With lots of people to feed for Sunday lunch comes the perfect excuse to make a pudding (or two). As it was a grown-up affair, I side-stepped anything made with chocolate and settled on two fruit-based desserts: a totally indulgent apple cheesecake with butterscotch sauce and a Galette de Rois. The latter is traditionally puff pastry filled with frangipane sans fruit (rather like a big almond croissant) and is served in France to celebrate Epiphany. I first tried some when my friend, an amazing cook, gave me a piece filled with apples which was delicious. To avoid an apple theme however I filled mine with (canned) cherries which was equally good and veered towards the flavours of a Bakewell tart. After a lunch of slow cooked lamb with anchovies, spiced rice and braised shallots, baby carrots, peas and lettuce everyone found some room to try a little of each and it seemed like thumbs up all round.
Recipes
Apple Cheesecake with Butterscotch Sauce, adapted from Nigella Lawson
- Blitz 250g Hobnob biscuits in a food processor until crumbed. Add 75g Soft, Unsalted Butter and blitz again until it clumps together. Press into the bottom of a 23cm spring form tin then put in the fridge while you make the filling. Preheat the oven to 170˚C.
- Peel and core 3 Apples and cut into cubes. Place in a saucepan over a medium heat with 1Tbsp Soft, Brown Sugar and cook until the apple is soft and has broken down into a puree. Cool.
- Put 700g Cream Cheese, 100g Caster Sugar, 4 Eggs, 1 Egg Yolk, 125ml Double Cream, 2 Tbsp Cornflower, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract into the (cleaned) food processor and then blitz until combined. Add the Apple Puree and blitz again.
- Wrap the outside of the cake tin in 2 layers of cling film then a layer of tinfoil and place in a large roasting tin. Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the biscuit layer, then fill the roasting tray with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the cake tin.
- Bake for approx 1¼ hours, or until the filling has set with only a small wobble in the centre. Take the tin out of the water bath and stand on a wire rack to cool.
- Meanwhile core 4 Apples and slice into thin wedges – about 12 each apple. Take a large frying pan and melt 50g Butter, then add 2 Tbsp Caster Sugar. When the sugar has melted add the apple slices and cook on each side until they have begun to caramelise. Tke off the heat and leave to cool on kitchen paper.
- Turn out the cheesecake (I never try to remove the base but just serve it on a lipped place so it doesn’t slide) and arrange the apple slices in a pattern on top.
- To make the sauce, melt together 50g Unsalted Butter, 2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar, 2 Tbsp White Sugar and 150g Golden Syrup. Add 125ml Double Cream and let it bubble for a few minutes. Leave to cool a moment then drizzle some on top of the cheesecake and serve the rest in a jug.
Galette de Rois aux Cerises (French Kings Cake with Cherries)
- Roll two rounds from 600g ready made Puff Pastry. 1 x 25cm diameter and 1 x 29cm diameter. Refrigerate for 20 minutes while you make the filling.
- Cream 125g Butter with 125g Caster Sugar until fluffy. Beat in 1 Egg and 1 Egg Yolk, then gently stir in 125g Ground Almonds, 15g Plain Flour and 2 Tbsp Kirsch or Cherry Brandy.
- Place the smaller pastry round on a lined baking and spread the almond mixture on top, leaving a 2.5cm edge. Arrange 225g Cherries (fresh or canned) on top then brush the pastry edge with some Egg Yolk. Lay the large round on top and the edges together making sure there are no air pockets. Trim and crimp the edges, then rest in the fridge for 20mins. Preheat the oven to 220˚C.
- Brush the top of the galette with the remaining Egg Yolk, then score with a small, sharp knife, radiating arcs from the centre of the galette. Make a hole at the centre to let air escape then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Turn the temp down to 180˚C and bake for 40 mins.
- Remove from the oven, turn the temp up to 220˚C again. Dust with icing sugar and return to the oven for 3-4 minutes until the sugar has caramelized and turned the pastry glossy.
- Serve with ice cream or pouring cream.
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