Grilled Autumn Fruits with Sabayon Cider Sauce

This is a very pretty and colourful dessert for the autumn or winter. It can be made well in advance as the fruits are served at room temperature, with a sauce to go with them that can either be warm or cooled.

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This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Winter Collection.

Method

First prepare the apples and pears. Leave the peel on the fruit but core them and cut the apples into eighths and the pears into quarters. Then halve the plums and remove the stones. Place them in a bowl and toss in lemon juice.

The orange should be cut into double segments, so place it on a board and, using your sharpest knife, pare off all the skin and pith. Then, holding it in one hand over the same bowl to catch the juices, cut out the double segments by slicing the knife in at the line of pith which divides the segments (you need to cut out each wedge with as much of the pithy membrane left behind as possible). As you cut them out, add them to the rest of the fruit. To cook the fruit, pre-heat the grill to its highest setting about 20 minutes in advance and arrange the fruits in the grill tray (if it's small you might have to cook them in 2 batches).

Sprinkle the fruits with the 2 oz (50 g) sugar then place them under the hot grill about 4 inches (10 cm) from the heat. They will take about 15-20 minutes to become caramelised and tinged brown at the edges. Keep an eye on them and turn them over at half-time, sprinkling on the extra tablespoon of sugar. If a lot of juice comes out and creates too much steam, pour it from the corner of the tin into the bowl. The plums will probably cook quickest, so remove them first along with the rest of the fruits as they caramelise.

Then make the sauce: place the egg yolks and sugar in a basin and whisk these with an electric hand whisk until they start to thicken. Now set the basin over a small saucepan of simmering water and add the cider and fruit juices a little at a time, continuing to whisk as you're adding it. When all the juices are in, carry on whisking until the sauce thickens to a fluffy consistency. Draw the whisk across the surface: it is ready when there is no visible liquid left underneath. Pour the sauce into a jug and serve warm along with the fruit.