PHOTOGRAPHY № 6 | MILLEFEUILLE AUX FRAISES

From a while ago; leftover pâte feuilletée rapide and leftover crème pâtissière turned into a spring dessert. Please excuse all the crumbly messiness . . . *

CHAUSSONS AUX POMMES

This is a recipe that's post has been much delayed. It was first planned as an autumnal post, but here we are at the end of January.

There are many great boulangeries in Tokyo, and one of the hardest treats for me to resist when I'm in one is a "chausson aux pommes". It's like an individual apple pie, but better because the bottom turns out just as well baked and flaky as the top. (I always have trouble getting the base of apple pies to brown well.) "Chaussons" means "slippers" in French, making "chaussons aux pommes" translate to "apple slippers". This name, combined with the traditional leaf design created on the surface, makes me think that these treats have "cozy autumn" written all over them, but piping hot out of the oven they weren't bad at all on a cold winter day as well.

The traditional chaussons aux pommes uses a pâte feuilletée for the crust, but since I had leftover pâte feuilletée rapide from my previous post, I used that instead. (Well to be honest, I made the pâte feuilletée rapide specifically for these, so I suppose it wasn't "leftover" pastry dough.) It made the crust less puffier (flakier?), but they were still good and a huge hit with my family.

Be careful not to soak the chaussons when brushing with the egg wash, and if you're like me and like an extra crisp & crumble for your first bite, dust with confectioner's sugar twice while baking. I'm also thinking that these would be quite lovely served with vanilla ice cream; must try next time.

* { chaussons aux pommes, crust adapted from : 辻調グループ (tsuji group) — 速成パイ生地, filling adapted from : williams-sonoma — apple pie }
— click on the images above, or continue reading for the recipe

LA CRUST | PÂTE FEUILLETÉE RAPIDE

This year, I want to try a new series called "LA CRUST". I have always loved pastries, and as the title indicates, this series will focus on different pastries; "the crust" of baked treats. This is partly to make recipes that require pastry shorter and simpler, and partly because I believe crusts should have their own posts. (Pies and tarts are all about how good the crust is, no?)

In honor of post No.1 of this new attempt, I've picked the famed pâte feuilletée to try, but rather than the classic and very time-consuming version (we'll save that for another day), I tried a slightly easier (and albeit a little less puffier) but just as delicious version by the Tsuji Group. I've learned that everyone has different tricks and techniques for making beautiful pâte feuilletée, but the most important thing is to keep the butter cold. At all times. If you are looking for some good tips on rolling and folding the dough, I highly recommend this post by Magda of My Little Expat Kitchen. She explains everything in detail with photographs. I also recommend that you use the pastry up as soon as possible, because pâte feuilletée rapide does not puff as much as normal pâte feuilletée, and the longer you store it, the lower the puff will be.

Hopefully, I will be able to learn the different types and all the techniques necessary for pastry making through this new project. Let's just hope I don't end up gaining extra weight from eating too many pastries. Hmmm . . . *

* { pâte feuilletée rapide adapted from : 辻調グループ (tsuji group) -- 速成パイ生地 }
click on the images above for the recipe