Apple compote with rose pudding

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 250 g apples, sour
• 2 tbsp raisins or dried barberries (sourthorn)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• 250 ml milk
• 100 ml cream
• 6 tsp, leveled cornstarch
• 1 ½ tbsp rose water
• 2 tbsp almond(s) (flaked almonds)
• 100 ml apple juice

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

not so sweet and excitingly unusual

Peel the apples and cut them into small pieces. Simmer with apple juice, raisins, and cinnamon for about 10 minutes, until the apples are soft. Set the pan aside and let cool. Toast the almond flakes in a dry pan. If you don’t like raisins, you can also use dried barberries. Mix the milk (reserve a few tablespoons of cold milk) with the cardamom, then add the cream and bring everything to a boil in a saucepan. Add one or two tablespoons of sugar to the milk, depending on your taste. Mix the cornstarch with the reserved tablespoons of cold milk, then mix with the hot milk and bring back to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the liquid thickens slightly (about 2 to 5 minutes). Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in the rose water. This pudding will not set completely and is a mixture of cream and pudding; if you prefer a firmer consistency, add a little more cornstarch. Pour a layer of compote into bowls, top with a few toasted almond flakes, then add the pudding, then another layer of apple compote, and so on. Finally, top with the pudding and sprinkle with a few almond flakes for decoration. Tips: Rose water can be ordered from any pharmacy (a 125 ml bottle costs about €2.80). You can also use custard powder, but be sure to use more liquid than indicated on the package so the pudding doesn’t set completely. Since cardamom is a very strong spice, it should be handled carefully. Barberries can be found in Iranian specialty stores, but not in Turkish stores. The taste is rather sour. I think Iranians pronounce it something like this: “sereshk.”