Apple Dessert Recipe

Nigel Mendham's stunning creation is not for the faint-hearted - this apple dessert recipe contains several complex elements. The gingerbread recipe makes a lot more than you need for the dish - use excess by crumbling into ice cream, making gingerbread and butter pudding or simply enjoy with a cup of tea.

Apple parfait

400g of apple purée
150g of sugar
6 egg yolks
600ml of double cream

Bramley apple compote

3kg Bramley apple, peeled, quartered and cored
200ml of water
sugar to taste, depending on the sweetness of the apples

Compressed apple

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and balled
25g of white wine
25g of sugar
25g of water

Red apple sorbet

500g of red apple, core removed, cut into small pieces and frozen
200g of water
50g of glucose
150g of sugar
20ml of lemon juice

Grasmere gingerbread

250g of butter, melted
250g of dark brown sugar
300g of porridge oats
200g of self-raising flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
3 knobs of stem ginger, grated
60g of brown sugar, to sprinkle
5g of ground ginger, to sprinkle

Tarte Tatin

2 apples
50g of sugar
25g of butter
1 sheet of puff pastry
100g of water

Dehydrated apple crisp

1 apple
lemon juice

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shopping List

Parisian scoop / melon baller
Mandoline
Ice cream maker
Sugar thermometer
Blender
Dehydrator
Sous vide equipment
Loaf tin
25.75 x 12.75 x 6.75cm loaf tin

For the dehydrated apple, use a mandoline to finely slice the apple across the core. Removing the pips, toss the slices in lemon juice to prevent browning then lay onto a lined tray. Add to a dehydrator set to 60°C for approximately 6-8 hours until crisp

1 apple
lemon juice

For the parfait, place the sugar in a pan and heat to soft ball stage (115°C). In a food mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks until fluffy and pale in colour. Slowly add the sugar syrup to the yolks in a thin stream and continue to whisk until cool - this will take approximately 10 minutes

150g of sugar
6 egg yolks

Whip the double cream in a separate bowl and gently fold in the apple purée until incorporated. Fold this into the egg mixture, then pour into moulds and freeze

400g of apple purée
600ml of double cream

For the sorbet, add the water, glucose and sugar to a pan and bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar and make a syrup. Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then set aside in the fridge to chill

200g of water
50g of glucose
150g of sugar

Blend the frozen apples in a blender with the syrup, pass through a sieve and season with lemon juice. Churn and freeze until required

500g of red apple, core removed, cut into small pieces and frozen
20ml of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3

To prepare the gingerbread, melt the butter and dark brown sugar together in a saucepan. Blitz the porridge oats in a food processor or with a hand blender until fine. Mix together all of the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients to the dry before stirring in the grated ginger

250g of butter, melted
250g of dark brown sugar
300g of porridge oats
200g of self-raising flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
3 knobs of stem ginger, grated

Pour the mix into a lined and greased cake tin and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. To test that the cake is cooked, insert a skewer into the centre, let it rest for 3 seconds and then remove, checking for residual batter. Meanwhile, mix together the brown sugar and ground ginger for the topping and sprinkle over the top of the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven

60g of brown sugar, to sprinkle
5g of ground ginger, to sprinkle

For the compote, add the water and some sugar to a pan and bring to the boil. Dice the apples and add to the syrup. Cook until it reaches the consistency of a soft compote - if the mixture is a little wet, drain some of the liquid off through some muslin - then remove from the heat

3kg Bramley apple, peeled, quartered and cored
200ml of water
sugar to taste, depending on the sweetness of the apples

For the compressed apple, bring the sugar, water and wine to the boil in a pan. Remove from the heat, leave to cool to room temperature before transferring to the fridge to chill

25g of white wine
25g of sugar
25g of water

Add the apple balls to the liquid and pour the liquid and apple pieces into vac pac bags. Cook in the water bath at 85°C for 30 minutes

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and balled

Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5

For the tarte Tatin, peel and slice the apple horizontally into 2cm slices and remove the seeds. Add the water and sugar to a pan and place over a medium heat. Cook until a golden brown caramel forms, then remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring to combine

2 apples
100g of water
50g of sugar
25g of butter

Coat the apples in the caramel and cook briefly to ensure a golden colour has been achieved. Carefully lift out the caramelised apple and set aside on a piece of baking paper to cool

Roll out the puff pastry to no more than 5mm thick and cut out rounds slightly larger than the apple slices. Cover the caramelised apples with puff pastry and cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and serve onto plates immediately

1 sheet of puff pastry

Roll the apple parfait in brown sugar, arrange onto the plates and add a quenelle of apple compote on top. Add a bite-sized piece of gingerbread to each plate using a small spoon of compressed apple sauce to hold the apple ball in place. Finish with a quenelle of the red apple sorbet and garnish with a slice of dehydrated apple. Serve immediately

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Nigel Mendham

Nigel Mendham has proved himself to be as adaptable as he is talented, prospering in restaurants all over Britain and winning great acclaim for his deftly classical cuisine.

Orchard apples tarte Tatin, sorbet and parfait

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