Apples with Butter

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart (3.8 L) saucepan
• •Apple corer
• •Vegetable peeler
• •10-inch (25 cm) ovenproof sauté pan with lid, or a baking dish and foil
• •2 1/2 to 3-inch (6 to 7.5 cm) round cutter
• •Small skillet
• •Baking sheet
• •Slotted spoon
• •Thin skewer or cake tester
• •Fine-mesh sieve

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the vanilla syrup

   Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C), with a rack in the middle. Combine the granulated sugar and syrup water in a 10-inch (25 cm) ovenproof sauté pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook only until the sugar dissolves and the liquid turns clear, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and pour the syrup into a heatproof jug. Wipe the pan and butter its base and sides. This small batch replaces the brigade's ready pot of vanilla syrup without changing what the syrup must do.

2. 2

   Core and peel apples

   Combine the parboiling water and lemon juice in a large saucepan. While the water is still cool, core each apple straight through with an apple corer, the home equivalent of the tube-cutter, then peel it neatly and lower it into the acidulated water. Once all four are prepared, lift them out with a slotted spoon and bring the water to a full boil.

3. 3

   Parboil for two minutes

   Working with two apples at a time so the boil stays lively, lower them into the boiling lemon water and cook for exactly 2 minutes from immersion. Lift them out promptly and drain them upside down for a moment. They should still feel firm. This is not the stage at which to seek tenderness; the brief parboil begins the cooking evenly, and the covered oven finishes it.

   Two minutes means two. A longer parboil softens the outside before the center is ready, and the apples may collapse during baking.
4. 4

   Bake under cover

   Stand the drained apples upright in the buttered sauté pan and spoon the vanilla syrup over and around them. Cover with a lid, or seal the pan closely with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Baste with the syrup, then test every 5 minutes until a thin skewer enters with slight resistance and the apples remain upright, usually 25 to 35 minutes in all. If one softens before the others, lift it out and return it for assembly; if the syrup nearly disappears before the fruit is tender, add 1 tablespoon of hot water and cover again. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Make glazed croûtons

   While the apples bake, cut the brioche into four round croûtons slightly wider than the fruit. Melt the croûton butter in a skillet over medium heat and fry the rounds until deep gold on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer them to a baking sheet and dust their tops evenly with the glazing sugar. Once the apples leave the oven, raise the heat to 425°F (220°C) and bake the croûtons for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sugar melts into a thin, pale-amber glaze. If the glaze forms in patches, brush those spots with a little apple syrup and return the tray for 30 seconds.

6. 6

   Work the brandy butter

   Beat the softened filling butter with exactly the same weight of powdered sugar until smooth, pale, and creamy. Add the brandy a few drops at a time, beating until each addition disappears before the next. If the mixture turns greasy, the butter has become too warm; chill the bowl for 5 minutes, then beat again. Equal weights of butter and sugar are the ratio that gives this filling body as it melts.

7. 7

   Thicken the apple syrup

   Lift the apples carefully onto a warm plate and set the sauté pan over medium heat. Whisk the apricot purée into the apples' own vanilla syrup and simmer for 1 to 3 minutes, until it lightly coats the back of a spoon but still pours freely. The source asks for the syrup only slightly thickened, not cooked into jam. If it tightens too far, loosen it with a teaspoon of hot water; if it runs like water, reduce it for another minute.

8. 8

   Assemble and serve

   Set one glazed brioche croûton on each shallow dessert plate, or arrange all four on a warm oval platter. Place an apple upright on every croûton and fill each hollow generously with the brandy butter, letting it soften into the warm fruit and brioche. Spoon the apricot-thickened syrup over the apples until their surfaces gleam and a little sauce pools at the base. Serve warm. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Gray Calville is splendid if you find it, but a firm, tart russet or Reinette keeps the dish honest. Avoid a soft, very sweet eating apple; it turns to pulp before its center cooks through.
• •Day-old brioche makes the best croûtons. It cuts cleanly, fries without tearing, and takes on butter without becoming spongy. Ordinary white bread lacks the egg-rich tenderness the source intends.
• •Unsweetened frozen apricot purée is an honest preserved choice when fresh apricots are absent. If smooth apricot preserves are all you have, replace the purée with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 20 g) preserves mixed with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) water, then sieve it; the glaze will be slightly sweeter.
• •Add the brandy to the butter by drops, not by the splash. Too much liquid makes the filling loose, and there is no reason to set it alight; its fragrance belongs inside the apple.
• •Let the baked apples rest for about 5 minutes before filling them. Blazing-hot fruit liquefies the brandy butter at once, while a warm apple lets it soften slowly and soak into the croûton.

Advance Preparation

• •The vanilla syrup and brandy butter can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated separately. Bring the butter to cool room temperature and beat it briefly before filling the apples.
• •The brioche croûtons can be fried and glazed up to 4 hours ahead. Rewarm them for 3 minutes in a 350°F (180°C) oven so their edges recover their crispness.
• •The apples may be baked up to 3 hours before serving. Keep them covered, then rewarm gently at 300°F (150°C) for about 10 minutes. Reduce the syrup with the apricot purée and assemble only at the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 225g)