Ingredients:

Cinnamon Pudding

• 1000ml Half and Half
• 100g Sugar
• 50g Brown Sugar
• 8 Egg Yolks
• 4 Whole Eggs
• 12g Gelatin Powder
• 10g Ground Cinnamon
• 10g Ground Nutmeg
• 2tbsp Vanilla Extract
• ½tsp Salt

Spiced Caramel Syrup with Apples

• 3 Fuji Apples (trimmed, peeled, cored and quartered)
• 100g Ginger (trimmed, peeled and sliced)
• 500g Sugar
• 225ml Apple Juice
• 3 Cinnamon Sticks
• 5 Star Anise

Instructions

Cinnamon Pudding

1. Add a splash of water to the powdered gelatin to re-hydrate it and allow it to bloom.
2. Place the sugar and half and half into a pan and heat over medium high heat until it reaches a simmer.
3. Place your whole eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt into a bowl and whisk until fully incorporated.
4. Pour your warm cream into your egg mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined.  Pour back your custard mix into the pan and cook over medium low heat until the custard reaches 165ºF.
5. Add your gelatin mix to your warm custard, whisk through until your gelatin is completely dissolved and incorporated into your custard.
6. Pass the warm custard mixture through a strainer and into a large bowl, container or mold and refrigerate for 4-6hrs or preferably over night till set and firm.
7. Unmold the pudding by running a thin sharp knife around the end and dip the bowl or container in boiling hot water for 5-10secs to loosen the sides.  Carefully invert the pudding onto a plate or dish.

Spiced Caramel Syrup with Apples

1. Add your sugar and a splash of water into a large pan and cook under medium high heat until the sugar dissolves and turns into a dark amber coloured caramel.
2. Carefully add your apple juice to the pan and cook your caramel syrup under high heat until it boils.  After it reaches a boil, cook for additional 5mins on high heat.
3. Add your apples, ginger, cinnamon, and star anise into your pan and turn down the heat to low.  Gently poach/simmer your apples in the caramel syrup for 30-45mins until your apples are cooked through and soft when pierced with a sharp knife.

Assembly

1. Unmold your pudding onto a plate or dish, pour your spiced caramel syrup around the pudding and garnish with your poached apples and spices.

Notes:

• The idea behind this recipe is basically apple pie and ice cream, with the classic combination of apples, cinnamon, and cream.  I’ve just rearranged some of the components in this dish to give my own spin on it so to speak.
• This is a great little dessert to serve in the Fall when you have a wide assortment of apples available. You can even substitute the apples with pears.
• For the apples, you can substitute with another variety of sweet and crisp cooking apple such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, etc.  Whatever works for you and is good quality is the best option.  I just happened to use Fuji apples in this recipe, as they were the best quality apples I found available during the time I was out in the market. 
• This dessert can be prepared a few days in advance, with all the components (pudding and spiced caramel syrup with apples) kept in the fridge without worry.  All you have to do is unmold it and garnish your puddings with the caramel syrup and poached apples.
• You have to be really careful when you add your apple juice to your hot caramel.  The addition of apple juice to the caramel will cause a physical reaction resulting in the caramel frothing up and potentially spilling out of the pan and all over your stove.  So you need a use a large pan when making your caramel as well as to add your apple juice to your caramel slowly to prevent this from happening.
• The cooking time for your apples will be variable, based on the type of apples you use, the size, shape, etc.  It’s best not to move your apples too much in the pan with a spoon or spatula but to just leave it alone and allow it to gently poach in the caramel syrup on a low simmer.  Your apples are ready when they’ve changed colour to a light brown, slightly translucent around the edges, and are soft with no resistance when pierced with a sharp knife.