Mothers Day Sunday Roast + Apple Pie

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Mothers Day Roast Beef Lunch + Apple Pie

Yesterday was Mothers Day here in the UK, and I can’t believe that a whole year has gone by since I promised I would write about 2014’s Mothers Day Picnic… time REALLY got away with me on that…I never did blog about it >_<

This year, for Mothers Day I requested a Sunday roast – beef, with homemade Yorshire puds, cauliflower cheese and apple pie for dessert – and my son along with my husband’s help, totally delivered! I’m getting on it straight away and writing about it NOW!

The morning started off with a lovely long lie in – having a teenager helps with that, since he was still lazing in bed late morning too! I was presented with a lovely card, a very pretty key and heart bracelet, and no present for me is complete without something Disney! 6 little Tsum Tsums – Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Tigger, Eeyore and Pooh. The boy started something now as it will mean I have to collect them all! We all had a yummy breakfast in bed with smoked salmon bagels!

It’s been a while since the boy and I had a photograph together, so we nipped out into the garden (where it was raining – such a difference from last Mothers Day!) to take a few pics on my phone. I’m so proud of my son, he’s grown up into a lovely young man, and when I have moments of doubt about my skills as a mum, he reaffirms that I did an okay job!

Me + My Boy
Me + My Boy

Even though it was Sunday, and a supposed day of rest, I actually had some outstanding work that I had to do, so whilst I went into the office, the boy and hubs prepared everything for the Sunday roast, which was actually more dinner time than lunch time by the time we sat down.

I could hear the pair of them pottering around in the kitchen, and I couldn’t smell burning which was a good sign! My husband had found some recipes online for cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire puddings and apple pie, and bought a joint of beef from the butcher, asking him how to best cook it. As the afternoon went on, the yummy aroma of roast dinner was wafting up the stairs, and I was just finishing work when I was called down for dinner.

Mothers Day Sunday Roast

The beef was cooked to perfection! The boys admitted to Aunt Bessie helping with the roast potatoes, and the Yorkshire’s fell a bit flat owing to them opening the door to check on them – but nonetheless the puds were delish – you can’t have roast beef without a Yorkshire pudding can you? The cauliflower cheese was lush, it’s been years since I’ve eaten this dish.  Here’s the recipe, courtesy of BBC Good Food where my husband found it…he added extra cheese :D The boys used Jamie Oliver’s recipe for the Yorkshire puddings.

Cauliflower Cheese

Ingredients

  • 1 large cauliflower, broken into florets
  • 500ml milk
  • 4 tbsps flour
  • 50g butter
  • 200g strong cheddar, grated
  • 2-3 tbsps breadcrumbs (optional)

Method

  • Cook the cauliflower in a large pan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and tip into an ovenproof dish
  • Heat oven to 220C/Gas 7
  • Put the saucepan back on the hob and add the milk, flour and butter. Keep whisking fast as the butter melts and the mixture comes to the boil – the flour will disappear and the sauce will begin to thicken. Whisk for 2 minutes while the sauce bubbles and becomes nice and thick. Turn off the heat, stir in most of the cheese and pour over the cauliflower. Scatter over the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs
  • Bake for 20 minutes until bubbling and golden

Yorkshire Puddings

Makes 12

Ingredients

  • vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 100g plain flour
  • 100ml milk
  • sea salt + freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 225C/425F/Gas9
  2. Add a tiny splash of vegetable oil to each compartment of a muffin tin. Pop into the oven for 10-15 minutes so that the oil gets really hot
  3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, flour, milk and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a jug until light and smooth
  4. Carefully remove the tray from the oven, then pour the batter evenly into the compartments
  5. Pop the tray back in the oven to cook for 12-15 minutes, or until risen and golden
Apple Pie

We waited until dinner went down before tackling dessert – I’d forgotten how filling a Sunday roast can be! The apple pie recipe was another one courtesy of Jamie Oliver, and I love how the two of the most important men in my life cooked it from scratch – pastry and everything.

Apple Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients
For the pastry

  • 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 50g icing sugar
  • sea salt
  • 1 lemon
  • 125g cold butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 large egg
  • a splash of milk

For the filling

  • 1 large Bramley cooking apple
  • 4 eating apples (try Cox’s or Braeburn)
  • 3 tbsps Demerara or muscovado sugar
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • handful of sultanas or raisins
  • ½ a lemon

Method
For the pastry

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
  2. You can make the pastry by hand or pulse it in a food processor
  3. Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl
  4. Add the sugar, a pinch of salt and finely grate over the zest of lemon
  5. Cut the butter into cubes, then add to the bowl
  6. Use your fingertips to gently work the butter inot the flour and sugar until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
  7. Crack the egg into the bowl with a tiny drop of milk and gently mix with your hands until the dough comes together
  8. Wrap it in cling film and pop in the fridge while you make the filling

For the filling

  1. Peel all of the apples. Cut the Bramley apple into sixths and the eating apples into eighths, get rid of the cores
  2. Add all the apple piece to a small pan with the sugar, ginger and sultanas or raisins
  3. Finely grate over the zest of half a lemon, then squeeze in a little juice
  4. toss to mix then put the pan on a medium low heat
  5. Simmer gently for 5 minutes or until the apples are just tender
  6. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely

To make and cook the pie

  1. Dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour
  2. divide the pastry dough into two and roll out each one half until ½cm thick
  3. Carefully roll the pastry around the rolling pin, then unroll it carefully over a 20cm pie dish
  4. Ease the pastry into the dish, making sure you push it into all the sides – don’t worry if it tears or breaks – just patch it up – it will look rustic!
  5. Pack the apple mix tightly into the pie dish
  6. Separate your remaining egg and beat the yolk with a splash of milk and brush over the pastry rim
  7. Roll out the other piece of dough until ½cm thick, and transfer as before to the top of the pie
  8. Fold the excess pastry back in, then pinch and crimp the edges together using your finger and thumb
  9. Brush the top of the pie with more egg wash, then use a small sharp knife to make a couple of small incisions in the centre of the pie to let the steam escape as it cooks.
  10. Bake in hot oven for 40-45 minutes until golden and firm to the touch
  11. Serve with custard or cream

The apples were very tart, and could have done with a smidge more sugar (but then, I do have a crazy sweet tooth at times, and hubs thought it tasted just fine). I couldn’t taste the ginger so much either, which was a shame – I would have put more in! The lemon in the pastry really came through and that was yum! The apple pie was a real treat – especially with a dollop of clotted cream on top! I also love the pastry lettering that my boy put on top, spelling out Mum!

Apple Pie Slice

I had such a wonderful Mothers Day, and was so thankful to my son and my husband for cooking up a fabulous Sunday roast dinner and apple pie for me to celebrate!

This whole meal would be perfect for Easter too! I’ve got a collection of Easter Recipes that you might like to try out – right-click and open them in a new tab to read next.

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