Apple and almond tart

SERVES 6

The best way to arrange the apples in the tin is to start at the perimeter, in a pinwheel fashion, filling the middle after a full circle of slices is in place. This would also be delicious made with pears, depending on what you fancy.

  • 125g (4½oz) butter, softened
  • 100g (4oz) icing sugar, sifted
  • 100g (4oz) ground almonds
  • 25g (1oz) plain flour
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways and seeds scraped out
  • large pinch of ground cinnamon
  • 450g (1lb) cooking apples
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 2–3 tbsp apricot jam
  • softly whipped cream, to serve
  • caramel ice cream), to serve (optional)
  • FOR THE PASTRY:
  • 175g (6oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 100g (4oz) butter, chilled and diced
  • 50g (2oz) caster sugar
  • 1 egg yolk ½ tbsp cream

1 To make the pastry, place the flour in a food processor with the butter and sugar and pulse until just blended. Add the egg yolk and cream and blend again briefly. Wrap with cling film and chill for 1 hour to rest.

2 To make the filling, place 100g (4oz) of the butter in a large bowl with the icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy using an electric hand beater. Beat in the ground almonds and flour, then gradually beat in the eggs, vanilla seeds and cinnamon. Continue to beat for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.

3 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 23cm (9in) loose-bottomed flan tin. Chill again for 15 minutes to allow the pastry to rest.

4 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas mark 5).

5 Peel the apples and cut into quarters to remove the cores, then cut into thin wedges. Tip into a bowl and toss in the lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Spread the almond filling in the pastry case and carefully arrange the apple slices on top in a fan shape, then gently press the apples down into the filling. Dot with the remaining 25g (1oz) of the butter.

6 Bake the tart for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through and the apples are golden brown. Remove from the flan tin and transfer to a plate. Melt the apricot jam in a pan or in the microwave and brush it over the tart.

7 To serve, cut the tart into wedges and serve warm or cold on serving plates with a good dollop of whipped cream and a scoop of caramel ice cream, if liked.

Sticky ginger and date pudding with butterscotch sauce

This pudding is very similar to a traditional stick y toffee pudding, but the addition of ginger gives it a lovely warmth and spice. It can all be made the day before and drizzled with a little of the butterscotch sauce, then left to cool and chill, covered with cling film until needed. Warm through in a medium oven to serve, reheating the rest of the sauce in a small pan or in the  microwave.

SERVES 6–8

  • 250g (9oz) pitted dates, chopped
  • 400ml (14fl oz) boiling water
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 250g (9oz) light brown sugar
  • 150g (5oz) butter, plus extra
  • for greasing
  • 3 large eggs
  • 25g (1oz) stem ginger in syrup,
  • drained and finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 350g (12oz) self-raising flour
  • 100g (4oz) toasted pecan nuts,
  • chopped
  • 1 tbsp treacle
  • vanilla ice cream, to serve
  • FOR THE BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE:
  • 175g (6oz) light brown sugar
  • 100g (4oz) butter
  • 250ml (9fl oz) cream
  • 3 tbsp golden syrup
  • 1 tbsp treacle
  • ½ tsp sea salt flakes

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4).

2 Put the dates in a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water, then stir in the bicarbonate of soda and set aside to soak for 10 minutes. Butter a 1.5 litre (2½ pint) ovenproof dish.

3 Using an electric hand-held mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add the stem ginger and ground ginger along with the flour, pecans, treacle and date mixture and beat until evenly combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared ovenproof dish and bake for 45–50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If you think it's becoming too brown close to the end of the cooking time, simply cover with foil. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

4 Meanwhile, to make the butterscotch sauce, put the light brown sugar into a heavy-based pan with the butter, cream, golden syrup and treacle. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then allow to bubble for a couple of minutes, until you have achieved a smooth sauce. Stir in the salt.

5 Pour some of the butterscotch sauce over the warm pudding and put the rest into a jug to serve alongside. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each portion to serve.