Campfire Spiced Apples

Autumn caught up with us and the evenings turned. There’s a particular kind of contentment in a warm pudding when it’s gone cold and dark outside and the van is the only lit thing for miles. This is about as much effort as I’m willing to give a dessert after a day on my feet with the camera, and it’s plenty.

Endlessly adaptable

This is more idea than recipe. Pears work as well as apples. A splash of whatever you’re drinking by the fire does no harm in the pan. The cold creamy thing can be coconut yoghurt, proper custard, a scoop of ice cream from the last shop you passed. The bones of it, fruit gone soft and sticky in a spiced syrup, never let you down.

Method

1. Melt the coconut oil in the pan over a gentle flame. Add the apples and let them sizzle, turning now and then, until they start to soften and catch at the edges.
2. Sprinkle in the sugar and spices and let it all go sticky and dark, a couple of minutes, spooning the syrup over the apples.
3. Toast the oats or nuts in a dry corner of the pan, or in a separate one, until golden.
4. Tip the apples into two bowls, scatter over the crunch, and add something cold if you’ve got it. Eat by the fire, or by the light of the hob, whichever you’ve got.