Baked Apple Parcel with Lemon Verbena Crème Anglaise
How to turn a simple dessert into something Gourmet? I have the answer!
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
50 min
Rest Time
1h
Servings
4
Difficulty
Intermediate
Introduction
I love baked apple. It’s such a simple, quick dessert and, with a few touches, it becomes extremely elegant, suitable for any special occasion. The crème anglaise needs no introduction — it’s absolutely to die for.
Instructions
Crème Anglaise
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Prepare the egg yolks. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until you have a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
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Infuse the milk. Cut a vanilla pod lengthwise and, with the back of a knife, scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the vanilla pod to a saucepan with milk and bring to a simmer with the lemon verbena. Before it boils, turn off the heat.
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Temper the egg yolks. Pour a little of the hot milk into the egg yolk and sugar mixture and stir well, to equalize the temperatures of the yolks and the milk.
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Cook the crème. Return the mixture to the milk saucepan and cook over very low heat, stirring constantly in a figure-eight motion, with a spoon or spatula.
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Check the consistency. As soon as the crème thickens and, when you run your finger across the spatula, it leaves a firm line, turn off the heat.
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Refrigerate. Pour the crème anglaise onto a shallow dish or plate and cover with cling film. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until cooled.
Baked Apple
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Prepare the apples. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Peel and core the apples using the appropriate utensils.
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Baste. Melt the butter in the microwave. Brush the butter over the entire surface of the apples. Roll the apples on all sides in the brown sugar.
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Roast. Place the basted apples in an oven-proof dish and drizzle with Port wine to taste. Add thyme sprigs in the cavity where the core was. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the apples soften and cook through on the inside, but do not fall apart.
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Wrap. Discard the thyme, let the apples cool, and baste them in the syrup formed in the dish. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Wrap the apples in the filo pastry sheets. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the pastry hardens and turns golden.
Serving
On a wide, deep plate, place the wrapped apple. Pour the crème anglaise around the apple. Dust with cinnamon, including the sides of the plate. Garnish with a sprig of lemon verbena.