I was going to post a different recipe today but in recognition of Mr. Chirac’s maligning of English (and Finnish) cuisine and to show some solidarity with our British allies after the vile attack on the London tube I thought I’d post an English recipe. And a Finnish one, for good measure. And no, the Finnish national dish is not deep-fried reindeer testicles served with honey. Probably the favorite national dish is kalakukko, a kind of fish pie. I’ll give you the recipe for that some other time.
This recipe is from Mrs. Beeton’s. How much more English can you get?
Apple Snow
Serves 6
6 large flavorful (Granny Smith or Golden Delicious) apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 one inch by two inch piece of lemon peel
2 egg whites (if you’re concerned about raw egg white, use pasteurized egg white)
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. applejack or ½ tsp vanilla (optional)
½ tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves (optional)
- Place the apple chunks in a large saucepan, add 3 Tbsp. water and the lemon peel, and cook, covered, over low heat for about 15 minutes until the apples have softened. A microwave would also work for this. If you use the microwave, this will probably take 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the lemon peel and puree the apples (either by hand or in a food processor). Don’t liquefy them.
- Add the optional spices and applejack or vanilla and allow the apple mixture to cool.
- Once the apple mixure has cooled, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Slowly fold in the sugar.
- Fold in the apple mixture.
I usually cool this a little further in the refrigerator before serving. The original recipe doesn’t call for the spices but I think it’s a little nicer with them, don’t you? I’ve often thought of putting this in an ice cream freezer and seeing what happens.
Ilmapuuro (Air Pudding)
Serves 4 to 6
3 cups fruit juice (the better the fruit juice, the better the pudding)
½ cup uncooked farina
½ cup sugar
lemon juice to taste
- Heat the juice to boiling and sprinkle in the farina.
- Reduce the heat and cook until the farina is done according to the instructions. Stir frequently enough to keep the mixture from clumping.
- Pour into the bowl of your electric mixer and whip at the highest speed for about 20 minutes and the pudding is light-colored, creamy, and fluffy.
- Use the sugar and/or the lemon juice to adjust the flavor to your liking.
I dearly love this dish. Cranberry juice, raspberry juice, and strawberry juice are all great for making this.
