Summers End

Summer has been good to us here in Edinburgh this year. It's been hot, sunny and glorious for the most part, when it's often a disappointing grey and damp wash out with the odd warm day. Not this year! I've even been able to wear summer dresses and shoes! Usually they can hang in the wardrobe hoping for an outing but the weather dictates it's jeans and boots as usual. And a wee jacket just to keep off the chill! This summer has been a long awaited change.

But although the warm weather has lingered and been kind there is now that hint of coolness in the air. The brambles are out and apples are dropping from the trees. My neighbour popped over with a bag of the prettiest soft green and pink apples this week and we decided to make a Tart Tatin and an Eve's pudding. There is no nicer smell in the kitchen than caramel bubbling on the stove gently cooking slices of apples before the whole lot is covered in pastry and popped in the oven for 30 minutes. We ate slices of it with cream and then had a portion of Eve's pudding when it came out of the oven a little while later. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

With autumn drawing in I am anticipating the cool, crisp days and pulling on warm jumpers, kicking up leaves, cooking up pies and bringing puddings from the oven ready for a slosh of custard to be poured over the top. I do love the changing seasons and I enjoy the different things that each one brings.

If you fancy a treat and have a spare hour, here is a lovely recipe for Eve's Pudding. It's a simple but delicious traditional pudding with apple at the bottom of the dish, covered in cake mix and baked for 30+ minutes. Pour over cream or custard. 

Eve's Pudding 

2 large cooking apples

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

2oz butter

2 tablespoons caster sugar

Topping

4oz butter

4oz sugar

4oz self raising flour

2 eggs

1 tablespoon water   

Heat the oven to 180 C. Prepare the apples by peeling, coring and chopping roughly. Place in a saucepan with the lemon and water and cook briskly for 5 minutes. Add the 2oz butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix to a nice cream. (You can leave the apples chunky but I prefer a creamy apple base). 

Now make the topping. Place all the ingredients in a bowl (they should all be room temperature for ease) and mix until you have a creamy cake mix (don't mix too long or it will flatten and not rise so well). 

Place the apples at the bottom of a greased gratin dish and spoon the cake mix over the rop. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes (until the cake mix is cooked - keep checking as this can vary from oven to oven. If you have a fierce oven watch it doesn't brown too much on top before cooking in the middle - turn the oven down a little and extend the cooking time instead)

Look how the pinkness of the apples came through when they were baked!  So pretty.