Pie and Pastry Bible (49 page)

Drain the apples, reserving the liquid (there will be about 1
cups). Cover the apples and refrigerate. Remove the vanilla bean. In a saucepan over high heat (or a 2-cup heatproof glass measure, lightly greased, if using a microwave on high power), reduce the liquid to 1 cup, about 8 minutes.

MAKE THE FILLING

Chill the mixing bowl for whipping the cream.

Have a fine strainer suspended over a small mixing bowl ready near the range.

In a small heavy nonreactive saucepan, using a wooden spoon, stir together
cup of the sugar, the gelatin, and the yolks until well blended.

In another small saucepan (or a heatproof 4-cup glass measure, if using a microwave on high power), heat the remaining
cup of sugar, the reduced apple poaching liquid, the lemon zest, and the lemon juice to the boiling point. Stir a few tablespoons into the yolk mixture; then gradually add the remaining liquid, stirring constantly. Heat the mixture to just before the boiling point (190° to 200°F.). Steam will begin to appear and the mixture will be just slightly thicker. It will not leave a well-defined track when a finger is run across the back of the spoon. Immediately remove it from the heat and pour into the strainer. There will be 2½ cups. Remove
cup of this mixture and set it aside for the glaze.

In the chilled bowl, whip the cream until it mounds softly when dropped from a spoon. Refrigerate.

Chill the wine custard by placing the bowl in a bowl of ice water with about a tablespoon of salt added to speed chilling. Stir occasionally for the first 10 minutes and then slowly but constantly for about 10 minutes longer. (If you prefer, you can refrigerate the mixture, stirring occasionally for the first 10 minutes and then every few minutes.) When a small amount dropped from the spoon mounds very slightly on the surface before disappearing and the mixture starts to feel thicker but is still very liquid, remove it at once from the water bath. Using a whisk, fold in the whipped cream until just incorporated. Finish by using a rubber spatula to reach to the bottom. (You will have slightly more than 3 cups.) Pour the filling into the pastry shell. Refrigerate the tart for at least 30 minutes.

MAKE THE APPLE DECORATION

Use a sharp thin-bladed knife to slice the poached apples lengthwise into thin slices, placing them on paper towels. Starting at the outer edge of the tart, place one row of overlapping slices all around on top of the filling. Have the rounded edge of the slices facing to the right and work counterclockwise. Continue overlapping the apples in rings, but change the direction so that the cored sides face the center, forming a flower-petal effect.

MAKE THE GLAZE

Stir the reserved
cup of filling over ice water until syrupy. Remove at once and, using a clean artist’s brush, pastry feather, or spoon, coat the apples with some of the glaze. Arrange little clusters of champagne grapes or groupings of three larger grape halves over the apples and brush lightly with the remaining glaze.

Refrigerate and allow to set for at least 4 hours before unmolding (see page 145). When the tart is moved, the apples will shimmy slightly.

To serve: Cut with a sharp thin-bladed knife.

VARIATION

APRICOT WEINCREME
Odessa Piper, chef/owner of L’Etoile Restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin, marinates apricots in Scheurebe Auslese as a dessert. She suggested trying the combination in a weincreme. The wine and apricots intermingle in a tangy/sweet way and produce a gloriously flavorful and unusual weincreme. She warned me, however, that only high-quality dried apricots can be used. I tried the supermarket variety and although they still added a wonderful taste to the wine, they developed a bitter edge unless allowed to sit for several weeks out of the wine after soaking, refrigerated. When I used Turkish apricots, however, the taste of the apricots was delicious without the wait, and they also provided a beautiful garnish. You will need 9 ounces/255 grams of apricots (1½ cups tightly packed). Soak them in 3 cups of wine, tightly covered in a glass bowl, for 5 days to a week at room temperature. They will grow to 3 cups, absorbing some of the liquid. Use 1 cup of the resulting apricot wine and omit the water when making the chiffon filling. (You should have about ¼ cup wine left. That’s known as the cook’s dividend!) Drain the apricots on waxed paper before placing them on the tart, overlapping them slightly.

STORE

Refrigerated, up to 3 days; frozen (without the garnish), up to 3 weeks.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

See Apple Tart with Walnut Cream, page 263.

HONEYCOMB CHIFFON PIE

I
fell in love with the extraordinarily realistic honeycomb design imprinted into a cream in an Albert Uster catalogue featuring imported Swiss pastry products. I called Andreas Galliker, who created it, and asked him for the secret. To my profound astonishment, he told me the special effect was created with bubble wrap. I had to travel to Maryland to believe it, but it was well worth the trip. We worked together to create this enchanting pie, which contains a Bavarian cream made with honey and swirls of apricot, glazed with golden apricot (the color of honey), and decorated with adorable, easy-to-make honey ganache bees sporting almond wings.

EQUIPMENT

A 9-inch pie pan; bubble wrap with small bubbles cut in a circle; a pastry bag or a reclosable quart-size freezer bag; and a number 12 (¼-inch) round decorating tube.

Make the dough (page 56) or crust (page 68). Roll and shape the dough and transfer it to the pan and prebake it (see pages 50-54), or press the crumb crust into the pan (see page 69) and chill it.

MAKE THE APRICOT FILLING AND GLAZE

Place the apricot preserves in a food processor and pulse to break up the whole pieces of apricot. Remove
cup to use for the filling and set it aside. Place the remaining preserves in a 1-cup heatproof glass measure and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbling thickly. (Or heat them in a small saucepan, stirring often.) Strain them into a small bowl. You should have
cup of glaze and a scant tablespoon of pulp. If there is more glaze, reheat the glaze and reduce it to
cup or it won’t coat as well. Allow the glaze to cool to room temperature, then cover it and set it aside for the topping.