29 Oct Toffee Apples as you’ve Never seen them Before
Just as Halloween has come to an end we find ourselves celebrating another autumn festivity, Bonfire Night and we’re not complaining! Now that we can gather together without restrictions we’re taking every chance we get to celebrate and make up for lost time. This Bonfire Night we have a dessert recipe for you as the perfect way to end your celebrations this year but first we want to tell you a bit more about how toffee apples became a Bonfire Night tradition.
Like the pumpkin and it’s predecessor the turnip, the apple’s popularity at this time of the year is much to do with it being in season however how it came to be a toffee apple is thought to have been accidental. In 1908 a confectioner named William W Kolb was experimenting with a Christmas-themed red cinnamon potion when he dropped an apple in and the toffee apple was born! The new product was so popular it was a struggle to keep up with demand and it has been a treat we look forward to every autumn since. Preserving fruit with sugar is age old and covering apples in something sweet was a great way to get children to eat fruit however it’s questionable how good a apple actually would be once smothered in sugar. Although known as toffee apples, their coating isn’t toffee as we traditionally know it, a mix of sugar and dairy, but just simply boiled sugar. So yes, the toffee apple probably isn’t the best thing for your children’s teeth but at least they’re getting one of their five a day!
This Bonfire Night we have a treat that both kid’s and big kid’s can enjoy, our Toffee Apple Bread and Butter Pudding.
Ingredients
3 red dessert apples
½ lemon
4 tbsp golden caster sugar
397g can caramel
6 brioche finger rolls
3 eggs
400ml full-fat milk
200ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Ice cream , to serve (optional)
Instructions
Core the apples and slice into slim rings. Juice the lemon and toss the rings in the juice along with 2 tbsp sugar.
Next get a baking dish and spread around 2/3 of the caramel over it’s base. Slice the brioche into rounds and along with the apple rings begin to layer them in the dish in overlapping lines. With the remaining caramel, add spoonfuls but leave some of the apple poking out.
Get the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla extract and 1 tbsp sugar and whisk in a jug then pour over the brioche and apples then wrap the dish in cling film. If you’re against time you can leave this for just 30minutes otherwise it can be left overnight in the fridge.
Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Remove the cling film from the dish, get the remaining sugar and scatter over the pudding before putting it in the oven to bake for 45-50 minutes. You will know it’s ready when the top is golden, the custard is set, the caramel is bubbling and the pudding puffed up.
We hope you enjoy our twist on the toffee apple this Bonfire Night and if you’re interested in learning more recipes then get in touch today to enquire about one of our cooking lessons.
