apple or pear tarts in quantity

[Wendy DeBord]

I'm looking for something outside of the box-yet grounded and very easily done in numbers over 200. Both individual or large sized.

Typical puff pastry base, pastry cream, apple slices-IS BORING/DONE/OVER!

This may sound like an easy task, but I'm talking about/looking for something more cleaver then anything in my books.

It would be ideal if it could be prepped in advance, maybe frozen in the raw state.

If I had any molds I'd think about doing a thin cakelet type base and layer my fruit on last minute. Cakelet, as in, fanincier, madeliene, almond cake. But nothings is jumping out great. You gotta love the crunch of phyllo but that can't hold and is too fragile and messy for bulk work. What about some sort of poured batter base? Some struesel crumbled lightly on top of the fruit.........

Anyone doing something different, yet practical? No pretty concentric apple circles for 200 people...........nothing served warm either.

[bripastryguy]

Wendy,

I make a killer twice baked apple tart, very easy in mass quantity.

I'll get you the exact recipe, this can be done either sheetpan or individual in metal rings as I do them.

Dry caramelize some sugar, vanilla (what you have in stock) and cinnamon sticks. Add butter then immediately add apples , lemon juice and some sparkling cider or mill cider is fine, both work great. Saute apples and breakdown caramel. cook until apples are tender. Add raisins previously soaked in spiced rum. Thicken with cornstarch, pour into a shallow pan, place plastic wrap directly on the surface and chill until needed (will keep for 2-3 days in refrigerator).

I make a cinnamon dough (resembles "Fig Newton") place a disk on the bottom of a metal ring mold that has been previously sprayed with Pam. Scoop in the filling and put a nice covering of streusel on top and bake until both the streusel and the bottom crust are evenly browned. Cool, refrigerate before removing rings. These are great warm or at room temp. I served with cider sabayon, rum raisin caramel and honey cinnamon gelato. I'll get you the exact recipe if you like

[Wendy DeBord]

Sounds good Bri! I'd love the recipe, thank-you!!!

Your filling is very similar to what I do for a cobbler-I really like the cider-in fact I add some cider vinager (just a dash) and vanilla, I think it really enhanses the sauteed apples....

Hope your not offended Bri....but I still want to continue brain storming....if anyone wants to join in????

Your-Brians- recipe would require ind. pans if I wanted to reheat-and I don't have any ind. pans not even muffin tins. The chef I'm working for kills me by not giving me enough time. Typically I need to bang out 200 in an hour or less. He even buys pre-cut pp squares.

Just thinking....maybe keeping the pp is fine but augmenting the apples is what I need to think about. Oh wait-the baked pp doesn't hold in the cooler so great.

Hum....still thinking.........

P.S. Just in case I forgot to mention this Brian- I've been using your tiramisu recipe as my standard-THANKS TONS! I've gotten nice comments from it.

Edited February 27, 2004 by Sinclair (log)

[nightscotsman]

How about this: saute/caramelize apples similar to Brians recipe above, enough for a good layer in a sheet or half sheet pan. Pour over a stove top creme brulee (maybe flavored - cinnamon? calvados? anise? orange?) with a bit of gelatine so it will set enough to slice. Cut in squares or circles, sprinkle some crunchy struesel on plate and place apple/custard on top. Brulee and serve with maybe a caramel sauce, blackberry sauce, or apple soup. Or maybe the creme brulee on top is a chiboust instead?

[melmck]

Here's another idea. Make an apple butter filling, puff pastry, thinly sliced apples. Bake. make a glaze of clear apple juice infused with vanilla beans,lots, and reduce until it is a thick syrup and spread over apples. The syrup adds major apple punch to any apple dessert.

[PastryLady]

How about mini tart tatin. You can do the caramel for the bottoms, have one apple per aluminum shell and have brise or phyllo circles prepped in advance.