Hedgerow – pressed apple with elderberry sorbet and cobnut crumble

  • medium
  • Serves 8
  • 3 hours 30 minutes
Not yet rated

This impressive deconstructed apple crumble dessert from Graham Garrett is a celebration of British autumnal ingredients, featuring apples, elderberries, blackberries and cobnuts. Although there are a number of elements to this dish, each step is relatively simple and well worth the effort.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pressed apple

Elderberry sorbet

  • 250g of elderberries
  • 100ml of water
  • 25g of liquid glucose
  • 75g of golden caster sugar
  • 2g of Super neutrose, (stabiliser)
  • 1/2 gelatine leaf, soaked in cold water to bloom
  • 10ml of lemon juice

Cobnut cream

  • 100g of cobnut, roasted and skinned
  • 100ml of milk
  • 150g of whipping cream
  • 3 egg yolks, (from large eggs)
  • 50g of golden caster sugar
  • 10g of cornflour

Poached blackberries

  • 40g of blackberries
  • 50g of golden caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp of water

Cobnut crumble

Equipment

  • Mandoline
  • Terrine mould
  • Ice cream maker
  • Piping bags
  • Blender

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and line a terrine or loaf tin with greaseproof paper
2
To make the pressed apple, peel and core the apples and slice them very thinly on a mandolin. Toss the apple slices in the melted butter and pectin (if using) and layer them neatly and evenly in the tin. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour
3
Meanwhile, make the sorbet. Put the elderberries, water and glucose into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Mix the sugar with the stabiliser and add to the fruit mixture to dissolve, then transfer to a blender and blitz to a smooth purée
  • 250g of elderberries
  • 100ml of water
  • 25g of liquid glucose
  • 75g of golden caster sugar
  • 2g of Super neutrose, (stabiliser)
4
Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine before adding to the purée along with lemon juice. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Leave to cool before churning in an ice cream machine until set. Transfer to a suitable container and freeze until ready to serve
  • 1/2 gelatine leaf, soaked in cold water to bloom
  • 10ml of lemon juice
5
Remove the foil and replace with a piece of parchment paper. Firmly press the apples down before returning to the oven and continue to cook for another hour or until lightly coloured and completely soft
6
To make the cobnut cream, bring the cobnuts, milk and cream to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover the pan with cling film, leaving to infuse for 1 hour
  • 100g of cobnut, roasted and skinned
  • 100ml of milk
  • 150g of whipping cream
7
Remove the apple from the oven and leave to cool a little, then place a weight on top to press and refrigerate for at least 2 hours
8
For the cobnut cream whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour together until pale, then add the infused milk to the pan, discarding the cobnuts. Bring up to the boil, stirring continuously, and simmer for 2 minutes until thickened. Pour into a blender and blitz to a smooth cream, then pass through a fine sieve and transfer to a piping bag. Refrigerate until ready to serve
  • 3 egg yolks, (from large eggs)
  • 50g of golden caster sugar
  • 10g of cornflour
9
Place the blackberries into a pan with the water and warm through until they just start to soften and release their juice, taking care not to overcook or allow the fruit to become mushy
  • 40g of blackberries
  • 50g of golden caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp of water
10
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
11
To make the cobnut crumble mix all the dry ingredients together and, using your fingers, rub the butter in to the mixture, leaving it fairly lumpy. Spread evenly across a lined baking tray and bake for 12 minutes or until crisp and golden
12
To serve, turn out the apple, remove the parchment and cut into neat slices. Place a slice on each plate with 5 blackberries, juice from the pan and a few dots of cobnut cream. Put a scoop of sorbet on top of the apple, sprinkle the crumble and garnish with a few wild sorrel leaves

Garrett’s taste for savoury umami flavours means plenty of fish, rustic pork cuts and substantial game and fowl dishes. He also puts as much care into his desserts as the rest of his meals, and they often include unexpected touches - such as an almond cake soaked in Sauternes and peaches and cream made with vanilla Mascarpone.

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