Apple Charlotte 🇬🇧

Brought up in a Chinese family, I never quite understood the need to have desserts after a meal.    My husband John, being a 'British person', always wanted something sweet after dinner, and apple pie is his all-time favourite.  While they are relatively easy to make, if you can't be bothered with the pastry and have got some slices of white bread lying around, try this recipe for Apple Charlotte.  It is an English recipe, named after the wife of King George III, said to be a patron of apple growers.    Stewed apples are encrusted in bread slices slathered in melted butter and baked in the oven until golden brown.  You need a pudding dish or a heat-proof bowl to make this.  Serve with custard.  

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large cooking apples (about 500g /1lb 2oz)
• 150g /5oz butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 8-10 slices of white bread, crust removed
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of ground cloves
• ½ cup store bought custard

METHOD

1. Peel, core and roughly chop the apples into chunks.
2. Add to a saucepan with 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat, stirring to combine.
3. Add in 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, ground cinnamon and ground cloves.  Stir and cook for 10-15 minutes until the apples are soften.  Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Generously grease the sides and bottom of a 15cm / 6" pudding dish or heat-proof bowl with remaining butter.
5. Take a slice of bread, brush butter over both sides and place it into the base of the pudding dish or bowl.
6. Reserve 1-2 slices of bread for the top.  
7. Cut the remaining bread into rectangles, enough to line the sides of the pudding dish or bowl with them slight overlapping, leaving no gap.  Brush each rectangle on both sides with butter as you work your way around the pudding dish or bowl. 
8. Fill the pudding dish or bowl with cooked apples.
9. Brush butter on both sides of the last 1-2 slices of bread.  Trim and arrange  them to form a cover for the apples on top.  
10. Cover the pudding dish or bowl tightly with a large piece of foil and bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for 30 minutes.
11. Remove the foil and let it bake uncovered in the oven for another 10 minutes until the top is golden brown.
12. Remove the Apple Charlotte from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before flipping it over and drop onto a plate.  It should slide out quite easily.
13. Serve with custard.