An Apple A Day The Escoffier Way

Everything Fanny prepared had a foundation in the world of Escoffier, for her he was the pinnacle for professionalism that we should all aspire for. Fanny was all about aspiration. Fanny was not aspiring you'll understand, she was already there, but she longed to inspire us, the everyday, ordinary cooks, to share her aspiration. It was also a complicated ambition, as we were meant to admire Fanny at the same time, otherwise we'd just aim straight for the Escoffier books instead of hers and Fannys sales would plummet. So she added some eagerness to it all, switched thing up a little, added a little colour here and there, and in her mind at least, she made it easier for the ordinary housewife to desire to access the grand levels that Escoffier inhabited.

Fannys aim in passing on these Poached Apples or Pommes Pochées à l'Escoffier was simply to transform the humble fruit into a dreamy dessert which would have been at home on those higher rungs of the culinary ladder. Fanny poached her apples in ever-so-English Cider, matching the crispness of the rouged up russets perfectly. I've got a yearning for something just a little different though, so I'm switching the cider for the oh-so-Scottish and oh-so-lovely Outaspace Apple Ale from Glasgow based Drygate Brewery that jumped into my trolley at the supermarket. I hope my aspirations aren't above my station.

Fanny starts by peeling the apples very carefully, very professionally. I try to do it all in one round, and I mostly manage, with only a slight tear. When I was young I am sure everyone peeled their apples before they ate them, but I was the odd one who then ate the peel. It may explain a lot. The peeled pommes are popped into a shallow-ish pan that is deep enough for them to be covered while the poaching liquor is prepared.

The poaching liquid is a heady mix of the booze, water and some fruit jelly, but I'm switching it all up again. I know, no stopping me! Fanny uses her beloved Red Currant Jelly to give the finished apples a jolt of colour, but I am using (again) my Bramble and Gin Jelly. It has a glorious colour, and taste. The jelly is mixed first with the water to dissolve it, then the ale (or cider if you like sticking to the rules) before being poured over the waiting apples. Fanny pops them over a 'thread' of a heat and leaves them until they are semi-transparent and bright pink underneath. It takes about half an hour.

They are then ready to be turned over for the topside to be tinted. I found they bobbed around a little but eventually found their way. Okay I had to wrestle them for a while with crossed fingers, not easy. Do not be tempted to turn the heat up to speed up the poaching. Fanny warns if the liquid bubbles hard the apples will collapse and the whole thing will be ruined. Be patient and you will be rewarded. Fanny says when they are 'not ruined but cooked' to lift them out, drain and place them on your chosen dish. Then, and only then, boil the liquor hard to reduce, as you would for any top level sauce, just as the great Escoffier himself did. The resulting sauce, with no added thickeners, is then poured over the Pommes Pochées and, well, scoffed like Escoffier would. Garnish with a leaf first though, above all presentation and garnish. Apples, beer, jelly and gin - these are aspirations I can easily strive for!

Taking Stock - insulating the Tarte Du Jour (ou de la Maison) against sog

"No Frenchman would take kindly to a damp and soggy flan"

Fanny pauses slightly to explain how to construct basic flans using the techniques she has already outlined, but ensuring perfect results whatever the fruit you use. Fanny indicates that the French use Fresh Fruit in their flans, seldom the tinned, bottled or frozen that we lean far too heavily on in this country, apparently. Fantastic, I love fresh fruit and seldom use tinned. Fanny also answers one of my previous queries here - when to cook pastry blind and when to fill it raw. It's almost as if she's been reading my blog and I've slightly irritated her by asking. The method, she proclaims, is constant. Note, do not deviate from this, ever. If the fruit needs to be cooked - apples, gooseberries, cherries, plums, damsons - the one selected needs cooking, dusted with sugar and then glazed when hot. If using fruit that need no cooking - raspberries, strawberries or loganberries - bake the case blind and fill. This ensures, Fanny says, that the moisture from the fruit is insulated from the raw or cooked base by the confectioners custard which should be used in both techniques. All clear? The nation needs to be taught these sog-proof methods if they are to compete with the French, Swiss, Danish and Austrians who provide an array of flans daily. Let the competition commence! 

Today's Tarte du Jour is Apricot. A favourite of mine, in season now and perfect for Fanny. She does concede that if I wish to make this in winter I could use a tin of apricots, but with these fresh lovelies how could I resist. Plus, a new method to learn - poaching the fresh apricots in stock sugar syrup. Oh hang on, I assumed as they needed to be cooked I'd be using the method above, but no... I dissolve my sugar cubes in water over a low heat without stirring or boiling, then 'level it off' to a simmer for three minutes. That's it - ready to use, or store in jars for future use. 

Fanny tells me to stone my fruit, and place unskinned halves in a wide shallow pan and cover with the stock syrup. Pop in a vanilla pod, and poach very gently over a very low heat. When they are ready (no clues how long - mine took about 15 minutes) remove and wipe the vanilla pod for storage, drain the apricots on a clean cloth and strain the remaining syrup into a jar for future use. Easy.

Listening to Fanny I realise that I need to bake a sweet flan case blind for this Tarte du Jour, using the recipes and techniques used before. Once it is cool I half fill it with some confectioners custard. It's almost as if I am continental now, I just do it. Next I need to arrange the poached apricots on top, very closely together, dome-side uppermost. Fanny asks me to glaze the flan with redcurrant jelly, but I've run out. I do have a very nostalgic jar of Bramble Jelly lurking about, so this should do the trick. As instructed, I make sure it fills all the empty spaces between fruits too.

Fanny now gives me a recipe for Chantilly Cream, which I should make and pipe round the flan and in between the apricots if I like. I'd never known what made cream 'Chantilly' but it seems to be double cream, whipped until it hangs loosely from the whisk, with 'some' teaspoons of icing sugar added to taste. I add two. Not stopping there, Fanny encourages me to add a few drops of liqueur of my choice, I choose Cherry Brandy - not really considering if Apricots, Brambles and Cherries are really the next combination (as it turns out they are!). Then I add a whisked egg white which has been stiffly whipped, and blend with the cream until it is smooth. When I do this, it looks a little runny, perhaps I added way too much liqueur. Perhaps you understand, only perhaps. So I give it another whisk, maybe a little too vigorously, before the piping commences onto today's Tarte...