Southwell Galette Celebrates Bramley's 200th
Nottinghamshire’s Famous Apple Shines in this Recipe
Oct 3, 2009
The Bramley Apple Festival takes place in late October, this year celebrating 200 years since a young Mary Ann Brailsford planted some pips in her garden in Southwell, Nottinghamshire. Those pips came from a cross-pollination of two unknown varieties of trees. The original Bramley tree still bears fruit and every Bramley apple sold today is a direct descendant of that original tree.
Visit Southwell’s Minster to see the “Bramley Window” that was installed to mark the apple’s bicentennial in this beautiful 12th century Norman Church.
Southwell Galette
While this recipe calls for Bramley Apple, England’s definitive cooking apple. See “Cooking Apples” for possible substitutions that may be more available in your area.
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces (75g) shelled hazelnuts (a.k.a. filberts), toasted
- 4 ounces (100g) plain whole wheat flour
- grated zest of 1 each orange and lemon
- 3 ounces (75g) butter
- 1 pound (450g) Bramley apples (see “Cooking Apples” below for substitutes)
- 2 Tbsp sultanas
- 2 ounces (50g) granulate (a.k.a. castor) sugar
- 1 Tbsp apricot jam
- 2 Tbsp currants
- ¼ pint (125ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp powdered (a.k.a. icing or confectioner’s) sugar
Method:
- Reserve a few whole nuts for decoration and finely chop the rest.
- Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Mix in the flour and chopped nuts until the pastry can be formed into a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Peel, core and slice apples.
- In a large saucepan over low heat, add the apples, zest and jam. Cook, covered, until the apples are soft.
- Add the dried fruit and simmer 3 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and cool.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C).
- Retrieve the chilled pastry and divide into two. Roll each piece into a 9-inch circle.
- Place on lightly floured baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
- Cut one pastry circle into 8 wedges. Then cool both halves on a wire rack.
- Whip the cream.
- Place the complete round of pastry on a serving plate. Spread with apple mixture. Arrange cut wedges of pastry over the top. Dust with powdered sugar. Decorate with whipped cream and whole hazelnuts.
Recipe adapted from The Federation of Nottinghamshire WIs
For another great regional specialty, try Nottinghamshire Pie recipe from nearby Halam's Waggon & Horses gastropub.
Cooking Apples
The main difference between eating apples and cooking apples is their sugar content. Cooking apples tend to be tarter and also better for storage. Most apples tend to sweeten and lose their firm texture the longer they are stored, so one key is to buy the freshest apples, preferably locally grown.
Depending on what’s available from your locale, here are some cooking apples that may be substituted if you can’t get Bramley’s which are almost exclusively available in the UK.
- Pinata (also sold as “Pinova”): An attractive yellow apple with a pink/orange flush. Intensely flavored. Cooks up firm yet tender. Stores well.
- Newton Pippin: Fragrant, firm and slightly tart, the Pippin has a reputation as the ultimate pie apple. Washington grew them at Mount Vernon as did Jefferson at Monticello.
- Braeburn: Crisp, aromatic, blends sweetness and tartness just right for snacks, salads as well as baking, applesauce and for freezing. Braeburn was discovered as a chance seedling near Nelson, New Zealand in 1952. Its probable parents are Lady Hamilton and Granny Smith.
- Granny Smith: Lime-green speckled skin. Very firm, crisp. Sharp, tart flavor holds up well in recipes with spicy notes. While the flesh is firm enough to retain its shape when cooked, often making it often a first choice for baking, but it is slow to soften. This Australia import sprang up as a chance seedling on the farm of a certain Ms. Smith. It has a refreshing tartness, though it lacks some of the intensity of flavor found in more obscure varieties like Newton Pippin, it. That tartness makes it especially useful in savory dishes.
- Gravenstein: Pale green color with distinctive red striping. Intense flavor, distinctive perfume, Gravensteins ripen in August and is typically gone with the first winds of October. Unfortunately, it doesn't keep well so isn’t grown commercially. Look for them in farmers' markets and roadside stands.
- Northern Spy: Red-, gold- and green-striped apple that is tart and juicy-crisp, with finely textured flesh that holds its shape well for pie and other baking. Unfortunately it has a limited availability in the U.S.
- Rhode Island Greening: Tart and crisp, it’s chiefly a cooking apple especially with rich meats, such as sausages, pork, and duck. Also good for applesauce.
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