Something I get asked a lot is how I manage the work-life balance. This is a concept I explore daily as I try to inspire a team of bakers and baristas at Violet Bakery, write recipes and stories for my column here in the Guardian, make comment-worthy content for my social media accounts, sustain a good relationship with my husband and now raise a happy and healthy child. We also have a gorgeous whippet and many friends and family that deserve a good portion of our love and attention.
What I have noticed is that work never slows down or stops and that family and friends – or life – starts to feel more like work if I’m not careful. A guilty feeling can creep in – that they are not getting enough of my time, that I haven’t written that thank-you card, or that I have ordered take away one too many times this month. Perhaps there is no such thing as a work-life balance. Perhaps it is all life, and if we thought of it more in that way we would not be so hard on ourselves and could, in turn, enjoy both a bit more.
I have been very lucky to have successfully created a career out of my lifestyle. I love to bake, so I trained in professional kitchens and read every cookbook I could find. I love beautiful images, so I take a little time each day to create one and share it on social media. I love people and interacting with them, so I have a bakery in a little neighbourhood where I get to see the same people – people who have become my friends – on a daily basis. At home, my little family and I try our best to be loving and mindful and create a supportive cocoon in which to rest, relax and draw inspiration. But this takes time and discipline. When it all collides I turn to my nearest cornershop for comfort: a bag of apples. Sweetened and stacked atop a bowl of butterscotch cream, or baked into a brimming pie, in their familiar way, they bring a little balance back into your life.
Butterscotch cream with caramelised apples (main picture)
This recipe works best if you make the custard in the morning, or the day before you want to serve it.
Makes 4
5 egg yolks
400g double cream
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
120g caster sugar
Water, to moisten the sugar
¼ tsp fine sea salt
2 apples peeled, cored and sliced about 3mm thick
50g light brown sugar
2 tsp water
A pinch of flaky sea salt
1 Heat oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3½. Put 4 deep ramekins in a roasting tray.
2 Separate the yolks into a medium bowl and save the whites in the fridge for another use.
3 Heat the cream and scraped vanilla pod in a saucepan until it is just beginning to foam, which is the stage before it boils. Pull off the heat, cover and let it steep.
4 Heat the sugar and water in a large heavy saucepan. Avoid stirring, but swirl the pan occasionally. When it starts to turn a dark amber, pour in the vanilla cream. It will bubble up, so whisk as you go and take care not to burn yourself. Whisk in the salt and remove from the heat.
5 Now, whisk ⅓ of the caramel into the yolks, then scrape that back into the rest of the caramel and whisk together. Strain into a measuring jug and pour into the ramekins.
6 Pour water into the roasting tin until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins, then cover tightly with foil (shiny-side down). Bake for 45-50 minutes or until set, but with a little wobble in the middle. Remove the foil and cool completely. Store in the fridge until ready to serve. (These can be made up to three days in advance.)
7 When ready to serve, prepare the apples. Melt the sugar and water in a frying pan and heat until it starts to caramelise, swirling the pan, but never stirring. Toss in the sliced apples and coat them in the caramel. Sprinkle with some flaky sea salt and serve at once, stacked on top of each pudding.
Apple cinnamon pie
Makes one deep 23cm pie
For the pastry
375g plain flour
250g unsalted butter, cold
1 tsp fine sea salt
4 tbsp iced water
4 tbsp cider vinegar
For the filling
6-8 medium apples (about 1kg)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
150g caster sugar
A pinch of salt
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg
1 tbsp milk or cream
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 Blend the flour, butter and salt together until it reaches a coarse meal texture. Mix the water and vinegar in a jug, then add half of this to the flour mixture while the motor is running. Pulse a couple of times and see if it needs more liquid. The dough should hold together without being wet or sticky. Add more of the water mix, if necessary. Divide the dough into two balls and press into discs before wrapping in clingfilm. Chill for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight.
2 Peel, quarter and core your apples. Slice them about 1cm thick and put into a bowl with the lemon juice, sugar, salt, flour and cinnamon. Toss well to coat and leave to macerate.
3 Heat your oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Roll out one disc of pastry until 3mm thick, then use it to line your pie plate with a slight overhang. Fill the pie with the apples. It will be a heaped pile. Roll the remaining pastry and lay it over the top. Fold the edges under, trimming away any excess and crimp the rim. Use a sharp knife to make several incisions in the top of the pie, to allow steam to escape.
4 In a small bowl or jar, whisk the egg and milk together and brush this over the pie. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp caster sugar and put on a tray lined with paper or foil to catch the drips. Bake for 50-60 minutes and then check for doneness. The pie may need another few minutes. If it gets golden too quickly, cover loosely with baking paper or foil and continue to cook. It is done with the filling bubbles out of the top and looks thickened. Cool for at least two hours before slicing and serving.
- Claire Ptak is an author and food stylist and owns Violet Bakery in London. She is the author of the Violet Bakery Cookbook (Square Peg); @violetcakeslondon
