Cooking with Paula McIntyre

375g dried fruit ( I use a mixture of raisins, sultanas, figs, and cranberries)
50g soft brown sugar
150ml hot strong tea
1 large egg
225g self raising flour
25ml buttermilk
Add the sugar to the hot tea and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  
Place fruit in a bowl and add the tea. Cover and leave overnight to soak.
Line a loaf tin with parchment paper and set oven to 170oc.
Whisk the egg and mix into the fruit mixture. Sift in the flour and mix well. Add the buttermilk and mix well.
Spoon into the tin and bake for about 45 minutes, in the middle of the oven, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. 
Leave in tin for 10 minutes then turn into a wire rack to cool.
Stewed apple
2 bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped
75g castor sugar
Place in a pan and cook until soft.
Spiced whiskey cream
50g dark muscovado sugar
50ml whiskey
1 teaspoon mixed spice
150ml Greek yoghurt
125ml double cream whipped
Boil the sugar, whiskey and spice to a thick syrup and cool. Mix into the yoghurt and fold in the whipped cream. Serve on the side of the warm or toasted brack with the apples.

Pork tomahawk with hot cabbage, apples and sage, mustard dressing
2 pork tomahawk steaks, about 250g in weight
1 sweetheart cabbage
1 red eating apple, quartered cored and sliced
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
12 sage leaves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
75ml olive oil or good local rapeseed oil
20ml cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Season the pork with salt and place fat side down in a pan over medium heat. Cook to render the fat until golden – about 8 minutes. Cook on both sides to seal off and then place in a 180oc oven for 10 minutes. Allow to rest
Quarter and remove core of the cabbage and place in the pork fat. Cook until sealed on both sides and then add the onions. Cook for a few minutes then add the apples and sage. Add a little water and cook until the cabbage is soft.
Whisk the mustard, oil and vinegar together and add the honey and season to taste.
Slice the pork. Add any juices to the pan and arrange the cabbage mixture on a platter. Top with the pork. Drizzle over the mustard dressing and serve.

Recipe
Plum compote
4 plums, halved, stoned and chopped
25g castor sugar
1 tablespoon honey
Place the plums, sugar and honey in a pan and cook until thick and jammy. Cool.
Frangipane
60g soft butter
60g castor sugar
1 egg
50g ground almonds
15g plain flour
Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Whisk in the almonds and flour.
4 thick slices barmbrack
4 dessertspoons damson or plum jam
50g flaked almonds
Place the barmbrack on a baking tray and set oven to 170oc.
Spread the jam over the top, followed by the plum compote and then spread the frangipane evenly over the top of the plums. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and bake for about 15 minutes or until the frangipane is golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Serve hot on their own or with a dollop of cream.

Recipe
500g carrots, scrubbed well and cut in half lengthwise, ends trimmed
4 tablespoons good local rapeseed oil or cooking oil
2 medium onions, finely sliced
25g chopped root ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
1 red chilli, finely sliced
4 small shallots, peeled and finely sliced
50g pumpkin seeds coarsely chopped
Set oven to 190oc. Take a large sheet of parchment paper and place carrots on one side. Drizzle over a tablespoon of the oil and season with salt. Fold over the paper and twist the edges to seal in the carrots. Bake in the oven for about an hour or until soft. Cook the onions, ginger and garlic in another tablespoon of the oil until soft and golden over low heat – about 10 minutes. Add the carrots and stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend to a smooth soup and check seasoning.
Heat the remaining oil over low heat and add the shallots and chilli. Cook gently until the shallots are golden. Add the pumpkin seeds and cook until they pop. Remove from heat and season with salt. Spoon the soup into bowls or cups and sprinkle over the crispy pumpkin seed mixture.

Pear and blueberry buckle
2 pears
50g castor sugar
1 tablespoon honey
150g frozen blueberries
Peel, core and dice the pears and cook with the sugar and honey until soft. Add the blueberries. Cool.
Cake batter
60g soft butter
150g castor sugar
1 egg
125ml buttermilk
250g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Butter and line a 23cm cake tin with parchment paper and set the oven to 180oc.
Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in the egg. Mix the flour and baking powder and add half of this mixture to the butter mixture with half the buttermilk. Mix until incorporated then add the remaining flour and buttermilk and mix to a smooth batter. Fold in half the pear and blueberry mixture.
Spoon half the batter into the bottom of the cake tin and smooth off. Add the remaining pear mixture and then top with the rest of the cake batter.
Topping
50g castor sugar
25g oats
50g plain flour
60g diced butter
Rub together to coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake for about 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.