MYFAVOURITEDISH
PRUE LEITH: QUEEN OF EVE’S PUDDING
Bramley Apple Week (5-12 February) starts today, and I’m overjoyed. I’ve always loved Bramley apples, anyone who has been brought up in England does. They are so good tempered; they dissolve into an unctuous purée at the drop of a hat; they just love to disintegrate. That’s the joy of them, and the reason they make such good apple sauce – which is part of the magic of this recipe.
This Queen of Eve’s pudding is one of the finalists in a competition I am judging to find the best Jubilee celebration dish, so it is doubly topical. It is a classic combination of two popular, old-fashioned British puddings: a Queen of Puddings, with layers of jam and meringue, and an Eve’s Pudding, with apples and sponge. Admittedly, it is a bit of a fag to make, with all of the various layers, as well as the custard and breadcrumb bottom. But it is pretty special and looks lovely with its waves of slightly browned meringue on top. A wonderfully festive pudding.
The thing that worries people is how to whisk the meringue so it won’t leak. The trick is to beat half the sugar with the egg whites first, then fold the rest in. Otherwise, if you add all the sugar at the end, it will collapse.
I’m so glad people are interested in Bramleys. They matter. Ingredients: 100g/4oz Madeira cake crumbs 25g/1oz chopped almonds 250ml/¼ pt milk – warmed 250ml/¼ pt double cream – warmed 3 eggs 50g/2oz granulated sugar Few drops almond essence Pinch ground cinnamon 2 Bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into rough chunks 25g/1oz butter 25g/1oz granulated sugar 15ml calvados – optional 2 egg whites ½ lemon, zested and a few drops of juice Additional 50g/2oz granulated sugar Method The recipe is based upon a classical British pudding. The Bramley apple is stewed in butter and flamed with apple brandy, this lies on top of a rich baked custard with almonds and cake. The pudding is topped with meringue and finished with a little lemon zest. μbutter an earthenware dish. μmix the almonds with the cake crumbs and place in the dish. μbeat the eggs with the sugar (50g/2oz), add the milk, cream, cinnamon and almond essence and pour onto the cake crumbs. μplace in a bain-marie (water bath) and cook in a moderate oven (150-160C/gas 2-3) for 30 minutes or until set. μmeanwhile place the apple, butter and sugar (25g/1oz) into a small pan and cook gently over low heat until the apple has become a purée, flame with calvados. μ Carefully spread the apple purée on top of the baked mixture. μ Whisk the egg whites with 25g/1oz sugar, lemon zest and juice until stiff, add the remaining 25g/1oz sugar, pipe or spoon on top of the apple. μ Return to a hot oven (200220C/gas 6-7) until light golden brown.