Saturday 19 July 2014

Apple and Raspberry Charlotte

For me, the harvest begins with Raspberries. They have a fairly short season at my local Pick Your Own farm so I try to get as many as I can ~ some get jammed straight away, most are frozen so I can make fresh jams as I sell out, and of course, some I eat fresh. This weekend I managed to save a few to add to a recipe I've been wanting to try for ages ~ an Apple Charlotte.


Apple Charlotte is a yummy pudding made with stale bread and fruit ~ kind of like a fruit pie except the 'pastry' is made from crispy buttery bread. I love it because not only is it delicious, it's also a great way to use up leftover bread and any wrinkly apples you might have lingering in the fruit bowl. Plus you don't need to weigh and measure ingredients, which appeals to my lazy disposition.

Serves 2

4 slices stale bread
3 eating apples
60g raspberries
2 / 3 tablespoons sugar
75g butter

Preheat your oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4

Peel and core your apples, and cut into thin slices. Put in a pan with the sugar, about 25g of the butter, and about a tablespoon of water. Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes until soft. Stir in the raspberries.
Cut the crusts off your bread and butter both sides. Cut two circles for the base and top of your ramekin (you can use the ramekin as a template) and cut the other slices into 3 or 4 strips each. Press the buttered strips of bread around the sides of the ramekin. Make sure you leave no gaps and allow a little to overhang at the top and a little on the base, then press one of the circles of bread into the base.
Spoon the apple and raspberry mixture into the ramekin. Fold the overhanging strips of bread over the fruit filling then top with the second circle and press gently but firmly to seal. Sprinkle with a spoon of sugar and bake for approx. 20-30 minutes until the bread is golden brown.


Serve hot with vanilla ice-cream or custard.


You can try this with any fruit of course, how about apple & blueberries, or peaches and a little sprinkle of cinnamon? The fruit bowl is your oyster!

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