Bert Swope
Often described by people who don’t really know any better as simply a traditional English sweet, apple Charlotte is more inclined to be an individual version of that favorite pudding that is so often seen during the summer months. This all-natural recipe can vary from simple to extravagant depending on your taste buds and the ingredients available in your local grocery store at the time. Served at its most basic, you could simply serve it as a nice and warm base for a fruit salad garnished with crisp celery and dill pickles.
But how to create a perfect recipe that will deliver the perfect cup of yummy goodness? Begin by picking the apples. The more flavorsome the apples are, the better the resulting pudding will be, so think crisp-skinned Granny Smiths, sweet Golden Delicious, and crisp Mango. You can use either standard applesauce or apple puree to prepare your recipe.
For a rich, tangy pudding, add three tablespoons of cider vinegar, five cups of whole milk, and one tablespoon of sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Bring to a gentle boil, and then turn the mixture down to simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Puree the apples and remaining ingredients together in a blender. Then, pour into a serving bowl and garnish with lemon wedges and dill pickles. Serve warm.
A more basic recipe would simply be to use applesauce to make a thick, spreadable cake, such as an apple Charlotte. Combine three-quarters of a cup of dry apple cider vinegar with two-thirds of a cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, and then turn the mixture down to simmer. Cover for about twenty minutes to allow the apples to steam and bring to a gentle boil again. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain into a container and allow to cool.
For a thicker, crunchier pudding, substitute the vinegar with molasses, for example, or add nutmeg and vanilla to the vinegar for a more distinct apple flavor. Combine four eggs, two cups of brown sugar, one cup of molasses, one tablespoon of salt, and two quarts of skim milk in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and then turn down to simmer. Cover and let stand until nearly cooled, then cut into pieces with a cookie-cutter.
How To Make An Apple Charlotte: After making the pudding mixture, it’s time to get creative by making your own ‘mold.’ mold, also known as a Demetre, is simply an empty pastry shell containing enough stuffing to completely fill the shell. You can use the delete mold for different-sized apples or cut-up snacks such as crackers, cookies, or apple cider. Using a cookie cutter or a knife, poke holes into the apple shapes to create a smooth surface for placing the topping.
Fill each hole with a few dollops of the filling and smooth over the surface of the mold to hold it in place. Peel off the paper backing from the bottom of the mold, revealing a clean surface where you can put the finished product. If you’re using apples, cut the slices into quarters and cover the quarters with the lemon zest. Place the quarters on a baking sheet and cook the apple quarters over a low oven for about ten minutes to remove most moisture. If you use the peel-and-pare technique for picking up the chunks of jelly from the parsnips, you’ll be able to avoid the glue/lemon zest reaction that often occurs when picking up these types of vegetables.
Put a layer of the jam in the bottom of your mold, along with two-thirds of the filling. Spoon in the whites and a quarter of a cup of buttermilk and fold in half to form a half-moon shape. Cover the entire jelly sandwich with a single piece of white bread, and you are finished! Using a teaspoon, turn this piece over so that the white bread is at the top and the buttermilk and jam are at the bottom.
