Apple puddings

There is an elegance and cheery unpretentiousness to apple puddings and everyone seems to like them. Try one of the following soon.

Eating apples are always available but cooking apples are harder to find. As a rule of thumb, eating apples are sweet and hold their shape when cooked. Cooking apples are usually more tart and cook to a puree. Granny smiths work well for purees. As I write it is cold, raining and the heating isn’t working. Luckily, I am writing the antidote to such foul weather: hot apple puddings.

Warm apple and almond cake with marscarpone

Serves 6-8

Years ago I bought a small tourist office-issue cookbook at the village near our friends’ place in Tuscany. It had a simple cake recipe from Pisa, which I made, then over the years have played around with. (The cardamom and almonds in this are my idea.) It is an old fashioned Italian way of making a fresh fruit cake/pudding. (It’s good cold, with a coffee) and is just a batter holding together lots of sliced apples. I have made it with pears as well. If substituting fruit, don’t use anything too juicy as the juice can inhibit cooking. It’s great warm with that Italian gift to the world, mascarpone.

100g butter
100g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp crushed cardamom seeds
100g flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
100g sliced almonds, plus extra for sprinkling
150g mascarpone, beaten

1. Butter and paper the bottom of a 20cm diameter loose bottomed cake tin. Heat the oven to 180C.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat the eggs in one at a time. Stir in the vanilla, cardamom seeds, flour and baking powder, then stir in the apple slices and the almonds. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, sprinkle it well with sugar and with the extra almonds then place in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until very well cooked.
3. Remove from the oven and serve in wedges warm or cold.

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Tarte fine aux pommes (thin French apple tart)

Serves 6-8

I will keep publishing a recipe for this classic French apple tart forever, as it is a great addition to any cook’s repertoire. It is simple to make and looks like you got it from a patisserie in Paris. It has only three ingredients: pastry, apples and apricot jam. When something is this simple, the ingredients need to be of the best quality you can find because there is nowhere to hide. I use the Paneton brand of pastry. It is traditional French-style flaky puff pastry made with butter and is real quality. Use eating apples that hold their shape when cooked and buy a jam with at least 50 per cent fruit in it (and not much else apart from sugar).

You can pre-make this tart up to the brushing of the jam stage and with a preheated oven you’ll have a hot apple tart in 10 minutes.

The pastry needs to be very well cooked, maybe a bit more than you think, just don’t burn it. I like to cook the tart on a pizza stone to make sure the bottom is crisp. An inverted cast iron frying pan will also work as a pizza stone.

I like this tart with what we always call clotted cream. It isn’t. Real clotted cream is the unctuous skimmings off slowly simmering cauldrons of cream in Devon or Cornwall. But for a different version, add lemon juice to cream, don’t stir for a while, then stir slowly and the cream thickens. Tastes like very fresh creme fraiche.

400g made with butter, flaky puff pastry (I use the Paneton brand)
3-4 large apples, cored, cut into thin wedges
300ml apricot jam, melted over gentle heat
300ml cream
3 Tbsp lemon juice
Icing sugar for dusting

1. Heat oven to 210C.
2. Roll the pastry out into a 30cm diameter disc. Brush the edge of the pastry with water and fold the edges in all around at 2cm. Prick the inside of the tart with a fork.
3. Place the apple wedges evenly inside the raised edge of the tart. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until very well cooked.
4. Remove from the oven and generously brush the jam over the tart, leaving no gaps. Place the tart back into the oven for a few minutes until bubbling and browned.
5. Meanwhile put the cream into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, don't stir but reserve for 10 minutes then stir slowly. The cream will have thickened.
6. Remove tart from the oven and serve hot or warm, dusted with icing sugar and with the cream.

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Granny Smith apple cobbler

Serves 6

Not being a fan of scones, I have always been wary of the scone-like dough that goes on top of cobblers. That was until I used the cobbler dough from The New Basics Cookbook (an oldie but a goodie, Workman 1989) by Julie Rosso and Sheila Lukins. So that is what I based the following apple cobbler on. It is like an American shortcake or English teacake — a rich, crumbly cake, but not too sweet, baked on a vanilla and cinnamon apple puree. I used granny smith apples because I wanted them to cook almost to a puree. Handle the dough as little as possible, like scone dough, for a tender result.

1 kg granny smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1cm
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
250g flour
Pinch salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
60g butter
1 egg, beaten,
75ml milk
Whipped cream for serving

1. Heat the oven to 200C
2. Put the apples, zest, cinnamon stick, vanilla and ¼ cup of the sugar into an ovenproof dish. (I used an oval dish about 28cm by 18cm and 5cm deep). Mix well and spread into an even layer.
3. Put the remaining sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, and butter into a bowl or food processor. If using a bowl, using fingertips massage the butter into the dry ingredients so the mix is like coarse breadcrumbs.
4. Stir the egg and milk into the mixture until well combined but don't beat or the topping will be tough. Alternatively process the flour, salt, baking powder and butter until like coarse breadcrumbs, then stir in the egg and milk.
5. Place small spoonfuls of the mixture side by side, (like a cobbled effect) to cover the apple mixture. Don't leave any gaps. Sprinkle with extra sugar, place in the oven and bake 25 minutes.
6. Cover and cook a further 20 minutes or until the apples are tender and the top cooked and browned.
7. Remove from the oven and serve with whipped cream.

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