I love pairing apples with many desserts – even just ice cream. The tang and sharpness they add to a dish will often balance out the extreme sweetness. But apple coulis can be a little flat. That’s why I love to spike mine with the heady fragrance of cardamom.
This sauce might have a Middle Eastern influence but it can still work well where you would normally pour an apple coulis. I love it poured over a simple sponge cake so you’re left with the strong fragrance of cardamom and sharpness of apple.
What’s In Apple and Cardamom Coulis?
The list of ingredients you’ll need to make this apple and cardamom coulis is short – most of which you’ll have in your cupboard or fridge already, I suspect.
- 4 Large Apples: You’ll want to core and peel these before cutting them into rough chunks. If you leave the peel on, you won’t get a smooth, uniform coulis.
- 100g Granulated Sugar: A coulis needs sugar, obviously.
- 250ml Water: Water will take the coulis from a syrup and turn it into a proper sauce.
- 10 Cardamom Pods: It might sound like a lot, but you want to taste the cardamom. It should be the foremost flavour.
- Juice of Half a Lemon: Lemon will help retain the colour of the coulis while adding a subtle background sharpness.
Substitutes and Tweaks
You could completely change the flavour of this sauce by swapping the cardamom out for some cinnamon sticks or star anise.
Take the spice level up a notch by adding in a few slices of fresh ginger to impart a subtle warmth to the final coulis.
If you want to make this an adult-only sauce then add a splash of calvados when cooking the apples down (other Brandy types would work too).
Enhance the subtle citrus flavour by cooking the apples with a few strips of lemon or orange zest which you remove with the cardamom.
How to Make Apple and Cardamom Coulis
Step 1: Combine the apples, sugar, cardamom, water in a pan then heat over medium heat to bring it to a boil before turning the heat down.
Step 2: Allow the mixture to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent it from catching on the bottom of the pan then remove from the heat once the apple is softened.
Step 4: Pick out cardamom then blitz until smooth. If it is too thick then add a splash of water to help loosen it out a little.
Step 5: To get an ultra smooth coulis, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve to filter out any lumps or small pieces of cardamom.
Step 6: Stir in the lemon to balance out the sharpness and sweetness. Taste and add more lemon if needed.
Apple and Cardamom Coulis Recipe
Course: SidesCuisine: Middle EasternDifficulty: Easy15
servings20
minutes30
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minutesDiscover How to Add a Middle Eastern Touch to a Traditional Recipe
Ingredients
4 4 Large Apples, Peeled, Cored and Chopped
100 g 100 Granulated Sugar
250 ml 250 Water
10 10 Cardamom Pods, Bashed
Juice of Half a Lemon
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped apples, sugar, water, and bashed cardamom seeds.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer. - Let the mixture simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until the apples are very soft and have broken down.
- Once the apples are cooked, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Pick out the 10 cardamom pods from the mixture, then use a blender or immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any remaining solids and ensure a smooth consistency.
- Stir in the lemon juice to balance the sweetness and bring out the flavours.
- Allow the coulis to cool before using. If the coulis is too thick after cooling, it can be thinned out with a bit of water or apple juice.