The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (351 page)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Classic French restaurants have mastered the fiery theatrics of this tableside treat. We wanted to develop a recipe that would comfortably guide the home cook through the flambé process. For a foolproof flambé that didn’t create a frightening fireball or, conversely, didn’t burn at all, we ignited the alcohol (cognac) alone in the skillet before building the sauce. We then enriched a reduction of butter, sugar, and orange juice with additional orange juice, orange zest, and triple sec. Before saucing, we sprinkled our crêpes with sugar and broiled them, forming a crunchy, sugary barrier that provided partial protection from the sauce, so our crêpes didn’t turn soggy.

SERVES 6

To allow for practice, the recipe yields about 16 crêpes; only 12 are needed for the dish. We prefer crêpes made with whole milk, but skim milk or 1 percent or 2 percent low-fat milk can also be used. Before flambéing, be sure to roll up long shirtsleeves, tie back long hair, and turn off the exhaust fan and any lit burners.

CRÊPES

ORANGE SAUCE

1. FOR THE CRÊPES:
Process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 10 seconds. Transfer to bowl.

2.
Brush bottom and sides of 10-inch nonstick skillet lightly with melted butter and heat skillet over medium heat. Pour in scant ¹⁄
₄
cup batter in slow, steady stream, twirling skillet slowly until bottom is evenly covered. Cook crêpe until it starts to lose its opaqueness and turns spotty light golden brown on bottom, 30 seconds to 1 minute, loosening edge with rubber spatula. Gently slide spatula underneath edge of crêpe, grasp edge with fingertips, and flip crêpe. Cook until dry on second side, about 20 seconds.

3.
Transfer cooked crêpe to wire rack, inverting so spotted side is facing up. Return pan to heat, brush pan lightly with butter and heat for 10 seconds before repeating with remaining batter. As crêpes are done, stack on wire rack. (Cooked crêpes can be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days; bring them to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.)

4. FOR THE ORANGE SAUCE:
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Heat 3 tablespoons cognac in 12-inch broiler-safe skillet over medium heat just until warmed through, about 5 seconds. Off heat, wave lit match over pan until cognac ignites, then shake pan to distribute flames.

5.
When flames subside, add 1 cup orange juice, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar and simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally, until many large bubbles appear and mixture reduces to thick syrup, 6 to 8 minutes (you should have just over ¹⁄
₂
cup sauce). Transfer sauce to small bowl; do not wash skillet. Stir remaining ¹⁄
₄
cup orange juice, orange zest, orange liqueur, and remaining 1 tablespoon cognac into sauce; cover to keep warm.

6.
To assemble, fold each crêpe in half, then fold into quarters. Arrange 9 folded crêpes around edge of now-empty skillet, with rounded edges facing inward, overlapping as necessary to fit. Arrange remaining 2 crêpes in center of pan. Sprinkle crêpes evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Broil until sugar caramelizes and crêpes turn spotty brown, about 5 minutes. (Watch crêpes constantly to prevent scorching; turn pan as necessary.) Carefully remove pan from oven and pour half of sauce over crêpes, leaving some areas uncovered. Transfer crêpes to individual plates and serve immediately, passing extra sauce separately.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Applesauce should taste like apples, but all too often the tart, sweet, and fruity nuances of fresh apple flavor are overpowered by sweeteners and spices. We wanted a smooth, thick sauce with fresh apple flavor but not too much sweetness or spice. First, we chose the right apple. Among our favorites are Jonagold, Jonathan, Pink Lady, and Macoun, which all produced a sauce with a pleasing balance of tart and sweet. We tried blending varieties in combination with each other, but concluded that single-variety sauces had purer, stronger character. Second, we learned it was best not to peel the apples; cooking the fruit with the skin on further boosted flavor in our applesauce recipe. Processing the cooked apples through a food mill, not a food processor or blender, removed the skins and produced a sauce with the silky-smooth, thick texture we were after. Third, we ditched the spices. Adding just a little water, sugar, and a pinch of salt resulted in a perfectly sweetened sauce that tasted first and foremost of apples.

MAKES ABOUT
3¹⁄
₂
CUPS

If you do not own a food mill or prefer applesauce with a coarse texture, peel the apples before coring and cutting them and, after cooking, mash them against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon or against the bottom of the pot with a potato masher. Applesauce made with out-of-season apples may be somewhat drier than applesauce made with in-season apples, so you may need to add more water in step 2 to adjust the texture. This recipe doubles easily; increase the cooking time by 10 to 15 minutes.

1.
Toss apples, water, sugar, and salt in Dutch oven. Cover pot and cook apples over medium-high heat until they begin to break down, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up large chunks.

2.
Process cooked apples through food mill. Season with sugar to taste or add water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. (Applesauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

Add 2 cinnamon sticks to Dutch oven with apples. Cook as directed, removing cinnamon sticks before processing. Alternatively, stir ¹⁄
₄
teaspoon cinnamon into finished applesauce.

Add 4 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries to Dutch oven with apples. Cook and process as directed.

Add three ¹⁄
₂
-inch slices ginger, peeled and smashed, to Dutch oven with apples. Cook as directed, removing ginger before processing.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

This homey (and typically dowdy) dessert is often plagued with a mushy texture and one-dimensional, cloyingly sweet flavor. We wanted baked apples that were tender and firm with a filling that perfectly complemented their sweet, tart flavor. Granny Smith, with its firm flesh and tart, fruity flavor, was the best apple for the job. To ensure that our fruit avoided even the occasional collapse, we peeled the apples after cutting off the top; this allowed steam to escape and the apples to retain their tender-firm texture. Our filling base of tangy dried cranberries, brown sugar, and pecans benefited from some finessing by way of cinnamon, orange zest, and butter. To punch up the flavor even more, we intensified the nuttiness with chewy rolled oats, and diced apple added substance. A melon baller helped us scoop out a spacious cavity for the filling. We then capped the filled apples with the tops we had lopped off. Once in the oven, the apples were basted with an apple cider and maple syrup sauce and emerged full of flavor—and far from frumpy.

See “KEY STEPS TO BETTER BAKED APPLES” illustrations that follow recipe.

SERVES 6

If you don’t have an ovensafe skillet, transfer the browned apples to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and bake as directed. The recipe calls for seven apples; six are left whole and one is diced and added to the filling. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, core, and cut 1 apple into ¹⁄
₄
-inch dice. Combine diced apple, 5 tablespoons butter, cranberries, pecans, sugar, oats, zest, cinnamon, and salt in bowl; set aside.

2.
Shave thin slice off bottom (blossom end) of remaining 6 apples to allow them to sit flat. Cut top ¹⁄
₂
inch off stem end of apples and reserve. Peel apples and use melon baller or small measuring spoon to remove 1¹⁄
₂
-inch-diameter core, being careful not to cut through bottom of apples.

3.
Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add apples, stem side down, and cook until cut surface is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip apples, reduce heat to low, and spoon filling inside, mounding excess filling over cavities; top with reserved apple caps. Add maple syrup and ¹⁄
₃
cup cider to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until skewer inserted into apples meets little resistance, 35 to 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with maple syrup mixture in pan.

4.
Transfer apples to serving platter. Stir up to 2 tablespoons of remaining cider into sauce in skillet to adjust consistency. Pour sauce over apples and serve.

Substitute coarsely chopped dried cherries for cranberries, coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts for pecans, and pepper for cinnamon.

Substitute coarsely chopped dried figs for cranberries, coarsely chopped toasted macadamia nuts for pecans, lemon zest for orange zest, and ¹⁄
₄
teaspoon ground ginger for cinnamon.

Substitute coarsely chopped raisins for cranberries, coarsely chopped toasted walnuts for pecans, lemon zest for orange zest, and ¹⁄
₄
teaspoon ground nutmeg for cinnamon.

Substitute coarsely chopped dried apricots for cranberries, coarsely chopped toasted almonds for pecans, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for cinnamon.