cooking seasonal food

Last Sunday, our friends Rachael and Michael came over for tea. The weather had quite decidedly become autumnal that week, so I decided to get out my new shiny casserole pots and make a big batch of something hearty.  The prep for this takes an hour or so, but then it cooks for a while, so it's a good prepare before dish.

Chicken and Mushroom Casserole with Tarragon

This is after 30 mins of baking - the sauce will be a bit thicken and slightly darker than this!

10 chicken thighs, skin removed (remove the bone too if you don' like them)

2tbsp flour, seasoned with a pinch each of salt and pepper

2tbsp oil (I used light olive)

150g thick cut smoked bacon, diced

3 medium sweet brown onions, chopped into 8ths

1lb button mushrooms halved (quarter big ones)

2tbsp mustard

500ml chicken stock

150ml sherry (Amontillado is what I used - It was nice!)

5tbsp creme fraiche (used half fat - seemed to work fine)

3tbsp chopped fresh tarragon 

• Preheat oven to 350f, 180c, gas 4
• heat 1/2 oil in a frying pan on a medium heat
• in batches, coat the chicken in flour and brown in frying pan till golden
• transfer to casserole dish, and add remaining flour
• fry the bacon pieces till crisp, add to casserole
• fry off the onions till soft, transfer to casserole
• toss mushrooms in hot pan for a couple of minutes, add to casserole
• add tarragon on top
• stir to coat everything in flour, and a tbsp more if needed
• add sherry, stock, mustard and creme fraiche to pan, bring to the boil
• simmer for 5 mins and transfer to casserole
• baking in the oven for 1h 20 mins, stirring occasionally

I served this with steamed carrots and leeks, mashed potatoes and bread to soak up sauce. I prepped it to the point where it was ready to go into the oven ahead of time - it would be fine in the fridge overnight. On the first check, the sauce appeared to have split, but I gave it a stir and it was fine once thickened.

And then there was pudding. There are few things more autumnal that toffee, apple and cinnamon, so I tweaked and internet recipe to make this very decadent cake

Apple Cinnamon Cake with Caramel Sauce

2.5 cups sugar (I used half white and half light demerara)

4 eggs

1.5cups vegetable oil

2 cups self-raising flour

2tsps ground cinnamon

2.5 cups chopped apples

For Sauce

3/4 cup of butter

2 cups light muscavado sugar

1/4 cup milk

tsp cinnamon

• preheat oven to 350f, 180c, gas 4
• add all dry ingredients to bowl and mix well
• add wet ingredients and apple and stir well to combine
• spread into a 9 inch cake pan (it will be thick, almost doughy, this is find)
• bake for 50 mins
• with 10 mins of baking time left, add all of sauce ingredients to a pot on a high heat
• bring to the boil, making sure everything is dissolved and combined
• simmer for 2 mins till thick

The cake with be crunchy on the outside and squidgy in the middle, like a slightly firm brownie. The sauce should be dark and pour easily - it will thicken as it cools. It crystallises a little when cold, but leftovers can be re-heated. I served it in jugs alongside bowls of cake - people like pouring their own and the smell is heavenly.