It’s Bramley apple week this week so why not have a go at making this delicious dessert. An ideal way to use up blackberries frozen from last season, you could make it for a special Valentine’s dinner next weekend and really impress a loved one!
Ingredients
Parfait
- 6 egg yolks
- 150 g sugar
- 75ml water
- 300g blackberry puree (last season’s frozen berries are ideal)
- 150ml whipping cream (whipped until soft peaks are formed)
Apple and almond cake
- 330ml rattler cider
- 300g plain flour
- 2tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 3 bramley apples (pureed)
- 150g dark brown sugar
- 150g soft butter
- 3 eggs
- 100g ground almonds
Blackberry stock syrup
- 20 fresh blackberries
- 100g sugar
- 50ml water
Method
- To make the blackberry stock syrup bring the sugar and water to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes, add the berries and leave to cool
- To make the parfait boil the sugar and water until it reaches 120 degrees centigrade. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks until light and fluffy then carefully add the sugar syrup in a steady stream whilst continuously whisking and carry on until the mix is cold
- Fold in the blackberry puree followed by the cream and freeze in 7cm metal rings
- To make the apple cake start by reducing the cider by 1/3. Sift the flour, spices, and bicarb into a bowl
- Mix the butter and sugar until pale, then gradually add the eggs, fold in the flour mix and almonds then add the cider (add a little more cider if too stiff) then fold in the grated apple
- Bake on a lined baking tray with the mixture about 5mm thick for about 15 minutes
- Cool on a wire rack and cut into triangles about 2cm thick
- To serve unmould the parfait and place on a line of ground almonds. Place 3 blackberries on the plate and lean your apple cake up against them. Finish the plate with honeycomb, crème fraiche and some blackberry syrup