Autumnal Baking - Apple and Marzipan Crumble Tart

OMG this one is a good one. I love autumn baking.

I decided to make some tweaks to an old favourite, because despite the boyfriend CLAIMING he enjoyed my Apple and Marzipan Pie when I first made it, now he doesn’t. Right.

So, I took what he didn’t like (big chunks of apple) and decided to make stewed apple to put on top of the marzipan layer. And he LOVES crumble, so I topped it with a spiced cinnamon almond crumble. Note – this is also a MUCH easier topping than a pie crust!

I have to confess, this is the first time I’ve ever made stewed apple. For some reason I thought it was a really labour intensive , time-consuming process. FALSE.

It’s so easy! It’s the opposite of labour intensive. Do it now. You won’t regret it.

Taco Pie aka Tacopaj

This is one of my boyfriend’s favourite meals. And, believe it or not, it is pretty traditionally Swedish. Apparently there was a drive in Sweden many years ago to bring TexMex to the masses. And they clung to taco pie like their lives depended on it.

This is NOT authentic Mexican. This is Sweden-does-Mexican, and they love it. This is also NOT fine dining. This is a really quick mid-week dinner (even quicker if you just use pre-made pastry).

I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I don’t have many firm principles. I’m pretty flexible in some of my opinions and I’m fairly easily swayed. But I HATE taking detrimental shortcuts in my cooking. It’s why I make my own custard, and why I pretty much always make my pastry and spice mixes/pastes from scratch (more on this later..)

But sometimes, a recipe just “feels” like it is asking for shortcuts. This is one of those recipes. I have made this before dutifully in my normal style, with homemade pastry and with my own taco spice mix – boyfriend was not a fan. He said it didn’t taste like the one from home. Fair enough.

And then I remade it with a taco seasoning kit (going against all my better judgement) and pre-made shortcrust pastry, and it was declared a triumph! I even sneaked in some extra spices and veggies, and it was still a success!

So, if you want a close-to authentic Swedish “Tacopaj” then you’re in luck! If you want haute cuisine, just keep walking.

Chicken Rough Puff Pie

Ooooh, I love a good savoury pie.

The nights are getting longer and colder, and for me that means one thing: comfort food. There is nothing more comforting than a big old pie, fresh from the oven, chock full of meats and veggies.  For me, making and then eating this is my perfect way to spend an autumnal weekend evening.

And I might just be a total weirdo, but I find making pastry comforting too. And I’ve never made rough puff before, but I have been inspired by the Great British Bakeoff where it seemed to make a lot of appearances! And I can see why – it is quick, light, flavourful and crispy, and slightly less labour intensive than it’s “non rough” counterpart. This is nicer than the M&S equivalent, a fact which makes me stupidly happy.

MINCE PIES! Sleigh Bells Ringin'

Christmas a-go-go.

Yes, I know it’s over,  but I desperately cling to the remnants of Christmas like I’m falling off a wintery cliff. My tree is still up, sweets are still under it, and goddamn I’m still eating the ham from Christmas day. I’m wearing a Christmas jumper right now, for Chrissakes.

And so, my blog will be festive right until my tree is wilting and the snow is melting. Bring it on!

I really like my enhanced mince pies, the extra zest is killing it, and the almonds really adds something to the pastry. Delectable.

Makes 12

Apple and Marzipan Pie

Jaysus, I love baking.

And pastry is just one of my favourite things to do. I don’t do it very often due to laziness, but there is something incredibly therapeutic about the whole process. And when the finished product comes out well, then it is one of the most satisfying things in the world, to me.

I would definitely credit my affinity for pastry to my Nanny Margaret. She does a mean apple pie. It is one of my earliest memories of “proper” cooking, getting my grubby little hands stuck into a bowl of flour and butter, and rubbing to get the breadcrumb consistency. My nanny always distracted me with a separate little bit of excess dough to roll out and play with while she got on with the serious business of actually making the pie.

This is a riff on her traditional pie, with a sweet and almondy marzipan base that the apple slices sit on top of. I added a ton of cinnamon, because it’s coming into autumn, and my favourite autumnal flavour combination has got to be apple and cinnamon.

I really wanted to do a fluted edge, but I am not very dextrous, in fact I’m a bit ambisinistrous (the proper word for being cack-handed). So I need to look up some tutorials before I attempt that mess again.

Makes one decent sized pie