Macadamia Apple Rice Pudding

Method

To make the pudding rice: 

1. Mix together all the ingredients for the rice pudding in a pan. Place on stove and cook for 20–30 minutes, stirring regularly, until the rice is soft and creamy.

2. Discard the vanilla pod and transfer to a clean bowl. Cover with cling film to prevent a skin from forming and reserve until ready to serve.

To make the apple butter purée:

Mix all ingredients together. Cook for 30 minutes blend then pass through a sieve.

To make the apple mousse:

1. Heat apple puree on stove, soak gelatine leaves in cold water, add to puree.

2. Whisk egg whites and sugar until forms soft peaks.

3. Whisk cream then fold into cold apple puree.

4. Last fold in egg whites and cold rice pudding chill in moulds until ready.

To make the milk skins: 

1 To make milk skins put milk in oven at 180oc until skin forms, After 15 minutes, you can see a skin form on top of the milk.

2 Remove this skin carefully and allow to dry somewhere warm.

To make the hay ice cream:

1. Mix the cream, milk and sugar in a medium sized pan.

2. Bring the liquid to the boil so that the sugar dissolves.

3. Stir the hot mixture in with the 6 egg yolks in a bowl to create a custard. Add the hay and leave aside for 30 minutes.

4. Strain the liquid and place it back on the stove over a medium to high heat.

5. Place a thermometer in the pan and bring the liquid slowly up to 76°C.

6. Once the temperature has been reached, remove from the heat and allow the liquid to cool down in a bowl over ice. Churn in an ice cream maker until set and serve.

To make the salted macadamia crumble:

For the crumble, caramelise the sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat, then add the butter, macadamias and salt. Leave to cool then blend into a crumb.

For the macerated blackberries:

Bring the water, sugar, port and thyme to the boil in a saucepan and pour over the blackberries. Reserve.

For the brined apples:

Enough apples to fill one-gallon mason jar (I get 10-12 apples, small to medium) – late harvest yellow (never red!) golden delicious.

To make the brined apples and mint: 

1. Wash apples and mint, and place them in a gallon mason jar with mint closer to the bottom. Try to wedge the apples to that they stay below the shoulder of the jar. Mine are wedged so they can’t move at all.

2. Pour water into the jar to measure how much you need, then pour it into a sauce pan.

3. Add rye flour and sprouted rye flour, whisk well. Add salt.

4. Bring to slow boil whisking frequently; remove from heat. Cool.

5. Add honey and stir to dissolve. This is brine.

6. Add rye sourdough starter to the brine, whisk until dissolved and frothy. Pour the brine over the apples so that there are a couple of inches of liquid above the apples.

7. Cover tightly. Leave at room temperature for 5-6 days. You will notice fermentation activity the next day.

8. Twice a day (or more often, if able) remove white froth that forms on top of the brine with a spoon. If you notice the water level going down, you can add more water (boiled and cooled).

9. It happens because apples absorb water, and some do more than others.

Transfer to refrigerator; and allow to ferment 30-60 more days. The apples get better with longer storage. Keep in refrigerator up to a year.

10. You want to monitor the water level closely. Apples need to stay submerged in brine all the time, otherwise they will get brown and mushy.

11. Apples will absorb water (some more than others) so you will need to add more.