COOKING WITH GUNPOWDER RUM:
Smoke & Oakum's American Apple Pie
- adapted from a recipe by Rose Levy Beranbaum
For the pastry - you will need:
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170 grams unsalted cold butter, cut into small cubes – freeze for 30 minutes
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284 grams pastry flour (all-purpose white flour) + ¼ tsp salt + ¼ tsp baking powder – freeze for 30 minutes
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128 grams cold cream cheese, cut into a few pieces
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2 tbsp ice water
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1 tbsp cider vinegar
- Put the flour mixture in a food processor, pulse a few second to combine.
- Add the cream cheese and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Add the butter and pulse until none of the butter pieces are larger than a pea.
- Add the water and vinegar and pulse until the mixture is a bit finer. It will not hold together.
- Put into a mixing bowl and knead quickly, with cold hands, until it holds together. And feels slightly stretchy.
- Divide into 2 discs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate, preferably overnight.
For the filling - you will need:
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6 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into pieces
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2 tbsp lemon juice
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55 grams soft brown sugar
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50 grams white sugar
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¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
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2 star anise + 1 tsp cloves + 1 tsp cardamom, grounded
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¼ tsp salt
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45 grams unsalted butter
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150ml S&O's Gunpowder Rum
- Combine the apples, lemon juice, sugars, spices and salt in a bowl. Leave to macerate for 30 minutes.
- Transfer to a saucepan and heat up with the butter and rum until the liquid has thickened and reduced – it should start to jellify a bit. Let it cool down,
To make your pie:
- Take one disc of pastry out of the fridge and let it sit for 10 minutes or so, until it is soft enough to roll. Grease your pie dish.
- On a floured surface, roll out your pastry so it fits your tin. Transfer to the pie dish. Trim the edge, even with the edge of the pie dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Take your cooled pie filling and transfer it to your pie dish.
- Take the other disc of pastry out of the fridge, let it soften and roll it out.
- Transfer the pastry to the pie dish. Seal the edges with the bottom pastry crust, decorate if you wish and make 5 evenly-spaced slashes from the center to the edge. Refrigerate the pie for one hour to chill and relax the pastry.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the lowest level and place some foil at the bottom to catch any juices.
- Brush the pastry with egg wash. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the apples feel tender but not mushy when you test with a knife. Protect the pie with foil if it starts browning too much.
- Cool on a rack for several hours before cutting.
Smoke & Oakum's Gunpowder Rum & Raisin Fudge
For the fudge - you will need:
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75ml Smoke & Oakum’s Gunpowder Rum
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100g raisins
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100g butter (with some extra for greasing purposes)
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397g can of sweetened condensed milk
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125ml milk
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450g soft brown sugar
- In a bowl, soak the raisins with the rum. Set aside.
- Use a little butter to grease the inside of a cake tin. Then line it with non-stick baking paper.
- In a large, non-stick saucepan combine the remaining ingredients over a medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Having brought the mix to the boil, simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly, until it reaches 116°C on a sugar thermometer. If sugar crystals form on the inside of the pan, cover the pan with a lid for a minutes or two; steam will condense and run down the sides of the pan dissolving the crystals.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Once the temperature of the mixture drops to 110°C beat it with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes or so until the mixture is thick and stiff (or akin to peanut butter).
- Next take your bowl of rum soaked raisins and mix them in.
- Finally, pour into the tin you prepared and leave to cool, then refrigerate for several hours.
- Once the fudge is very cold, cut into small squares using a sharp knife.
Enjoy with coffee or strong tea...