Apples for Autumn
Long before I ever needed to worry about keeping the doctor away, I was your average apple-a-day kind of gal for many years. First it was the rosy kiss of Red Delicious apples, then the crisp, juicy tartness of Granny Smiths. Then I gradually lost interest in them altogether. Sure there was the occasional flaky pie, muffin or crumble, but essentially I had grown bored of apples.
We were lucky enough to visit the US late last year during what I would consider perfect weather. The frost had not yet set in, and arrangements of pumpkins were still gracing door steps. It was during this trip that my interest in apples was reignited. In New York there was hot cider on sale at every market we visited and a dazzling array of heirloom apples filled boxes and baskets in many fresh produce stalls. We had a simple but tasty sugared apple tart at City Bakery and a very memorable slice of lard and butter-crusted apple pie from Shandaken Bake. Just picked, cute as a button Lady apples were presented to us as petit fours at Dan Barber’s restaurant, Blue Hills.
In San Francisco, I had apples, mascarpone and hazelnuts on generous slices of pan de mie at farm:table, and pickled apples and cajeta at Napa Valley’s Ubuntu. Bored of apples? What was I thinking!
Now in Sydney, this gentle change from Autumn into Winter reminds me of our trip and has me dreaming of apples. I was recently gifted an ice-cream machine by B’s co-workers, hence this candied apple ice-cream, which when paired with pickled apples and a spoon or two of oat crumble, creates a smile that starts at the corners of your lips and ends deep in your belly.
Candied Apple Ice-Cream :
(adapted from a recipe in Frozen Desserts by Francisco J. Migoya)
1000g milk
195g cream
90g egg yolks
80g liquid glucose
small pinch of ground cinnamon
180g candied apples (recipe below)
If you have a Thermomix :
Place all the ingredients in a Thermomix. Cook to 76’C and pass through a fine strainer. Chill well (preferably overnight) before churning in an ice-cream maker.
Otherwise :
In a pot, scald the milk, cream, cinnamon and glucose. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl, add slowly add half of the hot milk mixture, whisking to combine, then pour all the contents of the bowl into the pot, whisking. Turn the heat down to medium and stir the mixture continuously until it reaches 76’C. Strain and chill well. Add the candied apples that have been pureed and strained before churning in an ice-cream machine.
For the candied apples :
1kg sugar
20g lime juice
250g water
400g Granny Smith apples (weight after peeling and dicing into 1.25cm cubes)
In a large pan, combine the sugar, lime juice and water. Bring to boil over high heat. When the sugar begins to turn a pale yellow (130’C), add the apples and continue to cook over medium heat until the apples are translucent, about 15 minutes. Strain the apples and allow to cool on a lined tray before using.
[NB : This makes more than you need for the ice-cream mixture, but the leftovers are great as a garnish, or used in other ways, such as in an apple and ginger cake]
shaz said,
May 21, 2011 @ 3:49 pm
You make apples sound exciting again 🙂 The poor apple suffers from its ubiquity doesn’t it? The words ice-cream and candy made me sit up and take notice though. Brilliant, as usual.
leaf (the indolent cook) said,
May 21, 2011 @ 4:05 pm
I play the field when it comes to fruits so that I don’t get bored with any single one of them. 😉 This ice cream sounds delicious!
Hannah said,
May 21, 2011 @ 4:49 pm
Ah, while America turned you back onto apples, it turned me off… though not in the way you’d expect. I used to happily buy and eat apples here in Australia, but when I spent a year at UVA I had the luxury of a family friend bringing me apples direct from his orchard- apples so fresh and unique and natural that many didn’t even have names because of cross pollination. They tasted so brilliant that I’ve never been able to enjoy apples since.At least not in raw form.
In ice cream, though? Magnificent ice cream like this? You’ve actually whetted my long-lost apple appetite 🙂
Rosa said,
May 21, 2011 @ 6:35 pm
That ice cream sounds marvelous! A fabulous flavor.
Cheers,
Rosa
erin said,
May 22, 2011 @ 12:01 am
I love apples, too! They’re the perfect fruit because they don’t rot as quickly as some other fruits, so I always buy some at the grocery store. I think Pink Ladies are my favorite. This ice cream sounds wonderful! I don’t know if I’ve ever had apple ice cream before.
Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said,
May 22, 2011 @ 2:03 am
Candied apple ice cream? How genius is this? Sounds perfect for fall =D
Helene said,
May 22, 2011 @ 3:01 am
Anything with apples will satisfy me. This looks so good.
fanny said,
May 22, 2011 @ 6:04 am
I’m pretty certain I could make this just for the candied apples. x
InTolerantChef said,
May 22, 2011 @ 6:59 pm
Sounds so lovely! I assume you have a thermomix from that recipe, I have been toying with getting one myself but I wonder about the capacity? Any advice?
penny aka jeroxie said,
May 22, 2011 @ 10:44 pm
This is a keeper. A lovely and sweet idea. I don’t believe I ever had candied apple ice cream before.
Hannah said,
May 22, 2011 @ 10:47 pm
You’ve managed to read my mind and solve my question all at once! I had been thinking a candied apple ice cream would be awesome, but wasn’t sure how to go about it. What a delicious solution!
Caitlin said,
May 23, 2011 @ 3:56 am
Apples are one of my favorite parts of fall – crisp, refreshing, and perfect for all sorts of desserts. I can’t wait for fall so that I can get good, fresh apples and make all of them!
Yuri said,
May 23, 2011 @ 7:46 am
I’m an apple lover but the name of this ice cream would even sell it to non-apple lovers! Who can resist candy? 🙂
Julia @ Mélanger said,
May 23, 2011 @ 7:53 am
I always appreciated the humble apple, but when I lived in Boston – and experienced my first apple picking session – I was hooked. There is something quite amazing about eating food freshly picked.
I think after chocolate, apple is my favourite core ingredient in desserts. I’m not sure if I would ever get sick of apples. But I know I’m sure I would never have thought of apple ice-cream. Great idea. Wonder how this would be paired with apple pie? Too much????????
anh@anhsfoodblog.com said,
May 23, 2011 @ 8:25 am
Sooo good! Can I have one serve, please?
kristina@beancakes said,
May 24, 2011 @ 6:10 am
stumbled across your blog, it’s beautiful, i love all of your photographs!! and very inspirational as well 😉
Aparna said,
May 25, 2011 @ 1:23 am
Its the height of summer here and perfect ice-cream season. Candied apple, hmmm. One more flavour for me to try out.
Jenn Brigole said,
May 25, 2011 @ 4:07 am
Hah! I was just thinking about buying some apple pie tomorrow to binge on (apples’ been hunting me for a few nights now), and here I find this post. 🙂 This candied apples is a worthy delayed gratification, and will surely find time in my kitchen this weekend. Yey! 🙂
grace said,
May 25, 2011 @ 4:39 pm
what a great ice cream flavor! my batch would be decidedly more brown, as i would have to add much more cinnamon. 🙂
arfi said,
May 26, 2011 @ 4:24 am
lovely flavour it must be. our apples in the orchard had just finished last week. now, we have to buy them again from farmers market or local growers. pity they can’t grow all year round, aye.
Val said,
May 26, 2011 @ 10:11 pm
I grew up in London with apples always playing the start role for dessert be it a crumble, a pie or a cake. And while I wouldn’t say I was ever sick of apples I rarely crave an apple-themed dessert. Candied Apple Ice-Cream however sounds irresistable. The thought of it reminds of me why apples converted into something sweet is the best treat. The day I get an ice-cream machine this flavour will be made!
betty said,
May 27, 2011 @ 11:19 am
looks lovely!
Arwen from Hoglet K said,
May 27, 2011 @ 4:52 pm
A smile that ends deep in your belly sounds just lovely! I’m glad the autumn weather is bringing you such nice memories. It sounds like a good trip.
pierre said,
May 27, 2011 @ 8:25 pm
love the home made ice creams !!perfect !!
Pierre de Paris
Dolly said,
May 27, 2011 @ 9:00 pm
oh god.. wish i had an icecream maker!!!
i loveee apples.. esp. fjui ones hehe
Mary said,
May 27, 2011 @ 11:22 pm
It’s so hard to wake up in the morning now…if only humans hibernated. 😀 I love apples, I love Fuji apples the most because they are crunchy. Fruit desserts are always good, they feel more healthy. It counts as a part of my daily intake of fruit, right?
Hot cider would be nice right now! Or the ice cream!
Y said,
May 28, 2011 @ 9:34 am
InTolerantChef : Hi! Sorry for the late reply. There have been Thermomixes in most kitchens I’ve worked it. I think it was originally designed to be a domestic tool, but it’s very useful in a commercial setting as well. Yes, it doesn’t have a massive capacity, but you can easily do things in several batches, if need be. I haven’t really found it to be an issue.
Julia @ Mélanger : Definitely not too much. We had some of the ice-cream with apple crumble and it was great 🙂 Also couldn’t agree with you more about how amazing freshly picked apples are.
pigflyin said,
May 28, 2011 @ 11:03 am
Hi Y –
I saw your post just a day before I was invited to join one of those in-home demo….and thought, brilliant!
I sort of forgot whom the target audience was for the demo and came out a bit frustrated overloaded with how guilty I was over the caffeine in the chai that they made with the thermomix this morning. *pulling hair out emoticon*
I know this post is not about Thermomix…. but please indulge my stupid question
Saw that the machine only have a 70C and 80C button… how do you cook it to 76C?
I could put in all the imaginary ways that I thought of… but much rather like to listen to someone who actually use it 😛
Nicole said,
May 28, 2011 @ 1:59 pm
Wow, the thought of this ice cream is making me consider running out and purchasing an ice cream maker! I just realised I don’t think I’ve ever had apple ice cream before!
Y said,
May 28, 2011 @ 3:57 pm
Hi pigflyin, Well that’s actually one of the flaws of the Thermomix. You can’t set the temperature any more accurate than the given increments. If I want to cook something at 76’C, I set it at 80’C and check the temperature with a thermometer every now and again. Hope that helps!
cathy x. said,
May 29, 2011 @ 10:53 pm
hiiiii! pickled apple? hmmm.. i think i’ll try that one.. bye! 😛
pigflyin said,
May 30, 2011 @ 12:53 am
Hi Y – Certainly helped! Too bad Mycook and Thermomix both got the same limitation…. sigh. cannot be truly lazy afterall.
the caked crusader said,
May 30, 2011 @ 9:05 pm
I adore anything with apple. Apple ice cream is heavenly – so light and refreshing. Yum
muppy said,
May 31, 2011 @ 1:37 pm
I really want an icecream maker. Its a great idea using the candied apples.
DearSarah said,
June 2, 2011 @ 11:07 am
Yum! Looks great. My new favorite ice cream flavor at the moment is salty carmel. Another great ice cream. 🙂
JasmyneTea said,
June 2, 2011 @ 5:49 pm
How inspired! Unfortunately, my partner killed the ice-cream maker 🙁
I’m going to America at the end of the year, definitely looking forward to exploring the food culture there!
GourmetGetaways said,
June 6, 2011 @ 7:36 pm
I have booked marked this page and I will be making this ice-cream for sure. I can almost taste it already!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jamie said,
June 9, 2011 @ 11:35 pm
Mmmm and now you have me craving an apple. I go through phases and now you have pulled me back in. Amazing ice cream!
kitchenvoyage said,
June 10, 2011 @ 2:26 am
Great recipie. I just finish to make my Zabaglione Ice-cream and still having some cream and eggs left for have plenty ice-cream for the weekend!
apaler1 said,
June 10, 2011 @ 6:04 am
This is absolutely great for summer! I love the use of cinnamon with apples, they’re always a comforting mix. Thanks for the sugared apple recipe too, I can use it in other dishes.
ho said,
June 11, 2011 @ 8:58 pm
Well…the apple harvest is now on this is a great recipe for the season. Thanks for sharing.
Alli said,
June 22, 2011 @ 6:07 pm
I just love this apple ice cream, I can just imagine it on homemade doughnuts!