My new dessert at work...

[firechef]

I did eight of these first thing Sunday morning at work for our Sunday Brunch Buffet...got the recipe from worldwidegourmet.com. The pastry cream I got from the "Joy of Baking" which still collects dust on my bookshelf...

French Apple Pie
Flavors of France

Ingredients

Powdered sugar
250 g (9 oz.) puff pastry
1 egg yolk, for glaze
2 tbsp. melted butter
8 tbsp. pastry cream
5 Apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp. Calvados (optional)
250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream

Method

1. Butter a tart mold or pie plate; roll out the puff pastry and line the mold; prick all over with a fork to prevent it from swelling up;
2. brush the edges with an egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. water;
3. fill with the pastry cream;
4. arrange the apple slices on the pastry cream in a rosette pattern; sprinkle with sugar;
5. bake in a preheated 220° C (450° F) oven for about 25 minutes.

Serving

1. Serve warm or cold;
2. flambé with calvados if desired;
3. whip the cream with the sugar and top each slice with a spoonful of whipped cream just before serving.

Variation

1. combine 125 ml (1/2 cup) brown sugar with a little melted butter and a pinch of flour;
2. sprinkle over the pie before baking.

Here is the pastry cream recipe I use as well...

Creme Patissiere (Pastry Cream) Recipe

In a medium-sized stainless steel bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together with a wooden spoon. (Never let the mixture sit too long or you will get pieces of egg forming.) Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.

Meanwhile in a saucepan combine the milk and split vanilla bean on medium heat until boiling. (The milk will foam up to the top of pan when done, so watch carefully.) Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.) Remove vanilla bean, scrape out seeds, and add the seeds to the egg mixture. (The vanilla bean can be dried and placed in your sugar bowl to give the sugar a vanilla flavor. This sugar can then be used in baking where you would like a vanilla-flavored sugar, e.g. pies, cakes, cookies.)

Place the egg mixture back into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes very thick and it is hard to stir.

Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur (if using). Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Cool. If not using right away refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days. Beat before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.

For a light pastry cream, just before using, fold in the softly whipped cream with a wooden spoon.

1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/8 cup (20 grams) all-purpose flour

Scant 3 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch

3/4 tablespoon (10 ml) liqueur (Grand Marnier, Brandy, Kirsch)

Makes about 1 cup

For light pastry cream add:

1/2 cup (115 ml) heavy cream, softly whipped (optional)

Variations:

Chocolate pastry cream:

Add: 2 ounces (50 grams) of melted bittersweet or semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate into the hot milk (before you add it to the egg and flour mixture)

Coffee pastry cream:

Add: 1/2 - 1 Tablespoon instant espresso or instant coffee powder into hot milk.

Raspberry pastry cream:

Add: 1/4 cup (60 ml) (or to taste) raspberry puree to pastry cream


Since fall is right around the corner I figured this one would be fun to play with on a cool fall morning!

[Harborwitch]

Ooooh does that sound good! Three more weeks before any goodies like that are on the table again. But I'm making a date with this one.

[Gourmet_Mom]

Well, as yummy as this sounds, I may have to hold off on making it. The pastry cream looks a little out of my league. Now for a novice question, what is the difference in the pastry cream and an old timey "pudding" recipe? It looks very much the same except for the use of vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean.

Here' Mom's: 3/4 c sugar, 2 c milk, 4 T flour, 3 egg yolks, 1 pat butter, and 1/4 t vanilla extract. (For chocolate, add ~3 T cocoa powder. Would this work with the tart?)

I'm definitely going to play with Mom's to make the coffee, though! OH, and must add the Grand Marnier to Mom's plain and Kahlua, I think, to the coffee!

Let me know if you think it would work! I may would have to add a little corn starch if adding the liquers to Mom's though....maybe, or a little more flour. This recipe came from her aunt MANY years ago who had NO recipe, so the flour part could probably be adjusted as well. At least am very comfortable with this and "know" the consistency needed. This is what we use to make our chocolate pies.

[DFen911]

LJ you know how visual we all are *cough* pictures *cough*

[Lorraine]

I really like the combination of puff pastry and apples. I've done a free form tart this way, but never thought of adding the pastry cream. Thanks, LJ!

[firechef]

I am NOT computer literate enough to post a picture and I am not permitted use of the family digital camera as I have taken WAY to many pictures of my hand, fingers, the ground, and even my own face in extreme close up form trying to figure out if the camera is working right...

I'll try to get the boss to take a shot if we make them again...promise!