Category: France

Ooh La La – French Apple Flan

Bonjour mes amis!

This French Apple Flan straight from the buffet section of the A-Z of Cooking is délicieux!  I know what you’re thinking.  Two pastry dishes in two weeks?  Why, it’s almost like you’re practicing for something.

Nudge nudge, wink, wink, say no more.

French Apple Tart1

French Apple Flan

Truth is, I made this before I knew anything about Pieathalon 2…which is not only a reality but  I have purchased my ingredients and will be baking on the weekend.

But back to the French Apple Flan.  I was actually a bit wary about making a second pastry dish from the A-Z of Cooking because, lets face it, I was not overly impressed with the pastry from the Date Crunchies.

But, the buffet section left a LOT to be desired.  There was an Egg Mousse.  But there is also an Egg Mousse in Salads for All Seasons, which quite frankly reads better.  Then there is a Cold Loin of Pork Orientale….except I don’t eat pork.  There is the trout of nightmares:

Image (2)And there is the French Apple Flan:

French Apple Flan
French Apple Flan

So, despite that picture not being overly appealing, this was kind of a no-brainer.

And let me say right now,  I can’t imagine any of the other dishes being this good because this was AWESOME.  The pastry was crisp and light and delicious, the filling was lovely – and again not too sweet.  There was only a 50g of sugar for a kilo of apples.  The butter and the lemon and the wine hummed along quietly in the background without taking over.   The filling really just tastes of apples.  But nicer.  Like supercharged apples.  But really, please, despite what the recipe says use butter not that horrible other stuff.

French Apple Tart 8
French Apple Flan 8

A friend of mine recently made some gorgeous apple roses that she found here and they kind of inspired my topping.

French Apple Tart 9
French Apple Flan 9

I also used a blackberry jam for my glaze because that’s what I had and smoke em if you got ’em is how I roll.  It made my glaze quite dark but I kind of liked that ombre effect it created.

French Apple Flan
French Apple Flan

And again, the French Apple Flan  was just lovely.  And it was totally delicious on it’s own but if you really want to ramp it up, try it, slightly warm with some dulce de leche ice cream.  And then just float away on a little cloud because you will seriously think you have died and gone to heaven.

French Apple Flan
French Apple Flan

So, good.

In my mind this is an apple tart.  So much so that I had to keep going back when writing and changing the word tart to flan.    I am not precisely sure of the difference between a tart and a flan although some albeit rather lazy research leads me to think a flan contains a custard filling.  Which this doesn’t.

So it’s a tart right?

Whatever you call it. it’s super delicious and made from things you already probably have in your house or can get pretty easily.  I promise you will not regret making this…so go on, do it now!

French Apple Flan1
French Apple Flan1

Au revoir!

 

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Crespéou (70’s Style Retro Picnic Bling)

In his introduction to the Crespéou in Plenty More, Yotam Ottolenghi says

If I was going to sum up my cooking style in five words, 70’s-style-retro-picnic-bling would not be them”

Huh…Weirdly enough that’s exactly the style of cooking I aspire to.

Still, with an introduction like that, there was no way I was not making a Crespéou!  I was already thinking about  having a month of  food I have no idea how to pronounce (Kouign Amman anyone?).  Google tells me this is Cresp-ay-oo. And also that it’s from Provence and so-called because the layers look like crepes.  Never say I don’t do the research hard yards for you…

Crespeou5So what is this unpronounceable piece of 70’s style crepe like Retro Picnic Bling?

Well, it’s layers of three differently flavoured omelettes stacked on each other and baked.  One red, one yellow, one green.  Which just goes to show the difference between those classy people of Provence and around here.  We’d be calling it something dumb arse like “Traffic Light” Special.

Crespéou – Red Layer

Yotam suggests red peppers for this layer.   I used sun-dried-tomatoes because red peppers and I have a love-hate relationship.  Without the love.

Hmm, I have realised in looking at this picture of the red layer that I may have put in fresh coriander rather than ground.  Oops.

Crespeou Red Layer
Crespeou Red Layer

Still, I think that is one of the benefits of a dish like this.  You can mix up the flavours. I have seen other recipes where people have used, zucchinis, mushrooms, olives, all sorts of things. It could really become a “clean-out-your-fridge” type dish.

Crespeou Red Layer2Crespéou -Yellow Layer

The yellow layer was intriguing.  I have never used turmeric in an omelette before.  It really works!!!  If I was going to mix this layer up a bit thin crispy discs of pan sautéed potato would be great!

Crespeou Yellow LayerThe trick with this dish is to leave the top of your omelettes much more runny than you would any other omelette.  The idea of this is that when you stack them and bake them the egg will solidify and the layers will stick together.

Crespeou Yellow Layer2
Crespeou Yellow Layer2

Crespéou – Green Layer

Another genius combination – green onions, green chilli, basil, tarragon and cumin!!! Wow!!!  This layer was really perky and fresh!!!

Once you have cooked all your omelettes, stack them up as neatly as possible.  And into the oven they go to cook up that last bit of runny egg.

Crespeou - Stacked

Once cooked through, you can eat your Crespéou as is or trim the edges with a sharp knife to be able to see the layers.  I used a small square pan so I cut mine into four cubes…

Crespeou
Crespeou

These were superb. I had it for lunch I think 3 days running and looked forward to it on day three as much as I did  on day one.

And I know what you’re all thinking.  Which layer tasted best?  I did separate one of my cubes and ate each later alone.  And they were all really good.  But the combination was a-may-zing!!!!

Yotam Ottolenghi also says of the Crespéou that:

“If there is one recipe that might make me cringe in years to come, it will, for sure be this one”

I say “I love you.  Can you not be so happily gay and be my boyfriend? You could cook me Crespéou and we could go on a picnic in a field in Provence and I could dance around listening to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” on a vintage Walkman.  Or…hold your head up high and embrace the Crespéou for the lunchbox saviour that it is.  And I’m sure even better on picnics. Especially picnics in Provence.  With heaps of rosé wine and 1970’s disco music on your vintage Walkman.

Which is fairly redundant –  I  can’t think of ANYTHING that wouldn’t be better on a picnic in Provence with heaps of rosé wine and 1970’s music on your Walkman.  Can you?

Speaking of which…before she was Totally Eclipsed in the Heart Bonnie Tyler was Lost in France which would actually be the perfect musical accompaniment to the Crespéou…

 The full recipe can be found in Plenty More or online here

GlitterPhoto
Bonnie Tyler being Lost in France is here:

 

 

 

 

Make.  Listen.  Drink lots of rosé and imagine yourself lost in France.

This week, I’m cooking up some more 70’s Style Retro Picnic Bling courtesy of Jane Grigson!  Have a tres fantastique week what ever you get up to.

And turn around bright eyes.

And P.S. – I’m totally contemplating the name of this blog to Retro Picnic Bling.  Loving it madly!!!

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