Spiced apple and pistachio clafoutis

• serves

  4

• cook

  1 hour

Ingredients

Filling:

8 Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and cut into 8 pieces

100g unsalted butter

1 teaspoon each of nutmeg, ground ginger, pinch saffron

1 cinamonn stick

1 star anise

½ vanilla pod split lengthways

100g pistachios, chopped

100g brown sugar

100ml liquor

Frangipane:

150g soft unsalted butter

150g icing sugar

3 eggs

150g almond meal

Créme patissierie:

500ml milk

½ vanilla pod spilt lengthways

120g white sugar

6 egg yolks

30g flour

15g cornflour

Instructions

To make the filling, melt the butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan and fry the spices. Add the sugar and dissolve to a light caramel. Add the apple and nuts and fry until the juices start to come out of the apple. Then deglaze with the liquor and cook for approximately 20 minutes until the apples are soft. Set to one side.

For the frangipane, cream the butter and sugar until till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated and fold in the almond meal.

To make créme patissierie, whisk the yolks and sugar together fold in the flours to form a smooth paste. Whisk the milk onto the egg mix and return to a clean pan. On a medium heat, stir until mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and store in a clean bowl covered with plastic wrap.

Too make the clafoutis, combine the frangipane and créme pattissiere. Place the apple mixture in a buttered baking dish top with the clafoutis batter and bake in a hot oven at 200°C until golden brown. Serve with ice-cream or a vanilla anglaise.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.