Apple snow with warm honey Madeleine, by Madalene Bonvini-Hamel

ingredients
(Serves 10)

For the honey madeleine
250g unsalted butter
30g local honey
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
200g icing sugar
80g ground almonds
80g plain flour
4 free range egg whites
Pinch of Maldon sea salt

For the apple snow 50ml Cognac
200ml fresh apple juice
20g unsalted butter
40g honey
200g free range egg whites
500g Orange Pippin apples, peeled and diced
200g sugar
150ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, split, seeds removed

method
To make the honey madeleine, turn the butter to beurre noisette, stir in the honey and lemon juice, and cool completely.

Sift the icing sugar, almonds and flour into a medium mixing bowl. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks. Stir the beurre noisette and lemon zest into the sifted flour mix, fold the egg whites into the mixture, and transfer to the fridge for 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease the madeleine moulds. Spoon the rested mixture into the moulds and bake for 12-15 minutes.

To make the apple snow, heat a medium non-stick frying pan with the butter. Once it starts to foam, add the apples and honey, and sauté until transparent and slightly coloured.

Deglaze the pan with the Cognac, cook until absorbed, add the apple juice, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the apples are softened but haven't lost their shape completely; the mixture needs to still be a bit soft and wet, not entirely dry. Allow to cool completely (this should be prepared one day in advance). Spoon a tablespoon of the apple compote into the glasses, and set aside.

Heat the egg white and sugar until they reach 37°C, then stir to dissolve the sugar. Transfer to a mixer and whip the whites to a glossy meringue. Whip the cream with the vanilla seeds until it reaches the soft ribbon stage.

In a large mixing bowl fold together the meringue, 6 tablespoons of apple compote and the cream. Spoon this into the glasses, use a blowtorch to colour the top and serve immediately with the warm honey madeleine.