Honey Spiced Apple Butter

2 pounds McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups apple cider
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 star anise pod
2 cardamom pods
pinch ground allspice
pinch kosher salt

In a large pot, combine apples and cider. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Add the star anise and the cardamom pods. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until the apples are tender and breaking down easily.

Remove star anise and cardamom pods. Cool mixture slightly and then press through a fine/medium sieve into a bowl.

Return the mixture to the saucepan. Whisk in the brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Heat over medium and simmer vigorously for about an hour to 75 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Take the pan off the heat and let cool for 20 minutes. Scrape the apple butter into a glass or Tupperware container, press plastic wrap directly on the surface to seal, cover with a lid, and store in refrigerator.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

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Curry pumpkin soup with chicken skewers

Pumpkin soup:
800g butternut pumpkin, peeled & chopped
1 apple, peeled & chopped
100g shallots (or a small onion), chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 pinch paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 litre chicken broth
1 can coconut milk, or else a good few shakes of coconut milk powder
black pepper

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
5 skewers
peanut oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons chilli jam or sweet chilli sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Fry shallots, garlic and carrots in butter, add pumpkin and apple together with paprika, curry, and ginger. Add chicken broth and simmer for 20 min. Add coconut milk, puree and season to taste.

Cut chicken into 1cm cubes and thread onto skewers. Fry in peanut oil, and deglaze in soy sauce. Brush over with chilli jam/sweet chilli sauce and coat with sesame seeds.

Serve soup in bowls, and place two chicken skewers over each bowl. Serve.

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What do the food critics say? Is there any more? Well, except for Lukan, but he did eat one bowl willingly. If you count "three spoonfuls of soup for one piece of cheese" as "willingly".
What does the cook say? The peeling and chopping is a bit of a pain, but it's otherwise easy and fancy looking enough to serve at a dinner party. I used a Thai marinade for the chicken though (coconut milk, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, fish sauce, fresh & ground coriander, cumin) and grilled the skewers instead of frying them. I also think less coconut milk for the soup is better - enough so you can taste it, but not so much out drowns out the more subtle ginger.

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Adapted from a recipe book at the house we stayed in on the Canary Islands.

Beetroot Marmalade

500 grams white onions, peeled and chopped
750 grams raw beetroot, peeled and grated
375 grams green apples, peeled and grated
1 cup white balsamic vinegar
250 grams white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 dessertspoon ground ginger
Small knob green ginger peeled and grated
Small amount of lime rind and a little of the juice

Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 1 hour (do not boil vigorously or you will lose the rich colour). Fill into sterilized bottles.

Serve with cold meats and cheeses.

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Squash-Apple Soup with Thai Red Curry

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small butternut pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 4 cups)
1 apple, cored, peeled and diced
2 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
½ stalk celery, finely chopped
1 T chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
4 cups basic vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 T brown sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt or more to taste
thinly sliced chives
Thin strips of orange zest

In a 4-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the squash, apple, leeks, carrot, celery, and basil and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened; do not brown.

Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.

Add the stock, water, brown sugar, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft.

Cool for 30 minutes, then puree until absolutely smooth.

Reheat and taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Serve very hot, with a sprinkling of chives and orange zest, if desired.

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Grilled goat's cheese with caramelised apple and toasted macadamia nuts

4-5 English Cox or red-skinned apples, unpeeled
5tbsp rapeseed oil
Knob of butter
A little Maldon salt
400g (14oz) Swiss chard or rainbow chard, stalks removed and roughly chopped, the leaves sliced into lengths
1tbsp white balsamic vinegar
3tbsp macadamia nuts, halved, toasted and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3-4tbsp wild-flower or other clear, well-flavoured honey
4 small goat's cheeses
Freshly ground black pepper

Halve the apples, remove the cores and slice each half into 4 wedges. Then slice each wedge in half so that you have 16 slim wedges per apple.

Heat 1tbsp of the oil in a wok and add the garlic and salt, then the chard stalks. Cover and cook gently for a few minutes, then add the leaves and stir for a further few minutes until tender. Leave in the wok and put to one side.

To make the dressing, whisk 2tbsp of the oil into the vinegar and add the toasted nuts.

Put 1tbsp of the oil and a knob of butter into a large, non-stick frying pan and add the apple wedges. On a medium heat, fry on both sides until tinged golden and soft.

Add the honey and let it bubble until the apples are cooked. Drain off the juices and whisk them into the dressing.

Cut each cheese in half and place, cut side up, on a foil-lined oven tray, adding a little pepper and oil to each. Place under a hot grill until golden.

To serve, put some wilted chard on each plate, followed by some apple, then top with the cheese. Drizzle over the dressing and scatter with a little salt and black pepper.

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