5 figs, quartered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch fresh basil

Method

Mix the flour, salt and yeast together in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. In a jug, mix the water and oil together, then pour the liquid into the well of the flour mixture and mix to make a soft but not sticky dough.

Knead for 10 minutes by hand on a lightly floured work surface or for five minutes in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Bring the dough together to a smooth flat ball and place on a large, lightly floured baking tray.

Cover the pizza dough loosely with oiled cling film, making sure it is airtight. Leave in a warm but not hot place for 30–40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220C

Remove the cling film from the dough and roll out to a 30cm circle to knock some air out, then prick holes all over the dough with a fork. Spread over the tomato purée, leaving a 2.5cm/1in border, followed by the mozzarella, prosciutto and half of the figs.

Drizzle with oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until the bread is crisp and golden-brown and the cheese has melted. Scatter basil over the top and arrange the remaining figs on the pizza. Drizzle with oil.

Serve at the centre of the table so everyone can rip off their piece of Italian gold.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, at room-temperature
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 pears, peeled, in a small dice
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

Method

Preheat oven to 180c. Butter and flour a 9-inch round springform pan.

2. In a small bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, (using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment), whip the eggs until pale and very thick.

4. Meanwhile, brown the butter in a medium saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat and continue cooking it, stirring frequently, until it turns brown and smells nutty. (This will take about 6 to 8 minutes.) Remove from the heat but keep warm.

5. Add the sugar to the eggs and whip for a few minutes more.

6. Just as the egg-sugar mixture begins to lose volume, turn the mixture down to stir and add the flour mixture and brown butter. Start with a third of the flour mixture, then half of the butter, another third of the flour, the other half of the butter, and the remaining flour. Whisk until just barely combined (no more than 1 minute from when the first flour is added). Use a spatula to finish folding the ingredients until just barely combined. (Over-mixing the batter will cause it to lose volume.)

7. Pour batter into the prepared springform pan. Sprinkle the pear and chocolate chunks over top.

8. Bake in preheated oven for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped heavy cream.