Caramelised apple & pear compote
Quick, delicious and seasonal, this is Gordon's idea of a perfect pub pudding
Difficulty and servings
Serves 4
Preparation and cooking times
Ready in 40 minutes
- Firstly prepare the apples and pears because caramel isn't something that will hang around while you fiddle around doing something else. Core them with a corer and halve them (or halve them and then cut out the cores), then peel them. Make sure you have fruit that isn't overripe, you want it nice and sweet and juicy but not so soft that you can't handle it as you cook it.
- To make the caramel, heat your frying pan over a medium heat. Then sprinkle on the sugar in an even layer - it should start to melt almost immediately. Add the star anise, cardamom and rosemary. Turn the heat down and let the sugar melt and turn golden, tip the pan back and forth if it seems to be darkening too much on one side. Swirl the caramel to get it an even colour. Add the fruit peeled-side down and keep the caramel going. Add half the butter and keep cooking. It is really important to make sure you get a decent colour on the fruit so keep cooking until the caramel is a nice dark golden colour or your finished dish will look a bit insipid.
- If the fruit looks dark, turn the pieces over and do the other side. Add the rest of the butter once you've turned them over and then leave everything to caramelise as you did with the first side. Once you have started to get a good colour, add the apple juice and calvados and bubble everything together until you have a sticky syrup. As the fruit cooks it will add flavour to the caramel so make sure you give it enough time to cook through properly. Don't overdo it, though, or your fruit will disintegrate.
- Serve as it is with a scoop of crème fraîche and some of the sauce spooned over and sprinkled with amaretti. Or you could cool this mixture down in the pan (take out the herbs and spices) and when it is cold, cover it with a layer of puff pastry and bake it at 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 for 30 minutes to make a tarte Tatin.
Recipe from olive magazine, January 2007.
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Ingredients
- 3 large apples
- 3 medium pears
- 200g caster sugar
- 100g unsalted butter
- 7 star anise
- 5 cardamom , lightly crushed
- 6 rosemary sprigs
- 150ml cloudy apple juice
- 2-4 tbsp Calvados
- a handful amaretti biscuits , crushed
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This mulled wine recipe is packed with cinnamon and berry flavours - a real winter warmer
6
ratings
Difficulty and servings
Serves 4
Preparation and cooking times
Ready in 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 large apples
- 3 medium pears
- 200g caster sugar
- 100g unsalted butter
- 7 star anise
- 5 cardamom , lightly crushed
- 6 rosemary sprigs
- 150ml cloudy apple juice
- 2-4 tbsp Calvados
- a handful amaretti biscuits , crushed
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Here are three other great reasons why to sign up:
- You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.
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