Spring is here—ok, officially it begins March 20, but..
The sun is flirting with us from the sky, delivering much-needed and ever-more powerful servings of energy and mood-boosting serotonin. The days are getting longer, flowers are beginning to bloom, birds are trilling and you want to leap, run, stay out all night, crank up the radio, kiss strangers, drink alllll the cider … that’s not just us, right?
However, save some of that energy — and that cider — for baking. When sunshine and warmer temperatures arrive, it calls for a celebration. We recently shared recipes that highlight the savory side of cider, but now that we’ve stowed our snow-shoes, skis and sleds for the season, it’s time to explore cider’s sweeter side.
Recipes Exploring Cider’s Sweetest Side
Elisa Lyew, a pastry chef and owner of New York City’s Elisa’s Love Bites, prefers crafting truly decadent sweet confections made with nutritious, locally sourced ingredients that just happen to be healthy-ish. Elisa’s Love Bites is 100% gluten-free and because of that, hard cider is a natural ingredient she reaches for when she wants an extra layer of complexity and balanced tart-sweetness in a dessert.
Lyew shares two recipes with Cidercraft that are wholesome but taste opulent — in part, thanks to the cider. Because Lyew lives in New York, she naturally opts for local cider — and you should too.
Baked Apple Cider Custard
Makes 4 servings
Lyew recommends using Brooklyn Cider House’s Kinda Dry with this recipe. “Their ciders are made using locally grown apples without any added sweeteners,” she says. “Kinda Dry is especially delicious here, because it’s balanced but naturally sweet, with pleasantly tart notes.”
But Lyew says that sometimes, when she wants a little extra complexity and kick, she’ll reach for a mixed-fruit cider. Ciders with blackberries in particular seem to provide additional interest and unexpected layers of flavor, she says.
Ingredients:
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar
½ cup hard apple cider
1½ teaspoons coconut flour
¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill a saucepan with 1-2 inches of water, and simmer over medium heat. Make sure it remains at a constant simmer; don’t let it boil. In a heat-safe bowl, first whisk the eggs, and then add the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken (it should be thick enough to cover the back of the spoon).
Once it has thickened, remove the bowl from the pot and stir in the butter, continuing to whisk until it has melted and incorporated into the mix. Pour into oven-safe ramekins or individual-portion molds and bake for 12 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly at room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Optional: Garnish with powdered cinnamon.
Apple Cider Crème Brûlée
Makes 4 servings
This one would be beautiful with Brooklyn Cider House’s Rosé, made with Northern Spy, and Rhode Island Greening apples, plus a spattering of Finger Lakes red wine. Bright and fruity with notes of rose petal, wild raspberries and sour cherry.
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup hard apple cider
6 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
Extra sugar for topping
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Simmer (do not boil) heavy cream in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in cider, then set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until fully combined. Add a small amount of the warm cream into the egg mixture, stirring well. This will temper the mixture and prevent large lumps of egg from forming.
Continue to add the remaining cream, whisking until fully combined. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the mix into a clean bowl to remove any lingering lumps. Pour the strained mixture into four oven-safe ramekins, and place them in a roasting pan with tall sides. Fill the roasting pan with hot water, about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for 25 minutes; the custards should look firm but jiggly. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and allow to cool slightly at room temperature, then refrigerate 3-4 hours. Before serving, sprinkle the tops with sugar and caramelize with a blowtorch. This step is optional but will give you the classic crème brûlée top!
