Recipe: Apple terrine with burnt-butter ice-cream & butterscotch sauce - a Cutler & Co. signature

INGREDIENTS

• 270 gm caster sugar

• 18 small Granny Smith apples

• 100 ml lemon juice

• 100 ml brandy

• Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean

Burnt-butter ice-cream

• 300 gm unsalted butter, chopped

• 670 ml milk

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 6 egg yolks

• 140 gm caster sugar

Butterscotch sauce

• 130 gm caster sugar

• 115 gm brown sugar

• 40 gm unsalted butter, diced and chilled

• 80 ml double cream

Oat crumb

• 230 gm rolled oats

• 200 gm brown sugar

• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• 2 eggwhites

• 120 gm unsalted butter, softened

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 24cm x 8.5cm terrine mould or loaf tin with baking paper, extending 4cm above edges. Place 120gm sugar and 50ml water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, without stirring but swirling often, until sugar melts and it turns a dark caramel colour (9-11 minutes). Pour into mould and leave to set.

• Peel apples and thinly slice on mandoline turning to cut slices from three of the four sides. Place slices in a large bowl.

• Stir lemon juice, brandy, vanilla and remaining sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves, then pour liquid over apples and gently stir to coat, being careful not to break slices. With flat sides against the edges to make a snug fit, layer apple slices in the mould, trying to avoid gaps. (It's important to make the first few layers look pretty; this is the presentation side.) Continue layering apple, pushing down every few layers to make sure it gets into the corners, until about 2cm above top edge of tin. Cover with baking paper, then foil, then place on an oven tray lined with baking paper.

• Bake for 30 minutes, then rotate and cook for a further 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 150°C, cook for a further 25 minutes, then remove foil and paper, and cook until some apple corners are just starting to turn golden brown and terrine is easily pierced with a knife (25 minutes). Remove from oven and cool to room temperature (2-3 hours). Cover terrine with a piece of baking paper, place a loaf tin on top, and weight with three food cans. Refrigerate to press (at least 6 hours, or overnight).

• Meanwhile, for burnt-butter ice-cream, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until foamy and nut-brown (4-6 minutes). Gradually add 500ml milk in a thin, steady stream, whisking as it comes to a simmer. Cool to room temperature (1-2 hours), then refrigerate until butter solidifies on the top. Scoop off and discard butter layer, then strain milk through a fine sieve into a jug. Add remaining milk to make a total of 500ml (you may not need all the milk). Bring milk and maple syrup to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until thick and pale. Gradually add hot milk mixture, whisking continuously, then return mixture to saucepan over very low heat and stir continuously until mixture coats the back of spoon and reaches 81°C on a thermometer (8 minutes; do not boil). Strain through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Whisk for 2 minutes to cool, then refrigerate until chilled. Churn in an ice-cream machine and freeze until firm (3-4 hours).

• For butterscotch sauce, heat sugars in a saucepan over low heat until a caramel starts to form, then swirling gently and occasionally, cook until sugar dissolves and is a deep golden colour (10-12 minutes). Add 70ml water, in two batches (be careful, hot caramel will spit), and stir until smooth (2-3 minutes). Whisk in butter, then cream, then bring to a simmer and cook until a smooth sauce (2-3 minutes). Season to taste with salt.

• For oat crumb, preheat oven to 170°C. Process oats in a food processor until coarsely chopped, transfer to a bowl, add dry ingredients and a pinch of salt, and toss to combine. Fold in eggwhites, then softened butter. Divide mixture in half, then roll each half between two sheets of baking paper to a 3mm-thick, 5cm x 35cm rectangle. Transfer to oven trays, and bake, one at a time, removing top sheet of baking paper after 8 minutes, until golden (10-12 minutes). Cool. Break one half into large pieces, and the other into a crumb.

• Turn apple terrine out of mould and cut into eight slices with a sharp knife. Serve on top of oat crumb, with a scoop of ice-cream placed on larger oat crumb pieces, and butterscotch sauce poured over.