The subtle blend of apples, mint, honey and cinnamon explodes on the tongue in this stunning pudding. It is lovely served with Greek yoghurt flavoured with retsina and honey but if, like me, you’re a traditionalist when it comes to apple puddings, serve with a jug of piping-hot custard.
preparation time 30 minutes
cooking time 25 minutes
serves 6
Ingredients
8 firm eating apples, such as Cox’s
juice of 2 lemons
50 g (2 oz) sultanas
50 g (2 oz) dried apricots, chopped
2 ripe bananas, sliced
50 g (2 oz) glacé cherries
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons runny honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
75 g (3 oz) butter, melted
250 g (8 oz) filo pastry
icing sugar for dusting
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, gas mark 6.
2 Quarter and core the apples (but leave the skin on), then slice them thinly and put them into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, sultanas, dried apricots, bananas, glacé cherries and fresh mint. Gently mix the honey through the fruit mixture and then stir in the cinnamon.
3 Grease a deep 17.5 cm (7 inch) flan tin with a little of the melted butter (it’s best to use a tin with a removable base).
4 Spread a sheet of filo pastry on a work surface, brush with melted butter, then place in the tin. Repeat with the remaining pastry, ensuring that there is sufficient overlap to cover the top of the pie.
5 Fill with the fruit mixture and bring the overlapping sheets of pastry over the top, crumpling them attractively. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.
6 Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the sides of the tin and bake for 5 minutes longer, until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Serve hot or cold, dusted with icing sugar.
Filo pastry can never be made as thinly at home as the commercial version, so this is one of those rare occasions when I would recommend that you use the bought product.