Crunchy Apple Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Make a day ahead. Here is a fancy apple pie shaped using a brioche a tete mold. Look up at the 6.5''/ 16.5cm fluted-nonstick brioche molds on my Shop Page. This recipe makes 2 brioche molds which yields about 6 servings each. This pie can however be achieved using two 9''/23cm diameter tart pan and ≈ 1''/2.5cm high.
Yields 3 tart shells. In a food processor, cream butter with salt. Add sugar, and almond meal. Mix in the egg, and then flour. Wrap up pastry and chill. Butter generously the outer surface of the mold, and chill. Flour work surface and pastry, work out dough to soften making it pliable. Work out more if it still cracking. Roll out into a 0.20''/5mm thick disk (0.15''/3mm if using regular tart pan). Carefully pat the dough down following the pattern of the mold. Chill for about 30, and trim off excess dough. Lightly prick tart using a wooden skewer or a fork. Freezer on the upside down position until ready to bake. For the egg wash, mix yolks and heavy cream; chill.
Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Bake frozen tart shell for 22/25 minutes on the upside down position. Remove from the oven, and egg wash the whole surface of the tart (Do not remove the mold yet). Bake for 5 minutes more in the same position. Remove from the oven, and lift the baked fluted tart shell from the mold. Carefully egg wash the inside and pop in the oven again on the up side down position. Turn the oven off and leave the tart in for 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven; cool.
Cream butter with sugar along with almond and hazelnut meal. Add flour and the egg, and process until smooth. Butter and flour 2 brioche molds. Pipe out two 3.3 ounces/100g hazelnut cream in each mold. Make a third one with leftover. Bake at 350ºF/180ºC for about 25 minutes (Do not over bake). Cool completely prior removing from mold. If using a regular tart pan, the hazelnut cream should be baked along with the crust rather than separately. For more details, look up at the Strawberry Pie Recipe.
Soak gelatin in cold water to soften; drain and set aside. Bring to a boil half of the heavy cream (300g) with vanilla. Turn off heat, cover and let infuse for about 30 min. Squeeze out vanilla bean, rinse and dry out a few minutes in the oven, and save it for garnishing. Barely melt white chocolate and pour in the hot vanilla infused heavy cream. Mix using an immersion blender. Add gelatin and remaining chilled heavy cream, and sour cream. Blend well and chill overnight.
Combine sugar and agar agar. Bring to a boil apple juice along with cinnamon sticks. Turn off the heat, cover and let infused for about 30 min. Remove cinnamon sticks, and whisk in sugar-agar mixture. Bring to boil and cook fo 2 min. Chill overnight. Add limoncello and smooth out using an immersion blender. Meanwhile, peel, core and cut apples into small cubes. To prevent from browning, soak apples in lemony water, and drain well prior using. In a hot saucepan, cook on hight heat half of the diced apples with butter, brown sugar and ground cinnamon for about 5 min, or until moisture is gone. Drain and let cool. Combine sautéed apples with remaining uncooked apples, and fold in apple juice marmalade.
*To make praliné from scratch look up at Chocolate Swans Recipe. Praliné can be substituted for Nutella. Gently melt chocolate with butter. Mix in praliné and crushed corn flakes. Use at room temperature.
Makes 2 pies. Whip vanilla ganache montée to medium-firm peaks Chantilly. Pipe out a thin layer of Chantilly in the bottom tart shell. Place the baked hazelnut cream followed by the hazelnut praliné. Cover sides of the tart shell with more Chantilly. Add apple marmalade, and smooth out with an offset spatula. Top pie with Chantilly rosette, and garnish with a dried vanilla pod, and a couple of cinnamon sticks. Store pie for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Carefully, split pie in half using a sharp serrated knife, then cut each half in 3 portions. Enjoy!
