South African apples and pears are back in the UK
In season: Apples & pears from South Africa
Award-winning South African chef, Reuben Riffel, has created a selection of fresh, summer recipes to celebrate the new South African apple and pear season.
From April throughout to September delicious varieties of apples and pears from South Africa are widely available in UK supermarkets. Varieties such as the crunchy Granny Smith apples and sweet, smooth Bon Chretin pears feature during this time.
These recipes are free to use in your publication. Contact details can be found at the end of the release.
Apples and Gorgonzola in filo pastry
Serves 6
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients
6 sheets of filo pastry, cut in half lengthways
50g butter, melted
2 South African apples, cored and chopped
2oz walnuts, roughly chopped
150g gorgonzola cheese, chopped into chunks
1 egg, beaten
2-3 tbsp olive oil, for frying
To serve: Rocket leaves
Method
- Lay 2 strips of filo pastry together and brush with butter
- Mix together the apples, walnuts and cheese. Share the mixture into 6 equal portions.
- Place one quantity of the mixture at the top of the buttered filo pastry strips and fold over repeatedly to make a triangular shape to enclose all the filling (like samosas). Brush with egg and set aside.
- Repeat with the remaining pastry, butter and filling to make 6 triangles in total
- Fry in batches in hot olive oil – cook for approx 2 minutes each side, and then drain on kitchen paper.
- Serve while hot, garnished with rocket.
Pear, Brie & Pecan Salad
Serves 4
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
Malt vinaigrette
2 tbsp malt vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad
2 South African pears, peeled, halved and cored
Handful of watercress leaves
Handful of baby spinach
Handful of rocket leaves
1 large handful white and red seedless grapes, halved
1 handful pecans
4oz brie, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
Method
- Make the vinaigrette: Whisk the vinegar, olive oil and maple syrup together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Make the salad: Slice the pear halves into four. Toss the watercress, spinach, rocket, grapes and pecans with 2/3 of the vinaigrette to coat. Dip the sliced pears in the remaining vinaigrette.
- To Serve: Arrange the dressed salad leaves, grapes and pecans on 4 serving plates. Allocating half a pear per plate, arrange the dressed slices on top of the leaves. Add the brie to finish and serve immediately.
Caramelised apple and calvados soufflés
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients
Caramelised apples
20g unsalted butter
2 South African Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into eights
50g icing sugar
1½ tbsp Calvados
2 tbsp double cream
330ml milk
3 pieces of lemon rind, removed with a peeler
80g caster sugar
50g plain flour
20g soft unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
20ml Calvados
2 eggs, separated, plus 1 egg white
Pinch of salt
For dusting: icing sugar
Method
- For the caramelised apples, heat butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add apples and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden. Sieve over icing sugar, toss to coat and cook over a low heat for another 8-10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until caramelised. Add Calvados, simmer for 2 minutes or until reduced, add cream and cook for 1 minute or until thick. Share between four deep buttered ramekins and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 180°C, fan oven 160°C, Gas Mark 4. Heat 250ml milk and lemon rind in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, combine 60g sugar, flour and remaining milk in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Remove lemon rind from hot milk. Pour over flour mixture, whisk to combine and return to pan. Whisk over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until thick and smooth. Remove from heat, add butter and mix to combine.
- Stand for 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent a skin from forming, then add Calvados and egg yolks and whisk to combine.
- In a grease-free bowl and with scrupulously clean beaters, whisk egg whites and a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add remaining sugar and whisk until firm peaks form.
- Fold ⅓ of egg whites into mixture until just combined to loosen it, and then fold through remaining egg whites. Spoon into the ramekins.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until risen and golden. Serve, dusted with icing sugar.
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