INGREDIENTS
(Serves four to six)
50g unsalted butter
100g risotto rice, rinsed
600g Bramley apple juice
2 Bramley apples, peeled and grated
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground mixed spice
Caster sugar, to sweeten
For the cinnamon custard
500ml double cream
7 medium egg yolks
50g caster sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
For garnish
5 Bramley apples, peeled and cored and roughly chopped
150ml organic cider
Sugar, to taste
OR apple balls and caramel sauce
Suggested accompaniment: chilled Pedro Ximenez sherry
Method
Melt butter in a non-stick frying pan. Add rice and stir over a medium heat until coated in butter. Add a third of the apple juice, all of the grated apple and stir well.
Lower heat, cook slowly until apples break down and juice is absorbed. Add rest of juice gradually, absorbing between each addition and stirring occasionally.
When all juice is absorbed, check rice to see if cooked and add a little extra juice if necessary for cooking rice out. Remove from heat.
Add spices and sugar to taste. Spoon into glasses and level top. Leave to cool, then chill until set.
For the cinnamon custard, bring cream to boil. Beat egg yolks with sugar in a bowl.
When cream has come to the boil, pour over yolks, stirring. Transfer back to saucepan, cook over low heat until custard thickens. Remove from heat. Pass through fine sieve.
Add cinnamon and blitz for a few seconds until custard becomes lighter and more viscous.
Spoon or pipe on top of risotto immediately. Refrigerate.
For garnish, put chopped apples in a pan, add cider, cook gently until fruit forms a compote. Continue cooking until any excess liquid has evaporated.
Sweeten to taste. Cool. Spoon on top of set custard. Alternatively, decorate with a few apple balls poached in cider and pour over some caramel sauce.
By Claire Clark, pastry chef, French Laundry, California, USA