This week, Catherine Devaney, owner of Harper and Lime, waxes lyrical about a homemade favourite.
Is anything more nostalgic than the smell of apples baked with cinnamon on a cold day
Small, pale green with flashes of russet, the apples from our gnarly old trees are crisp, thick-skinned little beauties with a playful tartness that is quite unlike the sweetness of a supermarket apple.
Dipped in chocolate or swirled in caramel, there’s no more traditional Bonfire Night treat.
Afternoon tea
Never one to pass up a scone, I’ve been baking an apple, cinnamon and brown sugar version.
Studded with juicy chunks and a hint of cinnamon, the brown sugar adds a slight caramel flavour that pairs so well with the tart apple, while cooking the apples with cinnamon first seems to intensify the flavour.
I like to make wee ones for afternoon tea by the fire, eaten warm with salted butter, a little bramble jelly or even a sliver of sharp cheddar.
Apple scones recipe
Peel, core and dice three to four small apples (less if your apples are bigger).
Melt 25g butter in a pot until foaming then add the apples and stir in 2 tsp brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes until they start to soften – just stir and add a splash of water if it starts to stick.
Leave to cool slightly. Put 250g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 20g caster sugar and 20g light brown sugar in a bowl.
Grate 40g cold butter and rub into the dry ingredients. Beat one egg lightly with 125ml milk, then pour gradually into the dry ingredients while mixing with a fork.
Use your hands to lightly bring the mixture together into a dough. Add the cooked apples and knead lightly on a well-floured surface so that the apples are evenly distributed.
Gently roll to 2-3cm thickness. Cut out the scones – I use a 5.5cm cutter, which should make at least eight small scones – brush the tops lightly with beaten egg or milk, place on a baking sheet
Bake at 200C Fan/220C/425F/Gas Mark 7 for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden.
