Nicola Lamb’s recipes for toffee apple pie and apple crumb loaf

It’s easy to forget just how extraordinary apples can be. Often relegated to less exciting regions of the fruit bowl, they actually come in a dizzying array of varieties – sharp, sweet, floral, crisp – and each with their own quirks. And now is the time to celebrate apples, so this week I’m giving them the attention they deserve in a no-bake toffee apple pie (banoffee’s autumn cousin) and a soft, cinnamon-spiced crumb cake.You will need a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin.Prep 10 min Cook 1 hr 10 min Chill 2 hr+ Serves 8-10For the case275g digestive biscuits ¼ tsp fine sea salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 140g unsalted butter, meltedFor the caramelised apples500g apples, I used braeburn, but pink lady work well, too70g caster sugar 30g butter 1 tsp lemon juiceFor the sour cream whip50g sour cream 250ml double cream 25g caster sugarTo assemble397g tin dulce de leche (I used Carnation)25g roasted hazelnuts, roughly choppedFor the biscuit base, blitz or bash the digestives into fine crumbs

That won’t wash: should you rinse your mushrooms?

What’s the best way to prep and cook mushrooms? Should I wipe, wash or simply peel them? Olivia, by email “I could witter on about mushrooms all day,” says fungi fan Will Murray, which is good news, because Olivia’s question is somewhat contentious. The chef and co-founder of Fallow, Fowl and Roe, all in London, even grows his own shrooms, and advises his chefs to clean them “at least three times in bowls of cold water”, which brings us straight to the great mushroom washing debate, which has been rumbling on for years.Writing in the Guardian in 2003, Heston Blumenthal called advice against washing mushrooms in water in case they become waterlogged “nonsense”. He cites Harold McGee, who tested this theory in his book The Curious Cook: “McGee weighed 252g fresh mushrooms, submerged them in water for five minutes, then removed them, blotted the surface moisture and reweighed them.” The result was 258g, which, as McGee noted, is a 16th of a teaspoon of extra water per mushroom

Thomasina Miers’ recipes for mushroom linguine with chard, and poached pears with spiced hazelnut crumble

My farmers’ market (and my beds) are full of swiss chard. It is one of the few edible plants I could cope with this year – it grows with such ease and grows back so quickly after each picking that I feel it is the ultimate kitchen gardener’s friend. It is a great bedfellow for mushrooms, which lend a bit of meatiness to those leaves. With those, I also like to add ancho, a rich, full-bodied but not spicy chilli that is readily available in flaked form in many supermarkets around the country (nora or guajillo are good substitutes), while the feta, like queso fresco in Mexico, adds a lovely, tangy saltiness. It’s a dish for those Sundays when you are low on time, but want a rich, soothing feast

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for lime dal with roast squash and chilli cashews | Quick and easy

This might come as a surprise to some readers, but I am not a fan of dal. There were just two versions that I liked, and both were made by my mother: one with lime and coconut, the other a slow-cooked black dal with cream (even nicer than the Dishoom version). But now a third quick-cook dal has made it into my hall of fame. And the secret? Blitzing it until very smooth, then serving with a topping of roast squash and moreish chilli cashews. It’s a revelation that’s now on my weekly rotation

Cauliflower risotto and sausages with squash and beans: Sophie Wyburd’s recipes for autumn warmers

I am the scrooge who relishes the end of summer, and who welcomes the darker evenings with open arms. After patiently waiting for tomatoes and aubergines to be done with their performance, autumn brings its own bounty of vegetables back into play, with squash, cauliflower and dark, leafy greens being some of my favourites. They’re ideal for loading into comforting dishes to hunker down with, and lend even the most indulgent meals a bit of goodness.Prep 10 min Cook 1 hr 10 min Serves 47 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped15g rosemary, finely chopped8 good-quality pork sausages 600g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 3cm chunks 400ml chicken stock 2 560g jars of butter beans 70g sourdough breadcrumbs Salt and black pepper 150g cavolo nero 40g parmesan Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus the juice of half, and optional lemon wedges to serveOver a medium flame, heat three tablespoons of the oil in a large, shallow casserole dish for which you have a lid. Tip in the chopped onion and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes, until softened

How to make cinnamon buns – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

There are few joys quite like a sticky bun. As soft and sweet as an edible pillow, they’re a lovely thing to sink into with a cup of coffee and, though they look impressive, they’re also unexpectedly easy to make at home. This Scandinavian version is cinnamon flavoured, but feel free to change the seasoning to suit your palate.Prep 30 min Rest 1 hr+Cook 25 min Makes 71 tsp ground cardamom seeds (from about 25 pods; see step 1)300ml whole milk 50g butter, roughly cubed425g plain flour 60g caster sugar ¼ tsp fine salt 7g fast-action/instant yeast 1 egg Oil, for greasingFor the filling75g butter, softened50g dark brown sugar 2 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp saltTo finish1 egg, lightly beaten Demerara or granulated sugarGround cardamom is fairly easy to find these days, but if you don’t mind a bit of fiddly work, you should get a teaspoon or so of powder from the ground seeds of about 25 pods. Alternatively, for a milder flavour, use the seeds whole and strain them out of the milk later