Seasonal Food: Apples, Pears and Parsnips

Autumn is a great time of year when there is a bounty of gorgeous fruits and vegetables just waiting to be turned into something comforting to eat. I have posted before about the cooking apple haul that my Dad gives me each year, and have shared my favourite recipes here. 

Eating Apples

I have been seduced into making these pretty Rose Apple Tarts which are all over Pinterest at the moment. They take about three minutes of prep with some basic ingredients, and are a great way of using up some leftover puff pastry and any eating apples that have been rejected by the kids for cosmetic reasons (you know how I hate food waste)! Mine caught a little on the top but still tasted great.

Pears

My pears have been taking an age to ripen in the fruit bowl so I have taken to poaching them and eating them for breakfast. My husband's reaction was "How decadent!", but these really aren't the same as pears you would poach in alcohol and serve with cream and nuts. My breakfast poached pears are much humbler: cooked in a pan of water with a little vanilla, cinnamon and honey added. In twenty minutes, you have a lovely healthy breakfast! 

Another recipe that I really like with cooked pears and parsnips is Jamie Oliver's pork and pear traybake.

Parsnips

My sister gave me a large bag of her home grown parsnips. I love them roasted, but I am the only one, and I am not very keen on parsnip soup. So, I tried out this BBC recipe for Parsnip Hash Browns, which were delicious with a poached egg and a little tangy tomato chutney on the side.

Love Mrs Jones x