Tilslørte Bondepiker – Norwegian Layered Apple Dessert

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Tilslørte Bondepiker, or Norwegian Layered Apple Dessert, can be literally translated as ‘veiled peasant girls’. It is a delightfully simple dish comprising of sweet, lemony apple compote, silky, whipped cream and crispy, caramelised, cinnamon breadcrumbs.

It has a long history in Scandinavia and was particularly popular before ice cream became widely available. Most commonly made with apple compote these days, older recipes use other orchard fruits, such as pears and plums.

In Sweden it is known as Änglamat, in Denmark Bondepige med slør, in Finland Pappilan hätävara and in Germany Verschleiertes Bauernmädchen. It is typically served in a glass dish, normally in individual portions, and decorated with nuts, grated chocolate or fresh mint leaves.

Lyngen Lodge

I first ate this on our trip to Lyngen Lodge last April. This recipe is very slightly adapted from the internationally acclaimed Swedish Michelin star chef, Magnus Nilsson. It is from his incredible anthology ‘The Nordic Cook Book’ in which he shares a collection of over 700 recipes, stories and beautiful photographs from the whole Nordic region.

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How to make Tilslørte Bondepiker – Norwegian Layered Apple Dessert

Collect all your ingredients together:

Apple compote –

• peeled, cored and diced tart cooking apples. I use Bramley apples
• water
• caster sugar
• lemon, zest and juice
• cinnamon stick
• cornflour (optional)

For the crispy, caramelised breadcrumbs –

• unsalted butter
• caster sugar
• breadcrumbs
• cinnamon powder
• fine salt

To assemble the dessert, you will need –

• fresh double/heavy cream
• apple compote
• crispy, caramelised breadcrumbs
• leaves of fresh mint

How to make this famous Norwegian dessert:

First, make the apple compote –

1. Peel, core and chop the apples and place in a saucepan with the water, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and cinnamon.
2. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the apples are soft and the consistency you are looking for. The apple compote in Tilslørte Bondepiker can be very smooth and puréed or have chunks of apple. This is purely your own personal choice.
3. If the mixture is very liquidy, mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water and gradually add to the apples, stirring, whilst on the heat, until you achieve the consistency you are looking for. Depending on how thick your compote is, you may not need to add any cornflour. I prefer my compote without cornflour, if possible.
4. The sweet and sour balance is important. Taste, and if it is not sweet enough, add sugar; if it is not tart enough, add more lemon juice.
5. Set aside to cool completely before you assemble the dessert. When cool, remove the cinnamon stick.

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Whilst the apples are cooking, prepare the crispy, caramelised breadcrumbs –

1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the butter and sugar over a medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the sugar has dissolved, and the mixture is golden.
2. Add the breadcrumbs, cinnamon and salt to the pan and cook, stirring regularly, until the mixture caramelises and darkens.
3. Tip out of the pan, to prevent further cooking, and set aside to cool completely.

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Whip the cream and assemble the desserts –

1. Beat the cream, with a balloon or electric whisk, until you reach soft peaks stage.
2. You can serve the dessert in one glass bowl or make the desserts individually, in dessert glasses. Assemble in the following order:
   • apple compote
   • whipped cream
   • crispy, caramelised breadcrumbs
   • apple compote
   • whipped cream
   • crispy, caramelised breadcrumbs
   • top with a sprig of mint and serve.
3. Serve immediately.
4. NB The cream can be whipped and the apple compote and crispy, caramelised breadcrumbs can be prepared in advance. However, in order to ensure that the breadcrumbs stay crispy, it is best to assemble the dessert, just before you serve it.

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Made this recipe?

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