When online community atmine asked me if I wanted to take part in their monthly styling competition I jumped at the chance, not least because I got to use Falcon enamelware which now comes in a lovely black – can’t resist a bit of monochrome.
November is all about table setting on atmine.com and I do enjoy creating an inviting environment for friends and family. Especially as the days draw in and we all get cozy inside I like to fill the house with some reassuring smells wafting from the oven.
Don’t get me wrong I’m by no means a domestic goddess and I’ve opted here for a autumn and winter staple with a bit of extra spice: A hot apple crumble with vanilla infused creme fraiche. What can I say? The smell and taste was divine and I could just about stop my dudes from licking the plates.
You can find the recipe, based on Nigel Slater, below
So let me tell you about the COMPETITION and your chance to win a Falcon product set of your choice. Plus there are two runner ups who will receive a pie dishes & tea towel gift set in quintessential pillar box red. Whop, whop!
For your chance to enter you’ve got to upload your table setting to the at{mine} community in the ‘Table Setting’ category and use the hashtag #StyleAtMine in the comment to your picture. You can also play along and enter on Instagram by uploading your table setting styling. Just make sure you use the hashtag #StyleAtMine so we know you’ve entered and follow and tag @atmine and @falconenamel.
The competition runs throughout November and is open worldwide so double your chances by uploading to both atmine.com and Instagram.
And now to the best smelling recipe that conjures up autumn like no other. *drumroll*
HOT APPLE CRUMBLE WITH VANILLA INFUSED CREME FRAICHE
INGREDIENTS
1kg/2lb 3½oz Bramley apples
pinch sugar, to taste
1 tbsp water or apple juice
100g/3½oz plain flour
75g/2½oz butter
50g/2oz rolled oats
100g/3½oz demerara sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
grated nutmeg
500g creme fraiche
1 vanilla pod
METHOD (adapted from Nigel Slater)
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Wipe the apples and cut them into quarters, then remove the cores and slice each piece in two. Put them into a pan, taste a slice for sweetness and add a sprinkling of sugar accordingly. Add a tablespoon of water or apple juice and cook over a medium heat for about five minutes, until the apples start to soften. Transfer the apple mixture to a shallow ovenproof pie dish.
Mix the flour and butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the oats, the brown sugar and your sweet spices (cinnamon and cardamom) and sprinkle over the cooked apples in the pie dish. Grate some nutmeg on top and transfer to the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until crisp and golden-brown on top and, hopefully, some juice has soaked through the crust.
Scoop out your vanilla pod and stir into the creme fraiche.
Serve, savour, indulge, add another log to the fire and put your feet up. It’s time to hibernate.
PHOTOGRAPHY | Annie Kruse
PRODUCTS | Falcon enamelware in black