Apple rosemary and olive oil.

Did I ever tell you that I lived half a year in Australia? In Perth, to be exact? Maybe not. I studied there abroad in 2010. Already 4 years ago? Oh no, time flies. Well, while I was there, I was a huge fan of their TV show Masterchef Australia. I watched it almost religiously every night. For those of you who don’t know the concept: it’s a casting show for amateur cooks and it’s incredible what they came up with!
However back to the topic of this post: Now and then a famous cook came by the show and showed the contestants his/her signature dish. One that really stuck with me because it was not only easy but extended my flavor palette (and with it my imagination when it comes to food and combining ingredients) was the Apple rosemary and Olive Oil Cake by Maggie Beer. I adapted her recipe a little for this post because I couldn’t get verjuice in Austria but it turned out just as great!

All you need is:
– 500 g apples
– juice from 1 lemon
– 1 cup apple juice
– 1/2 tsp apple vinegar
– 1 tsp rosemary
– 3 eggs
– 125 g sugar
– 1/2 cup flour
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/4 olive oil
– 3 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 180 ° C. Cut the apples into slices and poach them. with lemon juice, apple juice, rosemary and apple vinegar. Seperate the eggs and beat the egg whites with half the sugar until stiff. Mix the other half of  the sugar with the egg yolks until the mixture is very light yellow. Mix the flour with the baking powder and mix the olive oil and the dry ingredients slowly under the eggs. Grease a baking tray with butter and place the apple slices on the bottom. Fill the tray with the sponge and bake for 35 – 40 mins.

While the cake bakes, heat one cup of the poaching liquid in a pan and add the 3 Tablespoons of sugar. Let it boil until the mixture is gooey.

When the cake is done, turn it over and brush it with the reduced poaching liquid and the cake’s done!

If you think rosemary and apples are a daring combination, you’re right. But you’ll never believe how good they work together.

Thank you Maggie Beer for opening my tasting palette. You have to try something different from time to time to get out of your comfort zone. You’ll never know what you find there.

Now. Carry on!