POMMES D’AMOUR
Nothing says autumn quite like a fresh bushel of apples. Whether they’re on sticks or baked in cakes, The Great British Chefs capture the essence of the season
Toffee apples
Toffee apples are a classic for Bonfire night or Halloween, and Andrew MacKenzie adds an unexpected twist by coating them in popping candy. Making a caramel from scratch can be a little daunting, but investing in a sugar thermometer will ensure you get it right every time.
8 apples, unwaxed 250g of caster sugar 2 tbsp of golden syrup
15g of popping candy
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Evenly peel the top half of the apples – leave the bottom half with the skin on. Arrange the apples on top of the tray and push a lolly stick into the bottom of each one.
For the caramel, place a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of water, the caster sugar and golden syrup. Using a sugar thermometer, bring up to 140°C or hard-crack stage. Once it reaches 140°C, stop the caramel from colouring further by putting the base of the pan into cold water for a few seconds, taking care not to let any water seep into the caramel.
Do not cool the caramel for too long as you will need to be able to dip the apples into it. Tip the popping candy into a small bowl. Dip the peeled half of each apple into the caramel to completely cover the exposed flesh. Allow to set for 30 seconds then dip into the popping candy. Place the toffee apples onto parchment paper and allow the caramel to harden before serving.
Toffee apple and marshmallow kebabs
Sweet toffee apples are a funfair favourite. In Paul Ainsworth’s toffee apple recipe, he presents a smaller version and pairs the toffee apples with marshmallows. These sweets were part of an array of sweet treats, Taste of the Fairground, created by Paul on the BBC’s Great British Menu.
Marshmallow
450g of caster sugar 1 tbsp of liquid glucose
200ml of water 2 egg whites 9 gelatine leaves, soaked in water until soft 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out 1 tsp olive oil cornflour for dusting icing sugar for dusting
Toffee apples
3 apples, peeled, core removed, thickly sliced 50g of sugar 50g of butter 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
First make the marshmallow. Place the glucose, sugar and water to a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to the boil. Keep cooking until the mixture hits 127°C, then stir in the vanilla and gelatine and pour into a heatproof jug. Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk to make stiff peaks. Pour the hot syrup mix into the egg whites, slowly whisking continuously until thick and glossy. Keep whisking for 5 minutes to form stiff peaks
Lightly grease a shallow tray with olive oil and sprinkle over some icing sugar and cornflour to coat. Pour the marshmallow mix into the tray, smoothing out lightly with a spatula. Set aside for at least 1 hour to set. Now make the toffee apples. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Use a pastry cutter to cut the apple slices into 2.5cm rounds, smoothing off the edges with a knife. Add the sugar, butter and thyme to a frying pan and place over a medium heat. Cook until the sugar has dissolved into the butter, then turn up the heat and cook to a toffee consistency.
Skewer the apple pieces and carefully dip into the toffee mixture, rolling around to coat. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 8 – 10 minutes in the oven. Once cooked, set aside to cool. When the marshmallow has set completely, sprinkle a chopping board with icing sugar and cornflour and turn the marshmallow onto it. Using a hot knife, cut the sheet into neat 2cm cubes. When ready, skewer each marshmallow cube then thread a toffee apple piece on top. Lightly caramelise the outside of the marshmallow with a blowtorch and serve.
Toffee apple cake
This apple cake recipe from actress and Celebrity Masterchef winner Sophie Thompson is delicious served after a meal with ice cream and toffee sauce or as a very indulgent snack with afternoon tea. Her cookbook, My Family Kitchen, is a collection of fuss-free, delicious recipes relayed with her trademark humour, warmth and vivaciousness. This recipe arose because of our apple tree and its generosity. This is a really comforting cakey cake. Nothing fairy or cup going on here. It’s a robust individual that would fight its way out of a paper case in disgust singing a song about not having its style cramped. It’s a little bit audacious.
For the cake
175g of soft butter, plus extra for greasing 150g of granulated sugar 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 200g of self-raising flour 1 tsp vanilla extract 150g of ground almonds 1 tsp baking powder 3 apples, large (approx. 400g), peeled, cored and finely sliced
For the toffee sauce
100g of butter 100g of light muscovado sugar 150ml of double cream
Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/Gas 3. Grease and base line a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. First make your toffee sauce by melting all the ingredients together in a pan over a low heat and stirring and
bubbling until golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool. Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and cream together until pale. Gradually add the beaten eggs, adding a large spoonful of flour after each to stop the mixture curdling. Once the eggs are combined, beat in the vanilla extract, then add the remaining flour, ground almonds and baking powder.
Fold in well. Pour half the mixture into your prepared tin and spread in an even layer. Arrange half the apple slices in a swirled layer, then spoon over half the toffee sauce. Repeat with the remaining cake mixture, apples and toffee sauce (leave a bit of toffee sauce for final drizzling, if you can). Bake in the oven for 1 hour–1 hour 10 minutes (check for doneness with a skewer after 1 hour). The cake will rise up during baking and can drip goo over the edge, so place a foil-lined tray underneath to catch any toffee drips. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for at least 45 minutes before unmoulding. Drizzle with the remaining toffee sauce and serve warm with ice cream or cold with hot tea.
These toffee apple recipes originally appeared on the Great British Chefs's website. For more recipes, visit greatbritishchefs.com