Apple and Tamarillo Charlotte Recipe

Origin: Britain      Period: Traditional

The original 'Charlotte' is a dish of the 17th Century and is a British invention. The dish consisted of lining a ring mould with bread and filling with apples, with the dish being served hot. In all likelihood the dish was named after Queen Charlotte, wife of George II, as she was the patron of apple growers. This is a modern rendition that remains quite true to its 17th century antecedent.

The tamarillo is the wonder food of the moment. This is the fruit of Solanum betaceum a small shrub in the solonacacea (deadly nightshade) family (related to capsicums, potatoes, tomatoes and aubergines). The shrubs are very fruitful and bear fruit in clusters. A single tree in a pot can, over the three month fruiting period, produce more fruit than a single family can consume, so making preserves from the excess fruit is essential. They originate in South America, but with care and if brought indoors in the winter they will survive and bear fruit even in Northern climes. They are grown commercially in New Zealand and Portugal.

Ingredients:

350g apples (half Bramley and half Cox's are a good mix)
100g tamarillos, blanched, peeled, de-seeded and chopped
1 tbsp caster sugar
120g butter
6 slices of bread taken from a large loaf (they should be about 5mm thick)
1 egg yolk

Apple and Tamarillo Charlotte Preparation:

Method:

Peel and core the apples then slice into thin rings. Rinse in a bowl of cold water then transfer to a pan along with the tamarillos, sugar and 30g of the butter. Cook over low heat until they are just soft enough to beat into a purée. Beat the apple and tamarillo mix until smooth then set aside to cool.

Remove the crusts from the bread then melt the remaining butter very gently in a small pan. Cut each slice of bread into rectangles and brush each piece with melted butter on both sides. Use 3/4 of these to line the base and sides of a 600ml pudding basin. Make certain you overlap the bread pieces so you don't leave any gaps and press down firmly to seal.

When the apple and tamarillo purée has cooled completely add the egg yolk and beat into the mixture then tip the purée into the bread-lined bowl. Now seal the top with the remaining bread. Cover the bread with a plate that's slightly smaller than the bowl and weigh down with a 1kg weight. Set aside to compress for 30 minutes.

After the end of this time transfer the bowl (with the weight still on it) to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 35 minutes. Carefully remove the weight and the plate at this time and bake the pudding for a further 10 minutes, or until browned on top. Remove from the oven and allow to settle in the basin for a few minutes then invert onto a warmed serving plate and serve immediately with vanilla custard.

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