Imperfect Apple Charlotte

 

Image shows the apple mixture.  Left side is the raw apple and the right side is the cooked apple mixture

Image showing the bread basin empty on the top and on the bottom, the bread basin filled with the apple mixture

Image shows the filled bread basin, covered with foil and a bowl of red lentils acting a a pastry weight on top.  This is how it should go into the oven to cook.

The finished product.  The imperfect apple charlotte cut open.  Garnished with thickened cream and blackberries on the top.

A charlotte is a wonderful dessert celebrating seasonal fruit. Choose your favourite apples and take your time; it's the perfect recipe for a cold winter's day.

You'll need a 1-litre pudding basin.

 

Apple Charlotte 

1.2kg apples; I used Granny Smith and Pink Lady

25ml lemon juice

50g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

175g butter, divided into 60g and 115g

1 egg, separated

8-10 slices white bread

 

  1. Add the lemon juice to a medium/large saucepan.
  2. Peel, core and dice the apples, add to the pan and toss in the lemon juice as you go. Once all the apples are in the pan, add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon stick, star anise, and the 60g of butter. Cook very slowly on a low heat, stirring often, until the apples have broken down and the liquid has evaporated. Keep the heat low and take your time; you don't want the apples to brown; this took 40 minutes for me but could be more/less depending on the size of your pan and the juiciness of your apples. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
  3. While the apples are cooking, put the remaining 115g butter into a small pan. Melt the butter over a medium heat. The butter will bubble, and a layer of foam should appear on the surface, keep boiling, the foam will form into clumps of milk solids that will sink to the bottom of the pan, keep heating, the will butter stop bubbling when the water content has boiled off, that's the point we're aiming for. Take the pan off the heat and pour the clarified butter into a shallow bowl through a muslin-lined sieve or coffee filter. Set aside while you prep the bread
  4. Use a serrated knife to cut the crusts from the bread slices. Cut a circle from one of the bread slices to fit the bottom of your pudding basin, you could eyeball this, but I gently pressed the base of the pudding basin into the slice of bread to leave an outline for me to cut around. Dip the bread round into the clarified butter, place it in the bottom of the basin, butter side down. Take 6 slices of bread and cut into thirds; dip the strips, one at a time, into the butter and place them vertically with the buttered side pressed to the pudding basin; overlap the slices as you work your way around. When the basin is fully lined with bread strips, lightly beat the egg white and use it to brush over the joins in the strips, lightly pressing them to seal.
  5. Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise from the cooled apples, break the egg yolk with a fork, then beat it through the apples. Tip the apples into the bread-lined basin, then use the remaining bread slices to form a lid, this time placing them butter side up. Fold the ends of the bread strips over the base, brush with egg white and press to seal.
  6. Heat your oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan)
  7. Find a plate/saucer that fits snuggly over the top of the pudding basin, cover with foil, brush the side that will touch the charlotte with clarified butter and sit it on top. Fill an oven-safe bowl with pastry weights (I use dried red lentils!) and put that on top of the plate. Transfer the pudding/plate/bowl onto a baking tray and place in the oven. After 40 minutes, remove the weighted bowl and plate, and continue to cook the charlotte uncovered for another 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
  8. Remove the charlotte from the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, then invert it onto a plate. Serve with custard, cream or ice cream, maybe a hit of caramel. I topped mine with a spoon of super thick cream and a couple of blackberries, simple but glorious!

Sally aka Simmer and Boyle is a recipe developer, food stylist, photographer, and somewhat infrequent blogger. Originally from the UK, she now lives in Sydney with her family, her beautiful wheaten terrier, and far too many houseplants! Sally loves to cook and share images of her efforts on Instagram @simmerandboyle and recipes on her blog at www.simmerandboyle.com, be prepared for cake, there’s lots of cake…

Ingredients for Imperfect Apple Charlotte

Strawberries 250g

$2.00 ea
 

Raspberries 125g

$4.99 ea
 

Apple Pink Lady Small Each

$0.90 ea
$5.99
 

Lemon Imperfect Each

$0.37 ea
$2.99
 

Lemon Premium Each

$0.70 ea
$3.99
 

Apple Granny Smith Premium Small Each

$1.05 ea
$5.99
 

Blackberries 125g

$3.50 ea
 

Harris Farm Eggs Free Range Eggs x12 660g

$6.99 ea
 

Harris Farm Eggs Barn Laid x12 660g

$4.49 ea
 

Harris Farm Butter Salted 250g

$4.29 ea
 
 

Harris Farm Sliced Bread White 700g

$3.19 ea
 

Lurpak Butter Slightly Salted 250g

$5.80 ea
 

Lurpak Butter Unsalted 250g

$5.80 ea
 

Golden Shore Caster Sugar 1kg

$2.99 ea
 
 

Helga's Traditional White 750g

$3.50 ea
 
 

Apple Granny Smith Organic 1kg

$4.99 ea
 

Bulla Dollop Thick Cream 200ml

$3.80 ea
 

Abbotts Bakery Rustic White 700g

$4.90 ea
 

Apple Imperfect Pink Lady Organic 1.5kg

$7.99 ea
 
 

Meander Valley Double Cream 200ml

$4.99 ea
 
 

Latteria Soresina Butter 250g

$3.99 ea
 
 

Coppertree Farms Butter Salted 200g

$4.99 ea
 

Spice and Co Herbs Vanilla Bean 1 pod

$5.29 ea
 
 

Spice and Co Cinnamon Sticks 20g

$3.69 ea
 
 
 

Gourmet Organic Herbs Cinnamon Quills 20g

$3.99 ea
 

Meander Valley Clotted Cream

$4.99 ea
 

Spice and Co Star Anise Whole 25g

$3.69 ea
 

Really Juice Squeezed Lemon Juice 285ml

$6.49 ea
 

Coppertree Farms Butter Unsalted 200g

$4.99 ea
 

Lurpak Butter Slightly Salted 400g

$8.00 ea
 

Gourmet Organic Herbs Star Anise 10g

$3.99 ea
 

Spice and Co Cinnamon Cassia Quills 30g

$3.69 ea
 

Lurpak Butter Unsalted 400g

$8.00 ea