Eye Candy

Art Culinaire, Winter, 2003 by Carol M. Newman

For the cider jelly: In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add apples, reduce heat to low and cover to infuse for two hours. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and add apple cider. In a small saucepan, heat simple syrup and add gelatin. Add simple syrup mixture to the apple cider mixture. Place onto a small sheet pan and refrigerate until set. Remove from refrigerator and cut into cubes.

For the nests: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay the feuille de brik on a flat surface. Brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Cut into thin strips. On a sheet tray, place twelve 3-inch ring molds and make "nests" with feuille de brik strips. Save 12 strips for garnish and lay out on sheet tray. Place in oven and bake until golden brown. Remove from mold when cool.

For the apples: In a medium saucepan, melt sugar until golden brown. Reduce heat and mix in butter cubes until combined. Arrange apples in sugar mixture and cook on medium heat. Turn apples to cook on both sides until tender. Remove from saucepan and set aside, keeping warm.

To serve: Place a nest on plate, layer with apples, then place another nest on top. Scoop ice cream on top of nest and garnish plate with powdered sugar, apple cider cubes and feuille de brik garnishes.

ingredients

For the ice cream:

12 ounces milk

2 ounces powdered milk

9 ounces cream

2 ounces butter

2 ounces glucose

1 egg yolk

3 ounces granulated sugar

1 teaspoon stabilizer

2 ounces Armagnac

For the cider jelly:

4 ounces water

2 Granny Smith apples, sliced

5 ounces apple cider

2 ounces simple syrup

2 gelatin leaves, softened in cool water

For the nests:

6 feuille de brik sheets*

1 ounce butter, melted

2 ounces granulated sugar

For the apples:

5 ounces granulated sugar

3 ounces butter, cubed

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and quartered

For the garnish:

Powdered sugar

* Available through Paris Gourmet at (800) PASTRY-1.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

RELATED ARTICLE: Banana Samosas and Coconut Sorbet with Hazelnut-Praline Foam (Serves 6)

Jeff Lehuede

directions

For the sherbet: In a bowl, combine yogurt and coconut milk. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, glucose and sugar to a boil. Add gelatin and whisk sugar mixture into yogurt mixture. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

For the hazelnut foam: In a medium saucepan, bring hazelnut paste and cream to a boil. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolk and sugar, until thick and pale. Remove cream mixture from heat and temper egg yolk mixture, adding one-third of cream mixture while whisking constantly. Whisk remaining cream mixture into the tempered egg yolk mixture. Add gelatin to dissolve and set in an ice bath until chilled. Transfer to a whipped cream dispenser and keep refrigerated.

For the samosas: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saute pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add bananas and cook until browned. Brush feuille de brik sheets with clarified butter. Square off sheets and cut four 1 1/2-inch wide strips from each sheet. Place two slices of banana and a few pieces of chocolate at the shorter edge of the feuille de brik. Fold feuille de brik at an angle to form a triangle; continue folding triangles until the remaining feuille de brik is used. Repeat process making 11 more samosas. Set on a sheet pan and bake in oven until golden brown.