Autumn delight

Well our local Hodge has harvested his winter barley, the Swallows are lining the telegraph wires (telegraph sounds so much more romantic than telephone), the blackberries are ripening fast, and the puffballs are exploding where the dieing nettles have been cut - all in all I'd say autumn has arrived - and early at that, which suggests to me a long hard winter.

As such my thoughts turn to warming puddings - and my favourite is a simple dish that turns stewed fruit into a golden treat (as taught to me by my Grandmother when I was young).

Magic Topping
(Note: not safe for those with nut allergies)

Take:
4oz light brown sugar,
two fresh eggs,
4oz of ground almonds,
4oz of plain flour -
Whisk together until thick and creamy -
Spoon over dish of hot, lightly stewed autumn fruits, using a fork to lift the topping into peaks like a meringue, -
Pop dish back into hot oven until topping turns golden -
Serve with double cream and shortbread biscuits (see below).

Shortbread

Take:
9oz plain flour,
3oz corn flour,
8oz plain butter (melted over hot water),
4oz light brown sugar -
Mix dry ingredients then add melted butter stirring briskly -
Spread over large baking tray so no more than 1/2 inch thick -
Use warm knife to mark out biscuits before -
Placing in a hot oven and cooking for some 30-40 minutes until the biscuits are golden -
Remove from oven and mark biscuits again then leave to cool in tray (repeat marking if lines start to fade while biscuits are still soft).

Enjoy!

PS: You follow these guides at your own risk - no responsibility accepted for failure, injury or disappointment.