Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2012 14:07:36 GMT 10
'Tis the season to cook with apples
By LAURA FAIRE - Fairfax NZ | 5:00AM - Sunday, 06 May 2012
APPLE BREAD & BUTTER PUD: A perfect winter pudding, especially when topped with a scoop of icecream.
— MICHAEL BRADLEY/Fairfax NZ.
ANYONE who knows me will know I am a touch odd about fruit. Until my late 20s I couldn't really eat it and even now I am particularly picky with all types of fruit. I will generally only eat it if I have cut it up myself and it helps if I choose it from the store or collected it from the garden.
I realise this is neurotic. The only explanation I can think of is that I grew up near the orchard town of Kerikeri and we often had large quantities of fruit that were deemed unsuitable. Top this with the fact we shopped only once a month, the fruit on the farm (unless from our own limited orchard) was often blemished and past its best.
Being a good little chef I have always cooked with fruit and always tasted it when required but only out of duty, never for pleasure. Things improved when I began eating only seasonal food. Now I can be found hovering with visible neurosis over fruit stands in organic stores or markets — sniffing, turning, testing and fretting.
The first fruit that won me over was the apple. Although these pose multiple risks (hidden blemishes, floury textures, too sweet or too tart, little bugs) a good apple is hard to beat. Apples divide into two simple categories, eating and cooking, although both are suitable for either. The cooking apple has a higher malic acid content and will fluff up or puree when cooked. It can be remarkably hard to find a cooking apple these days. My local organic shop is pretty good, some farmers markets may be useful, a shout-out through social media once yielded me enough crab apples for a jelly. Mostly though it is best to order from growers. My mum orders hers from a heritage farm called Mantell's Orchard in Hastings. The boxes are delivered to me and I take a cut before sending them on.
This year we had Ballarats and the special tart tartin apple Caville Blanc d'hiver. I am yet to see a Bramley but will be pureeing and freezing them for later use in pies, cakes and baby food when I do. I used the Ballarats for my "funny apple cake" on TVNZ's Good Morning last month and have been receiving compliments ever since. If you get stuck, the Braeburn and Granny Smith are good all-rounders.
My favourite eating apple is the Pacific Rose and for the past three years, my husband has brought home the first of the season for me like a prize.
On our recent health kick, we juiced Cox Orange apples. I used them in this sneaky, naughty, white flour, cream and sugar extravaganza.
Although the apples don't make it any healthier they do add a beautiful contrast in both texture and flavour. Inspired by an apple Charlotte recipe in my old cooking school textbook, my lazy gene kicked in, the idea of lining a mould with the bread all seemed a little difficult. Therefore this cheat's version has arisen.
Pudding should be quick and sugary, served hot on a cold night with a generous scoop of icecream. This pud works with either a cooking or an eating apple.
Laura will be signing copies of her book Now is the Season at The Green Living Show at Auckland's Alexandra Park on Saturday, May 12, from 2pm in the Tasman Room. It's full of good ideas for seasonal pickings and is a great gift for Mother's Day.
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APPLE BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING
Ingredients:
- 1 loaf white bread, crusts removed and sliced
- 100g butter, softened
- 2 medium cooking apples, peeled
- ¼ cup raisins (I used muscatels)
- 3 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup caster sugar
- 1 cup cream
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Butter the bread on both sides and arrange in a baking dish.
- Slice and core the apple and tuck in among the bread slices then scatter over the raisins.
- Beat together eggs, sugar and cream then pour over the bread, pressing so the liquid is absorbed.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until custard is just set.
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 30 minutes.
www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/recipes/6867431/Tis-the-season-to-cook-with-apples
