french patisserie

This famous pastry from the Loire in France, which resembles the galette des rois, is traditionally made for Epiphany to mark the Three Kings’ visit to the baby Jesus. Debbie Major shares her foolproof recipe with us for a classic almond pithivier. And for a savoury version, try Debbie&#8217;s potato, leek and stilton pithivier.

Classic almond pithivier

Butter

puff pastry

flour

sugar

For the almond paste

butter,

caster sugar

egg,

ground almonds

plain flour, plus extra to dust

tbsp dark rum

Lightly grease 2 baking trays with butter. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a 45cm x 25cm rectangle. Cut out two discs, one measuring 20cm, the other 25cm in diameter (see Debbie’s tips). Transfer to the trays, then chill for 20 minutes.

For the almond paste, cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg and one of the yolks, then stir in the ground almonds, flour and rum.

Remove the pastry discs from the fridge. Spoon the almond paste onto the smaller disc and spread out with a palette knife, leaving a 2.5cm border around the edge and mounding it up in the centre.

Beat the remaining yolk with 1 tsp cold water, then brush a little around the pastry border. Lay the second disc over the filling and press the edges together to seal, smoothing out any trapped air. Crimp the edges between your thumb and forefinger (see food team’s tip). Use the tip of a sharp knife to make a small hole in the centre for the steam to escape, then chill for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Remove the pithivier from the fridge and brush with the rest of the egg glaze. Using the tip of a small, sharp knife, score radial arcs into the pastry, working from the centre outwards and taking care not to cut all the way through. Seal the edges of the pastry carefully to stop the filling leaking out during baking.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden. Turn the oven down to180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and bake for 35-40 minutes more until a skewer pushed into the centre comes away clean and the pastry is deep golden. If it starts to brown too much, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the top.

Remove the pithivier from the oven and increase the temperature to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Dust the pithivier with the icing sugar, then return to the oven for 3-4 minutes until caramelised and glossy.

Transfer to a cooling rack to cool slightly (see Make Ahead). Serve warm with ice cream or cream

A lovely caramelized fruit tart with a hidden almond layer and a flaky buttery crust.

Apple Pear Tarte Tatin

2-3 Pears, sliced

2-3 Apples, sliced

Tube Marzipan

+ 14 Tbsp Dairy Free Butter, grated, separated and chilled

Cups All-Purpose Flour,

8-12 Tbsp Ice Water

Salt

Lemon

Cup Granulated Sugar

Water

¾ Cup Coconut Milk (or Heavy Cream)

Tbsp Dairy Free Butter

Tsp Vanilla Extract

First, make your rough puff pastry. Blend the flour, salt and 3 Tbsp of butter together. Then add the lemon juice, and gradually add the ice water until it sticks together, but isn’t tacky.

Roll out the dough into a large rectangle and put half of the grated butter on 2/3 of the rolled out dough. Fold the empty third on top of the butter, and then the final third on top of that like a folding a business letter. Then turn 90° and roll out again, put the other half of the grated butter on 2/3 of the dough and fold into thirds again. Repeat the 90° turn, roll out, and folding into thirds 3 more times for a total of 5 turns. Put your completed pastry into fridge to rest for at least a half hour.

Next is the caramel. Add the sugar and water into a large non-stick pan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar starts to turn an amber color. Do not mix! You want to keep a close eye on the the sugar and use a baster to drop some water droplets on any edges that look like they&#039;re starting to crystallize. This should stop the chain reaction.

Once the color starts turning, take off the heat and add in your cream. It will foam and it may seize up, just continue to mix until it calms down. Put it back on low heat and add the butter and vanilla. Once it&#039;s all incorporated your caramel is complete. Put about half of it into a large 12&quot; skillet that you will be cooking your Tarte Tatin in. 

Assemble your sliced fruit into a circle in the pan over the caramel. Then roll out your marzipan and place over the fruit. Roll out your puff pastry and cut into a circle slightly larger than the size of the skillet. Put over the fruit and tuck the sides down. Cut slits into the center of the pastry.

Bake at 400°F for 20-30 minutes. The puff pastry should be golden brown. Let cool down about 5-10 minutes and while it’s still warm, put a plate over the skillet and flip to invert the pastry. Eat warm! 

Looking for a showstopper dessert for a dinner party? If you have the time, it’s well worth making a French apple tart, a classic shop-window patisserie.

French apple tart

butter

plain flour

golden caster sugar

egg beaten

¾ kg (about 12) eating apples

cognac

apricot jam

icing sugar (optional)

For the pastry, rub the butter into the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl until crumbly. Mix in the egg until it forms a dough, then form into a puck shape. Cover and chill for at least 30 mins. Will keep chilled for two days.

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to roughly the thickness of a £1 coin, and use to line a 23cm fluted tart tin, leaving some overhanging. Line with a disc of baking parchment big enough to cover the edges, and fill with some baking beans to weigh it down (use dried rice or lentils if you don’t have baking beans). Bake for 15 mins, then remove the parchment and beans and bake for 10-15 mins more until the pastry is biscuity. Trim away any overhanging pastry with a serrated knife. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, set aside four of the apples, then peel, core and roughly chop the rest. Put them in a shallow saucepan with 2 tbsp water, all but 1 tbsp of the sugar and the alcohol, if using. Cover and cook over a low heat for 25-30 mins, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed, until the apples have collapsed into a purée. Taste the mixture and sweeten with more sugar, if needed.

Turn the oven up to 210C/190C fan/gas 8. Peel, core and halve the reserved apples, then cut into even-sized slices. Spread the apple purée over the base of the tart case, then arrange the apple slices in neat, concentric circles, starting from the outside. Brush the apples with butter, then scatter over the reserved sugar and bake for another 20-25 mins until golden.

Mix the jam with 1 tbsp hot water from a freshly boiled kettle. When the tart has finished baking, glaze generously with the jam, then leave to cool a little. Serve warm or cold, dusted with icing sugar, if you like.

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Top 3 french patisserie recipes from across the web

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Classic almond pithivier

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