Semifreddo di mele

Another dessert I prepared for New Year's Eve was this semifreddo, a type of custard with cooked apples underneath, and with a lemony twinge. I finished it off with grilled 'peperkoek' crumbs, inspired by a cook in Normandy.



The recipe is from the birthday present from my godchild A.V., born on 13 November 2008: The Vegeterranean, recipes by Brasilian Malu Simões and her Italian husband Alberto Musacchio.

Serves 6

For the apples

5 big apples, or 6 smaller ones
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
rind of 1/2 lemon

For the cream

500 ml milk
rind of 1/2 lemon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
4 tbsp sugar
4 egg yolks
4 tbsp flour
1 slice peperkoek, grilled and crumbled

Peel and core the apples. Slice thinly. Squeeze the lemon juice over the apples to prevent browning. Cook with sugar, cinnamon and lemon rind over a low heat, covered. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat when the apples begin to caramelise, about 5 min.

Bring milk, lemon rind and vanilla to a boil, then turn off the heat. Whisk sugar and egg yolks in another saucepan until pale yellow. Sift in the flour and mix well. Remove lemon rind and vanilla from the milk and pour it into the egg mixture, whisking all the time.
Cook this cream in a double boiler (bain marie) over a medium heat for a few minutes, until it thickens.

Pour apple mixture into a dish and pour warm cream on top. Alternatively you can divide the dessert over small martini glasses or bowls. Let it cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Decorate with grilled peperkoek crumbs.

Notes:
The cream was quite thick, I recommend to use small tbsps of flour.
After tasting both apples and cream, I added more sugar.
I need to work on the technique for grilling the peperkoek crumbs, perhaps our cook from Normandy can advise...