When I was last Down Under, I saw a book in a shop window that I knew I had to have. Only problem was, the shop was closed and I was going back to England. But I found it online and happiness was mine. The book is called Monday Morning Cooking Club, and subtitled 'the food, the stories, the sisterhood'; on top of that, the cover shows two pairs of hands working together on a well-floured surface. Just seeing it in the shop window made me feel comforted; having the book at home is pure cosy joy. I love, anyway, the sorts of books that are filled with real home recipes, the ones that have been passed down through generations. Sometimes, I don't even mind if I don't want to cook any of the recipes, but here, anyway, I most certainly do. My copy of the book is a-flutter with post-its but I can report so far that I have made the Cinnamon and Apple Pie and it is luscious.
The real recipe, as supplied by Maxine Pacanowski is posted on the recipe page, but I adapted it to fit a smaller tin. It was fabulously easy: I lined and greased a 23cm Springform tin, peeled cored and sliced 4 Granny Smiths and layered them with some cinnamon sugar (1 tablespoon of sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon) reserving a little for the top, later. The "pie" part is really just a batter you pour over, so could scarcely be simpler. I whisked two eggs with 225g caster sugar then added 2 teaspoons of vanilla, beat in 250g of mild and light olive oil and then 150g plain flour, then poured this over the apples, sprinkled over the remaining cinnamon sugar and baked in a 180 oven for an hour. I managed to leave it in the tin for 30 minutes before slicing it and eating it with a splodge of clotted cream. It's recommended to eat warm, but I'm not sure I don't prefer it, cold, today. When warm it's like the perfect Sunday lunch pudding; cold, the sponge layer tastes a bit more batterlike. But either way, it's unshowily delish.
You can buy the book from Amazon or they have their own website which is www.mondaymorningcookingclub.com.au
