Bourdaloue Timbale

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •18 cm wide, 8 cm deep metal charlotte or timbale mould
• •Heavy rimmed baking sheet
• •Rolling pin
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Pastry brush
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the almond pastry

   Whisk the 200 g flour with the finely chopped almonds, confectioners' sugar, and salt. Rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand with a few small flakes of butter remaining. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of the ice water, add it, and press the mixture together without kneading. If it still falls apart when squeezed, add the remaining water a few drops at a time, reserving about 1 teaspoon for sealing the lid. If the pastry turns greasy or sticky, the butter has warmed. Ça se rattrape: flatten the dough, chill it for 15 minutes, then bring it together with cool hands. Form a disc, wrap it, and chill for 45 minutes.

   This pâte sèche aux amandes, or dry almond pastry, keeps the source ratio exactly: one part finely chopped almonds to four parts flour. Chop the almonds to fine crumbs, but stop before they become oily paste.
2. 2

   Stew the fruits

   Bring the water and 100 g sugar to a bare simmer in a wide saucepan. Cook the dried apricots for 6 to 8 minutes, then lift them into a sieve. Cook the pears in the same syrup for 4 to 6 minutes, the apple for 3 to 4 minutes, and the cherries for only 30 to 60 seconds, removing each fruit while it still holds its shape. Drain the fruits separately, spread them on a tray, and let them cool for at least 30 minutes before blotting them dry. If syrup pools beneath them, return the fruit to a wide dry pan for a minute or two to evaporate the excess, then cool it again. Wet fruit is the danger here, not modest fruit.

   The fruits cook in one syrup but enter separately because they soften at different speeds. The pear should yield at its edge, the apple should remain distinct, and the cherry needs little more than warming through.
3. 3

   Mix the frangipane

   Warm the milk until it just begins to tremble at the edge. Whisk the egg yolk with the 19 g sugar and 5 g flour, pour in half the warm milk while whisking, then return everything to the saucepan. Cook over gentle heat, whisking constantly, until the crème pâtissière becomes very thick and bubbles for a full minute. Whisk in the 9 g butter, spread the cream on a plate, cover its surface, and cool completely. In a bowl, beat the 75 g softened butter with the 67 g sugar until smooth but not airy. Beat in the ground almonds, then the egg, followed by the 8 g flour and salt. Fold in the cold pastry cream to make the crème frangipane. It must mound on a spoon rather than pour. If warm pastry cream loosens the butter and the mixture flows, chill it for 20 to 30 minutes before filling the mould.

4. 4

   Line the mould

   Butter an 18 cm wide, 8 cm deep metal charlotte or timbale mould thoroughly, especially where the base meets the wall. Set aside one third of the pastry for the lid. Roll the larger piece between sheets of parchment to about 3.5 mm thick, then ease it into the mould without stretching it. Press it firmly into the base and wall, leaving a 2 cm overhang. Patch any tear with a thin scrap of dough and press the edges together until no seam remains. Chill the lined mould for 15 minutes. Do not blind-bake it; the source bakes the closed timbale as one piece, and that sequence stays.

5. 5

   Layer the filling

   Spread a 1 cm layer of frangipane over the base. Arrange a layer of pear and apricot above it, keeping the fruit about 1 cm from the pastry wall, then cover it completely with another layer of frangipane. Follow with apple and cherries, then more frangipane, repeating the layers if the mould allows. Finish with frangipane and leave 2 cm clear beneath the rim so the filling can rise without forcing open the lid. Press gently as you work to remove large air pockets, but don't crush the fruit.

6. 6

   Close the timbale

   Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) with a heavy baking sheet on the lower-middle rack. Roll the reserved pastry to 3.5 mm thick and slightly wider than the mould. Brush the exposed pastry rim lightly with the reserved ice water, lay the lid over it, and press firmly to seal. Trim the excess, fold the joined edge inward, and press once more. Cut a small vent in the centre. If the pastry has softened during filling, chill the closed timbale for 10 minutes while the oven finishes heating; cold butter gives the case its clean shape.

7. 7

   Bake until firm

   Set the mould on the hot baking sheet and bake for 70 to 80 minutes. The top should be a deep almond gold, the pastry should look dry around the vent, and a thin skewer pushed through the centre should emerge without a streak of raw frangipane. If the lid browns before the filling has set, cover it loosely with foil and keep baking. A pale bottom cannot be repaired after unmoulding, so give it the full time it needs; the heated sheet supplies the decisive bottom heat of a professional pastry oven.

8. 8

   Turn it out

   Rest the timbale in its mould on a rack for 25 minutes. Run a thin knife only around the upper rim, place the serving plate over the mould, and invert both together in one confident movement. Lift the mould straight up. If the timbale refuses to release, wrap the outside of the mould with a hot damp towel for 30 seconds and try again. If a small piece of pastry loosens, press it back while warm; the apricot coating will secure the crumb and hide the join.

9. 9

   Glaze and serve

   Bring the apricot preserves, glaze water, and split vanilla bean to a lively simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring until smooth. Remove the vanilla and press the syrup through a fine sieve. This nappage à l'abricot, or apricot coating, should run from the spoon in a thick ribbon. If it is sticky like jam, loosen it with a teaspoon of water; if watery, simmer it another minute. Brush the warm timbale generously from crown to base and let the glaze settle for 10 minutes before cutting thick wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The crust's chopped almonds are not an embellishment. At 50 g almonds to 200 g flour, they preserve the source's four-ounce-to-one-pound proportion exactly while the batch becomes small enough for a home mould.
• •Choose fruits that keep their identity after stewing. Firm pears, tart apple, dried apricots, and frozen sour cherries give four distinct textures in any season; soft berries and overripe pears bleed into the frangipane and weaken the case.
• •A metal charlotte mould gives the cleanest release and the strongest bottom heat. A deep cake tin can serve, provided it is seamless and about the same size, but a springform has too many places for butter and fruit syrup to escape.
• •Serve the timbale without cream or extra sauce. The frangipane supplies all the richness it needs, and a small glass of Sauternes or a cup of strong coffee is enough beside it.
• •Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and bring them to room temperature before serving. The flavour remains splendid, though the pastry gradually softens as it holds the fruit.

Advance Preparation

• •The almond pastry can be made up to 48 hours ahead and kept tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes before rolling if it is too firm to bend.
• •The fruits and pastry cream can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead and chilled in separate covered containers. Drain and blot the fruit again before assembly, and let the pastry cream lose its refrigerator chill before folding it into the almond cream.
• •For the crispest case, bake the timbale no more than 6 hours before serving. Hold it at room temperature and apply the vanilla-apricot coating within 30 minutes of bringing it to the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)