Autumn has arrived with a riffling of brown, orange and navy cardigans heaped and hanging on the back of the front door.
And with the end of our garden tomatoes, and the yellowing bean vines drooping from the neighbour’s birch, change is afoot.
For a long time (and I really mean long), I’ve known a new beginning was coming, and have been working away on making it happen.
I like to do things the long way.
The circling, inspecting, playing-the-long-game, chewing-the-cud kind of way.
But I also had a feeling when the day would come. It would be in September.
A magic month, it just had to be.
So two weeks ago today, I walked away from six years in publishing.
A few hours later, I was walking the hills and olive groves of a Greek island.
And I got to walk those hills and adventures alongside my supporter-in-chief. New life, new adventure, wedding anniversary. Not to mention new memories for our life ahead.
Today, I’m settling into freelancing full time.
Pinch me. Poke me with an olive branch. This is happening.
So celebrate with me, and enjoy a slice of this delicious berry tart.
Early Autumn Bramble & Peach Tart
Sweet, nutty, juicy and a vision of hedgerow bounty, this tart makes the most of the berry crop before we move into pumpkin (or sweet potato!) territory.
Whipped up in a food processor, it’s also really easy to make. Just watch out for stained lips and fingers…
With a thin crust of oats, almonds and cinnamon, the tart is filled with blackberries, blueberries and peaches, then baked until set.
Serve with vanilla dairy-free ice cream, or enjoy a slice with a mid-morning cup of coffee while you watch the leaves blow against the window.
P.S. Because this is such a wonderful season, and the food that accompanies it is so joyous, I’ve created a new recipe category in its honour.
If you love the sound of a Pumpkin & Black Eyed Bean Curry, or even Chocolate Chilli Stuffed Pumpkins, you can now find all of my Autumn recipes in one place. Consider all of your Halloween, Bonfire Night and general orange-hued needs taken care of.
- Base:
- 90g ground almonds
- 90g + 50g oats*
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Pinch good salt
- Filling:
- 300g berries (I used a mixture of blackberries and blueberries)
- 2 peaches (or 4 flat peaches)
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp arrowroot powder
- Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- First, use a little of the coconut oil to grease a 9-inch springform cake tin.
- Next, make the base. Blitz 90g of the oats in a food processor and tip into a bowl with the whole oats and the rest of the base ingredients.
- Put aside a handful of the base mixture for later. Press the rest into the cake tin, pushing some up the sides to a height of about 1 inch. It might take a few minutes of fiddling with the mixture, but it does all eventually stick together.
- Now, make the filling. Stone and thinly slice the peaches and rinse the berries. Again, put a handful aside for later (this will make the topping).
- Put the fruit and remaining filling ingredients into the food processor and blend until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the base you've made in the cake tin.
- Decorate the top of the tart with the base mixture and fruit you put aside earlier.
- Cook for 45 minutes, covering loosely with foil or brown paper after half an hour is the fruit is burning. If it doesn't look quite set when you jiggle the tin, cook for another 15 minutes.
- Leave in the tin to cool and set fully, then place in the fridge for at least a couple of hours (this works well made the day before and left overnight).
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