Getrude Mackay’s 1913 Recipe for ‘Oxford Apples’

“Pare, core and quarter four large, tart apples and boil in very little water. Mash and add one tablespoon of butter, half a cup of sugar, half a cup of fine bread crumbs, the yolks of four eggs and the whites of two eggs beaten light. Pour into a baking dish and cover with a meringue made of the whites of two eggs and two tablespoons of powdered sugar, and brown.”

Gertrude Mackay, Two Hundred and Nine Ways of Preparing the Apple (1913)

When I was a bit younger, I used to really enjoy a good lemon meringue pie. My grandmother-in-law (maysherestinpeace) used to make a really good one, and I do remember it fondly. These days my sweet tooth has probably atrophied a little too much to enjoy meringue though.

Which is a shame, because it sounds very much to me like Gertrude Mackay’s ‘Oxford Apples’ recipe is for an apple-based version of lemon meringue pie: four large tart (cooking) apples, boiled and mashed, then mixed with butter, sugar, bread crumbs (gluten free ones in my case), egg yolks and whites.

I think I’d want to leave off the meringue and maybe eat it with custard instead though. And I’d definitely want to cook the filling a bit more than is suggested by Gertrude’s instruction to just “brown” the meringue. Unless meringue takes a while to brown in the oven? Long enough to cook the filling? If anyone can shed any light on that one, or could suggest roughly how long it would take to brown a meringue, please do let me know, via the comments.

Speaking of which, what do you reckon? Do you like the sound of ‘Oxford Apples’? Would you prefer them with or without meringue? Do please let me know, via the comments again.