There is something magical about revisiting bygone desserts. Like stumbling across an ancient wisdom encased in flaky pastry or soaked in the honeyed drippings of baked fruits, a retro recipe for bread pudding or custard trifle can have the power to transport you to simpler, sweeter, times.
As we head into the colder months, this warm nostalgia is more necessary than ever, and you can evoke it with a simple technique that creates a lustworthy layer of caramelised fruit filling perched atop a delicious pie crust: howdy, meet the dowdy.