Cider infused caramelized apple tart with grapefruit jam by Jacquy Pfeiffer - Pastry Recipes in So Good Magazine (2024)

For Jacquy Pfeiffer, equilibrium is the most important parameter to consider when creating a new pastry item. The co-founder of The French Pastry School is convinced that anyone can make pastry combining ingredients and components, but that it takes time and work to find the right balance of flavors, textures, and simplicity.

The experienced pastry chef ensures that tomorrow’s customers are more informed and look for tasty, fresh, and healthy products like this Cider Infused Caramelized Apple Tart with Grapefruit Jam, of which we detail the recipe below.

Cider infused caramelized apple

Yield two 9” tarts

• 7 u Braeburn apples
• 75 g butter 82% fat
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 1/2 u vanilla bean
• 35 gCalvados liquor (optional)
• 2 g fine sea salt
• 250 g organic fresh apple juice
• 250 g Organic apple cider

Make a caramel with the sugar on medium heat in a medium sauce pan using a high heat rubber spatula. Deglaze with the soft butter. Add the apple juice in 3 additions. Add the salt, calvados and vanilla bean split in half. Peel, cut in half and core the apples. Fill 10 ramequin dishes or disposable aluminum cupcake cups halfway with the cooking juice. Put a ½ apple in each cup and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour 40 minutes at 146°C/295°F and let cool for 30 minutes.Take the apples out of the cups and drain them on the flat side on a wire rack for 12 hours in the refrigerator.

Hazelnut Praline Paste

• 100 g granulated sugar
• 65 g water
• 1/4 u vanilla bean
• 150 g whole skinned hazelnuts

The hazelnuts skins lend a bitter taste so it is better to remove it by toasting the hazelnuts in a 325◦F oven for 8 minutes. As they come out of the oven, rub the nuts in a towel or over a sifter until most of the skins fall off. Keep the hazelnuts warm and cook the sugar, vanilla and water to 115ºC/239ºF in a sauce pan. Remove the pan from the heat and add the warm nuts. Stir the nuts and sugar syrup until the mixture begins to sand. The syrup will crystallize and look sandy. Place the pan back on medium heat and continue cooking until the sugar melts and caramelizes evenly around the nuts. If your sugar starts to smoke, the heat is too high and you will need to reduce it. Turn off the heat when the nuts are roasted in the center and the caramel is golden brown. Quickly pour the nuts out onto a Silpat silicone mat and let them cool completely. Break them up in chunks and blend them in a food processor until it turns into a paste. Reserve in an airtight container in a cool place.

Hazelnut Financier

• 132 g confectioners’ sugar
• 48 g skinless hazelnut powder
• 48 g cake flour
• 1 g baking powder
• 72 g butter 82% fat
• 132 g fresh egg whites
• 12 g hazelnut praline paste
• 1 g pink grapefruit zests
• 5 g hazelnut oil
• 2 g fine sea salt
• 1/2 u scraped vanilla beanr
• 12 g Honey

Sift the confectioners’ sugar, hazelnut powder, flour and baking powder. Cook the butter slowly in a small sauce pan while stirring until it turn light brown. Mix the egg whites with the praline paste, pink grapefruit zest, hazelnut oil, sea salt, vanilla bean and honey. Mix with the dry ingredients. Add the strained hot butter. Reserve in a mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap for 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Note: the hazelnut powder can be substituted with almond powder.

Hazelnut Sablé Dough

• 120 g butter 82% fat
• 200 g cake flour
• 2 g sea salt
• 25 g hazelnut powder
• 75 g confectioners’ sugar
• 55 g fresh egg yolks
• 2 g vanilla extract

Mix the butter with the cake flour and salt in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment until it gets a sandy consistency. Add the hazelnut powder and confectioner’s sugar. Gradually add the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Note: the hazelnut powder can be substituted with almond powder.

Pink Grapefruit and Grenadine Jam

• 250 g water
• 1 g fine sea salt
• 15 g pink grapefruit zest
• 20 g granulated sugar
• 3,75 g pectin
• 25 g pomegranate juice
• 140 g organic pink grapefruit segments
• 35 g sugar

Boil the water and salt in a medium sauce pan. Boil the zests in salted water for 2 minutes, and then rinse with cold water. Mix the pectin with the 20grams of sugar. Heat the pomegranate juice and grapefruit segments at 40°C/104°F. Add the pectin/ sugar mix and boil for 2 minutes. Add the remaining sugar and zest. Cook for about 2 minutes or until thick. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate until needed.
Note: This type of jam or a similar type of citrus can be purchased in a gourmet store should you need to.

Montage

• 40 g skinless hazelnut powder
• 40 g skinless crushed hazelnuts

Cut the dough in half and roll each piece to a 2mm/1/16” thickness. Line a 9” tart pan with each piece and dock the surface with a fork. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place a piece of parchment paper inside the tart and fill with pie weights. Bake at 163°C/325°F for 25 minutes and let cool. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights and let cool. Spread 80g of the grapefruit jam on the bottom of each pre-baked tart shell using a small offset spatula. Sprinkle 20g of roasted hazelnut powder on it. Pipe 170g of the financier mix in each tart shell, and then spread evenly with a small offset spatula. Sprinkle 20g of roasted hazelnut powder on it. Arrange 7 half cooked apples flat side down in each tart. Sprinkle 20g of crushed hazelnuts on each tart and dust confectioners’ sugar on them. Bake at 163°C/325°F for 35 min, let cool on a wire rack and un-mold.
Note: The hazelnuts and hazelnut powder can be substituted with almonds.