Chefs' Recipes

Heirloom apple pudding with vanilla custard

The much-loved dessert from Corrigan's in Mayfair, London.

  • 20 mins preparation
  • 35 mins cooking plus standing, cooling
  • Serves 6
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Heirloom apple pudding with vanilla custard
For this pudding recipe from Corrigan's in London, chef Richard Corrigan uses heirloom apples, such as Bramleys; unfortunately these are difficult to find in Australia, so we've used Granny Smiths instead.

Ingredients

  • 6 Granny Smith apples, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Calvados or brandy
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 250 gm stale white crustless bread, coarsely torn
  • 250 ml (1 cup) milk
  • Finely grated rind of 2 lemons
  • 150 gm caster sugar, plus extra for scattering
  • 125 gm almond meal
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 100 gm butter, melted, plus extra for brushing
Vanilla custard
  • 250 ml (1 cup) pouring cream
  • 125 ml (½ cup) milk
  • 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 50 gm caster sugar

Method

Main
  • 1
    Preheat oven to 200C. Combine apple, Calvados and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.
  • 2
    Place bread in a heatproof bowl. Bring milk and lemon rind to a rapid simmer in a saucepan over medium heat, pour over bread and set aside. Whisk sugar, almond meal, yolks and 1 tsp sea salt flakes in a separate bowl, stir in butter, then bread mixture, and set aside.
  • 3
    Brush a 2-litre ceramic baking dish with extra butter, scatter with sugar and shake out excess. Whisk eggwhites in an electric mixer until soft peaks form (2-3 minutes), fold in bread mixture and spoon into baking dish. Scatter with apple mixture and bake until golden and set (30-35 minutes).
  • 4
    For vanilla custard, bring cream, milk and vanilla just to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until thick and creamy (2-3 minutes), then add hot milk mixture, whisking to combine. Return to pan and stir continuously over low heat until mixture coats a spoon thickly (5-6 minutes). Pour into a bowl placed over ice and stir until chilled. Serve with hot apple pudding.
  • 5
    For vanilla custard, bring cream, milk and vanilla just to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until thick and creamy (2-3 minutes), then add hot milk mixture, whisking to combine. Return to pan and stir continuously over low heat until mixture coats a spoon thickly (5-6 minutes). Pour into a bowl placed over ice and stir until chilled. Serve with hot apple pudding.
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