Pumpkins and squash are great in tarts, and it’s the mixture of sweet and salty in savoury pumpkin tarts that really gets me,” says food writer Diana Henry. Pumpkin tarts with spinach and gorgonzola Serves: 6 Ingredients: For the pastry: 225g plain flour, plus more to dust 175g butter, chilled and chopped Sea salt flakes For the filling: 450g pumpkin or squash Olive oil 450g spinach, coarse stalks removed 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk 275ml double cream 50g parmesan cheese, finely grated Freshly grated nutmeg 200g gorgonzola cheese Freshly ground black pepper Method: 1. For the pastry, put the flour, butter and a good pinch of salt into a food processor and pulse-blend the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add just enough very cold water to make the pastry come together. Wrap it in foil or clingfilm and refrigerate for about half an hour. 2. Preheat the oven to 180C fan (375F), Gas 5. 3. Cut the pumpkin or squash from top to bottom into broad slices, remove the inner stringy bits and seeds, then peel. Brush lightly with olive oil and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until just tender. Turn off the oven. Put the spinach into a large saucepan, cover and wilt in the water left clinging to it (about four minutes over a medium heat). Drain well and leave to cool. 4. Make the custard by mixing together the eggs, egg yolk, cream and parmesan. Season well. Roll out the rested pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line six individual tart tins. Chill for another 30 minutes (or just stick them in the freezer for about 15 minutes). 5. Preheat the oven again to 180C fan, Gas 5. Prick the bottom of the tarts with a fork, line them with baking parchment and put baking beans or ordinary dried beans on top. Blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and cook the pastry cases for another five minutes. 6. Cut the pumpkin into small slices, about 10 centimetres long and one centimetre thick. Squeeze every last bit of water from the spinach and chop it up. Season both of these and add some freshly grated nutmeg to the spinach. Spread the spinach over the bottom of the tart cases, then add the slices of pumpkin and dot with nuggets of gorgonzola. 7. Pour the custard mix over the tarts and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the custard feels only just set when you put your forefinger in the centre of a tart. Leave for 10 minutes to let the custard finish cooking and set a little once you have taken it out of the oven. Beef pie with wild mushrooms and red wine With wild mushrooms and red wine, this beef pie is perfect as the days get shorter and colder. Serves: 6 Ingredients: 1kg braising beef, cut into large chunks 30g dried wild mushrooms Groundnut oil 350g baby onions, or small round shallots, peeled but left whole 50g butter 1 celery stick, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 30g plain flour 300ml red wine Leaves from 3 thyme sprigs 3 bay leaves 300g fresh mushrooms, sliced 3 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves 320g puff pastry for 1 big pie, 600g for 6 small pies 1 egg, lightly beaten Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper Method: 1. Dry the meat well with kitchen paper (if it’s wet it won’t brown properly). Put the dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour enough boiling water over to just cover. Leave to soak for 30 minutes. 2. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a heavy-based casserole and brown the beef in batches: it is very important to cook it in batches otherwise the meat will not colour well. Remove each batch as it’s done. Add the baby onions or shallots to the pan and lightly brown them, adding a little more oil if you need it. Reduce the heat, add 20 grams of the butter and all the celery and garlic, and sweat for 10 minutes. Return the meat, with any juices, to the casserole. Season well and, over a low heat, add the flour. Stir everything round until it is well coated. Cut up the mushrooms and add to the pot with their soaking liquid (strain the liquid through muslin, as it can be gritty). Add the red wine, thyme and bay leaves and bring to the boil. Immediately reduce the heat, cover and cook over a very gentle heat for one-and-a-half hours, stirring every so often. Take the lid off for the last 15-20 minutes to reduce the liquid. You need thick juices for a pie, so, if they’re too thin, remove the meat and mushrooms and boil to reduce the sauce. 3. Melt half a tablespoon of oil and the remaining butter in a saute pan and cook the fresh mushrooms briskly over a high heat so that they get well coloured. Season and let the mushrooms cook until they exude their liquid and it evaporates. Stir the parsley and the cooked fresh mushrooms into the meat and check the seasoning. Leave to cool completely. 4. Put the meat in one large or six small pie dishes and roll out the pastry to fit the dish(es). Cut a strip or strips large enough to go around the edge or edges. Brush the edge(s) with water and press the strip on. Dampen this with water and cover the pie or pies with their lids, pressing the pastry down. Trim off the excess, knock up the edges and crimp them, if you like, or just press with a fork. Use the remaining pastry to decorate, making little holes in the top for steam to escape. Brush with the beaten egg and chill for half an hour. Preheat the oven to 190C fan, Gas 6. 5. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes for one large pie, or 25-30 minutes for smaller pies. Serve immediately. Pecan and pear upside-down cake “The cranberries look beautifully jewel-like on this cake, which can be eaten warm as a pudding as well as with tea or coffee,” says Henry. “The fruit combination also works well in a Tarte Tatin. The ginger here is optional, but it mutes the sweetness a little.” Serves: 10 Ingredients: For the fruit and nuts: 75g unsalted butter 115g caster sugar 350g firm pears (about 2) 140g cranberries 75g pecans For the cake: 120g unsalted butter, softened 200g caster sugar 2 large eggs, separated Drop of vanilla extract 210g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground ginger (optional) 175ml full-fat milk Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan (375F), Gas 5. 2. Melt the butter and sugar for the fruit and nuts in a heavy-based ovenproof saute pan, 25cms in diameter, over a low heat. Peel and core the pears and cut them into slices, about 1cm thick, then place them on top of the butter and sugar. Cook these over a gentle heat until just tender, then whack the heat up and cook them until lightly caramelised. Scatter the cranberries and pecans on top and gently mix all the fruit around. Turn the heat off, but don’t let the pan get cold. 3. For the cake, cream the butter and sugar and add the egg yolks and vanilla. Mix in half the flour along with all the baking powder and ginger, if using. Add the milk and then the other half of the flour. Mix until smooth. 4. Whisk the egg whites until they form medium peaks. Add one tablespoon of the beaten whites to the batter to loosen it, then, working quickly, fold in the rest with a large spoon. 5. Spread the batter over the fruit and nuts in the pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean. 6. Leave the cake to cool for 10 minutes before turning it out, but no longer, or the caramelised fruit will stick to the pan. If this does happen, carefully lever the pears off the pan and lay them on to the cake with their dark, caramelised sides facing upwards. ‘Roast Figs, Sugar Snow’ by Diana Henry (Aster, £22). Read More Is there such a thing as British pizza? Five easy recipes to cook with your kids The dish that defines me: Rosie Grant’s grave recipes Courgette season is nearly over – here’s three ways to make the most of them How to cook to keep your gut healthy Leave Rick Stein alone – it’s totally reasonable to charge £2 for mayo and ketchup

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Hairspray actress Sarah Francis Jones has revealed that she went into labour while attending Beyoncé’s concert. In a video shared to Jones and her husband, actor Marcel Spears, Instagram accounts earlier this week, the Honey star spoke candidly about her experience at the show, which took place on 4 September at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The post started off with the couple watching Beyoncé on stage, before the video transitioned to Jones in the hospital, as she appeared to be giving birth to her daughter. “POV: you go into labour at Beyoncé’s bday concert,” she wrote, referring to the show taking place on the singer’s 42nd birthday. Jones, who was featured in the 2007 Hairspray movie, went on to describe the unexpected experience of going into labour during the show. “We thought it was just Braxton hicks or gas,” she wrote in the caption. “Turns out we were having a whole baby at @beyonce bday show.” In the comments, many famous faces and fans congratulated Jones, while also poking fun at the timing in which started she going into labour. “CONGRATS SARAH!!! I love you so much!!!” Demi Lovato wrote, while comedian Malik Sanon added: “Your baby wanted to watch the show. Congrats bro.” “Baby girl dancing her way out at the concert!!!” a third wrote. “She said MOMMMM I NEED TO SEE QUEEN B WITH YOU WITH MY TWO EYES.” The new parents shared another joint Instagram post about the experience, which included a video of Jones at the concert and hospital, with text that read: “Beyonce induced my baby.” In the caption, Spears also added: “….stranger than fiction. God is good.” During an interview with KTLA, Jones recalled feeling contractions during the middle of the show. “I think it was right after the mute challenge,” she said, referring to concert guests pausing after Beyoncé sings the line “everybody on mute,” from her song “Energy”. “Everybody went mute. LA did very well … and then I started having contractions,” Jones continued. She emphasised that she thought the contradictions were a form Braxton Hicks, which are pains during pregnancy that are often mistaken for true labour contractions. According to Jones, as the pain continued, she took a break from dancing during show. “I said ‘Something’s happening,’” she recalled. “Usually I like to dance at the concert and I was like ‘Okay, I need to sit down for a second.’” Spears added that he first thought the contractions would “pass,” since the baby’s due date wasn’t for a few days. But as Jones’ labour pains continued, he started to time them, and noticed that the contractions were 20 to 30 minutes apart. From there, he said he and his wife made their way out of the stadium. “As the concert went on we were like ‘I don’t know about this.’ By the time we got to the car into the parking lot it was full-on intense,” he explained. The couple revealed that their newborn baby, Nola, arrived later that night on 5 September. While the baby’s first name is a reference to Spears’ hometown, the pair also noted that they haven’t decided on her middle name yet. However, they are open to a name that’s “Beyonce-like”. Spears also opened up about his and his wife’s decision to document the concert experience, sharing his belief that if they “didn’t record it,” he didn’t think “anybody would believe” what happened. “It’s just one of those things that it’s so convenient you’re like ‘Nah that’s not happening,’ but the baby definitely pulled through,” he said. The Independent has contacted Jones for comment. Read More Beyoncé fan reveals she wore wedding dress to concert to celebrate first year of marriage Keke Palmer brings boyfriend Darius Jackson to Beyoncé concert Meghan Markle has ‘adorable’ reaction after Prince Harry takes a selfie at Beyoncé concert Sophia Bush repurposes wedding dress for Beyoncé concert after Grant Hughes split Beyoncé fan reveals she wore wedding dress to concert on wedding anniversary Keke Palmer brings boyfriend Darius Jackson to Beyoncé concert

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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday announced a world-first summit on artificial intelligence, seeking a leading role for the UK in limiting potential doomsday...

The US Defense Department wants US businesses to help it develop space-based weaponry. The US

Billy Connolly has said that every day spent living with Parkinson’s disease “gets stranger”, as he shared an update on his health. The Scottish actor, 80, has been living with the condition since 2013, and said that the symptoms and lifestyle impacts of the disease often “creep up” on him. Parkinson’s is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and co-ordination. Often, the disease can become more severe over time. “Every day it gets stranger and more different,” the retired stand-up comedian told The Times. Connolly said that his newfound love for making drawings, painting and sculptures has helped him navigate the mental health toll of living with the condition. “I don’t know how I would have coped without drawing. It’s taken me out of the scene and put me somewhere else, where I can survey it from a different angle,” he said. “Art has made my life magical at a time when I thought it would be unbearable.” It’s been a decade since Connolly received his Parkinson’s diagnosis. The comedian was walking through the lobby of a Los Angeles hotel in 2013 when a fellow guest, a doctor, stopped him and said he shows physical signs of Parkinsons. This prompted Connolly to visit his doctor. “I’ll never forget what he said: ‘You have the gait of a Parkinson’s man,’” Connolly told the publication. According to Parkinson’s UK, Bradykinesia, which is a common condition among people with Parkinson’s, means slowness and a reduced range of movement when walking. It can make your steps smaller and it can take more time and effort to get around. When Connolly received his official diagnosis, he was also diagnosed with prostate cancer and gallstones in the same week. “It was a helluva week,” he said. “It got funny. My daughter Scarlett was with me in the ambulance on the way to the gallbladder surgery through Manhattan. The sirens were going – nee-naw nee-naw – and she said to me, ‘Is this your first Caribbean cruise?’ That’s a line I always said to her to make her laugh when her surroundings were awkward or boring.” During an interview published in September, it was revealed that Connolly had suffered “a couple of serious falls” and once broke his hip as a result of deteriorating balance. He no longer drives. Despite these growing physical challenges, the What We Did on Our Holiday star maintains a positive outlook on his health. In his memoir, Rambling Man: Life on the Road, which was released earlier this year, Connolly clarified that he doesn’t feel “close to death”. “You see, reports of my recent demise have been greatly exaggerated,” he stated in an extract shared with The Telegraph. “There was a week a few years ago where on Monday I got hearing aids, Tuesday I got pills for heartburn, and Wednesday I received news that I had prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease. But despite all that, I never ever felt close to dying.” Rambling Man: Life on the Road is available now. Read More What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease and how can it be treated? Tracey Emin says she ‘totally accepted death’ following cancer diagnosis Nicky Hilton calls out critics who made negative comments about nephew Phoenix’s head What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease and how can it be treated? Tracey Emin says she ‘totally accepted death’ following cancer diagnosis Nicky Hilton calls out critics who made negative comments about nephew Phoenix’s head

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Nick Cannon has revealed the appreciation he has for ex-wife Mariah Carey during a difficult time. In a recent interview on the Diary Of A CEO podcast, the father of 12 wasn’t afraid to confess that he wouldn’t have survived his 2012 lupus diagnosis if it wasn’t for the “Without You” singer by his side. “She was my rock,” he admitted. “She went hard. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for how hard she went with the doctors, with me, my stubbornness.” The Grammy winner, 54 and the former America’s Got Talent host, 42, saw sparks flying almost immediately when Carey cast Cannon as her love interest in the 2008 “Bye Bye” music video. It only took six weeks from the time they got engaged for Carey and Cannon to tie the knot. In 2011, they welcomed fraternal twins Moroccan and Monroe. Unfortunately, Cannon was diagnosed with lupus one year later - an inflammatory disease which occurs when the immune system attacks its own tissues. The Masked Singer host described Carey as “the perfect helpmate, the perfect matriarch, the perfect mom, the perfect wife” during this time. “It probably took a toll on us just because of the person I was in my head and the struggles that I was dealing with,” he continued. “But it definitely brought us closer together.” When podcast host Steven Bartlett asked whether Cannon believed Carey “saved his life”, he simply responded: “I absolutely do.” “But that’s what you do when you find a helpmate. When you find someone that you’re in matrimony with, you go hard for [them],” Cannon pointed out. “I feel like I went hard for her and we’ll still go hard - I lay down my life for her today. That’s what you do, it’s just family.” Cannon went on to explain how his experience with the disease put many things into perspective for him. However, it wasn’t easy for him to see things clearly while he was struggling. In fact, he told Bartlett that he was also dealing with mental health issues at the time, such as questioning his purpose and effect on the world. “Staring up from the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling all alone when everybody else is kicked out, and you gotta be face to face with your higher power, asking all those tough questions. Am I done?” he explained. “A lot of people don’t do that because we get caught up in the constant race of just living day to day, but it slowed down for me on many occasions.” While it may have been difficult for him to comprehend at the time, Cannon said he now lives his days with direction and without fear. “I’m probably reminded of my physical mortality all the time,” he noted. “And when you’re not afraid of dying, you focus on living, you know?” This isn’t the first time the TV personality has praised the “All I Want for Christmas Is You” singer. In 2022, Cannon opened up to Entertainment Tonight about the gratitude he has for his time spent with Carey. “I was talking about the fantasy of it all. I was like: ‘Yo, if I could have that same vibe of where I was at that state in my life and that age, of course I would do that all over again,’” he said. “But I’m not.” In addition to his two children with Carey, Cannon has welcomed Rise, Powerful, and Golden, with Brittany Bell; Zion, Zillion, and Beautiful with Abby De La Rosa; Halo with Alyssa Scott; Legendary with Bre Tiesi; and Onyx with LaNisha Cole. Cannon and Scott lost their baby boy, Zen, to cancer in 2021 when he was only five months old. Read More Nick Cannon’s brother says he can’t remember the 12 names of his nieces and nephews Nick Cannon shares Mariah Carey’s ‘high frequency’ reaction to actor having 12 children Mariah Carey: 'Music was my escape' The best napping method to help with pulling an all-nighter Toys children play with can have an effect on their success in adulthood Summer of female sporting events inspires millions of women to get back into the game