A Not-So-Typical Apple Pie

I think I have died and gone to Heaven! Imagine the most beautiful cookbook your hands have ever touched:-soft green velvet covers, gold trimmed pages, beautiful pictures, and titles all in French. Thanks to my roommate in Scotland, I own such a book. Enter, "Sucre: The Recipes" from Laduree in Paris. Words can't even describe how beautiful the book alone is, not to mention the actual pictures of food inside. The desserts look so elegant and delicate and perfectly prepared. It's all tres magnificent! 

Venturing through this book, I found the recipe for "Tartelettes aux Pommes Elysee," or Elysee Apple Tartlets in English. Though these are supposed to be personal sized, I made this recipe as a large tart instead since I was serving it as dessert at family dinner. 

All I can say is that it was absolutely delicious. Read the directions thoroughly, and plan ahead a little to take time in the preparation of the tart. Afterall, presentation is everything. Bon appetit! 

Tartelettes aux Pommes Elysee

For the sweet almond pastry (tartlet shells)

1/2 cup butter, very cold

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup ground almonds (almond flour)

1 pinch of fleur de sel (or another course sea salt)

1 pinch of vanilla powder (or a couple drops of vanilla extract)

1 egg

1 2/3 cups cake flour

Diced Cinnamon Apples

1/2  cup golden seedless raisins

26 1/2 oz apples (Jonagold is preferred)

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 pinch of ground cinnamon

Baked Apple Slices

About 2 lbs of Jonagold apples

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds

For the pastry:

1. Sift the confectioner's sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces and place in a bowl. (Or if you have a stand mixer, place in the bowl of the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.) Work the butter to homogenize and then add the following ingredients, one by one, making sure to fully incorporate each into the mixture before the next addition: sifted confectioners' sugar, ground almonds, fleur de sel, vanilla, egg, and flour. Combine the ingredients just until the dough comes together ; do not overwork! This will give the pastry its desired crumbly texture.

2. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours before using. If possible, it's better to prepare the dough one day ahead; it will be easier to roll out. Tip: this recipe will make more than enough dough, but the proportions rely on the single egg. It is not recommended to cut this recipe in half- if you do not use all the dough for this recipe you can refrigerate for up to 5 days for another purpose. 

3. Once chilled, butter the tartlet pans. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to 1/10 inch. Using a round pastry cutter or small bowl, cut out 8 disks with a diameter of approximately 5 inches and press into buttered pans. Refrigerate for 1 hour. (Note: Since I used a large tart pan, I rolled my dough out inside the pan and continued to press into edges). 

For the Diced Cinnamon Apples:

4. Place raisins in a bowl covered with hot water and allow to soak for approximately 30 minutes. Meanwhile, peel, core, and dice the apples. Melt the butter in a skillet and add the diced apple to sear, then add the sugar and cinnamon. As soon as the apples are golden, remove from the heat. Important: they should be cooked, but still firm. Allow to cool. Drain raisins and fold into apples.

Baked Apple Slices:

5. Preheat oven to 350 degree fahrenheit  Peel, core, and halve the apples. Cut again into either 4 or 5 slices depending on their size. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Using a pastry brush, butter the apple slices. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The apples should remain firm after cooking.

Tartlet Shells and Assembly:

6. Preheat the oven to 340 degree fahrenheit  Remove tartlet shells from the refrigerator. Using a fork, prick the surface of the dough to keep from puffing up during baking. Fit a round piece of parchment paper over the dough, carefully pressing into the corners and working up the sides so it will stay in place in the oven. Place dried beans or pie weights on top. Bake approximately 20 minutes, until lightly colored. 

7. Take tartlet shells out of the oven and remove dried beans and parchment paper. Allow to cool. If the pastry is still pale, return to the oven uncovered just long enough to finish baking and to color slightly.

8. FIll the cooled tartlet shells with the diced apples and arrange the baked apple slices in a decorative pattern on top. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. When serving, sprinkle with toasted almonds. 

Dinner Party: Lemon Tart

Okay, so I have officially come to the conclusion that I am bad at blogging. I suppose it's not so much that I am bad at blogging as it is me being bad at saying "no" to signing up for things in real life which ultimately prevents me from having any free time to do what I want (like.....blogging). I have recognized (with the help of others) and accepted that when someone proposes plans that sound even remotely interesting, I mentally convince myself I can find a way to work it into my schedule. Sadly, most of the time I really cannot. This especially includes when someone has an event and asks me to bring a dessert. I always say yes, raddle off a few recipes I've had my eye on for a while (even though I know they all take more than 3 hours- at least), and then realize that it's just not possible. Most people who know me will attest to the fact that my chronic over-booking has given me a permanent case of being late. Usually just by one or two minutes- but late, nonetheless. 

So do I try to fix this problem by introducing the word "no" into my vocabulary? Of course not. It's just not in my blood. I can, however, find recipes that take a fraction of the time as others and are just as tasty! 

Three weeks ago I planned to go to a dinner party, which I happily volunteered to bring dessert to. But I also volunteered to help make homemade pasta and babysit..during which I had to find time to bake a dessert. Oops. Thankfully I came across this gem in a William-Sonoma cookbook my mother had in the cabinet. It took hardly any time at all (as most of the time needed to prepare it involves letting it sit in the refrigerator) and was a huge hit! There was not one person at the party who didn't have two or three pieces- including myself. PLUS, lemon tart is the perfect dessert after a big dinner and as a way to say goodbye to summer. 

For the Tart Dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 24 Tbs. (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/3 cup ice water
•  

For the Filling:
1 Tbs. cornstarch

• 2 Tbs. water
• 5 eggs
• 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• Whipped cream for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Make the tart shell:  In a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar and butter and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs about the size of peas. Add the water and process just until fine crumbs form. 

Transfer the dough to a work surface, divide into 3 equal pieces and press each into a flat disk. Set 1 disk aside and wrap the remaining 2 disks in plastic wrap for future use .

Preheat an oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough disk into a 10 1/2-inch round. Gently transfer the dough to a 9 1/2-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Fold the overhang back over itself and press it into the sides of the pan to make a sturdy rim. Freeze for 5 minutes. 
Bake the tart shell until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan. 
2. Prepare the filling: In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. In the top pan of a double boiler, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch mixture. Place over simmering water in the bottom pan and whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
3. Finish the Tart: Pour the warm filling into the baked tart shell. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Remove the pan rim and cut the tart into wedges. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh raspberries or blackberries and serve. 

See complete recipe at Williams-Sonoma

A Taste of Vienna: Sachertorte

While on my travels through Europe, bakeries were of course my number one priority (as exciting as beautiful Cathedrals and historical sites are, let's be real.  Indulging and tasting any sweet I can get my hands on will forever be the most exciting travel activity in my book). Poland and Prague definitely had some delicious desserts, but none even came close to those in Vienna. Apricots, apparently, are a favorite there. 

My obsession started when I tried an ice cream ball at a famous Viennese ice cream parlor, called  "eis-marillenknodel." Don't ask me to pronounce it, because I absolutely cannot.  This vanilla ball of ice cream has an apricot marmalade center and is rolled in crushed hazelnuts. The tart marmalade works so incredibly well with the sweetness of the vanilla ice cream and heaviness of the hazelnuts. Needless to say, this marked the beginning of my long-lasting apricot kick.

My next dessert adventure in Vienna was technically more of a mission. I was willing to skip out on museums and tours to get my hands on a slice of the infamous Sachertorte. This cake dates back to the early 1800s with 16-year old Franz Sacher who created a soft fluffy cake with apricot jam under the icing. Demand continued to spread for this wonderful cake, and is claimed to be the most popular cake to date! After reading this, I could not live with myself if I didn't have a slice while in Vienna... and I was absolutely NOT disappointed. I would have to say it was love at first bite (okay-cheesy, but true). 

I have made this cake twice now, and it definitely takes some practice to finesse. A couple pointers: make sure the cake is ABSOLUTELY level. As I had very limited baking supplies, my final products definitely didn't look as 'pretty' as I had hoped. Regardless, the cake tasted absolutely amazing both times and is still the only chocolate cake I've ever made from scratch that doesn't dry out while baking.

The website I got the recipe for the cake off of features an extremely helpful how-to video which I would recommend watching. This cake is all about technique and making sure the ingredients are mixed properly. Bring this to any social gathering and I guarantee anyone with a right brain will agree it's the best chocolate cake they've ever had. Just a note, though. Definitely make it ahead of time and allow for lots of time for cooling. The cake has to sit between many of the steps  and rushing the process will probably not create the best results. 

Sound like a dream? Nope- it's real. 

Sachertorte

Recipe credit (cake): Epicurious

For the Cake:

• 4 1/2 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spoon gently into cup and level top)

For the Apricot Glaze:
1 1/4 cups apricot preserves
2 tablespoons golden rum or water


For the Chocolate Glaze:
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
150 grams semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
4 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

1. To make the torte: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment or wax paper. Dust the sides of the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
2. In the top part of a double boiler over very hot, but not simmering, water, or in a microwave at medium power, melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat or the oven, and let stand, stirring often, until cool.
3. Beat the butter in the bowl of a eavy-duty standing mixer fitted with the paddle blade on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 inute. On low speed, beat in the confectioners' sugar. Return the speed to medium-high and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla.
4. Beat the egg whites and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer on high speed just until they form soft, shiny peaks. Do not overbeat. Stir about one fourth of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, leaving a few visible wisps of whites. Sift half of the flour over the chocolate mixture, and fold in with a large balloon whisk or rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour.
5. Spread evenly in the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. (The cake will dome in the center.) Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan, and invert the cake onto the rack. Remove the paper and reinvert on another rack to turn right side up. Cool completely.
6. To assemble: Using a long serrated knife, trim the top of the cake to make it level. Cut the cake horizontally into two equal layers.
7. Prepare the apricot glaze by combining the apricot marmalade and rum in a small saucepan and heat on medium heat until bubbling. Remove from heat and let sit for 3 minutes.  Place one cake layer on an 8-inch cardboard round. Brush the top of the cake layer with the apricot glaze. Place the second cake layer on top and brush again. Brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining glaze. Transfer the cake to a wire rack placed over a jelly-roll pan lined with waxed paper. Let cool until the glaze is set.
8. Time to make the chocolate frosting. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil and immediately remove from the heat. Cool to 190ºF / 88ºC and immediately pour over the chopped chocolate. Let rest for about a minute. Using a rubber spatula, stir gently. Once the chocolate cools to 95ºF / 35ºC, add the butter and continue stirring gently just until the butter is thoroughly incorporated. The finished emulsion should be shiny and smooth. Begin to pour over the center of the cake, slowly adding to the sides until covered. Do not move the glaze around once it has started to cool and set.

9. Once the chocolate is covering the cake, let sit for at least 2 hours (or until the frosting has set) before serving. Serving suggested with fresh made whipped cream.