Cheddar Cheese, Caramelised Cornish Cider Apples, Cinnamon and Rodda’s Cornish Clotted Cream with a Cheese Scone

Method

Tools:

• Large heavy-based, oven-proof frying pan
• Whisk
• Spoon
• Skewer (optional)
• Knife
• Hand-held blender (optional)
• Jug
• Stand mixer fitted with a paddle
• Baking tray
• Clingfilm

Prepare the toffee apples

• Preheat your oven to 160°C.
• Place a large heavy-based, oven-proof frying pan over medium/high heat and melt the sugar with the apple juice until bubbling. Carefully whisk in the butter until emulsified before adding the thyme and cinnamon stick.
• Place the halved apples in the pan and, using a spoon, turn them all over to coat in the caramel. Put the pan into the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until tender. You can test this with a skewer or the tip of a small knife. When the apples are cooked, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Prepare the Bramley apple sauce

•  First peel your apples, remove the cores and slice them thinly. Heat a large heavy-based pan over medium/high heat and add the sugar. When the sugar is bubbling add the apples and cinnamon, followed immediately by the lemon juice.
• Cook the apples uncovered for 10-15 minutes until totally soft, lightly caramelised you have a thick purée-like consistency. At this stage, you can blend the apples in the pan with a hand-held blender- although this is not necessary. Leave finished purée to cool to room temperature.

3. Make the cheese scones

• Preheat your oven to 180°C.
• Combine the yoghurt, buttermilk, egg yolks and malt in a jug, mix well and store in the fridge.
• Combine all the two flours, salt, baking powder, butter and cheeses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix on slow speed for 10-15 minutes until you achieve a breadcrumb-like texture. Alternatively, mixing by hand will be just as effective.
• Then pour the yoghurt mix slowly from the jug into the dry ingredients. When you have a rough dough, tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring the dough together by hand.
• Next, roll out your dough into a round 2cm high slab, slide this onto a tray, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 15- 20 minutes.
• Remove the scone dough from the fridge and using a knife cut out your 8 scones into fingers measuring 3 cm squared by 8 cm long. Flour well before cutting out each one and press in a straight downward motion. Make sure all your scones are presented with the smoothest side facing up and well-spaced as they will expand as they cook.
• Next carefully brush the top of each scone with egg yolk. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and risen. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

4. Assemble the dish

• Warm the scones and the toffee apples for 2-3 minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven and make sure all your apples are round side up (this is what would have been the skin side). Spread a thick layer of the Bramley puree on each scone finger.
• Follow this by cutting the apples into quarters and arranging 3 pieces of apple on top, glazing with a spoonful of the caramel from the pan. Season the top of the apples with a little pinch of Cornish sea salt and the picked thyme leaves.
• Top each one with a teaspoon of Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream, then season each dollop of cream with a pinch of ground cinnamon.
• Serve alongside your favourite mature cheddar allowing your guests to cut off a piece of cheese and eat with the toffee apple scone. The contrast of sweet and savoury is amazing.