WHOLE ROASTED APPLES

As we diversify our diets to boost our health and ecosystem resilience, it's time to put down the Granny Smith and pick up the Egremont Russet. This is also the key to finding new and complex flavours.

John and his family nurture over sixty apple varieties on their farm in Etchingham, East Sussex. We use his Russet Apples in this recipe, served with roasted chestnut custard to give this cold-weather pudding a festive spin.

WHOLE ROASTED APPLES

Ingredients

For the apples:

6 Russet Apples or 1 per person
100g unsalted butter
75g raw cane sugar or light muscovado

For the custard:

100ml double cream
250ml full fat milk
2 egg yolks
50g sugar
Pinch salt

150g Chestnuts, roasted and peeled

Method

For the chestnuts:

1. Set oven to 180C.

2. Make a small cut in the skin of each chestnut and place them on a baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes. Once cool, peel and set aside.

For the apples:

3. Rub the apples in butter then roll in sugar and place in an oven proof dish. Roast for 20 minutes until the skins begin to break but the apples hold their shape.

4. Remove the apples and set aside, add a small amount of water to their pan and mix over a low heat to make a caramel sauce.

For the custard:

5. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until pale and creamy.

6. In a pan, combine the milk, cream and roughly chopped roasted chestnuts. Simmer for eight minutes, making sure it doesn't boil. In a blender, blitz until completely smooth and then pass through a fine sieve.

7. Pour a quarter of the hot milk mixture over the egg mixture, whisking continuously, then return to the pan with the rest of the milk and cream. Over a low heat, stir continuously until thickened - it should coat the back of a spoon.

To finish:

Gently warm the apples in the caramel sauce. Pour custard in the bottom of each bowl, then place a whole apple on top. Spoon the caramel sauce over the top.


TIP: Make the custard the day before and gently reheat in a saucepan.