With my last red apples now overdue for picking the time has come to make some vandotsch speculaas apple liqueur. It has always been a dream of mine to use my own produce to make liqueur.

Several years ago I planted two Redlove® Era apple trees in my garden. This year I have a sufficient number of apples to start making vandotsch speculaas spice infused apple liqueur.

What is a Redlove® Era apple?

The Redlove® Era apple has been bred in Switserland by fruit breeder Markus Kobelt, founder of Lubera. The Redlove® Era apple has been described as a red-fleshed dessert apple with a pleasant ratio of sweetness and sourness. Nearing the time of harvest, it has a pronounced tangy sourness which becomes increasingly sweeter as it ripens with a delicious berry aroma. I fully concur!

Last Christmas, I received a Kilner Sloe Gin gift set and it has been languishing in a cupboard in our kitchen even since, with Mrs Dotsch being very unhappy.  But not any longer!

I am also grateful to Brendan Lynch, 2012 Great British Bake Off finalist, for his permission that I can use the basis of his candied orange peel recipe in my liqueur.

What follows is an overview of the ingredients I used to make vandotsch speculaas spice infused apple liqueur, including:

This makes four 0.25 litre sloe gin bottles

Ingredients

- 6 medium-sized sweet apples (I used 8 smallish Redlove Era apples plus a good sized Braeburn apple)

- 200g almond paste, as per the vandotsch speculaas spice infused almond paste recipe

- 75g raisins, currants, sultanas and mixed peel – ‘mixed fruit’

- 1 teaspoon of Littlepod natural vanilla paste

- 1 candied orange peel

- 3 teaspoons of vandotsch speculaas spice

- 1 cinnamon stick from Sri Lanka

- 150g brown sugar

- 1litre Vodka

Directions

A few days in advance:

- Prepare the almond paste a few days in advance, as per the instructions in the recipe.

- Prepare the dried orange peel a day in advance, here is Brendan's recipe - for extra 'spice' I have added 1 teaspoon of vandotsch speculaas spice during the last five minutes of simmering.

Lets start . . . "distilling"

- Rinse the 2l Kilner jar with boiling hot water and sterilise in the oven

- Make a pot of tea (I use a ginger infused teabag), pour out in a large bowl and add the mixed fruit. Leave to soak for 2 minutes. Drain and dry the mixed fruit with paper towels. Mix the almond paste with the mixed fruit (“the mixture”) and set aside.

- Wash the apples thoroughly and rub them dry. Use an apple corer to core the apples and stuff them with the mixture

- Pre-heat the oven 160 C (fan oven)

- Line a baking tray with baking parchment and bake the apples for 15 minutes

- Crush the whole cinnamon into little pieces

- Cut the apples in half and layer in the jar.

- Add the brown sugar, crushed cinnamon stick, dried orange peel, Littlepod natural vanilla paste and the vandotsch speculaas spice.

- Cover with the Vodka, ensuring that everything is fully covered in the jar, and close the clip top to fasten.

- Shake the jar well and store in a warm, dark place for three months.

- Shake often (preferably once a week). This allows all of the ingredients to agitate together and enriches the flavours.

- After three months pour the liqueur through a fine sieve, coffee filter or muslin cloth and decant into the 4 bottles

- Leave to mature for another four months before enjoying your homemade vandotsch speculaas apple liqueur.

Tip: the longer you leave it – the better it will taste!

Once all this is done, I am planning on making a sauce with the vandotsch speculaas apple liqueur to serve with warm vandotsch speculaas apple pie.

Nearer to summer, I also intend to put a small scoop of ice cream into a warm cup of vandotsch speculaas apple liqueur. Not sure yet which flavour ice cream. Perhaps just vanilla.

Remember this is very much a 'project-in-progres' rather than a well-tested recipe. So, I'll update every month on its progress.