Thursday, 8 June 2006

Pam St Clement's Apple Pudding

'I'm not a pudding person, but this marriage of sweet, sharp and alcohol is persuasive!'

Ingredients

3 large apples
3tbsp sugar
Dash fresh lemon juice
Cinnamon
150ml/¼pt milk
2-3 eggs
100g/3½oz flour
Generous splash of Calvados (or rum)
2tbsp butter
Sifted vanilla sugar

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4.
2 Peel, core and slice the apples. Sprinkle over 2tbsp of the sugar, the lemon juice and a little cinnamon. Cover and leave to stand for about 30 mins. During that time, turn the slices over occasionally so they are well impregnated with the sugar, lemon and cinnamon.
3 Make a batter with the milk, eggs and flour, the remaining sugar and the Calvados (or rum, in which case you'll have to call this West Indian Apple Pudding!)
4 Melt the butter in a deep gratin dish. Mix the apples with the batter and pour on to the hot butter. Bake until the top is firm. Then turn the whole thing over pancake style. Dont fret if it breaks! When the top is brown, tear the pudding into smaller pieces (this is easiest with two forks). Return the dish to the oven until the smaller pieces are lightly browned but still a little moist inside.
5 Serve in the gratin dish dusted thickly with the vanilla sugar and cinnamon.

Recipe from The You Are What You Are Cookbook (£7.99, Accent Press). All profits from this book go to support Beds Garden Carers – a charity for adults with learning disabilities. For more info, visit www.bedsgardencarers.org.uk or call 01234 32887.