fancy apple pie

I know someone who is embarrassed about saying the word tart in public, even though we are referring to pastries and not the other kind. Anyway this is a tarte tartin, or fancy french apple pie. It came from here and tastes best freshly baked. I could have let it caramelise a bit more but I was late for meeting someone (not the mr-embarrassed-about-saying-the-word-tart) for lunch.

The trickiest bit is flipping the tart out of the pan, which is why this picture was taken over the sink.

Also made a great breakfast - lentils, sliced grapefuit and yoghurt over toast but it doesn't photograph as well as it tastes.

And most recently, baked cherry and chocolate muffins, which both joe and I agree is a keeper. This recipe is not exact, because I don't use measures, so feel free to modify it. It is based on a recipe for friands.

1 and 1/2cups almond meal
1/2 cup wheat or spelt flour
2-3 tablespoons baking powder
125-150g butter, melted over the stove
2 eggs or 3 small ones. You are actually meant to use 5 whites if this was a traditional friand recipe but I hate to waste 5 yolks.
Fresh cherries - pitted. Watch the squirting juice.
2/3 of a 200g block of cooking chocolate, dark or milk if you like.
1/2 cup milk or juice
1 to 1 and1/2 cups sugar - i used a mix of icing and regular sugar.
vanilla essence
dash of port or sweet alcohol

Mix all the powders in a bowl. Add in melted butter, and let it cool before adding eggs otherwise they will curdle. Add in the liquids till you get a good batter consistency, and more milk/juice if needed. Stir in the cherries and chocolate. I think you will get 6- 9 muffins with this, and don't fill the muffins all the way to the top, cos they will rise and leak all over the tray.