Canadian-Whisky-Apple Pudding

  • Catherine Caldwell

Catherine Caldwell 2009 finalist
I was thinking dessert when I developed this, but it could be eaten for breakfast too. (Your call if you include the whisky sauce!)… I use Highwood Crossing’s steel-cut oats – Highwood Crossing is an organic grain farm located south of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The apple reduction I use is called La Carminée du Terroir, which comes from Au Verger du Clocher, a producer in Quebec, Canada. I get it at a little store in Calgary called Flavours of the World, and owner Richard Desnoyers describes it as “the ultimate reduction of a liquid that keeps only the essence of the fruit.”

Canadian-Whisky-Apple Pudding
For Pudding
1/2 cup (125 ml) Highwood Crossing organic steel-cut oats
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) water
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
3 tbsp (50 ml) whipping cream
3 tbsp (50 ml) apple reduction
1 cup (250 ml) roasted Gala apple sauce (see recipe below)
About 6 – 8 tbsp (75 – 100 ml) warm Canadian whisky sauce, divided (see recipe below)
Whipped cream, for garnish
Roasted Gala apple sauce, for garnish

For Roasted Gala Apple Sauce with Rosemary

6 Gala apples, cored and coarsely chopped
1 tsp (5 ml) chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp (5 ml) olive oil
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) apple juice
1/2 cup (125 ml) hard apple cider
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1 cup (250 ml) demerara sugar
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cloves
1/2 tsp (2 ml) kosher salt
1/2 tsp (2 ml) black pepper

For Canadian Whisky Sauce
1/2 cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp (25 ml) water
1/4 cup (50 ml) margarine
3 tbsp (50 ml) Canadian whisky
Methods/steps
For Pudding

Place oats and water in a medium saucepan over high heat and, stirring occasionally, bring to boil. Add salt when oats reach boiling point. Reduce heat and maintain a gentle boil, stirring to ensure oats don’t stick to bottom of the saucepan. When water is completely absorbed, in about 20 minutes, remove from heat.

Mix in whipping cream and apple reduction. Then fold in apple sauce.

Divide among 3 to 4 dessert bowls. Pour about 2 tbsp/25 ml warm Canadian whisky sauce over each serving. Garnish each with dollop of whipped cream and extra roasted apple sauce and serve.

Serves 3 – 4.
Cook’s Note:  For the competition, because time was of the essence, I soaked the oats in water for about 45 hours (!). (Most of this time they were in the fridge; I brought them out a couple of hours before cooking to allow them to come to room temperature.) This shortened the cooking time, and I think, made for a creamier pudding.
For Roasted Gala Apple Sauce with Rosemary

Note: This recipe is from Diner Deluxe, a funky retro diner in Calgary, Alberta, Canada owned by Dwayne and Alberta Ennest. It’s delicious with lots of things, including pork and game birds or just mixed in with plain yogurt. Aside from Granny Smiths, you can use any kind of apple (Granny Smiths are a tart apple so you’d need to adjust the sugar).

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Combine apples, rosemary, and olive oil in a roasting pan. Place in the preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for about 15 or 20 minutes, or until apples are soft and slightly browned.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add roasted apples and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until sauce has thickened.

Using a blender, food processor, or potato masher, puree mixture until smooth or desired consistency.

Makes about 2 – 4 cups (500 ml – 1 L) depending on size of apples and degree to which you puree mixture.

Cook’s Notes: Chef Dwayne Ennest doesn’t peel the apples for this recipe, but you can if you wish. (I don’t either.) I use a potato masher to smush the apple mixture, and I intentionally leave it lumpy to give the pudding a nice texture. Also, use additional apple juice in place of the hard apple cider if you prefer.

For Canadian Whisky Sauce

Combine sugar and egg yolk in a saucepan and blend well. Add water and blend well. Add margarine. Now turn stove on to medium-low and stir for about 5 or 6 minutes, but do not allow to fully boil. Add whisky and stir well.
Cook’s Note: Be prepared for sauce to bubble up when you add whisky.
Makes about 3/4 cup (175ml).