Chaussons aux Pommes

Crisp apples, with lemon or lime juice and zest and just a bit of sugar, cook down into the best chunky applesauce, the perfect filling for puff pastry chaussons or slippers. 

Le Marché du Petit Robinson  – the twice-weekly market - was but a block and a half away from our house just south of Paris in the ville of L'Haÿ-les-Roses. Every Wednesday and Saturday morning, starting just before 8 a.m., the neighbors would start to filter past, the elderly pulling their two-wheeled shopping carts, the younger set pushing their children in strollers, all on their way to the market. Some days the girls and I would join them, even if we didn’t really need anything because 1. It was an outing and moms with toddlers can always use an outing, especially when the weather is grey and 2. There were always tasty items to snack on and fresh produce to peruse once we got there.

We drooled over shiny fruit and the soft cheeses, often helping ourselves to the little chunks of artisan saucisson or spicy olives that were proffered for tasting but our favorite stall was always the baked goods. There were hefty seeded loaves as big as your head and almost as heavy; rustic baguettes with their crunchy exteriors and chewy interiors full of holes and flavor; pain aux raisins, spirals of buttery pastry filled with raisins and brushed to a high gloss with a sticky sweet glaze and last but never least, little puff pastry “slippers” which had been filled with chunky applesauce and baked till fluffy and golden. If you arrived early enough some were still warm!

When I read that the theme for this week’s Sunday Supper was Farmstand Foods, I couldn’t resist trying to recreate the little chaussons or slippers. Just the aroma of them baking in the oven brought me back! Isn’t it funny how smells can evoke such strong memories, perhaps even more than photos will do?

Two years ago for a similar Sunday Supper theme, we celebrated farmer's markets and I posted a number photos from a French market for those who wanted to drool a little. This seems like a good time to share them again, along with my cherry clafoutis.

In the wee hours of tomorrow morning, I’ll be headed back to France for a visit and you can be certain that I’ll be browsing as many markets as I can find along my road trip route from Nantes to Chinon and down to Bordeaux!

Follow along with me on Instagram! 

My recipe was adapted from this one on Meilleur du Chef.

Ingredients
For about 1 1/2 cups or 395g applesauce or compote, as it is called in French:
1 lb 4 oz or 560 g apples – three large apples
Zest plus 2 tablespoons juice from fresh lemon or lime
1 rounded tablespoon or 15g butter
1/4 cup or 50g sugar (plus more to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

You may not use it all of the applesauce in the chaussons, but it is also delicious eaten straight from the bowl with a spoon.

For the chausson crusts:
11 1/3 oz or 320g readymade puff pastry dough

To brush on before baking:
2 tablespoons milk

Method
Zest and juice your lemon or lime and put the zest and juice in a bowl that will be large enough to hold your apples, once peeled and chopped.

Peel, core and chop your apples into chunks. Add them to the juice bowl, as each one is done and stir well. This will stop the apples from turning brown.

Pour the apples into a small pot that has a lid and add in the sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Stir well.

Cook over a medium flame, covered for the first 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. There is no need to add liquid, as the apples will release their juice.

After the apples start to soften, you can remove the lid and lower the flame. Let the apples cook until the liquid is just about gone and you have a thick, chunky applesauce. You can mash gently with a fork but make sure to leave some chunks.

Allow to cool and taste to see if you need a little more sugar. I didn’t add any but I like things tart.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with baking parchment or a silicone mat.

Meanwhile, line your clean work surface with cling film and make a template out of paper. I used a very large coffee mug and traced the two halves of the base about an inch and a half or three centimeters apart, then connected the halves to create an elongated shape that is not quite oval, but rather a circle that’s been stretched in the middle. (Actual dimensions: 10 x 14cm or 4 x 5.5 in) You can make a simple circle, instead of the traditional “slipper” shape, but you won’t have as much room for filling.

Roll out your puff pastry on the cling film big enough to accommodate at least six of your template.

Lay the template on the puff pastry and cut around it with a sharp knife, taking care not to cut all the way through the cling film.

Remove the excess puff pastry from around the cut pieces. (You can bake these bits after the chaussons, rolled in a little cinnamon sugar for a sweet snack.)

Brush the puff pastry that remains with a little water around the edges and add a healthy spoon of applesauce in the middle of each.

Fold one side over and gently try to remove all of the air inside as you seal the edges together.

Transfer the chaussons to your prepared baking sheet. If they are stuck down, lift the cling film from under them to help them release.

If you have a pastry cutter, you can make a decorative edge but this is completely optional.

Lightly score the tops of the chaussons with a sharp knife, making sure not to cut all the way through. I use my negi cutter for this job but any very sharp knife or a lame will do.

Brush the tops with a little milk and bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden and puffy. They are super puffy when they first come out.

Then they deflate a little.

Allow the chaussons to cool somewhat before biting into one. That applesauce is going to be hot!

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our Sunday Supper host for the Farmstand Food event, Colleen of FoodieTots, ably assisted by veteran host, DB of Crazy Foodie Stunts.

Appetizers, Sides and Salads

• 8 Grain Bread by What Smells So Good?
• Farm Fresh Gazpacho by An Appealing Plan
• Farmer's Market Potato Salad by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Fennel and Orange Salad by Feeding Big - and more!
• Gazpacho Shooters with Avocado and Corn Salsa by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Grilled Peach Caprese by A Gouda Life
• Grilled Prosciutto Corn by Palatable Pastime
• Peach Caprese Salad by The Joyful Foodie
• Radish Top Pesto by Our Good Life

Entreés

• Carrot Ravioli with Broccoli-Ricotta Filling by Caroline's Cooking
• Farmers Market Pizza by Simply Healthy Family
• Farmstand Kebobs with Tahini Dipping Sauce by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Gemista (Greek Stuffed Tomatoes) by Curious Cuisiniere
• Halibut with Sugar Snap Peas, Mushrooms and Potatoes en Papillote by Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Spaghetti and Zoodles with Vegetable Bolognese by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Pesto by Tasting Page
• Squash Blossom, Zucchini and Gouda Frittata by FoodieTots
• Sweet Corn Chowder with Crabmeat by The Redhead Baker
• Vegetable and Chicken Shish Kabobs by The Freshman Cook
• Ziti with Bacon and Greens by Cooking Chat

Desserts

• Chaussons aux Pommes by Food Lust People Love
• Classic Peach Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Dairy Free Peach Mango Lassis with Coconut Whipped Cream by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Lemon Curd Raspberry Crumb Bars by Wallflour Girl
• Lemon Tart by Brunch with Joy
• Peach Berry Cocktail by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Peach Cobbler with Blueberry Biscuits by Food Done Light
• Raspberry Rhubarb Sweet Rolls by Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Triple Cherry Crisp by Pies and Plots

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Banana Pecan Bundt with Bananas Foster Frosting #BundtBakers

Mashed bananas and cream cheese add moisture and flavor to this wonderfully nutty Bundt cake, topped with rum-spiked bananas Foster frosting. 

Thanks to our creative host, Shilpi from Simply Veggies, this month’s Bundt Bakers theme is fruit and nuts. Any fruit or combination of fruits AND any nut or combination of nuts, but the Bundt has to have both fruit and nuts. My mind was swirling with the infinite possibilities, but I finally settled on bananas because there is hardly anything that adds both flavor and moistness to a cake like mashed ripe bananas, unless it’s softened cream cheese. And, with the two together, magic happens. My favorite nut is always pecan, so I added a generous helping of those. And then, the bananas and pecans reminded me of a muffin I made a couple of years back, based on that famous New Orleans dessert, Bananas Foster, and before I knew it, I was making a sort of Bananas Foster frosting too, but with added cream cheese. I hope you are going to like this one as much as I did!

Ingredients
3/4 cup or 170g butter, softened
8 oz or 227g cream cheese, softened (13 Kiri squares, if that’s your brand, like it is mine here in Dubai.)
1 1/2 cups or 300g sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups or 375g all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (1 1/4 pounds or 570g unpeeled bananas, about 4 medium)
2 cups or 210g chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Bananas Foster frosting:
2 tablespoons or 45g butter
1/3 cup, packed, or 66g dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 medium banana
2 tablespoons rum
1/4 cup or 26g chopped pecans
2 oz or 26g cream cheese (4 1/3 Kiri squares)


Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease and flour a large Bundt pan. (I like to use the baking spray that has flour in it. The pan is my Nordic Ware Anniversary Bundt pan.) Add a 1/4 cup or about 26g of the chopped toasted pecans to the pan. Set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. In another smaller bowl, mash your ripe bananas with a fork.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy and light. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between.

Add in the flour and mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the mashed bananas and the vanilla. Beat again for about one minute.

Fold in the rest of the pecans.

Spoon the batter into your prepared Bundt pan and bake in your preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes, tenting the top with foil if it looks like it’s browning too quickly near the end. Do not do what I did which was to turn the oven off when the timer rang and forget to take it out for another 10 minutes! As you can see from the photos, it turned out a little darker than it should have.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before  turning the banana pecan Bundt out of the pan. Leave to cool completely before frosting.

To make the bananas Foster frosting, melt your brown sugar and butter in a small skillet, along with the pinch of salt and cinnamon.

Chop your banana into small pieces and add them to the pan.

Cook for several minutes on a low to medium flame, stirring occasionally. When the mixture has thickened a little, add in the rum and stir well.

Add in the chopped pecans and stir again. Remove from the heat leave to cool for a few minutes.

Now add in the cream cheese, cut or broken into small pieces. Stir until it’s all melted and no little white bits are showing. I must confess that I prefer the color of the frosting without the cream cheese because it’s a nice warm shiny brown and the cream cheese dulls it, but the flavor is great!

Spoon the frosting on your cooled Bundt cake and spread it around so a little slides down the sides.

Enjoy!

Dark still delicious!

• Almond Rhubarb Bundt Cake from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Aloha Bundt Cake from Olivia at Liv for Cake
• Apple Pecan Bundt Cake from Bea and Mara at I Love Bundt Cakes
• Apricot-Almond Bundt Cake from Cali at Cali’s Cuisine
• Banana Peanut Butter Bundt Cake from Jana at Jenny and Sweets
• Banana Monkey Bundt Cake from Los Chatos Chefs at Los Chatos Chefs
• Banana Pecan Bundt with Bananas Foster Frosting from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Banana Split Bundt Cake from Andrea at Adventures in All Things Food
• Blueberry Cherry Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel from Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Cherry and Almond Bundt Cake from Lara at Tartacadabra
• Cherry and Nuts Bundt Cake from Diego at La Mejor Manera de Hacer
• Cherry and Sliced Almond Mini Bundt Cakes from Teri at The Freshman Cook
• Cherry Pistachio and Honey Bundt Cake from Ethel at eating in instead
• Cinnamon Raisin Coffee Cake from Vonnie at My Catholic Kitchen
• Eggless Mango Almond Bundt Cake from Shilpi at Simply Veggies
• Generra Bundt Cake from Kelly at Passion Kneaded
• Lemon Lime Pistachio Bundt Cake from Rocío at kidsandchic
• Orange and Pecan Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache from Deepti at Baking Yummies
• Orange Blossom Honey Nut and Blueberry Cake from Anshie at Spice Roots
• Peach and Pecan Bundt from Catherine at Living The Gourmet
• Peach Coffee Cake from Julie at Eat, Drink, Be Mighty
• Pineapple-Pecan Bundt Cake from Kathya at Basic N Delicious
• Pineapple Sundae Bundt Cake from Colleen at Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Pomegranate and Pistachio Kugelhopf from Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
• Roasted Banana and Black Walnut Bundt Cake from Terri at Our Good Life
• Summer Fig Bundt from Margaret at Tea and Scones
• Vegan Orange Ripple Rhubarb Cake with Pistachio Sauce from June at How to Philosophize with Cake

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

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Oatmeal Stout Loaf #BreadBakers

The dark brown sugar and rich oatmeal stout give this loaf more than a subtle sweetness, making it perfect for breakfast or slathered with butter for a mid-morning snack. It's delicious plain or toasted and is complemented both by jam or/and some sharp and salty cheese.

One of my favorite places to browse around in Houston is the main headquarters of an immense gourmet specialties and liquor store called Spec’s, sitting large on three blocks (with ample parking) in an area that is now called Midtown. When I was growing up, we’d have just said, it’s a little south of Downtown. Back then the neighborhood was all run-down wood framed houses, with peeling paint, sagging front porches and inhabitants whose equally downturned expressions reflected the hardship of life in a big hot, humid city where air conditioning was too expensive to run. And Spec’s was just a small neighborhood liquor store. The nearest grocery store was a Fiesta at least a mile and a half away at the squalid south edge, wedged almost under a freeway, between that end of south Downtown and the seedy north end of Montrose, what would later become part of the Museum District.

Now Midtown boasts shiny apartment buildings with faux balconies, grocery stores, trendy restaurants and fern-festooned wine bars and property values have soared accordingly. I don’t know if this was good or bad news for the original folks who lived there but it’s certainly a sign of prosperity and renewal for Houston’s inner city.

A number of years ago, Spec’s even started carrying a selection of deli meats and cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables along with fresh baked artisanal bread and some refrigerated items, along with the gourmet canned goods, liquor, wine and beer, so I guess, theoretically, you could do a lot of your shopping there, assuming your food budget would allow such expenditure. I understand they even serve a plate lunch come midday. Me, I go for the cheese and alcohol.

You are probably wondering at this point when, if ever, I’m going to get to the bread. Almost there now.

My libation of choice this summer was a cocktail, yet unnamed, consisting of the delicious combination of Texas’ own Deep Eddy Ruby Red vodka, a good squeeze of lime, club soda and just a capful of Campari over ice. And I can highly recommend it. But while I was at Spec’s buying those refreshing ingredients, I spied some bottles of oatmeal stout and my mind jumped ahead to this month’s Bread Bakers theme of oats. Unfortunately for that brand, it came only in six packs. A helpful Spec’s employee – they are everywhere and very knowledgeable – found this Texas-brewed one for me instead, saying it was actually much better than my first pick anyway. The Convict Hill oatmeal stout has overtones of chocolate and toasted barley, the bitterness softened by the addition of flakey oats. And I knew it would be a great addition to an oaty yeast loaf.

Many thanks to our host this month, Rocío from kidsandchic. We have a record number of oaty breads for you this month – 28 in all – so make sure to scroll down and check them all out.

Ingredients
1/4 oz or 7g active rapid rise dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup firmly packed or 100g dark brown sugar
1 cup or 100g quick cook whole grain oats
1 1/4 cups or 295ml oatmeal stout, at room temperature
1/4 cup or 60g unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for buttering pan
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups or 310-375g unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

To finish:
2-3 tablespoons oatmeal stout
Healthy sprinkle quick cook whole grain oats

Method
In a small bowl, add your yeast with one tablespoon of the brown sugar and the two tablespoons of warm water. Stir gently then leave aside for about five minutes. We are checking to see that the yeast is still alive. It should bubble up and get foamy. If it doesn’t, buy some new yeast and start again.

Foamy and we are good to go!

To a very large mixing bowl, add the oatmeal and the oatmeal stout. Stir well and leave for about five minutes so the oatmeal can soften slightly.

Add in the rest of the brown sugar, the yeast mixture, melted butter and the salt and stir well to combine.

Add in your flour a few big spoons full at a time, mixing well in between. Keep adding and mixing until you have a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about five minutes, adding a sprinkle of flour as necessary.

Let rest, covered with an inverted bowl, about 15 minutes. If you aren’t using the rapid rise yeast, allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Butter your 9x5x3 in or 23x13x8cm loaf pan. Form dough into a loaf shape and transfer to pan. Brush surface of dough with oatmeal stout and sprinkle with oats.

Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Bake bread in middle of oven 45 to 50 minutes, or until browned and bottom sounds hollow when tapped. If it’s browning too quickly, cover with foil. I usually double check for doneness with a thermometer as well. Internal loaf temperature should be about 190°F or 88°C.

Turn loaf out onto rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

And here I give you our Bread Bakers' Ode to Oats, in 28 lines.

• Agave Oatmeal Sour Dough Bread from My Catholic Kitchen
• Applesauce Oatmeal Bread from Hostess at Heart
• Banana Oatmeal Loaf from Basic N Delicious
• Blueberry Currant Oatmeal Bread from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Honey Oatmeal Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Honey Oatmeal Bread from Recipes, Food and Cooking
• Honey-Oatmeal Muffins from A Baker's House
• Honey Oats Bread Loaf from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Honey Nut Oatmeal Waffles from Magnolia Days
• Honey Wheat Oat Bread from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Irish Oat and Whole Wheat Bread from Cali's Cuisine
• Lemon Blueberry Oat Bread from Kids & Chic
• Multigrain Twist Bread from What Smells So Good?
• Oat Breadsticks from Passion Kneaded
• Oatmeal and Whole Wheat Rolls from Sneha's Recipe
• Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread from Ruchik Randhap
• Oatmeal Porridge Sandwich Loaf from Bakers and Best
• Oatmeal Stout Loaf from Food Lust People Love
• Oat & Honey Bread from La Cocina de Aisha
• Oats and Millet Idli from Spice Roots
• Oats Bread with Maple and Walnut by Cook's Hideout
• Oats Garlic Kulcha from SimplyVeggies
• Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chips Oatmeal Scones from G'Gina's Kitchenette
• Rolled Oat Sourdough Boule from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Savory Oats Scones from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Triple Seeded Oat Bread from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread from Spill the Spices

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Disclaimer: No one has compensated me in any way to say nice things about Spec's. I just like the place.

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