I am not ready for winter food yet, but I need dishes that are more substantial than what has been on the table over the last few weeks. Time, I suppose, to get the jars of beans down from the cupboard, switch the oven on and get the baking recipes out.

This week I had an autumnal dish of sea bass and beans on the hob. Scented with rosemary and tarragon, this was the first of the autumn fish dishes, more robust than grilled fish, but less hearty than a traditional fish pie. There was the herb-freckled broth, too, for which we needed deep-bowled spoons.

As the autumn moves slowly on, I am happy to spend a while longer in the kitchen, creaming together butter and sugar for a cake, rolling pastry and lining tart tins. I made a batch of little tarts this week with a simple shortcrust, filled them with a pistachio and almond frangipane and baked them just long enough that the filling was still fudgy and giving in the centre. We ate them with blackberries, but they were fine on their own, too.

The need for supper in seconds – so welcome on a summer’s evening – is changing to something more thoughtful and a little more time-consuming. Fine by me, time in the kitchen on an autumn afternoon is, to my mind at least, time well spent, and I couldn’t be happier.

So roll on the cooler days, the rainy afternoons and the wet weekends: there is much cooking to be done.

Sea bass with beans and tarragon

A substantial fish dish, perfect for a cool autumn evening. I used sea bass fillets, but you could use any sustainably sourced white fish. Have the fishmonger remove the skin for you, it makes the whole recipe easier. I seasoned the flour with just salt and pepper, but there is no reason why you shouldn’t add a little ground paprika or even mild chilli. Should you take that route, I suggest leaving out the tarragon. Serves 2, generously. Ready in 40 minutes.

plain flour 4 tbsp
white fish fillets 400g
olive oil 4 tbsp
dashi or light fish stock 250ml
rosemary leaves 1 tbsp
tarragon 2 tbsp
butter or cannellini beans 400-500g, drained weight
cavolo nero or other dark-leaved cabbage 75g

Put the flour into a shallow bowl, season with salt and black pepper. Cut the fish fillets into short lengths – about 3 or 4 pieces from each fillet. Drop them into the flour and pat them to coat the fish, then turn them over and repeat.

Warm the oil in a shallow pan, lower in the pieces of fish, not too many at once, and let them fry for a couple of minutes until they are pale gold, then carefully turn them over with a palette knife and lightly brown the other side, too. Lift out and on to a dish. Finely chop the rosemary and tarragon.

Tip any flour and oil from the pan and wipe it with kitchen paper, then return it to the heat. Pour in the dashi or fish stock and let it come to the boil, add the chopped rosemary and tarragon, then the beans, drained, then lower the heat and let the beans simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Return the fish to the pan and leave for 2 or 3 minutes.

Shred the cavolo nero and add to the beans, cover briefly with a lid and continue cooking for 2 minutes until the leaves have softened, then transfer into shallow dishes and serve.

Pistachio tarts with blackberries

There is a bit of work to be done here, lining the tart tins with pastry and making the almond and pistachio filling. The sort of recipe for a wet autumn afternoon. I suggest you use ready-ground pistachios. The frangipane will keep in the fridge for several days. Makes 10-12. Ready in 90 minutes

For the pastry:
plain flour 180g
butter 90g
egg yolk 1
water 2-3 tbsp

For the frangipane:
ground pistachios 85g
ground almonds 85g
butter 125g
caster sugar 125g
egg 1, large
plain flour 25g
blackberries 250g (you will need 3 or 4 for each tart)

You will also need a baking sheet and a 12-hole bun or tart tin

Make the pastry: put the flour into the bowl of a food processor, add the butter, cut into small pieces and process to fine crumbs. Beat the egg yolk with a fork, add it to the crumbs and process briefly, then incorporate as much water as you need to bring it to a rollable dough – about 2 tbsp should be enough.

Wrap the dough in kitchen paper and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Make the frangipane filling: mix together the ground pistachios and almonds. Using a food mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Break the egg into a bowl and beat it briefly with a fork, then introduce it, a little at time, to the creamed sugar and butter. Lastly, stir in the flour lightly but thoroughly.

Roll the pastry out thinly on a lightly floured board then, using a 9cm cutter, make 10-12 discs. Use them to line the bun tin, then place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and place a baking sheet in the oven to get hot.

Spoon the filling into the pastry-lined tart tin and lightly smooth the top of each with a teaspoon. Bake for 20-25 minutes on top of the hot baking sheet, until lightly crisp on top, the filling still soft. Let the tarts cool then serve with blackberries, either on top of the tarts or beside them.

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