IT seems to me that if you read enough magazines and newspapers there is a National Day for everything but it has come to my attention that October 21 is National English Apple Day. Charged with this information I decided to take myself off to some greengrocers, supermarkets and Farmers Markets to see the selection of English apples.
I bought and tried all the varieties available and was reminded how much the tastes and textures vary. I have been buying apple juices for my shop and am well accustomed to tasting the flavours in juice form but not being my favourite fruit I had forgotten to check around and actually find an apple that I did like. I succeeded so why don’t you support National English Apple day and have your own tasting this week? It really brings out the autumnal feel. As we have got a long winter ahead and not much choice of English fruit it is best to find one you like and snuggle down with it for the winter.

Peasant Girl with a Veil
This is a lovely Danish recipe which remains a real favourite in our shop and when we are catering for parties at client’s homes or offices. With the smooth apple puree and crunchy caramelised breadcrumbs it provides good contrast and then topped with light and fluffy cream and veiled in grated chocolate. What a combination!
Serves six-eight

Ingredients
Four dessertpoons of dark brown sugar.
50g of butter.
225g of breadcrumbs.
675g of cooking apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped.
Four dessertpoons of white sugar – or more or less to taste.
The juice of one lemon.
10 fl oz of double cream, whipped.
Some grated dark chocolate.

Method
Put the brown sugar and butter in a large, heavy based frying pan and melt gently, then add the breadcrumbs and mix well.
Fry gently until the breadcrumbs are crispy, brown and caramelised. Meanwhile, cook the apples in a saucepan with half the white sugar and the lemon juice.
When cooked, taste for sweetness and add more sugar, if necessary.
Cool both mixtures, then layer in a wide dish, starting with the apple and ending with the breadcrumbs, creating two layers of each. Top with the whipped cream, then the grated chocolate. Serve chilled.

Toffee Apples
This is such a fun thing to make and eat but often forgotten except for Halloween night.
Do you remember having them as a child but often the apple would be disgusting, so use good flavoured apples. I suggest Cox’s, but choose the ones you like best and get boiling.
You can normally buy the sticks at a butcher’s or lolly sticks from the superrmarket. Children love to help with the cooking but be very careful of the hot caramel.

Ingredients
Six Cox’s apples;
Six lolly sticks;
225g of granulated sugar;
4fl oz of water;
30g of butter;
Two tablespoons of golden syrup.

Method
Push the wooden sticks halfway into the apples at the stalk end. Put the sugar and water in a thick-bottomed pan and dissolve the sugar over a gentle heat. Add the butter and syrup and bring to the boil. Boil without stirring until the toffee reaches the ‘soft-crack stage’ or 290C – measure this on a sugar thermometer.
Remove from the heat and after a few minutes cooling dip each apple into the toffee, one by one. Make sure each apple is well coated and leave the apples to harden on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

Clare’s Kitchen
41 Chalcot Road
Primrose Hill, NW1
Tel: 020 7586 8433
www.clareskitchen.co.uk