Poached Apples with Custard

Serves 4

Absolutely delicious! We poached the apples in shop-bought ginger beer and added whole star anise and cinnamon sticks to the poaching liquid. After the apples were done, we removed them and reduced the liquid over high heat. Keeping the skin on the apples prevents them from losing their shape

Recipe Category

Dessert – Cold

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You will need

For the apples

4 large red skinned apples eg. Pink Lady or Star King apples
3 cups (750 ml) ginger beer
1 cinnamon stick
3 star anise (optional)
a squeeze of lemon juice

To serve

Vanilla custard

Method

Using an apple corer, core each apple.

Using a vegetable knife, remove a 1 cm wide strip of peel from the top of each apple.

Remove any remaining skin around the bottom cored area and slash the skin only from top to bottom.

In a small heavy pot, arrange the apples upside down, in a single layer.

Add the ginger beer, cinnamon stick and star anise if using.

Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 8 – 10 minutes.

Turn the apples over, cover, and cook for another 8 – 10 minutes (depending on size).

Simmer just until the apples are tender when pierced with the tip of a small sharp knife.

Transfer the apples to pudding bowls and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, bring the cooking liquid to a boil over high heat, add a squeeze of lemon juice and cook, uncovered, until syrupy and reduced to about 2 cups. Keep testing, for the right level of sweetness.

To Serve

Pour the reduced syrup around the apples. Serve with vanilla custard.