I have been buying assortments of apples, dipping into the paper bag without looking, crunching skin, flesh and core as I walk back from the shops. As sure as the leaves fall each autumn, the desire to bite into as many different apples as I can, while the season for local varieties is upon us, never lessens. Good russets, hard as Blackpool rock, are around for just a few weeks, as are those varieties of apple you can pick up briefly from farm shops and markets, such as Ashmead’s Kernel, Worcester Pearmain and, if you are lucky, the crisp, ruby-fleshed Red Devil.
I added apples to two salads this week, the first a couple of Cox’s with their signature flash of orange and russet, a sharp crunch to a salad of young kale leaves with a roasted peanut dressing. Later in the week, a couple of ice-cold Worcesters, refreshing and slightly tart, went into a simpler salad with walnuts, chicory, Lancashire cheese and walnut oil. I kept the skinsintact and dressed the fruit quickly, so the flesh kept its bright colour.
The first of the new season’s pears appeared in the house a couple of weeks ago. The first, a rough-skinned conference, crisp as ice, was enjoyed with chunks of Irish Coolea, sweet and with a texture similar to that of a well-matured Gouda. After that, the simplest of pear tarts, made with shortcake-like pastry and poached pears. A cheat really, but none the worse for that.
The late, wet spring has led to just one, admittedly rather beautiful, Doyenne du Comice on my espalier outside the kitchen. I barely saw a bee, butterfly or wasp till the blossom was over, so I was waiting for a smaller harvest than usual, and that is certainly what I got. This pear will be eaten with much quiet ceremony, its juicy, luscious flesh gorged on like the feast it is. My lone, golden pear feels so precious it may even get its own fruit knife and linen napkin.
Kale, apple and peanuts
Young, curly kale leaves are sweet and nutty, without the pungent brassica notes of the larger leaves. Serves 3. Ready in 30 minutes
For the dressing:
crunchy peanut butter 2 tbsp
honey 2 tbsp
roasted sesame oil 1 tsp
tamari soy sauce 1 tbsp
lemon juice 2 tbsp
kale leaves 2 large handfuls
dessert apples 2-3
gammon 250g (optional), a thick slice
peanuts 50g, salted and roasted
Put the peanut butter, honey and sesame oil in a small mixing bowl, add the soy sauce, then mix thoroughly. Introduce the lemon juice a little at a time, tasting as you go. I found that about 2 tbsp gives the right balance of nutty, sweet and sour.
Wash the kale leaves and tear them into small pieces, then put them in a large bowl. Cut the apples in half and remove their cores, then slice thinly. Add them to the kale leaves, then pour in the dressing and toss together gently.
Heat an overhead grill or griddle pan. Lightly season the gammon with black pepper, then cook on or under the heat until the fat is golden and translucent. Remove from the heat and slice into thick strips. Toss with the kale, its dressing and the roasted peanuts.
Pear shortcake tart
The simplest of tarts that involves no lining of tart cases or making pastry cream, just pears, sweet pastry and tart jam. I poached the pears from scratch, which took about 30 minutes, including the time it took to peel them. The poaching syrup can be kept, refrigerated and sealed for a few days and used again. If you are really pushed for time and fancied a taste of nostalgia, you could use bottled or tinned pears instead. Serves 6. Ready in 2 hours
granulated or caster sugar 100g
cloves 4
cinnamon stick 1
pears 4, each weighing about 200g
For the pastry:
plain flour 160g
butter 100g
caster sugar 60g
ground almonds 60g
egg yolk 1
water 2-3 tbsp
apricot jam 4 tbsp
ice-cream or cream to serve
Put 1 litre of water in a large saucepan, add the sugar, cloves and the cinnamon stick and bring to the boil. Peel the pears. Halve them, then remove their cores with a teaspoon and lower them into the syrup and turn the heat down. Leave to simmer, gently, for about 20 minutes or until they are translucent. Remove the pears from their syrup and set aside to drain.
To make the pastry by hand, put the flour into a large mixing bowl, cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour with your hands until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and ground almonds. Lightly beat the egg yolk and mix into the crumbs with enough water (about 2-3 tbsp) to form a firm, rollable dough. Bring together with your hands into a ball, then refrigerate for 30 minutes while you prepare the pears. If you prefer, reduce the flour and butter to crumbs in a food processor, introduce the almonds, sugar, beaten yolk and a little water, then transfer to a lightly floured board and shape into a ball with your hands. Wrap the dough in greaseproof paper and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Set the oven to 200C/gas mark 6 and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat. Roll the pastry out into a rectangle measuring 20 x 30cm and transfer to a second baking sheet. Crimp the edges if you wish or leave them plain. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden and dry to the touch.
Slice the pears thinly, then arrange them, each one slightly overlapping, on the cooked pastry rectangle, until all of the pears are used up. Warm the apricot jam, in a small pan then brush generously on to the pears. Heat an overhead (oven) grill. Place the tart under the grill for a few minutes until the jam starts to bubble then remove from the heat and leave to settle. Remove from the oven, leave to rest for a good 15 minutes, then eat warm with ice-cream or cream.
Follow Nigel on Instagram @NigelSlater