This summer I was put to the test like Eve in the Garden of Eden. When we arrived at our vacation home in Burgundy, the first thing that caught my eye was the huge apple tree in the front garden. Its limbs were heavy with what appeared to be perfect fruit and I was tempted to help myself. 

I resisted, although if I'm honest, not because I'm so virtuous and possess an incredible amount of a self-restraint, but rather because it was only the end of July.  I knew that at least another month would pass before the apples would be ready for picking. In the meantime, I delighted myself by spending many an afternoon staring at the tree and daydreaming about the autumn harvest.  I imagined how fantastic it would be to be there when the only thing between me and an apple pie was a walk to the front door.

Goudreinettes.  Although most recipes ask you to chop the apples thinly, this one calls for thumb-sized chunks of fruit. When baked, their face-puckering astringency mellows out, but no so much that they lose their characteristic taste. Round out the contrast between the sourness of the apples and the sweetness of the buttery crust with a decent dollop of the best cream you can get your hands on.  Freshly whipped and most certainly not from a can!

Paola's Hollandse Appeltaart

Ingredients:

• 50g currants
• 50g raisins
• 2 tbsps dark rum
• 300g plain white flour
• 125g unrefined cane sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 200g cold butter, cut into small chunks
• 1 egg yolk, plus one lightly beaten egg
• 2 tbsps ice water
• 1 kilo (about three) Goudreinette apples, cored, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsps custard powder
• 2 tbsps vanilla sugar
• 2 tsps cinnamon
• 2 tbsps apricot jam

Method:

Rinse your currants and raisins.  Transfer to a small bowl and drizzle with rum. Allow the dried fruit to plump up for about an hour while absorbing the flavour of the rum.

Put flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the food processor and pulse briefly.  Add the butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Add the egg yolk and water.  Continue to press on the pulse button until the dough comes together.  Remove the dough from the processor bowl and squeeze into a ball.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour. 

Lightly butter a 22 cm springform pan and dust with flour, shaking off the excess and making sure every inch is evenly covered. On a floured surface, roll out 3/4 of your dough into a circle, saving the rest for the top of the pie.  Transfer to the prepared pan and evenly press the dough up against the edges of the pan. Fill with the apples.

Roll out the rest of the dough into a disk of approximately 1/2 cm thickness. Cut out strips of dough about 1 cm wide and arrange over the pie in a criss-cross pattern.

Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg yolk and bake on the lowest rack of your oven for one hour.  Cover with foil and bake for another fifteen minutes. 

Warm up the apricot jam in a pan until it acquires a more liquid consistency. Remove from the heat.  Take your pie out of the oven and immediately brush with apricot jam while it is still hot. Let it cool on a wire rack for at least fifteen minutes before removing the ring. 

Paola's Hollandse Appeltaart

Foodie Facts:

•  Apple season starts in September but the fruit is usually harvested between late August and October.  Although apples are available as late as April, storage affects their quality.  Therefore, your best bet is to enjoy them up until the end of December.
• Goudreinettes were first cultivated by the Ottolander family in the mid 19th century and originally went by the name of Schone van Boskoop or 'Beauty from Boskoop'. Not only did the apples bear the name of the Dutch town where they were first grown, but the name itself was also a wise marketing strategy.  Fruits with the prettiest names were the ones most likely to sell! 

Tips:

• Make your own vanilla sugar by putting a few vanilla pods in a jar with granulated sugar. You can do the same with cinnamon sticks or even with a sprig of rosemary. Use the vanilla/cinnamon sugar to add a nice accent to your desserts. Also delicious in coffee or warm milk. The rosemary sugar is excellent with all tomato-based sauces.
• If you don't have a food processor the dough can be made by hand.  It does require a little more energy and patience!  First, mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) and then rub in the butter with the tips of your fingers until the mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Add the egg yolk (beaten if doing by hand) and the water.  Knead until the dough comes together and proceed as directed.

*related*Blogger Paola Duque-Westbe Paola Duque-Westbeek has a passion for good food and the Dutch culture of the Golden Age. She has obtained a BA in Dutch Studies at the University of Leiden with an emphasis on Dutch 17th century painting.  In the future she hopes to publish a book about pure food and eating well."

For more information on Paola and culinary delights visit Paola's blog
In my life.

Photos by Paola Duque-Westbeek.

4 October 2007

[Copyright Expatica 2007]