Apple Pureé with Syllabub

by Ceri x


January saw a 29th Birthday in the Keston household for Jules, as you may have seen by the previous cake post by Rachie (completely amazing rainbow cake). A Keston birthday is one that is traditionally celebrated with a slap up meal prepared by the other housemates, lots of fizzy wine and a lovely time all round.

Another tradition is that usually we will all usually take charge of a course each. Desserts are not usually my course of choice for the simple fact that I am much more of a savoury kind of girl. Charlotte made the decision that she would make a few dishes from the recent cookery book addition to the Kitchen which is Ottolenghi's 'Plenty'. The dishes that came from that book that evening were mouthwatering vegetarian delights, which I am sure Charlotte will be pleased to blog if of interest. Alternatively, I would very much urge that you buy the book. It is simply brilliant and there were a lot of happily full tummy's all round.

So on to the pudding. Jules is traditionally queen of this particular area so I felt the pressure was on. My first thought was that I was really keen to make a Tarte Tatin. Dissapointingly we didn't have the dish necessary and I wasn't able to shell out £70 for a new one. I then turned to the wonderful book, 'Spooning with Rosie' for ideas and found exactly what I was after.

Rosie is something of an inspiration to the Keston Kitchen. She is a fellow South London lass who set up her own Deli in Brixton around 5 years ago and has published the wonderful recipe book where I found this gem. The book and Deli are both well worh a visit and she is very much a lady after our own hearts. Apple Pureé with Syllabub was an indulgent yet light end to a wonderful meal. I was on a bit of a January health kick and despite the cream, it didn't feel too naughty. It's a relatively simple and tasty dessert which I would wholeheartedly recommend. Thanks Rosie. x

The Pureé
10 Apples
1 Lemon
200 ml water
1 cinnamon

Core and peel the apples and roughly chop into pieces. Place the apples in a large saucepan with the juice of the lemon, the water and the cinnamon stick. With the lid on, simmer on a medium heat for about 40 mins, stirring from time to time. When the water has mostly gone, and you are left with a pulpy pureé, turn off the heat and leave it to cool right down. This may take a couple of hours. I actually did this step the night before, as we had the birthday dinner on a weeknight, so I wanted to be prepared for the following day.

The Syllabub
3 Tablespoons medium sherry
1 Tablespoon dry vermouth
2 teaspoons rose water
3 tablespoons caster sugar
a little orange zest
200 ml double cream
freshly grated nutmeg

Measure the sherry, vermouth, rose water and sugar out into a small mixing bowl, followed by the orange zest. Thouroughly mix this all together and let it sit to dissolve the sugar and really infuse the scents. When the apple pureé is room temperature, you are ready to assemble. First decant the pureé into ramekins (I used wine glasses as I thought it looked pretty) and set these aside.
Measure out the double cream into a medium mixing bowl, and add the alcoholic syrup. Using a whisk, lightly beat for a few minutes. When the cream is softly forming peaks and is delicate to the touch, but not too stiff, your syllabub is perfect. Spoon this over the potted up pureé and grate a little nutmeg over it. Place in the fridge for half an hour until you are ready to serve up and enjoy the most wonderfully English sweet.

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