apple and blackberry with hazelnut dunking doughnuts

6 large cooking apples peeled cored

and chopped 

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

230g caster sugar plus extra for dusting 

1 punnet blackberries 

500g plain flour 

50g hazelnuts roasted in a hot oven

until fragrant then ground 

250ml sugar 

30g butter 

2 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp baking soda 

175m1 buttermilk or milk 

2 eggs lightly beaten 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

corn oil for deepfrying

In a saucepan cook the chopped apple with the cinnamon and 100g of the sugar until the flesh has disintegrated and is completely smooth. Meanwhile heat the remaining sugar with 100m1 water to make a syrup. 

Add about 3 tbsp of the syrup to the blackberries and heat until soft and cooked. 

Keep to one side. 

Stir the remaining syrup into the cooked mixture. Again keep to one side.

Put half the flour into a processor with the ground hazelnuts sugar butter and baking powder and soda. 

Process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Next beat together the buttermilk or milk eggs and vanilla add to the processor and mix. 

Work in the remaining flour to make a dough being careful not to overdo it. 

Remove to a floured surface and knead until smooth.

Next roll out the dough to about 2cm thick then using an 8cm ringcutter press out circles of dough (without twisting). 

For ring doughnuts press a small hole from the centre of each using a 4cm ring cutter. 

Heat the corn oil in a saucepan then deepfry the doughnuts in batches for about 3 minutes turning once. 

Drain on kitchen roll arid dust with caster sugar.

Warm the apple and blackberry purees then pour the apple into bowls and top with the blackberries. Eat the doughnuts warm dunking at every mouthful. 

Add thick cream if you can handle it.

If you don't want to make doughnuts you can use bought ones although you'll miss out on the hazelnut bit. 

Serves 6