Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Apples in Party Attire~La Cuisine Des Fées~



You may remember my telling you about this beautiful book~



It was spotted on a beautiful French blog..and I bought it..
I first made the cake I loved so much..I made galettes ..etc..The Gingerbread House ..a couple of Christmases ago..How I loved making it~
Recently~I made their little apple parcels..they are so pretty..


Delicious warm..with ice cream..however my ice cream would have melted so you are seeing the BIC pics:)

This book unlocks the child in you..




It takes popular fairy tales..and bakes around the theme..It is enchanting..

This recipe could not be easier..
you simmer your peeled apples w/ the stem on..in a simple syrup infused with vanilla.. ap 10 mins..just until tender..

Let sit until cooled..they recommend all day or overnight as the flavor enhances with time..
Wrap cooled apples in puff pastry taking care to leave the stem out..adorn with puff pastry leaves..and bake ap 45 mins..
Lovely for just you..the two of you..or more..
They remind me of another lovely make-ahead dessert that is so elegant..

Les Poires En Cage~

I am glad I saved my old photos from before my blog..



These are really really good and many of us who got to be friends on the web made them~

They puff up to perfection and the pears inside are a treat.






La Recette~

Pear Tart in a Cage ~ Tarte aux Poires en Cage

- 2 pkgs puff pastry
- 14 oz sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 pears
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup frangipane (almond paste)
- 1 egg
- 3-4 tbsp cream
- 3-4 tbsp apricot jam
- warm water

1. Heat oven to 350F.

2. Unroll thawed puff pastry flat and refreeze
3. Peel the pears, cut in half, core with a melon baler and rub with the lemon half.

4. Bring the sugar and water (simple syrup) to a simmer and add the pears. Cover with a damp dish cloth and simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until only a slight resistance to a knife. When done, set aside pears on a paper towel on a dish.

5. Take the dough out of the freezer and roll the lattice cutter across one of the sheets. You might need to go over the slits with a paring knife.
6. Slowly pull apart the dough so a beautiful lattice forms. (I let my dough get to soft so it was hard to pull apart evenly. Do this when the dough is as cold as possible but not so cold it breaks.) Chill.
7. Take the other sheet of puff pastry and cut out the shape of a pear. Chill.

You can do all this ahead of time. To assemble and bake:

8. Take out the pear cut-outs pastry. Place a small scoop of frangipane in the scopped out part of the pear and set it, cut side down, on the pastry.

9. In a small bowl combine the egg and cream. Brush the pastry around the sides of the pear.

10. Take out the lattice pastry and cut out the same pear shapes. You can make a cut out from a piece of cardboard such as the back of a pad of paper. Brush the top of the lattice pastry with egg wash.

11. Lay each piece gently on top of the pear (the colder the dough the easier to handle). Press down gently and trim the edges with a paring knife.

12. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until it turns a golden brown.

13. Combine apricot jam and water and microwave until warm. Mix it together then strain it to get out the clums of apricot. Brush it over the pears when they come out of the oven to give it a shiny glaze.

Garnish it with caramel squiggles or a small scoop of the best vanilla ice cream you can find.


The above recipe is courtesy of Here..and you can find a detailed description with photos there also:)

In fact my friend Jain recently made some for a luncheon she gave at sea Dream~
Go see how beautiful they look by the ocean:)

35 comments:

  1. Love the name of your recipe; Poires en Cage. I think I could make this; a beautiful presentation. Your little book speaks to my soul. Merci
    Rita

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  2. Oh so wonderful. The book sounds fabulous.
    Maureen

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  3. food that brings out the child in you, sounds perfect for me :) both desserts are gorgeous, i have been wanting to make a puff apples for months, i have seen so many pretty ones its hard to chose. but i trust you best :)

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  4. Such delicate little apples...and elegantly attired tarts....certainly angel food!
    Shel

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  5. what beautiful desserts, I must have a go at these
    Tilly

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  6. Wonderful book! And those pear tarts... oh my I want to give them a try! Maybe for Christmas??
    Monica x

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  7. Pretty artsy apple recipes. I can feel the holiday spirit already.

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  8. Oh, my Monique - these two recipes are elegant and company worthy (but treat the family with them first!)Just added the lattice pear to my Thanksgiving menu - thanks!!

    Judy B. Houston Tx

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  9. The latticed pear is a keeper recipe..I hope you can all find the latticer:)
    The nice part is..all prepared ahead of time:)
    Enjoy..we were all excited when we found this recipe..
    I think Jain found it first too:)
    Enjoy..enjoy enjoy.

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  10. So lovely. I must get adventurous and give the pears a try. I have been blessed with the honor of making the Turkey Day dessert!
    I so enjoy visiting you!

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  11. Everything looks soooooo delicious Monique!! I could go for either one! Thank heaven's for good store bought puff pastry! (Can't stand to make my own. It's tooo labour intensive.) That book looks exquisite. I don't have that one. I will have to look for it. xxoo

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  12. Ooh, la, la. Those pears in pastry cages look like they came from a fancy French patisserie Monique. So do the apples. If they were in the window, your shop would be filled with customers. I think I'll have one of each.
    Sam

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  13. Darling book ~ and it suits you to a "T" Mme. Magical Monique.

    You did the apple recipe proud ~ they couldn't be any cuter! Oh, yes, I remember the pears very well ~ I haven't made them since back then. I must do it, while the pears are still around; thank you for the reminder as well as all of the beauty you share. xoxo

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  14. Oh, I remember this delicate pear tart!

    Too bad I can't say the same for the cute little book, because if I had known about it, it would've been sitting on my bookshelf right now.

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  15. I wonder if Amazon would still have it..It came w/ cookie cutters...

    Thank you::)Have a nice day..I enjoy reading your comments.. so sweet.

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  16. Your apples turned out so pretty! I was thinking about the caged pears recently too :) We have been getting some wonderful organic Barlett pears at our grocery store.

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  17. what absolutely nice pears look beauty and sounds delicious, gloria

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  18. The caged pears are exquisite. I would feel so spiled so sit down to a dinner with those, almost too pretty to eat, but I could force myself. The apples are so pretty too. Sounds like a cookbook that I need to ask Mrs. Claus for! (ha ha)

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  19. What a pretty and delicious way of baking pears! Surely divine. A lovely book.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  20. Your little pears in cages are so pretty, Monique. One of these days I will buy one of those lattice cutters that I have admired for so long. Lovely post.

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  21. LOVE those little pears in the cage........such lovely photos.
    Karen

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  22. No words...simply beautiful Monique!
    Ronelle

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  23. If I want to prepare a beautiful dessert, I don't have to grab a cookbook. I just have to look up your blog.Such lovely desserts that will surely impress. I have to search for a lattice cutter.

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  24. Thank you:)

    There are so many on Google..and some priced far less than this one..

    http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-1354-Lattice-Dough-Cutter/dp/B0000VLEX6


    I think ours were around $7.00

    So easy..enjoy..make sure your dough is not too cold and not too warm:)
    I sound like Goldilocks.
    It has to be just right:)

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  25. I'm gonna do this...they are absolutely beautiful!

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  26. Talk about a beautiful dessert. These are quite lovely and I am sure tasty as well. The caged pears are wonderful..

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  27. What an elegant dessert, Monique. I had seen this on Jain's blog and am pleased you posted the recipe. What a fabulous cookbook too....no doubt in French?

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  28. Yes it is in French.. I wonder if there is a translation available?

    Thanks hope you like it..those that make it.
    have a great day.

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  29. That seems so long ago when we all made the pears. I remember paying way too much for that cutter, than Suzy found it for a dollar. :)
    The apples look wonderful!

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  30. I remember Kathleen:) ~

    Like it was yesterday.
    Have a great day~

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  31. This is GORGEOUS!!!
    Congrats on the Saveur award.
    Your food IS beautiful.

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  32. You discover the most beautiful things! The book sounds great and your poires en cage are absolutely beautiful...almost too beautiful to eat!

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