French Apple Pudding

A two-stage pudding: apples cooked down to a stiff purée, then a thin custard poured over and set slowly in the oven. The whole thing turns on the custard, which must be baked gently or it will curdle and weep into the pastry.

• Slow ovenA slow oven is usually reckoned at around 300-325F (150-165C). At the lower end a shallow custard of this size should set to a just-trembling firmness in something like three-quarters of an hour, though the recipe gives no time; test rather than trust the clock. Too hot an oven risks the eggs scrambling and water leaching out around the edges.
• Half a pintIf the measure is imperial, as the style of the book suggests, half a pint is 10 fl oz, about 1¼ US cups. With two eggs that gives a soft, loose set rather than a sliceable one, closer to a baked cream than a modern quiche-style filling.
• Apple marmalade"Marmalade" here means the fruit reduced to a thick, spreadable purée, not a citrus preserve. Bramleys or another cooking apple collapse readily; dessert apples will need longer and may want a splash of water. Cook it down until a spoon dragged through leaves a clear channel, or the excess moisture will thin the custard.
• Sweet almondsSweet almonds are ordinary almonds. Pound a small handful to a paste with a little of the milk and steep it warm, then strain, or substitute a few drops of almond extract. Bitter almonds, sometimes called for in older texts, are a different thing, contain amygdalin, and are restricted or hard to obtain in many countries today.
• Butter in the custard"flavoured with butter" most likely means a little melted butter stirred into the warm milk before the eggs go in; the quantity is not stated, and a small knob is enough. Add the eggs off the heat and below boiling, or they will set before they reach the dish.
• Blind bakingThe recipe lines the dish with puff paste and fills it raw. A wet filling on unbaked puff gives a soggy base; blind bake the shell at 400F until dry and pale gold, then drop the oven to 300F for the filling.
• YieldThe recipe specifies no dish size; the small quantity of custard suits a modest pie-dish and a few servings rather than a large one. Best eaten just warm or at room temperature; the custard firms as it cools.