Vongerichten's Apple Confit

[cjsadler]

It involves 15 apples and a 6 hour cooking time-- looks intriguing. However, I remember reading somewhere here on eGullet that there's something seriously wrong with this recipe. Besides being in the Jean-Georges collaboration with Mark Bittman, the recipe is also now in that new Bittman vs. the Chefs book.

[aidensnd2]

Anyone have the recipe?

[alanamoana]

you don't really need a recipe to make something similar...

slice apples really thin (preferably with a meat slicer or something that slices around the apple to make one long sheet of apple)

make a flavored hard caramel/toffee base (usually seasoned with cinnamon and other appropriate spices) cool the caramel (should be hard) break it up into pieces and then pulverize this in a food processor, then set aside.

in a pan, layer apple slices with tiny knobs of butter and the caramel powder until it reaches the top of the pan or you run out of apples.

roast either on a really low temperature or in a water bath (covered) for at least four hours.

cool (best in fridge), and slice to serve accompanied with whatever else that goes good with apples

there's another version of it in Frederic Bau's "Au Coeur de Saveurs" pastry book.

[Pam R]

Alana - thanks for posting that. It sounds great - and a perfect something to try for Rosh Hashana next week.

[John DePaula]

you don't really need a recipe to make something similar...

slice apples really thin (preferably with a meat slicer or something that slices around the apple to make one long sheet of apple)

make a flavored hard caramel/toffee base (usually seasoned with cinnamon and other appropriate spices)  cool the caramel (should be hard) break it up into pieces and then pulverize this in a food processor, then set aside.

in a pan, layer apple slices with tiny knobs of butter and the caramel powder until it reaches the top of the pan or you run out of apples.

roast either on a really low temperature or in a water bath (covered) for at least four hours.

cool (best in fridge), and slice to serve accompanied with whatever else that goes good with apples

there's another version of it in Frederic Bau's "Au Coeur de Saveurs" pastry book.

←

OMG, that sounds too good to eat... almost.

ETA: Well, now I'm jealous and want to buy the F. Bau books!!!

Edited September 15, 2006 by John DePaula (log)

[Gary]

I tried this recipe a few years ago. It came out kind of like an apple marmalade. Definitely not worth the effort IMHO. Maybe the recipe and me were defective. It uses up a lot of apples... a good thing in the fall season here in Michigan.

[milla]

there's another version of it in Frederic Bau's "Au Coeur de Saveurs" pastry book.

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...and another version, in fact the same one in Marc Meneau's Musee Gourmand published in 1993 or 94.

Only in French.

[MichaelB]

I have done it a couple of times. Came out beautifully. The cooking time is seriously off in the recipe, however. I think my wife has notes on the page in the book but cooking for 12 to 14 hours seems to be what I recall.

[milla]

I have done it a couple of times.  Came out beautifully.  The cooking time is seriously off in the recipe, however.  I think my wife has notes on the page in the book but cooking for 12 to 14 hours seems to be what I recall.

←

overnight cooking has worked real well with this recipe.

[reenicake]

We used to make this at a restaurant I worked at.. (nicole, are you here?) and you can also use honey. It is all over the place, not credited to anyone in particular --Herme has them in his book as 24-hour apples. Not my fav thing to do with apples for the time and effort of layering and cooking, but that is a personal opinion based on overdose of making a hotel pan full three times a week.