Toffee Apple Cobbler

The nights are starting to draw in, the evenings are becoming cooler and the apples are beginning to fall from our tree. Jack collected a couple of boxes full of windfall apples whilst helping his Dad tidy up the garden at the weekend, and after a bit of a clean up and chopping out the bugs and bruises, I had enough for a pie. I didn't have any cream cheese in to make cream cheese pastry, I wasn't going to risk a rubbish shortcrust, and I've exhausted crumble recently, so a cobbler it was to be - kind of a cross between pastry, cake and scones.

It was to be a caramel apple cobbler, but the caramel sauce didn't go exactly to plan, although it did have a very happy ending and the result was a lovely smooth and dark toffee sauce. You only really need around 5-6 tbsp of toffee sauce in this cobbler but the recipe below makes a full jar full, leaving plenty to pour over ice cream or use in other recipes (if it lasts that long!)

Toffee Apple Cobbler

100g butter
200g self raising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
75g caster sugar + 1tbsp for sprinkling on top
1 egg, beaten
enough peeled, cored & sliced apples to fill your pie dish
5-6 tbsp toffee sauce

toffee sauce - makes enough for this recipe + 1 jar extra
400g caster sugar
40g butter
200ml double cream
pinch of sea salt (optional)

• Rub the butter into the flour, until it resembles breadcrumbs
• Stir in the cinnamon & caster sugar
• Mix in the egg until everything starts to come together - if it's too dry, add a dash of milk
• Fill the pie dish up with apples and pour over the toffee sauce
• Roll some of the dough into a ball and flatten between your palms, and lay on top of the apples
• Repeat with the remaining cobbler dough
• Bake in a preheated 170C oven for approx 45 minutes, until cobbler topping is cooked all the way through and the apples are soft, and the toffee sauce is bubbling.

To make the toffee sauce

• Add the sugar to a large frying pan or wide saucepan
• Heat over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and turned a rich silky brown liquid (if you want a lighter caramel sauce then don't leave it as long - my toffee sauce was completely unintentional but completely delicious!)
• DO NOT STIR THE SUGAR - instead, keep shaking the pan
• Once you have reached your desire brown-ness then remove the pan from heat
• Whisk in the butter and then the cream, and salt (if using)

Cheese, Onion & Potato Pasties

After the success of last week's Minted Potato Pasties, and the family loving them, I decided to make some more this week. First up on the long list of fillings that we want to try, was a traditional filling of cheese, onion and potato. There will be meat fillings coming up but I started with a filling that can usually be found in the store cupboard and fridge (it was the end of the week, and we had nothing else)

Somehow I managed to set my kitchen timer wrong so they ended up a little well done, but we like them that way, honestly. I used my favourite cream cheese pastry again, and again they turned out lovely & flaky and 'just like you get from the pasty shop'.

I think pasty chips and peas are going to be a regular Friday night tea in this house now.

Cheese, Onion & Potato Pasties - makes 4

250g Plain flour
150g cold butter
150g Cream cheese
tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
200g mature cheddar cheese, grated
black pepper
1 egg, beaten

• Add all the pastry ingredients into a stand mixer bowl
• Using a flat beater, mix all the ingredients together until combined and just starting to come together
• Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate whilst the filling is made
• Add the oil to a frying pan
• Add the onion and fry over a gently heat until softened, but not browned
• Remove from the heat and stir in the potatoes and cheese
• Season with pepper
• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces
• Roll each piece of dough out into a circle, approx size of a tea plate
• Add quarter of the potato & onion mixture on top of the pastry circle
• Fold over one side of the dough onto the other
• Crimp the edges 
• Repeat for remaining pasties
• Brush the pasties with the beaten egg
• Bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 25-30 minutes, until golden brown