SOPHIE SMITH offers a taste of autum perfect for Halloween

CHILDREN of 21st-century Britain, you don’t know how lucky you are.

I’m not talking about the fact you don’t have to work down the pit, walk 15 miles to school for a savage beating from Trunchbull-esque teachers; nor am I referring to your technology-rich lifestyles.

I’m talking turnips.

The soft-scooping flesh and pliable skin of a pumpkin are luxuries we, as children of the 80s, would never experience.

Instead, as All Hallows’ Eve approached, my sister and I would squeeze through the wire fence that separated my parents hotel and the fields of a neighbouring farm and help ourselves (sorry!) to a rock hard, unappealing, tiny turnip.

Hours of carving would follow, but the result would always be the same. Triangular eyes and nose, a jagged hack for a mouth and a note on the kitchen blackboard to buy more plasters. Rubbish.

The origins of Halloween are rooted in Celtic history. Over 2000 years ago, the Celts celebrated Samhain (pronounced Sah-win) which means summer’s end, the cumulation of the harvest year. Samhain is also thought to be the day when spirits of the dead would cross over to the other world.

Halloween as it is celebrated today is a highly commercial American import. ‘Trick or treat’ has largely usurped the historical hijinks of mischief night. Legions of tiny witches, zombies and ghouls clutch baskets of sugary sweet treats as they run expectantly between homes displaying elaborately carved, illuminated lanterns.

Halloween marks the point where autumn really takes hold; there’s a tangible shift in the season. Sweet smelling, crisp leaves a thousand shades of red, amber and brown form a kicking carpet through well-trodden woodland trails. The days are getting shorter, the smoke from garden bonfires wisp and weave with low lying mists.

Appetites change too. Our bodies crave an extra slice of insulation. Comforting casseroles, hearty soups and roast dinners replace the light, colourful salads of summer.

There’s room for pudding too, fruit crumbles beg for an extra splosh of rich custard and the infamous sticky toffee pudding makes a welcome return to Sunday lunch menus in pubs with glowing fires.

My recipe this month offers a true taste of autumn. A celebration of squash, abundant at this time of year. Warmed with fresh ginger and a splash of brandy this is a grown-up treat for Halloween; an updated version of pumpkin pie... an American import that I am a fan of. Sweet and salty pecan nuts add a delicious crunch.

Can be served warm or cold.

Spiced Butternut & Maple Tart

You will need:

10-inch sweet pastry case, blind baked and egg washed to prevent leaks

1 small butternut squash. Peeled, cubed, seeds removed

2.5cm /1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

160ml double cream

120ml maple syrup

4 tbsp soft light brown sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten

40ml brandy

1/2 tsp nutmeg, a little more to decorate

Sweet and salty pecan nuts

A handful of pecan nuts

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp Maldon salt

Place the squash in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer until the squash is soft, around 15 minutes.

Pour away most of the water, leaving around 5tbsp in the pan with the squash. Throw in the grated ginger and simmer, uncovered for a further five minutes, until the water has evaporated.

Leave to cool slightly before blending (or pass it through a sieve if you don’t have a blender).

You will need 200g of purée. Freeze any excess for another tart.

Mix the 200g of squash purée with the eggs, maple syrup, sugar, brandy, cream and nutmeg.

Heat the oven to 160C.

Place a ten-inch sweet pastry case that has been blind baked and egg washed to prevent any leaks on the middle shelf. Pour the squash mixture into the tart case from a jug.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the tart is ‘shudderingly set’. Don’t be tempted to cook it until it’s really firm, the tart will continue to cook when you remove it from the oven. It should have a satisfying wobble.

Grate extra nutmeg over the warm tart.

For the sweet and salty nuts, pour the syrup over the nuts. Give them a stir to make sure all the nuts are coated. Spread them out onto a baking tray lined with parchment. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 160C for around eight minutes until the nuts take on a little extra colour.

Leave to cool before arranging them on top of the squash tart.

Sophie Smith runs BakeHouse in the Barn from her home in Hovingham.

Follow bakehouseinthebarn on Instagram / BakeHouse Barn on Facebook

Sophie attends Ampleforth village market on the last Saturday of every month