Method

Put the dates in a bowl, pour the tea over them, and let infuse for 10 minutes.  Prise out the core from each apple, using an apple corer, and prick the skin in several places with the tip of a knife.  Fill the cavities with the dates.

Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C.  Roll out a quarter of the dough to a 8 1/2-inch (22-cm) diameter disk, 1/16 inch (2mm) thick.  Cut a 3/4-inch (2-cm) hole in the center using a pastry cutter.  Starting 5/8-inch (1.5 cm) from the hole, use the tip of a small sharp knife to make a series of 1 1/2 inch (4-cm) long incision in the dough, 1/2 inch (1 cm) apart, radiating out from the hole.  Now make short 5/8-inch (1.5-cm) cuts inward from the outer edge at 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) intervals to make a serrated border.

Brush an apple with water, then immediately lift the dough disk with a spatula and place it over the apple.  Brush a little water over the base of the apple, gather the edges of the dough underneath, and press together with your fingertips to seal it.  Put the "caged" apple on a baking sheet and prepare the others in the same way.  Bake in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, checking with a knife tip that the apples are cooked; it should slide in with no resistance.

Remove the apples from the oven, dust with the sugar, and glaze with a cook's blowtorch, or place under a very hot broiler until the sugar begins to melt on the pastry.  Serve the apples on individual plates, if not immediately, within half an hour. 

Serves: 4

Reprinted with permission from ©Michel Roux, Pastry Savory & Sweet, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. click for book review

main desert recipes page        chef and cookbook dessert recipes     main chef and cookbook page