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Tilslørte bondepiker (Norwegian veiled farm girls)
Layers of apple compote, buttery sugared crumbs and whipped cream
Norwegians make tilslørte bondepiker in autumn, when the apple trees in the fjord orchards of Hardanger and Telemark are heavy, and it stays a Sunday-dinner favourite through winter. The 'farm girls' are the layers of tart apple compote, the 'veil' is the whipped cream on top, and between them are crisp breadcrumbs toasted in butter with sugar and cinnamon. It is spooned from a glass bowl: soft fruit, crunchy caramel crumbs and cold cream in each mouthful. Serve it soon after layering, while the crumbs still crunch. No egg is involved anywhere, since the apples cook down into a thick purée on their own, so there is nothing to bind or set; just make the crumbs from an eggless white loaf or plain rusks. Chef's tip: toast the crumbs slowly over a medium-low heat and keep stirring; the common mistake is rushing them over a high heat, so the sugar burns before the crumbs are crisp.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the apple compote
- 2 ¼ lb tart cooking applespeeled, cored and chopped
- 2 ⅛ oz sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the crumbs
- 2 ⅛ oz butter
- 5 ½ oz dried breadcrumbs from an eggless white loafor crushed eggless rusks
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the topping
- 1 ¼ cups whipping creamchilled
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 2 ¼ lb tart cooking apples, 2 ⅛ oz sugar, ¼ cup water and 1 tbsp lemon juice in a pan, cover and cook over a medium heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the apples collapse into a thick, chunky compote.
14 minStep 2: Mash lightly, spread in a shallow dish and leave to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Melt 2 ⅛ oz butter in a wide frying pan over a medium-low heat, add 5 ½ oz dried breadcrumbs from an eggless white loaf, 1 ¾ oz sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon and stir for 8–10 minutes, until deep golden, crisp and smelling of caramel.
9 minStep 4: Tip the crumbs onto a plate and leave to cool; they crisp up further as they cool.
Step 5: Whip 1 ¼ cups whipping cream with 1 tbsp vanilla sugar to soft, floppy peaks.
3 minStep 6: Layer the compote and crumbs in a glass bowl or 6 glasses, starting with apple and ending with crumbs, then spread the cream over the top. Serve within 1 hour.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tilslørte bondepiker (Norwegian veiled farm girls) take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of tart cooking apples?
- Pears, same amount.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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