I’m having a wonderful autumn, back in France, getting into the rhythm of Parisian life again. Mostly I am writing all day and taking lots of long walks (my favourite sport) to keep my brain clear; although I did take a weekend trip to Normandy to visit my friend Camille (see photos). This is the perfect time for Normandy because it’s apple season and there are so many varieties in the markets it would make your head spin. What I love is that you can buy so many different kinds of untreated farm apples. They’re on the small side and come in different shapes and sizes, occasionally with the odd worm hole: real food that looks and smells like real food, only that tastes like manna from heaven.

Camille and I decided to make baked apples one night. I must say I was worried about it because I had never made a good baked apple in my life: they always explode all over the place on me and taste banal anyway, so I never bother. Well, no surprise, a good baked apple is entirely dependant on the apples. Camille and I used organic boskops and stuffed them with dried figs and toasted chopped almonds. When they came out of the oven, hot and almost souffléed, we drizzled around a caramel sauce, and let me tell you they were right out of this world.

Here’s the sauce recipe in case you’re tempted to try them yourself!

Caramel Sauce

1 cup/200 g sugar
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons/100 g butter
1 tablespoon crème fraîche or heavy cream
Squirt of lemon juice, to taste

Put the sugar in a saucepan with a tablespoon or two of water. Heat to dissolve, bring to a boil, and cook until it turns to a golden caramel. (Don’t let it get dark.) Add the butter to melt. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Add lemon juice to taste. Drizzle over baked fruit or ice cream.
Cool and store in a jar in the refrigerator. You’ll need to heat it to melt it down when you use it again.

Must get back to my desk: I’ve set all kinds of crazy deadlines for myself in November!

À bientôt,