Apple snow was a popular sweet dish, especially in the summer when cows were being milked so there was a plentiful supply of cream.
When it came to creating a dish, the Tudors often showed a playful side. They loved presenting food in a surprising and often comedic way; serving food that looked like snow in the warm summer months is a perfect example of this.
The joke could be taken even further, as we see in this extract from A Proper New Booke of Cookery published in 1575 (author unknown):
“take one apple and set it in the myddes of it, and a thick bushe of Rosemary, and set it in the myddes of the platter, then cast your Snowe uppon the Rosemary and fyll your platter therwith.”
By pouring the ‘snow’ over sprigs of rosemary, a winter scene of snow-covered pine trees could be created at the height of summer. Try the recipe for yourself and create your own edible wintry snowscape!
Ingredients:
500g Bramley apples
2-3 tbsp caster sugar
2 egg whites
284ml pot double cream
Sprigs of rosemary to decorate
Method:
Peel and core the apples and cut into chunks. Cook the apples with a splash of water until completely soft, adding enough sugar to sweeten, and leave to cool completely. Whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar into soft peaks and fold into the apple puree. Lightly whip the cream and fold into the mixture. Spoon into pretty glasses and chill for 30 minutes.