Aumônière Tatin

When we were in Nice last month, my husband and I stumbled upon the most wonderful little eatery, Brasserie des Chauffeurs, that just happened to be open on Mondays. In case you didn’t know, most restaurants in France are closed on Mondays; and finding a place to have a good meal is almost impossible. We ate there several times during our visit because the food was so delicious. But what really got my attention were the desserts they served. One in particular was an apple tart in a purse-like crepe, called Aumônière Tatin. It was too beautiful to eat – but that didn’t stop my husband. Back home I attempted to recreate it. I was surprised that it is so easy to make, yet so elegant in it’s presentation.

Ingredients

Crepes:

4 eggs

1 cup water

1 cup milk

2 cups all purpose flour

6 tablespoons butter

butter for cooking crepes

Apple Filling:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons calvados, or apple cider

1 lemon zested

7 apples

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or nutmeg; or cardamom

Caramel Sauce:

3 cups sugar

1 cup water

Preparation

Crepes:
Beat the eggs, water, and milk in a bowl. Beat in the flour, then the butter, until the mixture is smooth. (Or place the eggs, water, milk, and flour in a blender and mix until smooth. Add the melted butter.) Refrigerate the batter until you're ready to make the crepes. Makes 14 10” crepes.

Apple filling:
Combine the butter and sugar in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the cider. Peel, core and dice the apples. Cook until the sauce has thickened but the apples still hold their shape. Add cinnamon or nutmeg and set aside.

Caramel sauce:
Combine the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Dissolve the sugar, then heat on high and cook until the mixture begins to turn golden. Remove from heat and beat in the cream with a wire whisk.

To assemble:
Warm up the apple filling and caramel sauce.

Heat a crepe pan and add a tablespoon of butter. Swirl the butter around the pan, then pour off excess. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter to the pan, swirling it around to coat the pan evenly. A 10" Lodge Cast Iron Round Griddle is perfect for this application! As soon as the edges of the crepe turn brown, flip it to brown the other side, about 1 minute (if the crepes seem too thick, stir a little more milk into the batter).Remove the crepe, fill with the apple mixture, roll it and top with the caramel sauce.