Recipe: Poached pears with chocolate sauce

Are we done with New Year diet resolutions? Might be after this  -  syrupy fruit and drizzled chocolate heaven

Poached pears with chocolate sauce

125g sugar 
1 vanilla pod, split 
2 pears, ripe but firm, peeled and cored (leave stalks on) 
60g dark chocolate, broken into chunks 
1 tbsp unsalted butter 
20g almonds, coarsely chopped

1 In a medium saucepan, bring 1 litre water to a boil with the sugar and split vanilla pod. 
2 Add pears and lower the heat. Simmer for 20-25 mins until fruit is soft. 
3 In a small pan over a low heat, melt the chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth, but do not let it boil. 
4 Drain the pears and plate them. Pour over the chocolate sauce and sprinkle with chopped almonds.

This recipe is part of an intimate, easy-does-it menu for two, page 25 of February’s The Simple Things. Other recipes include Mushroom and parmesan filo pouches, Fish en papillote, Pilaf, and Kir Royale.

February's The Simple Things is out now - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipe: Griddled Courgettes with Turmeric & Pickled Chilli

Ever thought you’d wake up craving courgettes? Well, this recipe might just make you do that. It’s a fabulous side for roast lamb, pan-fried hake or daal and rice.

Griddled Courgettes with Turmeric & Pickled Chilli

Prep: 10 mins
Cooking: 20 mins

Feeds: 2-4 people

2-3 large courgettes
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
A gloss of olive oil
1 red chilli
75ml cider vinegar
2 tsp honey
2 tsp ground turmeric
Natural yogurt, to serve (optional)

Trim off the woody top end of your courgette. Using a large knife, thinly slice lengthwise into long 1/2cm-thick panels (or, if you prefer, just slice into rounds).

Dust a little salt and pepper over the sliced courgettes. Gloss with a little bit of oil, but don’t saturate them.

Thinly slice your chilli into rounds. Warm the vinegar and honey in a little pan, just till the honey’s dissolved. Swirl in your chillies. Take off the heat. Let them steep while you cook your courgettes. 

Get a large frying or griddle pan smoking hot. Carefully arrange your courgette slices in a single layer. Cook till nicely charred on each side. You’ll probably have to cook them in batches. 

Once cooked, set on a cutting board and dust each layer with the ground turmeric. Repeat till all of your courgettes are used up.

Artfully arrange your turmeric-dusted courgettes on a platter or individual plates. Sprinkle a little sea salt and pepper over. Add a little gloss of oil, if needed and some drizzles of natural yogurt, too, if you fancy.

Dot the pickled chillies over the top. Save the pickling vinegar to make a salad dressing for big leafy green salad to serve alongside – simply shake the vinegar in a jam jar with an equal amount of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Recipe: Abel & Cole 
Try a weekly box of organic, seasonal veg delivered to your door. 

 
ABEL & COLE OFFER

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A FREE cookbook with your first delivery, and your 4th seasonal box FREE with a FREE bottle of organic Prosecco.

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Recipe: Harissa broth with kale and almond pesto

A potent broth full of zingy flavours and vibrant colours, Harissa broth with kale and almond pesto is a wonderful way to spring you through your day.
 

Top nutritionist Vicki from Abel & Cole says, “Almond and kale pesto is set to become the next pesto thing: the almonds are packed with magnesium for a calm 'get up and go', whilst providing a rich, creamy flavour/texture that is so much healthier than dairy cream and high in vegetarian alkaline protein, too. The Mediterranean vegetables offer the best combination of anti-oxidants to mop up the toxins in your body.” 
 

Harissa broth with kale and almond pesto

Serves: 2-3
 
1 carrot
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
500g tomatoes
A pinch of harissa (more or less, to taste)
35g flaked almonds
50g kale
1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
 
1. Get a large pot hot. Peel or scrub your carrot. Finely dice. Finely dice your onion. Add a gloss of oil to your warmed pot. Tumble in the carrot and onion with a pinch of salt and pepper. Swirl through the oil. Lower heat. Sizzle till tender.
 
2. Finely chop your garlic. Set 1 tsp aside. Cut your tomatoes into a fine dice. Swirl them into the carrot and onion mix, along with a pinch of harissa.
 
3. Let the tomatoes cook right down till they’ve lost their shape and are almost a paste, about 10 mins.
 
4. Add 500ml water. Bring to a soft rolling boil. Cook till the broth has thickened. Taste and tweak spicing as you go.
 
5. To make the pesto, toast the almonds till just golden. Rinse and finely chop your kale. Blitz the almonds and the kale in a food processor with the reserved 1 tsp of garlic, 6 tbsp olive oil, the zest of your lemon, a squeeze of juice and a pinch of salt till it all comes together, trickling in more olive oil as needed. You want it to be a little loose, so you can swirl it through your soup. Taste and tweak as needed.
 
6. For a smoother broth, puree the soup before serving. Or keep it a little more rustic. Serve the with the pesto on the side, swirling it into the bowl as you serve.

Recipe: Abel & Cole - try a weekly box of organic, seasonal veg delivered to your door. Try the Superb Souping Box (£12.50) - 3 different recipes every week, each making 2-3 bowls per recipe.

 

ABEL & COLE OFFER

Order this week and get:

A FREE cookbook with your first delivery, and your 4th seasonal box FREE with a FREE bottle of organic Prosecco.

Visit Abel & Cole and enter the code TST14 at checkout.

Recipe: Bircher muesli and other breakfast suggestions

In a nod to a more wholesome, nutritious new year, we present the ultimate breakfast for starting the day as you mean to go on, with the power to stave off morning munchies. Stir and leave to soak before you go to bed and wake up happy.

BIRCHER MUESLI

2 apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled and cored
300ml coconut water (or use apple juice or milk)
300ml plain Greek yogurt (3.5% fat or more)
250g rolled oats, kamut, or spelt
85g dried goji berries
3 tbsp flaxseed
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
3 tbsp maple syrup

To garnish:
Fresh berries, mint leaves, granola, Cape gooseberries and chopped nuts

1. Using a box grater set over a large bowl, coarsely grate the apples. Add the coconut water, 60ml of the yogurt, the oats, goji berries, flaxseed, and mint to the bowl and stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

2. Cover the muesli and refrigerate overnight.

3. The next morning, mix the remaining 240ml yogurt, maple syrup and a pinch of salt into the muesli and spoon into bowls. Garnish as desired before serving.

Notes:
Makes about 900g. The muesli can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days. If you’re using coconut water, it’s better to use a yogurt with a fairly high fat percentage.

RECIPE ADAPTED FROM BREAD EXCHANGE BY MALIN ELMLID (CHRONICLE BOOKS, £21.99). 

Want more breakfast ideas?

It's easy to get into a rut when it comes to breakfast, particularly during dark winter mornings. But a warming meal first thing will set you up for the rest of the day. Try these three breakfasts for size, or head over to our Rise and Shine Pinterest board for more ideas.

Quinoa porridge with apples and spice

Image: The Teacup Chronicles

Using quinoa instead of porridge oats results in a lighter, more nutritious porridge, while the spices are warming and the apples add natural sweetness.

Get the recipe.

Shakshuka

Image: The Natural Cook by Tom Hunt

After something savoury? Shakshuka - a traditional Middle Eastern dish - features eggs, tomatoes, and a peppy blend of spices. Guaranteed to get the blood pumping and keep you full until lunchtime.

Get the recipe. 

Brioche French toast

Image: Sunday Suppers

Not everyone is dieting and detoxing this month, and this recipe for brioche French toast is almost bread and butter pudding-esque. Indulgent and delicious - perfect for those with a sweet tooth.

Get the recipe.

Words: Lottie Storey

Bircher muesli recipe from page 128 of January's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipes: Three ways with coffee

So much more than a liquid caffeine fix, roasted ground beans will enhance all kinds of recipes

Beef in espresso and stout sauce with hasselback potatoes

Serves 4

To make the hasselback potatoes:

1. Prepare 12 small potatoes by finely slicing 2mm slices almost through but not quite to the bottom. 
2. Rub cut potatoes with 25g softened butter, 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika, finely grated zest of 1 lemon and two generous pinches of coarse sea salt.
3. Arrange on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven (200C/Fan 180C/375F) for about 40 mins until brown and crispy.
4. Set cooked potatoes aside to add to the top of the finished casserole. 

To make the casserole:

1. Marinate 750g chuck steak, cut into chunks, in 35ml freshly made espresso, for min 4hrs.
2. Melt 30g butter in a large pan and brown 125g cubed, smoked bacon.
3. Transfer bacon into a casserole with a slotted spoon. In the buttery bacon fat, lightly brown 250g whole, peeled baby shallots and transfer to casserole.
4. Toss the marinated beef in 30g seasoned plain flour, shake off excess and brown in the same pan before transferring to casserole.
5. Deglaze the pan with a slosh of stout (from 330ml bottle) and add this, with any scrapings, to the casserole.
6. Add remaining stout and a bouquet garni (homemade or tea bag), season and bring to the boil on the stovetop.
7. Cover and place in a low oven (120C/Fan 100C/250F) for 1½hrs.
8. Brown 250g button mushrooms in a little butter and add to the casserole for a further hr of cooking (2½hrs total), until the meat is tender.

VOLCANO MARTINI 

Makes 1. 
To give your martini a hint of vanilla, add the seeds from a vanilla pod to 240ml cold-brewed coffee and leave to infuse overnight (or you could just add or drop or two of vanilla essence per martini). 
Combine 50ml vodka and 30ml vanilla-infused cold-brewed coffee in a lidded container, such a cocktail mixer. 
Add 10–25ml condensed milk, to taste; shake and double strain into a chilled martini glass. 
Dust with grated dark chocolate and serve. 

ESPRESSO MILLIONAIRE’S SHORTBREAD

Makes 24 squares. 
Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. 
Line a 33x23cm shallow tin with parchment. 
Put 210g melted butter, 110g caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt, 260g plain flour and 2 tbsp ground espresso coffee into a food processor and blitz to form a paste-like ball of dough. 
Press evenly into prepared tin and bake for 25-30mins until firm. W
hen cool, spread over contents of a 400g can of dulce de leche; set aside. 
To make the ganache, chunk 200g dark chocolate and 75g white chocolate into a bowl with 2 tsp sunflower oil. 
Put 200ml cream with 2 tsp ground espresso coffee into a pan over a medium heat. 
Heat until just before it bubbles, then remove from heat and strain through a sieve into the chocolate and oil. 
Leave for 1 min, then whisk gently to combine until smooth. Pour over caramel and smooth with palette knife. 
Leave somewhere cool (not the fridge) to set, then cut into squares.

Recipes courtesy of Volcano Coffee Works (www.volcanocoffeeworks.com), a small batch speciality coffee roaster

Recipe: Gochujang chicken skewers

Finger food for drinks parties, starters or whenever a yummy nibble might fit the bill.

Makes 20

500g/1lb 2oz chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, cut into 40 pieces
Sesame seeds and thinly sliced spring onions, to garnish

For the marinade:
2 garlic cloves, grated 
Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp clear honey, plus
extra to taste
1 heaped tsp medium-hot Korean Gochujang paste
20 wooden/metal skewers
A baking sheet, greased

1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and leave to marinate for no more than 30 mins.
2. Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/375F.
3. Put two pieces of chicken onto each skewer and lay them on the prepared baking sheet. Cook the chicken for 10–12 mins.
4. While the chicken is cooking, reduce the marinade in a small saucepan on a low-medium heat for about 3 mins, adding a little more honey to taste.
5. When the chicken is cooked, brush or spoon the sauce on top and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and spring onions.

Recipe from Party-Perfect Bites by Milli Taylor. Photography: Helen Cathcart (Ryland, Peters & Small).

More Christmas posts from The Simple Things.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now. 

Recipe: Honey & mustard glazed ham

Serves 8 - 10

7-8kg cooked and cured leg ham
Whole cloves

For the glaze:

180ml honey
100g brown sugar
50g Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 200˚C (180˚fan), 390˚F, gas 6

2. Use fingers to carefully remove the skin from the ham and score a diamond-cross pattern across the fat, about 5mm deep.

3. Place the ham in a large baking dish, lined with 2 layers of non-stick baking paper.

4. Stud the centres of each diamond with a clove.

5. To make the glaze, combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over a low heat for 15 mins, or until the sugar has dissolved and mixture thickens.

6. Brush 1/3 of the glaze over the ham and bake for 35-45 minutes, brushing with extra glaze every 15 minutes, until golden and caramelised.

7. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

This recipe was first published in The Simple Things Christmas 2013 issue - buy back issues here. 

Recipe: Wassail - Christmas spiced ale

Wassail, from Middle English wæs hæl, means ‘good health’. So, here’s a hearty festive drink to welcome in the season. 

If you don’t have a punchbowl and ladle, improvise with the largest vessel you can find and, if it’s less than elegant, simply wrap it in a white linen cloth or pretty tablecloth, decorate it with ivy and ribbons and serve the ale with a small jug. This is a dry drink that works well with Guinness or stout as well as ale.

Serves 8–12
Handful of sultanas
150ml marsala, sherry, brandy or rum
100ml ginger cordial or 125g caster sugar
Pinch of grated nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon
2 litres ale, porter, stout or other dark ale
Ice, optional
Punchbowl and cups or glasses

1 Put the sultanas in the punchbowl, add the measured marsala (or alternative), plus the cordial or sugar, and the spices. Leave to macerate.
2 When your guests arrive, add ice (if preferred) and the ale. Stir and serve in the cups.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipes and images taken from Artisan Drinks by Lindy Wildsmith, photography by Kevin Summers (Jacqui Small, £25) 

Recipe: Stollen with dark rum and lemon marzipan

Stollen is the German Christmas cake. Dip it in coffee or eat with a piece of Hafod cheese.

The original German Christmas cake was from Dresden. It was a moist heavy bread filled with fruit, and the first recorded mention of it was in 1474. This official stollen is produced by only 150 bakers in the city, is still sold at the local Christmas market and has a special seal. All very interesting, but we bet it doesn’t taste any better than this one.

Stollen with dark rum and lemon marzipan

50g dark rum
75g raisins
75g sour cherries or cranberries 

Vanilla butter:

100g butter
Seeds of 1 vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

Marzipan (or buy ready-made): 

100g ground almonds
35g icing sugar
10ml lemon juice
15ml dark rum
Seeds of 1 vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 large egg

Cake:

50g milk (room temperature)
250g strong white flour
5g quick yeast (7g fresh yeast)
25g caster sugar
5g fine sea salt
2 large eggs (room temperature) 
Chopped zest of 2 oranges and
2 lemons
5g ground spice – 50/50 cardamom/ cinnamon
100g butter, diced
Icing sugar to finish

1. Warm the rum and mix it with the dried fruit, cover and leave at room temp for 24 hours. To make vanilla butter, melt 100g butter and sprinkle with vanilla pod seeds; leave to infuse. 
2. The next day, make marzipan. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, cover tightly and place in the fridge.
3. Warm the milk, add 25g of the flour and all the yeast. Mix well with fingers and cover tightly. Leave for 45 mins.
4. Add the rest of the flour, sugar, salt and eggs and mix it with the foaming yeast. When all flour is incorporated, turn dough onto the table and knead for 4 mins, cover tightly and rest for 30 mins.
5. Uncover dough and press out into an oblong. Put zest and spice on top of the dough, along with the butter. With your fingers, massage it all together. It’s very loose at this stage – almost a batter. Massage until the dough becomes a consistent colour. Scrape together into a ball, cover well and leave to rest for 30 mins. Use a very small amount of flour on your hands and work surface while shaping if you need to.
6. Add soaked fruit and massage into dough to combine. Sprinkle some flour on the table, scrape up dough, place on the flour and top with another sprinkling of flour. Stretch dough to create four corners and fold them in on themselves. 7 Turn dough over, bottom side up, shape into a ball and put back in the bowl. Cover tightly and leave for 2.5 hours.
8. Scrape dough out onto a well floured surface. Halve dough and gently press down to create 2 oblongs, arranged with one of the longer sides towards you.
9. Divide marzipan into 2 and roll each half into a sausage shape. Place each in the middle of a dough oblong, leaving a 2cm gap at either end. Fold the side nearest you over the top of the marzipan and tuck in on the far side. Then fold the side farthest away over the top of the marzipan and gently press the seam in. Make sure the seam is totally sealed by pinching with your fingers if necessary. 
10. Lift stollen carefully onto a baking tray covered with baking parchment. Bend it slightly so you’re left with a semi circular shape. Leave for 90 mins.
11. Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Bake stollen for 25–28 mins, then remove from oven and leave to cool on tray for 30 mins.
12. Melt vanilla butter and pour evenly over the stollen. This will help to lock the moisture in when it cools down. Leave the stollen on the tray for 1 hour.
13. Cover stollen all over with a thick layer of icing sugar. Ideally place the stollen in a tin and leave until the next day to eat so the flavour can develop.

The stollen should last two weeks kept in a tin.

Turn to page 24 of December's The Simple Things for our baker, Alex Gooch's other Christmas recipes, including potato and onion bread with pickled chilli and Hafod cheese, and toasted hazelnut, apple and prune loaf. 

Buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipe: Chicken and quince tagine

Pumpkins are plump, orchard fruit is ripe. Lia Leendertz knows just what to do with quince and medlar.

‘I first came across the idea of using quince as the fruity element in a tagine in Mark Diacono’s River Cottage Handbook: Veg Patch, and it seemed just right. Quinces originate in the Middle East and sit happily in a tagine. I’ve used chicken, flavoured with saffron, ginger and cinnamon.’ Lia Leendertz

Serves 4
8 chicken thighs
3 tbsp olive oil
3 red onions, sliced lengthways 
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 small winter squash (I used uchiki kuri)
2 red peppers
5 dried apricots, chopped 
Small bunch coriander
Small bunch parsley
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp saffron, in warm water
1 cinnamon stick
4 tbsp black olives
2 tbsp honey
1 preserved lemon
2 quinces
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Brown the chicken thighs all over then set aside. Take a large, heavy dish with a well-fitting lid and add the oil, red onions and garlic. Place over a low heat. Chop and add the other vegetables and the apricots.
2. Finely chop the herbs and sprinkle over, reserving half of the coriander. Add spices, olives and honey. Remove and discard the pith from the preserved lemon, finely chop the rind and add to the pot.
3. Arrange the browned chicken on the top of the vegetables, add 175ml water and set over the heat. Bring up to a simmer, cover with the lid and turn down to the lowest possible heat. Simmer for 45 mins.
4. In the meantime peel and quarter the quinces; drop into a pan of boiling water, with the lemon juice, and simmer gently for 30 mins. Drain and, when slightly cool, remove the cores and slice each quarter in two. Add to the tagine for final 10 mins of cooking. Sprinkle over the reserved chopped coriander before serving.

Turn to page 44 of November's The Simple Things for the full menu, which includes Khobz (Moroccan bread), a quince & medlar cheeseboard,  buttery baked medlars, spiced pickled quince, and quince brandy. Buy or download your copy now.

Recipe: Proper custard

Top your pie or crumble with this delicately f lavoured custard made with your own fair hands, from Vanilla by Janet Sawyer.

Serves 4–6

100g golden caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour
250ml whole milk
125ml clotted or double cream
4 egg yolks, beaten
1⁄2–1 tsp vanilla paste (or seeds of 1⁄2–1 vanilla pod)

1. Mix the sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Whisk in the milk.
2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the cream gently, adding the milk mixture a little at a time. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring constantly, and reduce heat when it starts to thicken.
3. Pour a little of the hot milk mixture onto the egg yolks, stirring well, then gradually stir this back into the remaining milk in the pan.
4. Gently bring the mixture back to the boil and stir in the vanilla paste or seeds. Serve the custard immediately, or cover with cling film to stop a skin forming, and reheat gently when needed.

Variations: To pimp your custard, add the finely grated zest of half an orange, a pinch of saffron or a tbsp of toasted flaked almonds. 

Recipe: Buttered bourbon apple cider

Make two batches of our November cover recipe – one boozy, one kid- and driver-friendly – for a warming autumn treat.

Getting together with friends and family happens so easily in summer – good weather and that holiday feeling being the natural allies of socialising. Yet there’s plenty to celebrate come bonfire season: autumn’s fiery canopy, the crisp, cold air and fast-falling dusk lend themselves to gathering outdoors, wrapping up, wellies donned, and feasting around the fire. We’ll raise a glass of mulled cider to that.

Recipe: Buttered bourbon apple cider

Serves 6–8

500ml apple cider*
100ml apple juice
1 tbsp light brown sugar
Cinnamon sticks (one, plus some to use as stirrers)
Cloves
Star anise
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of ginger
Sliced fresh fruit (orange, apple)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
150ml bourbon

1. In a large pot add the cider, apple juice and sugar; heat until it starts to simmer.

2. Add all other ingredients except for the butter and bourbon.

3. Let the spiced cider simmer for 10 mins, then add the butter and bourbon, stirring gently until the butter has melted.

4. Remove from the heat, pour into glasses, add a cinnamon stick to each glass and serve. You can strain the mixture before pouring, if you don’t want ‘bits’.

* To make a children’s version, replace the bourbon and cider with apple juice (600ml in total).

Salted caramel toffee apples

Possibly the best Bonfire Night recipe ever. Salted caramel toffee apples. Sticky, sugary heaven for children – and a salt-laced caramel treat for grown-ups.

You can make them to eat there and then or they’ll keep in the fridge in cellophane for 2-3 days, ready for your weekend bonfire gathering.

Makes 10

10 apples (Granny Smiths work well)

Toffee apple sticks*

300g light brown sugar

3 tbsp maple syrup

6 tbsp golden syrup

220g butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 heaped tsp flaked salt

Note: Unlike traditional toffee apples, getting a caramel sauce to stick to the apples is a little more tricky. You need a sugar thermometer and to work really quickly when dipping the apples. It may require a little more effort but the result is worth it!

1. Wash apples, dry thoroughly, remove the stalks and replace with sticks. Place the apples in the fridge (washing and chilling helps the sauce to stick).
2. Line a baking tray with parchment. Into a large pan, add the sugar, maple syrup, golden syrup, butter and vanilla, and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved – around 15 mins.
3. Add the thermometer, increase the heat, bringing the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring slowly but constantly until the temperature reaches 113 C/236 F (around 10 mins).
4. Carefully pour the caramel into a glass bowl, stir in the salt. Add the thermometer and allow the caramel to cool to 99C/210F (this should take around 10–15 mins).
5. Have your apples and baking tray ready and, working really quickly, submerge each apple into the caramel, twist, ensuring all but the top is covered and place on your baking tray.
6. Continue til all the apples are done. You can then go back and tidy up the bottom of each apple: either press into shape or scrape off excess caramel if you so wish.
7. If the temperature cools too much the caramel will slide straight off, so you may need to reheat and recool the remaining caramel to finish coating your fruit.
8. Allow the coated apples to set (2–3 hours) before placing in cellophane bags; store in the fridge.

* Toffee apple sticks are a seasonal supermarket buy, or surf for confectionery or lolly sticks; skewers work, too.

If you want more bonfire party inspired recipes, we’ve got pumpkin soup, vegetable skewers, chicken & chorizo jambalaya and buttered bourbon apple cider in the November issue. On sale in newsagents now or you can buy a print copy here and download the digital version here.

Two ways: the jam tart

November's The Simple Things features Alice's favourite bake - the jam tart. Want two more ways to make them? Try these alternative methods fit for a Queen (of Hearts).

The Lattice jam tart

This effect is achieved by criss-crossing strips of pastry over a tart filling. These strips can be plain or decorative, laid flat or twisted, or even woven. Use cloves to anchor the pastry strips together where they overlap. Neaten the edges of the tart by laying a pastry rim over the ends of the strips. Brush the pastry with milk syrup and bake.

Slits Tart

Cut a covering strip of pastry for neatening the edge of the tart; set aside. Roll an oval the width of your pie plate, using the remaining scraps. Cut lengthways down the middle then cut a slit lengthways down the middle of each half. Pull the pastry apart to create the shape of a capital D. Moisten the pastry with water and then lay both D-shaped pieces of pastry back to back, with a small space in-between. Your tart should divide into 5 crescents. Glaze and bake blind. Fill each section with a preserve of a different colour.

From Great British Bakes by Mary-Anne Boermans (Square Peg)

Image: Pinterest

Recipe: Garibaldi biscuits

Lia Leendertz, our regular Seed to Stove columnist, remembers forgotten foods in the November issue of The Simple Things. Here, she shares her delight in the Garibaldi biscuit, plus a tried and tested recipe. “The garibaldi is one of the oldest biscuits on the block, and is mentioned in Mrs Beeton’s original ‘Book of Household Management’ in 1861. It has stood the test of time, and I thought it might make a lovely fruity addition to the savoury biscuits on my cheese board. I was right.”

Garibaldi biscuits

110g self-raising flour Pinch of salt 25g spreadable butter 25g golden caster sugar 2 tablespoons milk 50g currants A little egg white, lightly beaten A little granulated sugar

A large baking sheet, with a non-stick liner

1. Put the flour, salt and butter into a mixing bowl and rub to the fine crumb stage. 2. Then add the sugar and after that enough milk to mix to a firm dough that will leave the bowl clean. 3. After that transfer it to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a rectangle 20cm by 30cm. 4. Now sprinkle the currants over half the surface and then fold the other half on top and roll everything again so you end up with a rectangle 20cm by 30cm. 5. Then trim it neatly using a sharp long-bladed knife, so you end up with a shape about 18cm by 28cm. 6. Cut this into 24 fingers approximately 3cm by 7cm. 7. Now place the biscuits on the baking sheet, brush with a little egg white and sprinkle with granulated sugar. 8. Bake near the centre of the oven for 12–15 minutes, then cool on a wire tray and store in an airtight tin.

Recipe from Delia's Cakes by Delia Smith.

Image: Pinterest

Cake in the house: Sticky toffee loaf

Gooey, gingery and cockle-warming, this sticky toffee loaf is comfort on a plate.

Sticky toffee ginger loaf

Serves 6–8

200g pitted dates, halved 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 75g unsalted butter, softened 115g soft brown sugar 2 tsp ground ginger 3 eggs 80g (about 4 balls) stem ginger, finely chopped 225g self-raising flour, sifted

For the caramel glaze: 110g caster sugar 40g butter 225ml single cream

1. Line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment and grease it. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F.

2. Put dates and bicarbonate of soda in a large mixing bowl, cover with 330ml boiling water, stir and set aside for at least 20 mins.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until thick and pale. Add the ground ginger, then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Stir in the soaked date mixture, the stem ginger and flour and mix until well combined – the mixture should be quite loose. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 50-60 mins until a skewer comes out clean.

5. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

6. To make the glaze, choose a pan large enough to ensure the sugar is no more than 2mm thick over the base, otherwise the heat won’t distribute evenly through the sugar. Set the pan over a gentle heat and add the sugar and 1 tsp water. Shake the pan rather than stir it with a spoon to avoid the sugar hardening before it liquifies – this will take around 15 mins and you want a deep, golden caramel. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted and well combined.

7. Heat cream in a separate pan over a gentle heat, then whisk it into the caramel until smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool and firm up slightly so that it has a good spreading consistency. Spread over the cooled cake and serve.

Recipe taken from Café Kitchen by Shelagh Ryan (Ryland Peters & Small, £17)

Recipe: Tangerine and nutmeg hot chocolate

There is a spectrum of hot chocolates. At one end, the instant and saccharine; at the other, chunks of the real deal – melted and laced. This warming number sits at the luxurious end, with hints of citrus and aromatic nutmeg lifting it onto an altogether cosy, autumnal plane.

Tangerine and nutmeg hot chocolate

Makes one small cup 20g plain chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) 1 piece dried tangerine or orange peel 100ml cold water 1–2 tsp icing sugar, according to taste and quality of chocolate

To serve: 1–2 tsp double cream Extra nutmeg

You will need: Nutmeg grater Small skewer or cocktail stick

1. Put the chocolate and tangerine peel in a non-stick pan. Add the water and gently bring to simmering point on a low heat, stirring to melt the chocolate. 2. Add sugar to taste, simmer and stir for 5–10 mins until the mixture just begins to thicken. 3. Remove the peel and pour into a small cup or tea bowl and float cream on the top, swirling or marbling using a cocktail stick or small skewer. Serve sprinkled with a grating of nutmeg.

Tip: For a comforting bedtime treat, add 100ml milk to the pan and, once the chocolate has thickened and heated through, pour into a mug to take to bed.

Variation: Try adding a 1cm piece of vanilla pod and a pinch of ground cinnamon or chilli in place of the tangerine and nutmeg.

Hot chocolate recipe from Artisan Drinks by Lindy Wildsmith (Jacqui Small, £25)

Three new baking bibles

In celebration of National Baking Week (13-19 October) – in case you needed an excuse - here are three new baking bibles…

Great British Bakes by Mary-Anne Boermans (Square Peg, £20) A collection of ‘forgotten treasures for modern bakers’ from a previous Bake Off finalist. Find yourself back in Granny’s kitchen with Chelsea buns, King and Queen cakes and Bakewell pudding in wonderful variations and designs.

Making Bread Together by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou (Ryland, Peters & Small, £17) Grab a little helper or two and knead, sprinkle, twist and plait your (play) dough together while discovering all the joys of bonding over baking.

Pâtisserie Made Simple by Edd Kimber (Kyle Books, £20) The book that makes all those things you thought you couldn’t possibly create (tarts, choux pastry, macaroons…) seem easy. For the home cook, there’s minimal equipment, ingredients and fuss.

Want more cookbooks? This month, Team Simple Things digs out our most-thumbed volumes and the memories they hold.  Turn to page 74 of October's The Simple Things for a look at what makes a cookbook great.

Buy or download your copy now.

Want, knead, love: Real, down-to-earth bread baking

There's something about bread that is so fundamental, so magical, so right. Our passionate baker boy, Alex Gooch, is here to pass on his bread baking knowhow.

Meet Alex Gooch, our new baker boy, in the first of his new series about baking bread.

“Good bread takes patience, passion and instinct. Making it brings you into the moment completely. It stimulates all of the senses, whether it be the feel of the dough, the sweet smell of the baking bread, or the crackle as you squeeze a ciabatta. “When I was growing up, my brothers and I ate toast, toast and more toast! And that was about as close to bread as I got until I started as a kitchen porter when I was doing my A levels. “I loved the camaraderie of the kitchen and felt at home there. They offered to train me, so I ditched the idea of college and settled into the chef’s life of long hours and a surrogate family of fellow foodies. “I liked baking bread and worked at a few Italians where I mastered focaccia pretty well and at hotels I made plenty of pastry and croissants. But it was while at Penrhos Court in Herefordshire that I started experimenting, encouraged by chef Daphne lambert (who I named my first sourdough starter after). In 2007 she let me take over one of the kitchens at night and this was my first bakery. I began selling bread and jams at farmers’ markets and food festivals, then the following year I opened my bakery called Alex Gooch Artisan Baker in Hay-on-Wye. “There are so many possibilities with bread: rye sourdough, mixed grain, ciabatta, brioche but one of the things that keeps me excited and inspired is following the seasons, and letting them dictate the bread I make. It turns out that pink fir apple potatoes make the most scrumptious potato and onion bread, and the magical cep makes a mind-blowing garlic and cep foccacia with herb oil. “Baking is a hard job – pulling all-nighters and the need to step up a gear when things are busy. But baking at home is different: one of the reasons I think it is now so popular is because the results are so rewarding. The process is so enjoyable, too. It is very natural; you can listen to the radio or chill out for a while – bread is at its best when it is left to rest a lot.”

Turn to page 49 of October's The Simple Things for Alex's seasonal bread bakes, including Black garlic flatbread with sesame, nigella and a kale, miso dressing; Roast pumpkin and apple rolls; and Plum and ginger bread with a cider and honey glaze.

Buy or download your copy now.

Alex Gooch supplies restaurants, hotels, delis, functions and events and sells at markets in different towns four days a week. He also runs bread-making courses: www.alexgoochbaker.com. Tweet Alex @alexgoochbaker to let him know how your bread bakes.