I love apples but teeth I need to be careful of due to a recent root canal and an upcoming crown have prevented me from enjoying a fresh apple for many more months that I care to think about. So this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe (Long and Slow Apples, p 390) was a perfect recipe for me. The fact that I have been suffering with a nasty stomach bug since the day I got home from Burma was another reason I was happy for this recipe this week. A little bit of apple with some ginger and spices (and less butter than the recipe called for) was a nice treat for my poor unhappy tummy once I started eating more than rice again!
Dorie’s recipe is very simple – thin slices of apples brushed with butter and sprinkled with a mix of sugar, ground ginger and coriander with some orange zest in there too. You are supposed to layer the apple slices in small ramekins, cover the ramekins with both plastic wrap and then foil, and bake for a couple of hours. I was dubious about the plastic wrap (though Dorie says “don’t worry, the plastic wrap won’t melt”) so, Doubting Thomas that I am, made one with plastic and the rest with parchment over the top of the apples. The parchment was fine. The plastic? Well I don’t know where it went but it wasn’t on the ramekin when I brought it out of the oven after 90 minutes.
As I was writing this post, I now realise that Dorie does say to weigh the ramekins down to press the apples slightly while you are cooking them – a step I managed to ignore – so perhaps that was the reason the plastic on the one ramekin melted? Maybe the contact with the apples might mean that the plastic doesn’t melt. In any case, I don’t see the need to weigh them down – the apples were quite mushy when I took them out at 90 minutes – not sure they needed any more pressing? I’ll try it again for sure because the flavour of these was really good and I see in the LA Times (where the recipe appears – link below) that it can be a fabulously elegant dessert, not the rustic little ramekins I produced here 😉
In any case, plastic wrap dilemma aside, this was a dish that made the house smell gorgeous and I will remember it again for an easy dessert or breakfast (I ate mine this week with a tiny dollop of Greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of granola).
French Fridays with Dorie participants do not publish the recipes on our blogs (though this week you can find the recipe online here) rather, we prefer if you purchase Around My French Table for yourselves (trust me, you definitely want this book!) which you can do here on Amazon or Amazon Canada. Or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository. Go on, treat yourself then join us here!
Looks like a good dessert to get one of our five a day! Your ramekins melted? Aren’t they ceramic?
The PLASTIC WRAP melted….
Yummy..heheheh
Yikes…melting plastic wrap is a scary thought! I used Glad Press and Seal and weighted mine down. No melting occurred. Love how you garnished yours, Mardi! Beautiful!
I will look for press and seal but honestly they don’t need it…
Yeah, I skipped the plastic wrap…
Hope you are feeling better soon. Post-travel bugs are a total bummer (and sorry to hear you are still having tooth issues)
Lovely pictures.
Sigh. 2013 will be the year of good health, for me. I hope!
This is fabulous! Perfect for these cold winter days!
Yes – winter comfort food!
I’m sorry to hear that you caught a stomach bug from your trip. Hope you feel better soon Mardi. Long, slow baked apples sound wonderful and easy on the tummy. I don’t know what kind of plastic wrap Dori uses but yes, the ones we can get in Canada will definitely melt in the oven 🙂
I don’t think it was from the trip at all… No matter, the apples made it better! And yes, apparently there is a certain kind of wrap you CAN put in the oven… I have done this for making a pâté before but the temp was SO much lower..
Thanks for saving me from ruining my apples with melted plastic! My ramekins were bigger than 6 oz. so I think I should have put more apple in each dish but still it was delicious and the spice combo was different.
You’re so welcome – and yes, who knew they would shrink so much?
I constantly misread recipes, it´s almost a trademark. Topped with yogurt and granola it is the perfect breakfast! I like the long ramekin. Have a great weekend Mardi!
Yes that’s a favourite ramekin of mine too!
I didn’t peel my apples because I never read that part of the recipe…I do it far too often!
Your apples look luscious! Love your toppings…very pretty! Feel better and have a lovely weekend!
They would have been fine unpeeled, I think!
Sorry to hear about the stomach bug. Apples and the spices used in this recipe are great for upset tummies. Great presentation:)
Yes it was perfect!
I’m going to enjoy them for breakfast too — great idea! (I’ll try to restrain myself and get the yogurt to top them instead of the creme fraiche…!) Love your E.Dehillerin mat — ahhh, memories! Thanks.
We all love Dehillerin!
I noticed your mat with the Dehillerin logo, did you actually get that at their store. Tricia and I
love that place, we always try to check it out when we go to Paris. Your apples look good
and probably the best thing for your stomach, Hope you feel better soon.
Um of course. I had to buy a new bag to lug home the loot from Dehillerin last summer. I also used to live next door when I lived in Paris. Danger!
Melting plastic wrap aside (Yipes) this sounds like a delicious variation on applesauce, one of the cardinal foods to nurse a stomach flu. Get well soon!
Totally! Was perfect with some ginger!
I bet the granola added a lovely crunch. I have some left over streussal topping that would be good on this. Your apples are a lovely color.
Oh streusel… YES!
This sure has been an interesting recipe!! I too had melting plastic!!! Can’t wait to try them again minus the plastic wrap, because I thought they were delicious!!
Yes I don’t even think they need the plastic…
The great plastic wrap mystery!
I know, right?
so sorry to hear about your tummy bug. that is nasty after having a wonderful holiday. hope you are over it soon. the recipe looks delicious and i will try that recipe soon.
Thanks Hilda 🙂 Better now but not a nice homecoming!
So sorry to hear that you haven’t been well – hope you get back to your old self soon. I skipped the plastic wrap after reading some horror stories and it didn’t seem to make a jot of difference. These apples look delish – they really are simple but fab.
Yes I don’t even know why it was there in the recipe – odd!
How smart to do only one with plastic and the rest with parchment. My plastic didn’t actually melt, but it made me uncomfortable. I’ll do parchment next time. I topped mine with Greek yogurt as well. I liked the contrast. The granola sounds like a nice garnish as well. I tried slivers of crystallized ginger. So many possibilities for next time! Hope you are feeling better.
Oh Betsy but you must know that I am a skeptic 😉
Yes, that plastic wrap raised my question too, yet where did it go? I am making it tomorrow, no plastic wrap though. I can only imagine how delicious this treat is! 🙂
Scary – where did it go???
Sorry you haven’t been feeling well but even when you’re sick you still take beautiful photos, so at least there’s that. This recipe was really polarizing – so many different outcomes and instructions. I love it! Eating one of these for breakfast sounds amazing and like something I will definitely do when I make them again. Yum!
Aw thanks Maggie 🙂 And yes, these are great for breakfast!
Oh… I will never bake with plastic over food. and hope you are feeling better soon!
I have but at a much lower temp…
Plastic disappearing into the apples – sounds toxic! Glad that you tried it without as well, because these apples weren’t to be missed.
Hope you’re feeling better soon.
Yes I loved the apples a lot! Sans plastic.
Your dish looks great!
Thanks so much!
I dont think they needed pressing per say, but I think we were supposed to stack the apples higher than the ramekins then wrap them into place and putting that extra ramekin on top would have helped to keep them from sliding all around and slipping out of the ramekin,… but that’s all I could figure out.
My version of the book doesnt say to use plastic wrap at all! … but you weren’t the only one with that problem! You wrapped the plastic wrapped ramekin in foil right? … hmmm….
OUr version does not say to stack the apples higher than the ramekins. And yes, of course I wrapped the plastic in foil! What a mess of a recipe. Pity because it’s tasty, when done properly!
Looks yummy! It’s funny though, when we were children with stomach bugs, we used to be banned from all things apple. 🙂
Apple sauce is something I always crave when I am getting better!
When I saw the dollop of Greek yogurt, I knew this recipe was for me. You’ve certainly been given the short end recently – hopefully it will all have been worth it for (what looked like) an amazing trip – and beautiful teeth!
Thanks Monica – it’s been a little rough health-wise for a while here but hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel soon!
It’s been quite chilly here lately and these apples would be just what the doctor ordered!
PS-I can’t think about anything else since I saw this post!!
Really?
Oh Mardi- a stomach bug on top of the teeth issues 🙁 So sorry to hear that. I am right in there with you on waiting for my crown and I have rescheduled that dental appt twice since coming down with the flu. The only thing on schedule lately is the French Fridays ! And yes, my wrap melted. It was an adventure indeed but always good to be back in the kitchen. And as Nana noted- we love Dehillerin and now we need to go back to Paris to get one of their Silpats !!! Get better and watch that temp filling ~
E Dehillerin is THE BEST!
Hope you are feeling better! Your photos look great and I love E Dehillerin! (It’s right on the corner of my favorite wine bar!)
Well it was right around the corner from where I lived for nearly 6 years so – ahem – I know it well!
Oooh, this apple dish sounds perfectly comforting. We are all battling a cold that just won’t go away, and I am in the mood for some comfort food. I might have to send Darron to the store to pick up some apples. 🙂
It’s a great (and easy) dish that’s pretty versatile!