Castellana

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg apples, sour
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp flour
• 500 ml milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 packets of vanilla sugar
• 100 g amaretti biscuits
• 60 g butter
• some lemon juice

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 10 minutes

Heat the milk in a saucepan, add 4 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon sticks, and bring to a boil. Peel, quarter, core, and slice the apples. Place them in a baking dish and drizzle with lemon juice. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the apples and pour in enough water to cover the bottom. Sauté in an oven preheated to 160°C (fan-assisted) for about 40 minutes on the middle rack; they should still have a bite. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour. Stir in the sieved cinnamon milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Ensure the cream is lump-free. Stir in the vanilla sugar and carefully fold in the two egg yolks. The cream shouldn’t be too hot, and you want to do this quickly, otherwise the yolks will curdle. Place the amaretti biscuits in a freezer bag until crumbly. Pour the finished cream over the stewed apples and sprinkle the amaretti crumbs on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (fan oven) for about 40 minutes on the middle rack. Serve warm, ideally with a scoop of ice cream. Note: This dessert can be prepared the day before. On the day of consumption, sprinkle the amaretti crumbs over the apples and finish baking the casserole as directed. Or simply return leftovers to the oven for another 20 minutes; they’ll taste just like fresh.