Recipe: Apple Praline with Saffron Peaks & Saffron Apples with Poached Meringue

Hi M,

Here are two different types of recipes for what you mentioned, hope they help!

APPLE PRALINE WITH SAFFRON PEAKS

4apples
200ml milk cream
150g icing sugar
150 g cashewnuts, roasted
25g flour, a few strands saffron
150g brown sugar
25g poppy seeds
5g pistachio flakes

Pare and core the apples. Blanch the apples for 10 seconds. Whip cream on a bed of ice, gradually adding icing sugar till fluffy. Add roasted cashewnuts to half the cream and fill the mixture tightly into the apples. Dust the apples with flour and keep aside. Soak saffron in a teaspoon of hot water and lightly fold into the remaining cream.

In a deep pan, put brown sugar and poppy seeds and heat the pan over low fire. As the sugar begins to caramelise, roll the filled apples in the caramel. As soon as the apples get coated with caramel and poppy seeds, dip them in chilled water. The caramel solidifies and completly seals the apples. Put the apples individually in champagne saucers. Pipe the saffron cream all around the apples. Serve chilled, garnished with pistachio flakes.

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Saffron Apples with Poached Meringue and Vanilla Custard

Apples:
1/2 tsp saffron threads
4-6 granny smith apples
440gm sugar
Zested rind of 1/2 lemon

Mix saffron with 1 tablespoon of hot water and stand to infuse for 1 hour.

Core apples, cut into 1.5 cm thick slices and reserve end pieces for another use. Combine 4 cups of water and sugar in a large saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add saffron mixture, apple slices and lemon zest and simmer for 3-5 minutes until apples are cooked.

Remove apples with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.

Boil sugar syrup over high heat for 10 minutes or until reduced and syrupy. Pour syrup over apples and stand at room temperature until ready to serve.

Vanilla Custard:
6 egg yolks
150 gm sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
60gm plain flour
2 cups milk

Beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until thick and pale. Whisk in flour and just enough cold milk to form a smooth paste. Bring remaining milk just to the boil and whisk into egg mixture. Return custard to saucepan and shisk over a low heat for 3-5 minutes, until it is cooked and thickened.

Cool, cover closely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Return to room temperature before serving.

Poached Meringue:

3 egg whites
110 gm caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups milk

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form, then gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until all of the sugar is added and the mixture is thick and glossy, then whisk in the vanilla extract.

Heat milk in a large frying pan until just poiling, then reduce heat to low. Drop 6 large spoonfuls of meringue into milk, about 2 cm apart, and poach gently, turning once with a slotted spoon, for about 5 minutes until cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.

To serve, spoon vanilla custard onto serving plates, top with a few slices of apple, drizzle with a little of the syrup and place poached meringue to one side.