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Now I appreciate most of you on here are experienced, clever cooks, and this recipe must be like taking coals to Newcastle, but for the rest of you who, like me, have never made, forgotten how to, or just never got around to making it, here is a lovely recipe for Apple Charlotte that I had for pudding on Sunday at my SIL’s. Honestly with her homemade custard from scratch (It was so good, (the Charlotte that is, not the custard) lol, that I felt slightly resentful that the men had larger slices than we women) was absolutely delicious. She said she got the recipe from her old Delia book, the girls loved it and it was a firm Sunday favourite. So here it is, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did if you make it. I guess it goes in the naughty section but hey ho, once in a blue moon won't harm you…..
APPLE CHARLOTTE.
You will need……
PREHEATED OVEN 400F / 200C / Gas 6.
1 x 1lb pudding basin.
1 x largish saucepan
1 x fork to beat egg yolk
INGREDIENTS
1lb x Apples (450gram) - she used half Bramley, half Cox)
1 x tablespoon Caster Sugar
4 x ounces (110gram) Butter
6 x slices of thick Bread (about ¼ inch (5mm)thickness) from a plain loaf, crusts cut off.
1 x Egg Yolk.
METHOD
Peel, core and slice the apples thinly. Rinse in cold water and then put into a saucepan with the sugar and 1 ounce of the butter.
Cook the apples over a low heat until they are soft enough to beat into a pulp.
Put to one side to cool.
Melt the remaining 3oz of butter gently on a low heat, Cut the 6 x slices of bread into rectangles. Brush each side of the rectangle slices with the melted butter, making sure you don’t leave any unbuttered patches.
Now line the pudding basin with ¾ of the buttered bread (or as much as you need) ensuring you don’t leave any gaps between.
When the apple puree has cooled, beat the egg yolk and add it to the apple pureee, place the mxture into the pudding basin. Now cover the top with the remaining buttered bread, ensuring you overlap the rectangle slices. (you may need to cut one extra thick slice of bread if you used more than ¾ of it to line the basin). Next, place an ovenproof plate over the top of the basin, and on top of that something heavy placed on the plate , about 2lb in weight (I used all of my blind baking beans). The heavier the better but it must be oven safe.
Bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes,, using an oven cloth or gloves, remove the weights and the plate and cook the Apple Charlotte uncovered for another 10 minutes so the top gets nice and brown.
Once you remove the basin from the oven, leave it in the bowl for a minute to settle. Then turn it out onto a warmed plate to serve.
Your Apple Charlotte should be lovely and crispy and buttery on the outside with soft pureed apple on the inside (to die for actually) LOL . Delicious with either good ol’ Custard or Whipped /pouring Cream.
You lucky, lucky thing STM. It must be lovely to have one's own apple trees. In this house-hold there is no special time of year to have apple pies, apple crumble, cold apple desserts, or just plain stewed apple and custard. Add now apple charlotte and I have a happy husband. I do try to buy English apples though when I can.
I am fortunate - a neighbour in the next street has an orchard and sells her surplus - huge bags (5lbs) of Bramleys and Victoria plums for £2 and punnets of raspberries - two for £1. Always watch for them outside her house and stock up.
Oh - there is tiny 'money spider' walking up my screen - how cheeky !
You too, are very lucky. How great is that you have a neighbour who sells her apples and plums, and for such a cheap price too! Crikey, I pay that much for just 4/5 Bramleys at the supermarket.