According to a note in “Cook Britain by Sainsbury’s,” an excellent cookbook with dozens of fabulous English recipes, “A recent survey listed Malvern pudding as one of the 10 most endangered puds in Britain.” Malvern Pudding is a luscious dessert that uses tart cooking apples which are sautéed in butter, sprinkled with sugar, and topped with a thick custard. The custard is sprinkled with demerara sugar and cinnamon and broiled until the sugar melts into a crisp caramel topping similar to crème brûlée. Yum!

The following recipe has been streamlined to use the microwave for the custard which saves time (of course it can be done the traditional way on the stovetop if one has loads of time and patience). The only thing that really takes any hands-on time is peeling and cutting the apples. The most popular cooking apple in England is Bramley, which is a variety that is difficult to find in the US. Granny Smith apples are quite tart and work well in this recipe.

The pudding was developed in Malvern, a town in the county of Worcestershire in England where fruit is very plentiful. After tasting this luscious pudding, it’s very probable that it will be requested often enough that it will no longer be endangered.

8 Servings

Filling:
1/3 cup butter
2 pounds Bramley or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thick slices
6 tablespoons brown sugar
zest of 1 lemon

Custard:
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups whole milk
2 eggs
1 pinch salt

Topping:
1/4 cup demerara sugar (If you can’t find it, substitute brown sugar)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet; add the apples and cook in the butter, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to soften.


2. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and lemon zest.


3. Continue cooking over medium heat until very soft.


4. Transfer the apples with juices to a 2-quart baking dish.


5. Meanwhile, make the custard: Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a large microwaveable bowl; whisk in the cornstarch and microwave 1 more minute.


6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, eggs, and salt.


7. Heat the remaining milk in the microwave.


8. When the milk is heated, whisk it into the cornstarch mixture; whisk the egg mixture in and whisk until smooth.


9. Place the mixture in the microwave and microwave 3 minutes.


10. Whisk until smooth; microwave an additional minute or two until thick and boiling.


11. Pour the mixture over the apples.


12. Mix the demerara sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over the custard.


13. Pour the melted butter over.


14. Place under the broiler and broil until bubbly and the sugar has melted.


15. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 391 Calories from Fat 188
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 48% Protein 6% Carb. 46%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 21 g
Saturated Fat 12 g
Cholesterol 110 mg
Sodium 521 mg
Total Carbohydrate 45 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 6 g

Vitamin A 17% Vitamin C 19% Calcium 0% Iron 5%