‘You will make an apple jam, I mean a compote of apple, being enough for 12 persons, 3lb; you will mix in one or two pinches – or perhaps more – of rosolio liqueur, citron, cinnamon and vanilla, according to your taste, and you will arrange the jam on a suitable dish with the utmost care, round and round like a snail; you will whisk 4 egg whites until stiff mixing in 1lb of sugar; you will cover the ring with this meringue with the blade of a knife, and you will sprinkle it again with sugar and with coloured sugar crystals; and you will place it with hot cinders underneath and with a little live coal above and when the meringue will have formed a crust and will have taken a lovely colour, you will serve it cold.’ (Ippolito Cavalcanti)
Serves 6
600 g (1 1/4 lb) apple purée, sweetened
1 vanilla pod
3 tbsp Maraschino, Alchermes, Rosolio or Crème de Cassis
1 tsp cinnamon
grated rind of 1 organic lemon
3 egg whites
75 g (2 1/2 oz) sugar
2 tbsp chopped pistachio nuts
200 ml (7 fl oz) whipping cream
The apple purée must be dry or it will not keep its ring shape. It should be sweet, to your taste, keeping in mind that it will be covered by a meringue.
Split the vanilla pod in half. Scrape out the seeds, and add them to the purée with the liqueur, cinnamon and lemon rind. Taste and check for sweetness and flavouring.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sugar and add one third of the remainder to the egg whites. Continue whisking and then add half the remaining sugar. Whisk well; the meringue will be beautifully glossy and silky. Now sprinkle the rest of the sugar over the top and fold it into the meringue gently with a metal spoon.
Take a round ovenproof dish and shape the purée into a ring. If your purée is really stiff you can use a forcing bag with a large fluted nozzle attached. My purée has never been that stiff, because, I expect, the delicious apples from my garden are not of the right sort. But you can try; it would certainly make the sweet look prettier.
Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F) mark 2.
Cover the apple purée with the meringue, using a thin metal spatula. I never smooth it down too neatly, because I don’t like dishes that look too ‘manicured’. Sprinkle with the reserved sugar and then with the chopped pistachios. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, until the meringue is set and just coloured.
Leave to cool and then chill. Before serving, whip the cream and use some to fill the hole in the middle. Serve the rest of the cream separately, if you wish.
preparation
The purée can be totally prepared up to 3 days in advance and kept in the fridge in a closed container. The meringue must be prepared and baked no more than 1 hour before serving or it will become soggy.