Charlotte Pike

Food & Drink Expert

Dinner

Apple Tarte Tatin

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Apple Tarte Tatin

This is a gorgeous dessert to make, but really does have the wow factor. Although it looks fancy, it’s very simple to make.

Serves 8

Ingredients

50g salted butter

50g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 ripe apples, peeled, cored and halved

200-250g ready made, ready rolled puff pastry

Method 

Preheat the oven to 200C/180 Fan oven/ Gas Mark 4. Take an 8”/20cm springform tin and grease very well with butter

Place the butter and sugar in a large frying pan. Melt the butter over a low heat, and then turn the temperature up to high, allowing the mixture to bubble away until it turns a rich, reddish brown in colour

Turn the heat right down as soon as the sugar caramelizes as it can burn easily. Add the vanilla extract and stir into the caramel.

Add the apples to the caramel, cut side facing up and cook in the caramel sauce very gently over a low heat for 10 minutes. Spoon the caramel over the apples whilst they are cooking

Arrange the apples, again, cut side up, in the bottom of the cake tin, and pour the caramel over the top.

Take your puff pastry and cut out a circle to fit in the tin. Place the pastry over the fruit and tuck the excess pastry around inside the tin. Prick the pastry a couple of times on the top using a sharp knife.

Place the cake tin on a baking tray and bake the tarte in the oven for 25-30 minutes.  The puff pastry should be golden brown.

Leave the tarte to rest for 5 minutes in the tin before removing the sides of the tin. You may wish to run a sharp knife around the edge first.

Now, place a plate over the tarte and flip it over to turn the tarte out onto the plate.

Remove the base of the cake tin and serve immediately with double cream.

Za’atar Spiced Squash and Chickpea Traybake with Garlic, Tahini and Mint

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Za’atar Spiced Squash and Chickpea Traybake with Garlic, Tahini and Mint

This is such an easy and flavoursome supper dish. I like to make it with Crown Prince squash, which has a wonderfully creamy and nutty flavour and is so much less sweet than other varieties.

Serves 4

Ingredients

One medium size squash, washed, deseeded and cut into 1-2cm wedges

3 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

2 tbsp za’atar

2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained

1 lemon

75g tahini

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

100ml cold water

20g fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

2 tsp sumac, ground

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Put the squash and onion wedges onto a baking tray or two, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and za’atar and put in the oven to roast for 20 minutes.

After 10 minutes in the oven, remove from the oven and add the chickpeas. Turn the vegetables if needed. Return to the oven for 15-20 minutes to bake the chickpeas.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Blend the lemon juice, tahini, garlic and water together using a small blender. Taste and season with salt if you need to. Set aside.

When the timer goes off for the vegetables, check the chickpeas are lightly firm and crisp and the squash is tender. Pour or drizzle the dressing over the veg. Serve on plates, topped with mint and sumac. A dollop of yoghurt, extra olive oil and za’atar can be nice accompaniments. A flatbread on the side to mop up the juices is a lovely addition.

Beef and Red Wine Pie

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I made this delicious pie some time ago and promised you the recipe, and here it is. It works really nicely with venison, too. Some of you have been asking for a beef pie recipe for a while, and I think I’ve really cracked it with this one. You can use most cuts of beef if you don’t have chuck steak. Just make sure it’s nicely trimmed. I’ve also included enough pastry to make a bottom and a top. I know this is controversial, but I usually just add a top to my pies (I know, that means it’s technically a casserole with a pastry, not a pie), but that’s how I like it. So you can halve the quantity of the pastry recipe if you like. Any excess will freeze well though. I like to roll it and then freeze it in a sheet.

Beef and Red Wine Pie

Charlotte Pike

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying

700g diced chuck steak

20g plain flour, seasoned

200g smoked bacon, sliced thinly

25g butter

2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced

3 small carrots, peeled and finely diced

250ml red wine

400ml beef stock

4 sprigs of thyme, leaves roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp muscovado sugar

1-2 tsp Aspall Red Wine Vinegar

 

For the pastry

500g plain flour

125g butter

125g lard

Pinch salt

Cold water

One large egg, beaten

 

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 150C/Gas Mark 3.  Place the beef in a bowl, add the flour and season well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or casserole dish and add the beef to the pan. Fry over a high heat until brown. Add the bacon and continue to cook.

Turn down the heat and add the butter, onions and carrots and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the wine, stock, thyme, bay, sugar and vinegar. Stir well, bring to the boil.

Tranfer the filling to an ovenproof casserole dish.  Cover and place in the oven for 1.5 to 2 hours. Remove and allow to cool.

Now, make the pastry. Rub the fats into the flour in a large bowl to make breadcrumbs. This can be done very quickly in a food processor. Blend with enough cold water (around 4-6 tablespoons) to make a firm dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C. On a floured surface roll out half the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Spoon in the cold pie filling into a pie dish and cover with pastry. Trim the edges and decorate if you wish. Cut a hole in the centre, brush with beaten egg and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is a rich, golden brown.

Serve with wilted greens, and potatoes, if you like.