Recipes for the autumn
METHOD
1. Place the lemons and orange in a saucepan and cover with boiling water until fully submerged. Place a small heatproof plate on top of the fruit to keep them submerged, then cover with a lid. Place over low heat and simmer for 1 hour or until the fruit is very soft, topping up water if necessary. Drain fruit and cool completely.
2. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease a 23cm springform cake pan and line the base and side with baking paper.
3. Tear the boiled fruit apart and remove and discard any pips, as well as the stem ends at the tops of the fruit. Place the fruit in a food processor with the polenta, almond meal, baking powder, eggs and caster sugar. Whiz to combine until you have a smooth, thick batter. Transfer the batter to the cake pan, stir through the blueberries, then bake for 1 hour or until cake is set and just firm in the centre.
4. Set aside to cool completely.
5. Cut into thick slices to serve.
6. Enjoy!
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CLEMENTine lemon blueberry POLENTA CAKE
It’s August as I sit and write this particular piece for seasonal recipes. I sit gazing out into my garden, although we have so far had a very wet summer, all of my pots and baskets are bursting with colour. The French windows are wide open and both Bella and Blue my cocker spaniels have melted into relaxation in the summer sun.
This will all change in a blink as we welcome autumn into our lives. I try and imagine what the canvas in front of me will look like…
Condensation on the windows is normally my awareness that autumn has arrived- I wish I knew all the names of the birds that inhabit the sky as it would probably sound so much better to make reference to an autumn bird rather then the condensation on our windows. Saying this, temperature is a major factor that alerts us to change. With change of temperature we must adapt our menus because our bodies require other types of nourishment. The apple trees and blackberries will be flourishing in the garden along side the elderberries. The autumn flowers will make their presence known and of course the autumn sky with its crisp air take centre stage.
Our markets will reflect the autumn colours with mushrooms, chard and chicory not to mention pumpkins.
We need to take note that our summer pallet of salads and grilled food needs to be replaced with a more substantial diet to prepare us for winter. Our immune systems, thankful for the summer sun and our vitamin D supply is abundant. We must take care to acknowledge that our body clocks need to sync with the diminishing amount of daily light and adjust our schedules accordingly. As Albert Camus once said: Autumn is a second spring when every leaf’s a flower. Enjoy the autumn canvas and my favourite autumn recipe.
INGREDIENTS
2 unwaxed lemons
1 unwaxed orange
150g polenta
100g ground almonds
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
250g Caster Sugar 200g Blueberries