Chaussons aux Pommes Express
(shoh-sohn zoh pum)
Le Matin: The Uncomplicated French Morning
For a kid raised in the diaspora, the smell of bubbling butter and baked apples is a direct sensory line to a heritage you might only know from stories. The apple turnover is an unpretentious, flawless staple of the French morning. The secret of pragmatic home cooks isn't stressing over multi-day laminated dough; it's buying the highest quality all-butter puff pastry you can find and devoting your attention to a restrained, beautifully balanced compote. It's a blistered, crackling piece of history you can pull off on a busy weeknight.
Ingredients
- apples (2 Granny Smith, 1 Honeycrisp)3 large
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- dark brown sugar3 tbsp
- vanilla extract1 tsp
- ground cinnamon1 pinch
- water1 tbsp
- all-butter frozen puff pastry1 package
- egg yolk1 large
- milk or water1 tbsp
- granulated sugar2 tbsp
- water2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Cook the apples into a chunky compote.
Combine the diced apples, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of water in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until soft, then uncover, increase the heat slightly to boil off any excess liquid, and roughly mash half the apples to create a thick paste with distinct chunks.
- 02
Chill the compote completely.
Transfer the apple mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until completely cold. Putting warm filling on raw puff pastry will immediately melt the butter layers and ruin the lamination.
- 03
Stamp out the pastry circles.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, gently smooth out your thawed puff pastry and use a wide bowl or large cookie cutter to stamp out 4 to 5-inch circles.
- 04
Seal the turnovers with water, not egg.
Place a mounded tablespoon of the cold compote in the exact center of each circle. Dip your finger in water and trace the edge of half the circle, then fold the dough over and press firmly to seal; using egg wash here will glue the edges together and prevent them from rising.
- 05
Flip the pastries upside down and chill them.
Carefully turn each sealed half-moon over so the smooth bottom becomes the top, and place them on the baking sheet. Brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg yolk and milk—avoiding the cut sides—and place the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes to relax the dough and rechill the butter.
- 06
Score the dough and build a chimney.
Brush with a second coat of egg wash, then use the dull back of a paring knife to gently etch a leaf pattern into the surface. Poke two small holes straight through the top into the filling to let steam escape, which stops the turnovers from exploding in the oven.
- 07
Bake until puffed and deeply browned.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is a rich, dark golden brown.
- 08
Glaze the hot pastries with sugar syrup.
While they bake, heat the granulated sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons of water until the sugar dissolves. The second you pull the hot baking sheet from the oven, brush the pastries with the clear syrup so it sizzles and flash-dries into a brilliant, bakery-style crust.
Notes
Buy real butter pastry.
Read the ingredient label on your frozen puff pastry. If butter isn't the primary fat, walk away. Vegetable oils and shortening will not give you the flavor, lift, or melt-in-the-mouth texture required for a true French pastry.
The Apple Blend.
French bakers use tart, firm varieties like Reinette. To replicate that complex flavor in an American supermarket, mixing two parts Granny Smith with one part Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious works flawlessly.
From Cook French in America.