Vanilla Apple and Caramel Entrée

Ingredients

• 300 g Apples (peeled, core removed, cut into small dice)
• 4 feuilles Sheet gelatin (for the insert and both bavaroises)
• 20 g Unsalted butter (for cooking the apples)
• 200 g Apple compote (no added sugar)
• 500 ml Whole milk (for the bavaroises)
• 1 gousse Vanilla bean (split and scraped)
• 6 unités Egg yolks (at room temperature)
• 100 g Brown sugar (or white sugar)
• 400 ml Heavy cream (very cold, 35 % fat)
• 100 g Salted butter caramel (prepared or store‑bought)
• 200 g Breton shortbread (sandy biscuit, crushed)
• 80 g Melted butter (for the biscuit base)
• 1 c. à c. Lemon juice (to prevent apple slices from browning)

Instructions

1. Soak gelatin for the insert

   Place the 2 sheets of gelatin in a bowl of cold water and let hydrate for 5 minutes.

   Time: PT5M

2. Prepare the apples

   Wash, peel, remove core and seeds, then cut the apples into uniform small dice.

   Time: PT10M

3. Cook the apples

   Melt 20 g butter in a pan over medium heat, add the apple dice and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender and lightly golden.

   Time: PT20M

4. Prepare the apple insert

   Heat the apple compote in a small saucepan, remove from heat, add the softened gelatin and stir until fully dissolved, fold in the cooked apples, then pour the mixture into the 20 cm square mold.

   Time: PT10M

5. Freeze the insert

   Place the mold in the freezer for 30 minutes so the insert sets well.

   Time: PT30M

6. Soak gelatin for the bavaroises

   Put the remaining 2 sheets of gelatin in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.

   Time: PT5M

7. Infuse vanilla in the milk

   Split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds, add them to the whole milk and let infuse for 1 hour off the heat.

   Time: PT1H

8. Mix egg yolks and sugar

   In a bowl, whisk the 6 egg yolks with the brown sugar until the mixture lightens and becomes fluffy (about 5 minutes).

   Time: PT5M

9. Temper the milk and cook the bavaroise

   Remove the vanilla from the milk, gently warm it, then slowly pour the hot milk in a stream over the egg‑sugar mixture while whisking. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over low heat until 82 °C without exceeding, otherwise the eggs will coagulate.

   Time: PT10M

   Temperature: 82°C

10. Incorporate gelatin and cool

    Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the pre‑soaked gelatin (patted dry) and stir until dissolved. Cool to below 30 °C, ideally in a bain‑marie or a large bowl of ice water.

    Time: PT10M

11. Whip the cream

    Whisk the very cold heavy cream until a firm consistency is reached (soft peaks).

    Time: PT5M

12. Fold cream into the bavaroise

    Gently fold the whipped cream into the custard base using a spatula, lifting the mixture to keep it airy.

    Time: PT5M

13. Divide the bavaroise and add caramel

    Split the bavaroise into two equal parts. In one half, fold in the salted butter caramel (50 g) until homogeneous, creating the caramel bavaroise.

    Time: PT5M

14. Form the caramel layer

    Fill a piping bag with the caramel bavaroise and pipe it evenly over the already frozen apple insert.

    Time: PT10M

15. Freeze the caramel layer

    Return the mold to the freezer for 1 hour so the caramel layer solidifies.

    Time: PT1H

16. Form the vanilla layer

    Fill a piping bag with the vanilla bavaroise and pipe it over the set caramel layer, creating a color gradient.

    Time: PT10M

17. Freeze the complete cake

    Return the mold to the freezer for an additional 1 hour so the whole set stabilizes before adding the biscuit base.

    Time: PT1H

18. Prepare the biscuit base

    Crush the Breton shortbread into fine crumbs, mix with the melted butter (80 g) until a sandy dough forms, then spread evenly on the bottom of the mold.

    Time: PT15M

19. Freeze the base

    Place the mold with the biscuit base in the freezer overnight (minimum 12 hours).

    Time: PT12H

20. Unmold and refrigerate

    Remove the cake from the freezer, unmold onto a serving plate and let it refrigerate for 7 hours to thaw gently and let the layers firm up.

    Time: PT7H

21. Decorate

    Thinly slice the remaining apples, drizzle with lemon juice, arrange decoratively on top and add the prepared flower‑shaped decorations.

    Time: PT10M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

350

Protein

5 g

Carbohydrates

45 g

Fat

18 g

Fiber

2 g