AUTUMN // Recipe for four
Fermented apples, quince, soft crème and chocolate
This dish reminds me of autumn and the fallen apples that start to rot on the ground and give off their slightly fermented aroma. The fragrant and floral scent of a quince is one of my favourite things. This is a simple dish that can be made months in advance, even served in winter if you like.
Put the sugar and 500 ml (17 fl oz) water in a saucepan over low heat. While the sugar is dissolving, peel the quinces, add to the pan and cook for 3–6 hours until the quince is soft and turns dark red-pink. Add the iota carrageenan, bring the heat back up to 84°C (183°F) and cook until the fruit starts to break down.
Pour into a shallow tray, allow to cool slightly and then leave in the fridge overnight. Purée until smooth and store in the fridge.
CHOCOLATE AND APPLE SORBET
260 ml (9¼ fl oz) fresh apple juice (about 600 g/1 lb 5 oz unpeeled apples, juiced)
70 g (2½ oz) fine cane sugar
20 g (3/4 oz) glucose
100 g (3½ oz) dark chocolate, broken into pieces
Strain the apple juice. Put 60 ml (2 fl oz) water in a saucepan and add the juice, sugar, glucose and chocolate. Heat until the chocolate has melted, then put in the fridge to chill.
Transfer to an ice-cream machine and churn until frozen. If you don’t have an ice-cream machine, pour into a shallow freezer container. Freeze until semi-frozen, then whisk very thoroughly. Freeze and whisk again, twice more.
CHOCOLATE AND APPLE CREME
350 ml (12 fl oz) cream
375 g (13 oz) dark chocolate, broken into pieces
150 g (5½ oz) fermented apple
Put the cream in a saucepan and heat to 78°C (172°F). Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and then mix with the cream. Remove from the heat, add the fermented apple and leave to cool in the fridge.
FERMENTED APPLE JUICES
200 ml (7 fl oz) fresh apple juice (about 600 g/1 lb 5 oz unpeeled apples, juiced)
200 ml (7 fl oz) fermented apple
4 g (1/8 oz) xanthan gum
Add the apple juice to the fermented apple juices. Add the xanthan gum and work it into the mixture until it starts to thicken. Strain and keep chilled.
SOFT CREME
400 ml (14 fl oz) cream
40 g (1½ oz) fine cane sugar
Whip the cream and sugar until soft peaks form.
PLANTS TO FINISH
Flax
Bronze fennel fronds
Young maple leaf