Patisserie week
Technical Challenge - Tarte aux Pommes
The apple tart should consist of a short buttery pastry case filled with a smooth almond frangipane and apple puree, topped with glazed apple slices.
2.5 hours was assigned for this task.
Technical Challenge
Prue Leith "The perfect tarte aux pommes needs to go into the oven three times. The first is the 'blind bake' for the pastry and is the most important to avoid the 'soggy bottom'. This bake is also important to set the color of the finished product. The second bake is to set the frangipane and the third bake cooks the apples. Those sliced apples need to be really, really thin otherwise (a) they won't get baked enough and (b) they look clumsy.
What we heard from the bakers ...
Making the Pastry
Matty wondered whether or not to use the stand mixer for making the pastry. Josh, on the other hand, was adamant about the extra control he would get if he made the pastry by hand. In Prue Leith's full recipe, the pastry (which is pâte brisée) is made by hand.
Pâte brisée is characterized by its short, crumbly texture. This is achieved by combining flour and butter in a process called "sablage." In sablage, the flour and butter are rubbed together until they form a coarse, crumbly mixture. The water is then added gradually, just until the dough comes together.
Apple Purée
It's important to remember that the bakers on The Great British Baking Show ™ are not only working against the clock - they are also given, for the Technical Challenge, only partial instructions.
Matty wondered, out loud, how small to chop the apples. One of the most important factors is that the diced apple pieces are even, so that they all cook at the same time.
In her recipe, Prue Leith specifies cubes of 1 cm (0.2 inches).
Cooking Times
The issue of 'how long to blind bake the pastry?' became pretty important in the semi-finals of The Great British Baking Show ™, mainly because this was mistake-time for Tasha.
Prue Leith's recipe calls for 20 minutes, which was exactly what Josh guessed. Tasha, however, seemingly scared of over-baking, opted for only 10 minutes and she suffered in the judging for this decision. In fairness, it's easy to understand her reasoning - this recipe has three passes in the oven and it's usually smarter to underestimate than to over-cook.
Calvados
Calvados is an apple brandy that is produced in the Pays d'Auge region of Normandy, France. It is made from fermented apple cider that is distilled twice in copper pot stills. The resulting spirit is then aged in oak barrels for at least two years, and longer aging can lead to a more complex and refined flavor. It is NOT cheap.
Calvados has a rich, complex flavor that is reminiscent of apples, vanilla, caramel, and oak. The flavor will vary depending on the variety of Calvados, the age of the spirit, and the type of oak barrels in which it was aged.
Nappage
"Nappage" is a French word derived from the verb 'napper' which means to cover something with sauce. In cooking, it usually means the same thing as 'glaze'.
Apricot nappage, also known as apricot glaze, is a smooth, glossy sauce made from apricot puree, sugar, and sometimes liqueur. It is a popular glaze for pastries, pies, cakes, and other desserts. Apricot nappage adds a touch of sweetness and elegance to desserts, and it can also help to keep the edges of pastries from becoming dry or crumbly.
Judging
Matty - pastry was slightly undercooked but well baked. Apples were very neat.
Tasha - pastry was almost raw and looked very messy, but the flavor was good, especially the frangipane.
Josh (winner) - pastry melted in the mouth. Flavor was great and the apples looked neat and professional.
Dan - pastry was cracked but well baked. He hadn't added enough Calvados to the frangipane (recipe calls for 2 tablespoons).
