Bramley apple and lemon thyme crumble

8 April 2013 by Admin in Uncategorized

You will need 4 x 6 cm stainless
steel rings

For the crumble:
50g caster sugar
60g soft unsalted butter
55g ground almonds
½ tsp Maldon sea salt
60g soft white flour
3 Bramley apples
5 tsp clear thyme honey
25g unsalted butter
1 sprig fresh lemon thyme
10g sultanas

 

For the salted caramel sauce:
4 tbsp water
60g granulated sugar
6 tbsp double cream
a pinch Maldon sea salt
For the mascarpone ice cream:
250ml full-fat milk
150g mascarpone
3 egg yolks
75g caster sugar

Serves 4

Make the ice cream beforehand. Put the milk and half the mascarpone into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Beat together the egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl, then add the milk mixture to the bowl and mix them together well. Return the ice-cream mixture to the saucepan and cook it until it reaches 85°C, stirring continuously. Put an empty bowl into a baking tray and fill the tray with iced water. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into the bowl and allow it to chill. Stir in the remaining mascarpone and then freeze the mix in an ice-cream machine, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Set aside in the freezer for later use.

Make the crumble. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, and mix the sugar with the butter, rubbing them together. Add the ground almonds, Maldon salt and flour and continue to rub everything together to create a crumbly texture. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown in colour. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Wash, peel and cut the Bramley apples into 1cm dice. In a shallow pan cook the honey, butter and lemon thyme until they reach a light caramel. Add the sultanas and then add the apples. Reduce the heat, place a piece of baking paper over the top and continue to cook slowly until the apples are soft to the touch but still maintain their shape. Remove from the heat.

Place four 6cm stainless steel rings on a silicone baking mat or baking sheet. Spoon a little of the crumble mix into the base of each ring and place on top enough of the cooked apple mixture to come two-thirds up the ring. Then put more crumble on top of the apples and place them in the oven for 12 minutes to warm through and further colour the crumble.

While the crumbles are cooking, make the sauce. Put the water and sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and cook them to a caramel. Mix the double cream and Maldon salt together and, off the heat, add them to the caramel carefully – it will rise up and spit. Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve. Set aside and keep warm.

Carefully lift each crumble onto its serving plate and remove the ring. Spoon the salted caramel sauce around it and set a quenelle of the ice cream to the side.

This recipe is from Desert Island Dishes and Copyright of Maldon Salt Company Limited 2012