Cranberry and Apple Normand Tart

Posted November 22, 2015

Filed under dessert, fruit, Large round mold, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, Tarts and Pies, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

I never have to pleasure to host Thanksgiving, because I am in charge of Christmas dinner every year, but also because my sister-in-law, the only born American in our family, wants to make sure that by hosting it, it will be a true one, with a Turkey, and the potatoes and the dressing.

So this leaves me with making appetizers, desserts and sometimes sides. Every year, I scratch my head trying to figure out what I will be bringing. I have yet to think about the appetizers, but I think that I know what I will be bringing: Feuille d’automne, Tart Tatin and Apple and Cranberry Normand Tart.

This evening, I would like to share with you the Apple and Cranberry tart that I will be serving. It is very different that anything I have eaten before, but it is very good, very filling however. The great part about this dessert is that you can substitute the apples with any fruits that strike you fancy. The recipe was adapted from a recipe from Stephane Glacier called Tarte Normande.

Ingredients for a large tart of about 12-16 persons:

Ingredients for the pie shell:

250 gr. of flour
188 gr. of butter at room temperature ( should be soft to the touch).
7.5 gr. of salt
50 gr. of milk
10 gr. of egg yolks
15 gr. of sugar

Ingredients for the apple mixture:

1000 gr. of apples peeled and sliced in 8.
80 gr of butter
120 gr. of brown sugar
1 tbsp of cinnamon

Ingredients for the normande filling:

also 1 cup of cranberry

225 gr. of eggs
275 gr. of sugar
38 gr. of sugar
190 gr. of melted butter

Ingredients for Mascarpone Whipped Cream

2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 of a mascarpone container ( if you do not have container, substitute with 1/2 cup of cream cheese).
seeds of a vanilla bean, or 1 tbsp of vanilla extract.
2-4 tbsp of sugar.

You will want to get the pie crust done first. In a mixer place the flour, salt and soft butter and mix well until you have a crumble texture.
Then add the other ingredients and mix well until you have an even texture dough.
Place the dough into a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the apples. Peel and slice the apples and set them aside.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and when the butter is sizzling, add the sliced apples.
Then add the cinnamon and the sugar and bring to boil.
Cook the apples for 10 minutes. Then pour the apples into the large round mold and place them into the oven at a temperature 450 of for another 10 minutes.
When the apples have cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool.
Take the dough out, place it in between two roulpats (or in between 2 plastic wrap if you do not have a roulpat) and roll it out in a 12-14 inch circle. Place it back into the fridge to cool before placing it into the tart pan.
Meanwhile, prepare the mixture that you will be drizzling over the apples. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the normande filling. Set aside.
Take the dough back out, and gently peel the pie crust off the roulpat and place it onto the grande round ( if you do have a grande round, use a 12 inch round tart mold) that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet. Pat the dough down to make sure that it is fitting perfectly inside the tart pan. With a fork, prick the dough all over.
Drain the apples from its juice, and spread them out evenly onto the pie crust.
Disperse 1 cup of fresh cranberries on top of the apples.
Pour the normande mixture over the apples, and cook the tart for 50 minutes at 350.
Prepare the mascarpone whipped cream. In a mixer, place the cream, the vanilla seeds and the sugar, and beat the cream until it is getting thicker, but it is still runny. Add the mascarpone cheese, or the softened cream cheese and beat until it makes hard peaks. Place the cream into a container and keep it cool until you are ready to serve the pie.
Let the tart cool completely before eating. Serve with Mascarpone Whipped Cream. Yum, Yum!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Cranberry and Apple Normande Tart

Servings: 12-16
Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Print

Ingredients for a large tart of about 12-16 persons:

Ingredients for the pie shell:

250 gr. of flour
188 gr. of butter at room temperature ( should be soft to the touch).
7.5 gr. of salt
50 gr. of milk
10 gr. of egg yolks
15 gr. of sugar

Ingredients for the apple mixture:

1000 gr. of apples peeled and sliced in 8.
80 gr of butter
120 gr. of brown sugar
1 tbsp of cinnamon

Ingredients for the normande filling:

also 1 cup of cranberries

225 gr. of eggs
275 gr. of sugar
38 gr. of sugar
190 gr. of melted butter

Ingredients for Mascarpone Whipped Cream

2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 of a mascarpone container ( if you do not have container, substitute with 1/2 cup of cream cheese).
seeds of a vanilla bean, or 1 tbsp of vanilla extract.
2-4 tbsp of sugar.

You will want to get the pie crust done first. In a mixer place the flour, salt and soft butter and mix well until you have a crumble texture.
Then add the other ingredients and mix well until you have an even texture dough.
Place the dough into a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the apples. Peel and slice the apples and set them aside.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and when the butter is sizzling, add the sliced apples. Then add the cinnamon and the sugar and bring to boil.
Cook the apples for 10 minutes. Then pour the apples into the large round mold and place them into the oven at a temperature 450 of for another 10 minutes.
When the apples have cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool.
Take the dough out, place it in between two roulpat, or in between 2 plastic wrap if you do not have a roulpat, and roll it out in a 12-14 inch circle. Place it back into the fridge to cool before placing it into the tart pan.
Meanwhile, prepare the mixture that you will be drizzling over the apples. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the normande filling and set it aside until you are ready to use it.
Take the dough back out, gently peel it off the roulpat, and place it onto the grande round ( if you do have a grande round, use a 12 inch round tart mold). Pat the dough down to make sure that it is fitting perfectly inside the tart pan. With a fork, prick the dough all over. Drain the apples from its juice, and spread them out evenly onto the pie crust.
Disperse 1 cup of fresh cranberries on top of the apples.
Pour the normande mixture over the apples, and cook the tart for 50 minutes at 350.
Prepare the mascarpone whipped cream. In a mixer, place the cream the vanilla seeds and the sugar, and beat the cream until it is getting thicker, but it is runny. Add the mascarpone cheese, or the softened cream cheese and beat until it makes hard peaks. Place the cream into a container and keep it cool until ready to serve the pie.
Let the tart cool completely before eating. Serve with Mascarpone Whipped Cream. Yum, Yum!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Caramel Rice Pudding

Posted January 24, 2015

Filed under breakfast, Large round mold, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, sunflower, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

If you were to close your eyes and think of childhood dishes, what would it be? For me, it would have to be crepes and Caramel Rice or Polenta Pudding. I still see my mom boiling the rice, or the polenta in the vanilla flavored milk. I still see her stirring the caramel and pouring the polenta or the rice pudding in the caramel. It would bubble up and almost spill over the dish. It smelled so good and looked so yummy then, that it was hard to wait another 10 minutes for the dish to bake in the oven.

Though I dreamed of this dish for ever, I never prepared it because it was made with rice or polenta and because it is not exactly a light dessert. At my age, I tend to gravitate to lighter dessert. Those that are not so heavy on your stomach, and those that not do so much damage to your waste line;-)

This weekend, however, in light of stepping up my diet and including more starch in my diet ( i have been having problem of low blood pressure, and hypoglycemia), I decided fix Caramel Rice Pudding.

As i was fixing the various steps, I found it really difficult not to devour the rice pudding before it was completely finished….

Ingredients for a dish for 8-12 people:

250 gr. or 1 cup of rice
1 liter or about 4 cup of whole milk
100 gr. or about 1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbsp. of vanilla extract
5 yolks
100 gr. or about 1/2 cup of raisins
100 gr. or about 1/2 cup of sugar

Place the rice, sugar, vanilla extract and milk in a large pot. Mix well and cook over a medium-high heat until it comes to boil.
Then turn the oven to 400, and when the temperature has reached its temperature, place the pot in the oven and let the rice cook for 15 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, place another pot over the stove, add 100 gr. of sugar, and turn the heat to medium-high. DO NOT STIR!!!
When the sugar is starting to melt and becoming golden amber color, start stirring. Let the sugar melt completely into a golden caramel.
Either pour the caramel into a dish of your choice, or leave it into your pot if you don’t want to present your dessert. I used the scalloped Square mold from Demarle because the caramel does not stick in it and it makes a beautiful cake!!!
Add 100 gr of sugar, the raisins and the 5 yolks to the rice pudding and stir well.
Pour in the rice pudding a top the caramel. Do not stir.
Place the pot, or the dish back into the oven, in a water bath of about 1/2 inch, and cook the rice for another 10 minutes. YUM!!!! Try not to eat all at once when taking it out of the oven;-).
Before eating, invert the cake to show off.

Caramel Rice Pudding

Servings: 6-8 persons
Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Ingredients for a dish for 8-12 people:
250 gr. or 2 cups of rice
1 liter or 4 cups of whole milk
100 gr. or about 1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbsp. of vanilla extract
5 yolks
100 gr. or about 1/2 cup of raisins
100 gr. or about 1/2 of sugar

Place the rice, sugar, vanilla extract and milk in a large pot.
Mix well and cook over a medium-high heat until it comes to boil.
Then turn the oven to 400, and when the temperature has reached its temperature, place the pot in the oven and let the rice cook for 15 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, place another pot over the stove, add 100 gr. of sugar and turn the heat to medium-high. DO NOT STIR!!!
When the sugar is starting to melt and becoming golden amber color, start stirring. Let the sugar melt completely into a golden caramel.
Either pour the caramel into a dish of your choice, or leave it into your pot if you don’t want to present your dessert.
When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, add the sugar, vanilla extract, raisins and yolks and mix well.
Pour the rice pudding mixture atop the caramel. Do not stir. Place the pot, or the dish back into the oven and cook the rice for another 10 minutes. YUM!!!! and try not to eat all at once;-)

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

If you like what you see and read, please share;-) Merci Beaucoup!

Mousse au Chocolat…. so quick to make, and yet so luscious!

Posted July 14, 2011

Filed under dessert, Mousses, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

I love to cook! so much so that I always want to have people over just to cook instead of going anywhere. The ambiance is more casual, relax, and you get to eat really what you want ( since I am the one deciding on the menu;-)

Even though we had just returned from the beach last Friday and my laundry room was overfilled, I decided to have teddy’s brother over for a quick dinner. But what to cook? I had brought fresh shrimps from Charleston and purchased fresh vegetables so we were going to grill. EASY!!!! Summer is the best time to eat in. There are so many fresh vegetables to fix and grilling takes not time!

So I was set for the dinner part…. but what about dessert?! I love dessert and enjoy spending hours in the kitchen, but wanted something quick to make, and chocolatey…

So I settled for a chocolate mousse: It is easy, quick to make, requires very little ingredients ( only the worse one for your diet), and is extraordinary if you are a fan of chocolate like me;-)

Ingredients: 1 bag of bittersweet chocolate chips ( at least 70% cocoa), 3 oz of butter, 8 eggs ( separated), 1 pinch of salt, 3 oz of sugar.

First separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the egg whites with the salt and the sugar in a container, and beat until the egg whites form dry peaks. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a bowl melt the butter and the chocolate ( either over simmering water or in the microwave). Mix the egg yolks in the chocolate mixture. When it is well mixed, start adding the egg whites. Add about 1/2 cup of beaten egg whites in the chocolate mixture and very slowly mix in with a spatula. You want to make circular movements from the outside of the bowl to the inside while being very delicate so as to not deflate the egg whites. Continue adding the egg whites in the chocolate mixture as mentioned above until all has been added. Pour in a large container. Cover with plastic wrap and let it chill for a minimum of 2 hours. To serve spoon or use a pastry bag to fill individual cups.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!

Creme Brulee…. Our Father’s Day Treat

Posted June 19, 2011

Filed under dessert, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

What did you guys do for Father’s Day? Did your spoil your dad or even your spouse? Being far away from home, all I did was sent my best wishes to my husband and hope that my children had done the right thing…..?!?!

I was not at my dad either, but at my sister so I was not able to do a thing for him either…Oh well.

So guess what I did today? nothing!!!! which was quite nice. I enjoyed the day with my twin sister. We had a late breakfast and then we went for a long afternoon cross country ride in the surrounding forests. Sophie, my twin sister, lives near Arcachon which is located on the shore of the Atlantic ocean near Bordeaux. The landscape is quite amazing. There are large forests of pine trees, and many salty lakes. Not very far from where she lives, sits the largest sand dunes of all Europe. It is quite impressive! So it was really nice to ride our bike this afternoon in this beautiful landscape. When we came back though, we had to get back in the kitchen to prepare a good meal. After all it was Father’s Day;-)

This is what we had. Doesn’t it look appetizing?

On the menu:

Foie Gras
Mixed Greens with a walnut and balsamic vinaigrette and warm goat cheese on toasts.
Duck Confits with Pomme de Terres Sarladaises (Sauteed potatoes in duck fat)

and for desserts, we had Creme Brulee. Yummmmmm

As you see, I am not on a “diet”. I am trying to be careful about what I am eating, but when my sister says” You need to eat this, this is good for you…”, what am I to do?

I am not going to give you the recipes for everything because, 1. it would take too long, 2. i am not sure that you would actually cook things such as confit or foie gras…So I will share the recipe of the Creme brulee. It is fairly easy to make and such a delight to eat!!!

Ingredients: 10 egg yolks, 1 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 liter of heavy cream, 1 tbsp of vanilla extract, brown sugar to dust the creme brulee at the end.

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture becomes almost white and has doubled in size. Warm the cream to boiling temperature and pour the cream into the egg mixture. Place the mixture on the stove at a medium/low, and keep stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens a bit, and the cream can “coat” the spoon. Remove from the stove, and pour in small containers. Place the container in a tall baking sheet. Fill the baking sheet with water. And bake in oven for 60 minutes at a T of 257. When cooked, remove the containers from the oven and let them cool. Sprinkle brown sugar on the top of the cream, and with a torch burn the sugar until it become a thick layer of caramel. Let it cool and eat!!!

Bon Appetit!!!!!