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I was going to save this post until the autumn, but accidentally bought a bag of apples which turned out to not be very good eating apples (well, Little One thought they were, but he sometimes has questionable taste) so it seemed like a good time to make more and to post about it. It is also a good time because pectin is useful in jam making for any fruit which isn't high in pectin, helping with gelling. And it's jam season! It is entirely natural and easy to make and allows you to make something of what would otherwise be compost. In order to make pectin, all you have to do is to save apple peels and cores (when I made pectin in the autumn, I made apple sauce from the apples and pectin from the off-cuts, and this time around I dried the apple slices). You then simmer them in water over medium low heat until the liquid turns pinkish and thickens a little. Strain out the bits and save the pectin. Et voilà! I put mine away in the freezer for future use (like in my Watermelon Rind Jam).

B is for Bagel... A year ago for Christmas, my sister gave me bagel moulds (also known as witches` hats) and a recipe. Growing up in Switzerland with family in New York, bagels were always a treat, something we couldn't get here but would look forward to on trips to see family. Family coming over here would also bring us bagels in ziplock baggies, bringing a taste of New York to us for a few mornings after their arrival. And, aside from one woman who made homemade bagels that we bought occasionally, they were not available. Somehow, it never occurred to me to try making my own until my sister gave me those moulds last Christmas. Since, I have tried a few different recipes and methods, getting better and nearer the mark with each attempt. The real trick seems to be the slow proof of the dough overnight in the fridge, and the boiling before baking. Having come up with a recipe that works, I have now enjoyed playing around with flavours. Changing what goes in the water to boil the proto-bagels as well as what goes in the dough is a fun way of altering them. I haven't come across cranberry and almond ones before but wanted to try the flavours together. They also seem particularly appropriate to the season! Ingredients: 2 c whole meal flour 2 1/4 c white flour 1 1/4 c water, body temp. A pinch of sugar 1/2 cube yeast 1/2 tbsp salt 1 c dried cranberries 1/2 tsp almond extract Cornmeal Molasses 1 tbsp malt extract 1) In a small saucepan, heat the water to about body temperature - it should be warm, but still cool enough that a (clean) pinky finger dipped in it is comfortable for 10 seconds. Dissolve the yeast in the water with the sugar and leave for a few minutes. 2) Combine flours and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add yeast and water and stir together, gradually incorporating flour from around the well. as the dough comes together, add the almond extract and knead on a clean, floured surface for about 10 minutes until the dough is homogenous and elastic. Towards the end, knead in the cranberries as you go. 3) Place in a clean bowl and leave to rise, covered, in a warm spot for an hour, or until doubled in size. 4) Knock back the dough and divide into 8 roughly even balls. Here you have two options. Either: roll into snakes, then join the ends of these to make rings or: Roll into balls, then poke a thumb through the balls. With your thumb in the hole, gradually widen it, working the dough around so as to have an even, uniform thickness to the dough with a round hole in the middle. 5) Place rings on a baking tray sprinkled liberally with cornmeal, cover and place in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight to proof. 6) Remove the rings from the fridge. Fill a heavy-bottomed pot with water. Stir in molasses and malt extract. There should be enough molasses for the water to look like moderately strong tea. Place a test ring in the water. If it floats, you are ready to go. If not, dry if off and allow the bagels to come to room temperature. 7) When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to bring the water to a simmer. A few at a time, poach the bagels for about half a minute on each side, then fish them out and drain on a wire rack. 8) Sprinkle the baking tray with fresh cornmeal, then place the drained bagels back on the tray and bake at 240°C for 15 - 20 minutes until golden. These turned out well, with the right chewy, bagely texture. The flavour was a little plainer than I had hoped though, so I might try increasing the almond extract next time, as well as maybe putting flaked almonds on top. I may also try fresh cranberries instead of dried, but that might involve trading stronger flavour for altered moistness, so we'll see how that works out. A good combo on the whole though, especially with cream cheese! (In B is for Bagel, Little Bit's alphabet book, X is for EXtra schmeer, never make it less!)

When my husband and I first moved to South Africa, I struggled with the heat. I got there and felt sticky and full all the time, so the idea of eating food, let alone cooking it, was anything but appealing (don't worry, that changed, and some great recipes came out of our time there). Obviously sustenance was still required, so I looked up and started experimenting with various cold soups. Gazpacho is a classic, and living right in the middle of South Africa's food belt the watermelons were huge and beautiful and sweet and seemingly always available. What could be more natural than combining these two, producing watermelon gazpacho? Ingredients: 1/2 of a medium sized watermelon 1 medium onion 3 cloves of garlic (Beware: I am normally all for super-garlicking everything, but in this case it is overpowering. Start slow and add more if necessary,) 1 cucumber 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar A handful of basil leaves Salt and pepper 1 slice of bread (Optional) 1) Roughly chop all ingredients and blend - the consistency is up to you. Season to taste - you may need to add a little extra balsamic, depending on how sweet your watermelon is. 2) If your gazpacho appears too thin, blend in the slice of bread. 3) Chill and serve - good with croûtons. I find this soup to provide a refreshing and very light lunch, perfect for a hot day (we're in the middle of a heat wave now!) Since coming back from South Africa, watermelons are less plentiful, but whenever they are available this soup makes it back into rotation.

I first encountered clotted cream on a trip to Cornwall with my dad when I was 8, and I loved it. Living in Switzerland, it is unavailable here, so it was always only an occasional treat on trips to the UK. And then I moved to Scotland and discovered that I could have it whenever I wanted. And I learned to make scones. Hey Diddle Diddle! It never occurred to me though - growing up with it as a treat, with it commonly available for 6 years in Scotland, or since it has again become an occasional treat - that clotted cream was something I could actually make at home. With minimal faff or effort involved. And then I read somewhere about how simple it actually is and I had to try it. I read a couple of recipes and other people's accounts of making it, and the difference between making clotted cream and cornish cream, and then decided to try it for myself. The biggest impediment was picking a time when I could have it in and out of the oven at low temperatures for several days. Other than that though, it is the simplest "recipe" I think I have ever tried. Here goes. Heat cream at very low temperature for several hours (10-12). Turn off the oven and leave in, cooling oven overnight. In the morning, move the cream to the fridge. Allow to cool completely for several more hours, then scoop off the solid cream. There will be a slight skin or crust over the top, which is completely normal. It came out beautifully! I can't believe how simple it actually was once the veil was lifted. There are a few foods like that that I've enjoyed de-mythifying over the last few years, but this has to be the simplest....I am tempted to start playing around with this a little, like flavouring the cream beforehand for example. I would also like to try it as an ingredient in other dishes and see how it compares to using butter or regular cream. And then, of course, I had to make scones to go with it...

It can easily be made without the bacon to be vegetarian.

It can easily be either vegetarian or meaty. This particular version is vegetarian, but the addition of either sausage or bacon (or bits of chicken

I received an air fryer for my birthday this year. Since, I have been playing around with it, trying out different recipes, my own and others', and getting to know my new kitchen toy. Here is one of the recipes I have tried a couple of times now. It is simple but very tasty and a very good side dish. A bit of faff, but easy, and we are very happy with the taste! The adobo seasoning isn't one I usually use, but I had some on hand from another recipe. Given that it is all spices and herbs I was going to use in the coating anyway, I thought it was a good substitute. NB the quantities of ingredients for the breading will vary a little depending on the size of your broccoli head and the size of florets you cut it into. Ingredients: 1 head of broccoli, floretted 1 1/2 c flour 1 - 1 1/2 c milk 2 eggs 2 tsp adobo seasoning 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder 1 tsp thyme 1 1/2 c breadcrumbs (Optional: 1/2 c millet 1/4 c sunflower seed oil) Black pepper 1) Place the eggs and about 3/4 c milk in a bowl and beat well. In another bowl, mix the flour and the adobo seasoning, Kashmiri chilli, and thyme. In a third, mix together the breadcrumbs, the pepper, and the millet (if using). Finally, put the oil, if using, in a bowl, and the remaining milk in another bowl (I know that it is a lot of bowls! I've tried it with fewer, but this is how I got the best results, so bear with me!) 2) Dip each floret in the milk, the flour, the eggy mix, the breadcrumbs and then briefly in the oil (or brush it on), making sure that it is well coated after each dip, and then place in the basket of the air fryer. When it is full, leaving plenty of room between the florets. Set the air fryer for 9 minutes at 180°C. We had these served with mayo, the Roasted Red Pepper dip, Sriracha sauce... anything you want really. The millet is optional. We've had it both with and without. I like the texture as it pops a little in the heat, adding a little crunch. Rolling the pieces in only millet and no breadcrumbs didn't work as well though. Instead of the first milk dip, I have alternatively used broth or the egg-milk mix. Both work well, so take your pick. With the oil, that too is optional. I find that the coating is very crispy but a little dry when done with no oil at all. Brushing it on knocks off some of the coating, so the best solution I have found is a very quick dip, without necessarily coating fully, just enough to make it less dry and nice and golden, but not enough for it to be anywhere near saturated. After 9 minutes, these were tender inside and crispy on the outside! Little Bit got very excited helping with these last time I made them. He loves the air fryer and is excited to "watch the air fryer work" (although there isn't much to see), and enjoys commenting on the (not very loud) noise it makes.

As mentioned in Day 34 of The Challenge Mushroom season is here now too! (I know, so many seasons... plums, pumpkins and now mushrooms, but that is the beauty of autumn and the harvest season. My tomatoes are coming in too, as are little cucumbers on my balcony garden). Chanterelles are ridiculously over priced most of the year, but suddenly in September and October they aren't! They are almost like a normal food! So we got a little wooden basket of them from the store and made... a tart! Ingredients: Crust: (you can use a store bought crust if you want, but this is also very quick and easy, I promise! It is better if you have a half hour to let it chill before rolling it out, but it still works if you don't) 3/4 c flour 1/2 c cold butter, cut into pieces pinch of salt 1/4 (approximate) water Tart: 250g of fresh chanterelles 1 1/2 c fresh cheese (the eat with a spoon-fresh like quark or blanc battue) a few sprigs of fresh thyme 1 tsp of dried sage 1 tsp butter salt and pepper to taste 4 zucchini flowers 1/2 tsp dried mint 1 tbsp parmesan 1 tsp olive oil Salt and Pepper to taste 1) To make crust, mix flour and salt. Cut in pieces of butter and mix together with fingertips until it forms a crumb like texture. Add water and mix with a fork, then knead into a soft dough. 2) Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. 3) Mix the fresh cheese, reserving 1/4 c of it, with the thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp of water. 4) Roll out the crust to approximately 1 cm thick and line the bottom of a pie plate with it, and stab with a fork to create breathing holes. 5) Spread the fresh cheese over the crust in a thin layer. 6) Sauté the chanterelles briefly in the butter to allow them to give up their liquid (we didn't the first time making a mushroom tart and it was tasty, but swimming), then drain them (reserve the liquid if you want for use elsewhere) and sprinkle them over the cheese layer. 7) Take the remaining fresh cheese and mix it with the mint and some salt and pepper. Using a teaspoon, gently fill the zucchini flowers with it. 8) Place these on top of the tart and drizzle the olive oil over them. 9) Salt and pepper to taste and bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes. Serve warm with a side salad. Light but warm, it made a good lunch for an early autumn day, and easy to assemble too.

Here is another new twist on an old favourite. Having made a green curry for dinner, we had left over lemon grass and ginger (although we almost always have ginger on hand so I hesitate to call it left-over). Continuing on our soup for lunch trend, this made its appearance and proved an excellent addition to the repertoire. It can also easily be made vegan by switching the chicken stock to veg stock, too. Ingredients: 2 tbsp peanut oil 4 onions, chopped 1 (largish ) chunk ginger, chopped 8-10 carrots, chopped 1 sweet potato, chopped 2 c chicken stock 3 stalks of lemon grass, chopped salt to taste For garnish: Sesame oil Coriander Sumac 1) Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Sauté onions and ginger until the onions are translucent. Add other ingredients and bring to a boil, then simmer until carrots are tender (30-40 min). 2). Blitz until smooth, drizzle over a little sesame oil, sprinkle with shredded coriander and some sumac and serve. Beautiful and warming. I love this new twist on an old favourite full of delicate (and not so delicate) flavours.

So, I'm a little late in sharing this one. It is from when my rhubarb compote was fresh in the spring, not a defrosted one from the freezer, but this year has been a bit busy, and I thought it worth sharing anyway. It was a flavour hunch and it worked out. Ingredients: 1 tart crust 1/2 - 3/4c custard 1/2 - 3/4 c rhubarb compote 4 apples, sliced 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp oats 1) Line a tart pan with the crust. Swirl the compote and custard together and spread on the bottom of the crust. Arrange apple slices on top, and sprinkle with the oats and sugar. 2) Bake at 180°C for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy warm. This came out very tasty, but a little on the wet side. Next time I would reduce the compote a little on the stove to thicken it and avoid the problem. Tasty enjoyed with whipped cream or ice cream. I especially liked the extra texture added by the oats sprinkled on top.