Comfort food for autumn

This week is all about the Ps – parsnips, pears, potatoes… and pudding! It’s just the sort of comfort food you crave in autumn.

Onion, cider & parsnip soup. Pictures: Guy Bailey; styling by David Morgan

This week is all about the Ps – parsnips, pears, potatoes… and pudding! Slipping cider into this classic soup adds a complex savouriness that is simply sublime. Both recipes have generous yields for entertaining; they can be frozen in portions for future use, too.

Onion, Cider & Parsnip Soup with smoked cheddar & mustard toast

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

50g butter

3 large brown onions (about 750g), peeled and sliced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

2 bay leaves

4 small parsnips (400g), coarsely grated

2 potatoes (400g), peeled and cut into chunks

2 pears, peeled, cored and quartered

2 chicken stock cubes

355ml cider (see tips)

350ml milk

¼ cup pure cream for drizzling

1 tablespoon snipped chives

For the toast

4 slices sourdough bread

1 teaspoon mustard (see tips)

100g smoked cheddar, grated

Heat oil and butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot, add onion, garlic and bay leaves and sweat on a low heat for 25 minutes with the lid on, stirring often; the onions should cook down but not brown. Add the parsnips, potatoes, pears and crumbled stock cubes. Pour in the cider, crank up the heat and let it bubble away for 15 minutes or so until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the milk and 600ml of water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are squashy. Remove the bay leaves and leave the mix to cool a little before blending. Season to taste.

Toast the bread under a hot grill; schmear over the mustard, sprinkle with cheese and grill until cheese is bubbling. Warm the soup if need be, ladle into bowls, crack in some pepper, drizzle with a little cream and olive oil and sprinkle over snipped chives. Serve with cheddar and mustard toasts. Serves 6-8

Pear & cider sticky toffee pudding

Pear & Cider Sticky Toffee Pudding

2 firm pears, peeled and grated

300g pitted dates

355ml cider (see tips)

1½ teaspoons bicarb soda

3 eggs

250g soft dark brown sugar

100g butter, melted

300g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch sea salt flakes

Thick cream, to serve

For the sauce

100g butter

300ml cream

300g soft dark brown sugar

Pinch sea salt flakes

Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan). Grease and line a 25x25cm baking dish with baking paper. Place grated pear, dates, cider and 1 teaspoon of the bicarb soda (reserving half a teaspoon) in a saucepan; bring to the boil then simmer for five minutes, stirring to break up dates. Once the cider had been absorbed and the mixture is porridge-like, leave to cool a little then blitz to a purée. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until frothy and pale; stir in melted butter. Sift in the flour, spices, reserved bicarb, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined. Pour in pear mixture and stir well. Pour into prepared dish, smooth top and bake for 25-30 minutes or until it springs back when touched and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

For the sauce, place butter, cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil; simmer for 5-10 minutes until thickened and dark. Add salt flakes to taste. When the pudding is cooked, use a skewer to make lots of holes in the top. Pour over half a cup of sauce, return to oven and turn it off. Pour remaining sauce into a serving jug. Cut the pudding into squarish portions; serve with a big dollop of cream and a drizzle of extra sauce. Serves 8-10

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TIPS

Use any mustard you’ve got in the fridge; I like the pop of a seeded variety

We used 355ml cans of Willie Smith’s Tasmanian apple cider for these recipes, but any apple or pear cider will do the trick