SERVES 6-8
800g mixture of
Bramley and eating
apples, such as
Braeburn or Cox
2 tbsp golden caster
sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
120g unsalted butter
3 tbsp raisins or sultanas
2 tsp honey
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 loaf of one-or two-day
old white bread
(unsliced)
icing sugar, to dust
TO SERVE
softly whipped cream or
custard (see page 249)
226 PUDDINGS
Apple charlotte
A traditional charlotte is a great way to make a tempting
pudding from stale bread and apples. Usually the f illing
consists solely of Bramley apples, cooked to a puree, but
we like to include some eating apples, which ret ain their
shape better and lend an interesting texture to the f illing.Peel, core and thinly slice the apples, then toss with the sugar and
cinnamon. Melt 20g butter in a heavy-based (preferably non-stick)
frying pan. Toss the apples in the melted butter to coat, then add the
raisins, honey and lemon juice. Cook over a high heat for 5-6 minutes
until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has cooked off. The apple
filling must be fairly dry, otherwise it will make the pudding soggy.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool.Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Melt the remain, butter and use
some to brush a 20cm round shallow cake t in , with removable base.
Cut off the crusts, then thinly slice the bread. Lightly roll over each
slice with a rolling pin to flatten slightly and brush both sides with
butter. Line the base and side of the tin with the bread slices,
overlapping them slightly, and letting them extend above the rim.Fill the bread-lined tin with the cooled apple mixture, using a slotted
spoon to leave behind any excess liquid. Fold over the extending bread
slices and fill the middle and any gaps with more buttered slices. Brush
the top with butter. Lightly press a similar sized plate on top to ensure
that the apple filling is tightly packed, then remove it. Bake the
pudding for 20 minutes. Lightly dust the top with icing sugar and bake
for another 10-15 minutes until the sugar has lightly caramelized.Let the apple charlotte stand for a few minutes before unmoulding
onto a large plate. Slice and serve while still warm, with softly
whipped cream or warm custard, if you prefer.