Basil and lemon olive oil cake with strawberry syrup
Lovely Australian recipe for a light cake that brings together several summery flavours.
Beetroot bread
Set aside some time to make this tasty bread – something different to commercially available loaves.
https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/beetroot-bread-recipe
Beetroot and chocolate cake
You won’t taste the beetroot in Nigel Slater’s cake but it adds great moisture, fibre and depth of flavour.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/beetroot_chocolate_cake_82388
Black butter
Kate Ross brought this unusual, traditional recipe from Jersey that uses the last of our apples. It’s not actually a butter at all – more of a rich, treacly compote that would make a great substitute for mincemeat in mince pies or eat well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or try it in a cheesecake: https://www.lamarewineestate.com/product-recipes/jersey-black-butter-cheesecake/
Read more about the tradition here: https://foodmuseum.org.uk/on-black-butter/
Makes about 1.35kg/3lb
Ingredients
- 1.2 litres cider (sweet or medium)
- 1.5 kg dessert apples, peeled, cored and finely sliced
- 2 lemons, zest and juice
- Granulated sugar (50g per 100ml of the pulp that you prepare in step 3. You’ll probably need about a kilo.)
- 100g black treacle
- 15g liquorice, very finely diced
- 1 tspn mixed spice
- 1 tspn ground cinnamon
- Optional: apple brandy or similar
Method
- Bring the cider to a boil in a large pan and reduce to 600ml.
- Meanwhile, prepare the apple slices, tossing them in the lemon juice as you do so to stop them browning.
- Add the apple, lemon zest, and juice to the reduced cider and cook gently, stirring regularly, until the contents are soft, pulpy, and reduced. If you like a smooth consistency, blend the pulp to a smooth puree. If you prefer a bit of bite, leave it as-is.
- Measure the pulp and weigh out the appropriate amount of sugar.
- Return the pulp and sugar to a clean pan and add the rest of the ingredients. Now is the time to add a slug of apple brandy if you want a hint of alcohol.
- Simmer gently over a low heat, stirring frequently to prevent the mixture sticking to the base of the pan.
- Remove from the heat when the mixture is thick and there is no free liquid.
- Seal into warm, sterilized jars.
Blackberry loaf cake
Blackberries are available in autumn in our foraging hedge. You can mix them with other berries in this simple cake. 200g are for the cake itself and the rest go into the topping.
https://www.marksandspencer.com/c/food-and-wine/cooking/recipes/187005/blackberry-loaf-cake
Blackberry vinegar
Blend with oil for a dressing – or gargle to salve a prickly throat! If you picked the blackberries, rinse them first in water, pat dry and allow any tiny bugs to escape. This takes some time to steep but it’s an easy and versatile make:
https://www.joskitchenlarder.com/blackberry-vinegar/
Blackcurrant leaf sorbet
This simple sorbet makes use of the aromatic oils in the blackcurrant leaves.
https://notesfromthevegpatch.com/blackcurrant-leaf-sorbet/
Broad bean dip
Keep it simple with this summer dip from Jamie Oliver.
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables/broad-bean-dip