Shrunken Heads in Apple Rum Toddy
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Level of difficulty: Easy - medium but worth it
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4 apples (or one apple per two people if you want to serve a head in a glass to guests)
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2 litres/4.2pints best quality cloudy apple juice
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1/4 cup/55g/2ozs caster or superfine sugar
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6 cloves plus 16 extra cloves for eyes
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1 cinnamon stick
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1 star anise
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3 pieces of fresh orange peel
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3 pieces of fresh lemon peel
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1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs rum
Step 1 - Firstly, prepare the shrunken heads. Preheat oven to 170C/340F and line a baking tray with parchment. Peel the apples and cut them in half and take out the core-use a melon baller to do this easily. Then with the small side of the baller or a paring knife, dig out eyes and a mouth and nose-make them all different. You will have eight faces. Place on the baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes until the edges start to brown. Remove from the oven and add the cloves for eyes.
Step 2 - Meanwhile prepare the apple rum toddy by heating the apple juice with the sugar. In a muslin pouch, add the 6 cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise and orange and lemon peel and tie up with kitchen string. Simmer for 15 minutes until the flavour of the spices infuses the apple juice. Add the rum at the last minute so that you don't lose the flavour of it-taste and see whether it is the right level of sweetness. Ladle into large cups with a head per person or a large bowl and add the shrunken heads to it.