Twelve years ago I set up the Underground Cookery School with a sexy iMac G4. This was no ordinary computer; it had a beguiling dome base and was in my devoted eyes, the very prodigy of design and engineering.
Friends said it would never last, that I should go with grey and sensible, something PC and better suited for business; I derided their lack of sapience and continued my love affair with rhapsodical impetuosity.
Friendly reminders to update software began to erode our communion; refusal to join me on trips to the iTunes store didn’t help matters, and then just last week I cleared out all the junk email I could find, to be informed that the hard drive was still full. It then contracted the iOS 9.1 bug. All I’m prepared to say on record is that I was an IT virgin when we met, and I’ve never cheated.
As my life is now controlled by Apple, this week’s recipe is taken from our new menu and features the round pomaceous fruit in the guise of a galette.
First make the apple crisps. Slice the apple, preferably on a mandolin, and then lay the slices between two sheets of baking parchment, placing in a very hot oven. Immediately turn the heat off and leave overnight. The next morning set the apple crisps a side.
To make the pastry: Mix the flour, salt and soya spread together. Once you have a fine breadcrumb consistency, add water if needed. Work into a dough. Set in between two sheets of cling film, flatten and then roll to about ¼ inch. Cut out 2 pastry rectangles of approx. 6.5cm x 12cm.
For the apple puree place the sugar and water in a pan; gently heat until it begins to caramelize. Now add the apple, cinnamon powder, and butter. When the apples are cooked through and the liquid is syrupy, blitz into a puree.
For the apple topping, cut off the large cheeks from the two big sides of the apple and then slice the cheeks into very thin half-moons; place in a bowl of water with the lemon juice.
Lay a layer of the apple puree onto the pastry, and lay a row of half moon apples on top of this (make sure they a dry before hand by patting with kitchen roll); dust with icing sugar and bake at 160oC for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked all the way through. In the meantime place the apricot jam in a pan with the water and lemon juice. When runny pass through a sieve. As you take the galette out of the oven, paint the apples with the apricot gel.
To make the raisin puree, add the water and sugar to a pan. Bring to the boil, reduce to syrup and then add the raisins followed by the brandy. Light the brandy, and once the alcohol has burnt off, blitz.
To build the dish start with the raisin puree. Place a large circle in the corner of a dish and in a single motion smear with the back end of a spoon. Add the galette, top with ice cream, add the apple crisp and dust with a little icing sugar.
Apple has continued to frustrate with its obstinately practical logic and has made me understand how infuriating it must be living with men if you happen to be a girl. The story of this organisation is that God created the company to exist in order to facilitate paradise on earth, then someone took a bite out the right hand cheek; suffering and injustice prevailed, or did it? Last week I installed apple TV and it does anything I want just by talking to it! I’ve got my mojo back, I’m full of testosterone and the oval shaped fruit is once again the apple of my eye.
Apple Galette with Raisin Puree, Apple Crisp
Serves 2
For the pastry: 56g plain flour, pinch of salt, 52g soya spread, water if needed.
For the apple puree: 3 tablespoons Demerara sugar, 2 tablespoons water, 2 granny smith apples peeled, cored, and cubed, 20g butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
For the topping: 1 whole apple, juice of 1 lemon, 4 table spoons apricot jam, 1 tablespoon water, 2 tablespoons icing sugar
For the raisin puree; 40g raisins, 1 tablespoon caster sugar, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon brandy
For the apple crisp: 1 whole apple cut into very thin slices
