Combine layers of stewed apple, cardamon-flavored rye breadcrumbs, and whipped cream in this Scandinavian-inspired dessert that’s fabulous for a dinner party
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cooking apples
- 6 tbsp caster sugar
- 50g unsalted butter
- 100g brown breadcrumbs
- 100g soft light brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ground cardamom from 8 cardamom pods
- 100g rye breadcrumbs
- 500ml whipping cream
- 5 tbsp icing sugar (or add to taste)
- a good squeeze of lemon
- 2 tbsp aquavit (optional), or to taste
- 2 tbsp blanched hazelnuts, halved and toasted
METHOD
STEP 1
Peel and core the apples and cut the flesh into chunks. Put these in a large saucepan with the caster sugar and 3 tbsp water and cook over gentle heat until the apples are completely tender. Stir every so often and mash the fruit down roughly with the back of a wooden spoon. The finished purée shouldn’t be too wet – if it is, simmer it over low heat until it reduces and loses some of its moisture.
STEP 2
Check the apples for sweetness – they shouldn’t be too sweet as it’s being mixed with sweet cream and breadcrumbs – and tip them into a bowl to cool. In Scandinavia, the stewed apples are usually puréed until smooth, but you can also keep them chunky.
STEP 3
Melt half the butter in a frying pan and add the brown breadcrumbs and half the brown sugar. Sauté, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the breadcrumbs are golden. Add half the cinnamon and half the cardamom and continue to cook for about 1 min. Spread out on a tray – it cools quicker this way – and leave until it’s room temperature. Do the same with the rye breadcrumbs, then mix the breadcrumbs together in a bowl.
STEP 4
Whip the cream, adding the icing sugar and the lemon (add the lemon before the cream is too thick as the acid in the lemon has a thickening effect). If you are going to add the aquavit, do it once the cream has been whipped.
STEP 5
Layer the apples, breadcrumbs, and whipped cream in a glass bowl (so you can see the layers) starting with the stewed apples and ending with a layer of cream. Scatter over the hazelnuts just before serving.
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