Tag: France

Asparagus with Beurre Blanc

12 June 2025

Nearly the end of the asparagus season in the Netherlands so we wanted to make a very special dish. One that combines the sweetness and the bitterness of the asparagus with freshness, the structure of the al dente asparagus with a velvety, rich mouthfeel. What better sauce to make than Beurre Blanc: a remarkable light French butter sauce.

The starting point of a Beurre Blanc is similar to that of Hollandaise and Béarnaise: a reduction made with shallot, vinegar, tarragon, black pepper and white wine. Inspired by Dutch chef Erik van Loo we added some Noilly Prat to the castric.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our Asparagus with a glass of white Rioja. The wine is made by Vivanco with three Spanish grapes: Viura, Tempranillo Blanco (a grape discovered in 1988) and Maturana Blanca (a local grape that goes back to 1622). The result is a bright, intense white wine with aromas of citrus fruit and green apples. Fresh, tasty and a great match with the flavours of the asparagus and Beurre Blanc.
In general, we suggest a non-oaked, fresh, dry white wine, with clear acidity. 

What You Need
  • For the Castric (25 ml)
    • 5 ml White Vinegar
    • 50 ml dry White Wine
    • 20 ml Noilly Prat
    • One coarsely crushed corn of Black Pepper
  • For the Beurre Blanc
    • 25 ml Castric
    • 60 grams of cold Butter
  • 6 Asparagus
What You Do
  1. Start by making the Castric
  2. Chop the shallot
  3. Combine all ingredients and leave to reduce by 2/3 on low heat
  4. Pass through a sieve; try to capture the juices of the shallot
  5. Set aside
  6. Peel the asparagus and remove one centimetre from the bottom
  7. Steam for 15 – 20 minutes
  8. Remove the asparagus from the steamer and allow to rest for 5 minutes
  9. Make the Beurre Blanc
    • Warm the Castric
    • Dice the butter
    • Add the butter, one by one, to the Castric
    • Whisk (either by hand or by using a hand blender)
    • Make sure the butter has completely dissolved before you add the next dice of butter
    • Whisk and repeat
  10. Serve the asparagus with the sauce on a luke warm plate
Asparagus with Beurre Blanc
Asparagus with Beurre Blanc ©cadwu

Pear Pie with Frangipane

29 May 2025

Juicy, sweet ripe pears, frangipane and a crunchy crust, what more can you ask for! This very tasty pear pie is not difficult to make. The only challenge is finding ripe pears. The juicer the better!

Frangipane is a classic from the French pâtisserie and was first mentioned in 1652 by François Pierre (de) La Varenne. His recipe for Tourte de Franchipanne describes a crust made with puff pastry and a filling with what we would call crème pâtissière, enriched with crushed pistachios and almonds.
In her book Tarte Tatin, Ginette Mathiot includes a recipe for Strawberry Frangipane. Same approach, but with crushed almonds only.

The current Larousse Gastronomique takes a different approach by beating sugar and butter until creamy (beurre pommade in French), then adding the eggs, one at a time, and the almond flour. No cooking required. Our approach is fairly similar, we combine soft butter, sugar and almond flour and then add the beaten egg.

Obviously, the recipe provided by Varenne is for a rich sauce whereas the second method is about making a paste, which is very suitable for a Pear Pie.

What You Need
  • For the Crust
    • 50 grams of White Caster Sugar
    • 100 grams of soft Unsalted Butter
    • ½ Egg (beaten)
    • 1 gram of Salt
    • 150 grams of All Purpose Flour
    • Cold Water (optinal)
  • For the Frangipane
    • 50 grams of Almond Flour
    • 40 grams of Sugar
    • 40 grams of Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
    • One Egg
    • Lemon Zest (optional)
  • For the Filling
    • 4 Ripe Pears (Williams, Bartlett, Conference)
  • For the Coating
    • Apricot Jam
    • Water
What You Do
  1. Start by making the dough
  2. Combine sugar and butter. Use a hand mixer with kneading hooks
  3. When mixed, add halve of the beaten egg
  4. Combine salt and flour
  5. Pass through a sieve and add to the mixture
  6. (optional) add some baking powder if you want a crispier crust)
  7. Use the kneading hooks to mix
  8. If the dough is too dry, add some cold water
  9. It’s ready when the pastry comes together in a ball that doesn’t stick to the surface
  10. When done, remove from the bowl and wrap in foil. Store in the refrigerator for at least two hours. The dough freezes well, so it’s a great idea to make a bit extra
  11. Now make the frangipane
  12. Combine almond flour, sugar and butter. Beat until fluffy
  13. Add the beaten egg
  14. Mix
  15. (optional) Add lemon zest
  16. Transfer to the refrigerator
  17. Preheat the oven to 180 °C or 355 °F
  18. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 16 cm (6 in) tin. Best is 2 millimetres
  19. Transfer to the refrigerator and leave for 30 minutes
  20. Prick the pastry with a fork, to prevent air bubbles forming during baking
  21. Add the frangipane to the pastry case and spread evenly
  22. Peel and slice the pears, add on top of the frangipane
  23. Transfer to the oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until golden
  24. Use a fork to combine apricot jam and water, ratio 4:1
  25. Warm the apricot mixture
  26. When the pie is still warm, coat with the apricot mixture
PS
  • We made the crust with pâte sucrée, or sweet shortcrust pastry. The result is a flaky, crumbly crust. You could also use (ready-made) puff pastry or pate sablée. Adding a few grams of baking powder is an option when you want a lighter, crispier crust.
  • When we first saw a recipe for frangipane with pistachios, we wondered if that would be a good idea. Now that we have read the 1652 recipe, we will definitely give it a try.
Pear Pie ©cadwu
Pear Pie ©cadwu

Zucchini with Taleggio

15 May 2025

Zucchini, or courgette, is a favourite summer vegetable. Just think about sliced Trombetta’s, or Stuffed Flowers, or a combination with Farfalle and Fennel. Recently we bought beautiful round zucchinis, ideal to stuff and serve as a side dish. We’ve made these many times, with herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano and Parmesan cheese. Tasty and not difficult to make. However, we think there’s room for improvement. How would it taste if we would use a richer, fatter, more aromatic cheese? We looked in the fridge. Perhaps Appenzeller? Or a traditional Dutch cheese? We decided to use Tallegio, a semi-soft cheese from Italy made from raw cow milk, with a mild taste. It melts easily, which makes it very suitable for this dish and for instance crostini.

Wine Pairing

The zucchini will be a great accompaniment with grilled lamb or chicken. You could also combine the zucchini with pasta or rice, making for a vegetarian meal.
We decided to drink a glass of red wine from the Douro region, produced by Quinta do Crasto. The wine is made from traditional Douro red grape varieties: tinta roriz, touriga nacional, tinta barroca and touriga franca. The wine is fresh, fruity and very pleasant. Its colour is deep ruby and the wine has aromas of ripe red fruit.
In general, we suggest a red wine with flavours and aromas of red fruit and with light tannins.

What You Need
  • 2 round Zucchinis
  • One Garlic Clove
  • Thyme
  • Black Pepper
  • Taleggio
  • Olive Oil
What You Do
  1. Remove the top of the zucchinis
  2. Preheat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F
  3. Use a teaspoon to remove the inside of the zucchini, also of the cap. Be careful not to damage the skin of the zucchini
  4. Use a knife to chop the ‘meat’
  5. Add olive oil to a pan
  6. When warm, add the meat and fry/glaze for a few minutes
  7. Finely chop the garlic and add to the pan
  8. Finely chop the thyme
  9. Add thyme and black pepper. Mix and leave on low/medium heat for a few minutes
  10. Let cool
  11. Fill the bottom half of the zucchini with the mixture
  12. Add a slice of taleggio
  13. Fill the zucchini with the mixture
  14. Add a second slice of taleggio on top
  15. Transfer the stuffed zucchinis and the tops to the oven and fry for 15 minutes or until golden
  16. Serve with the top on the zucchini
PS

The winemaker, Quinta Do Crasto, provides excellent background information. Interesting to read about the weather, the harvest, the production and the timing.

Zucchini with Taleggio ©cadwu
Zucchini with Taleggio ©cadwu

Tartelette au Citron

8 May 2025

Earlier we wrote about Tarte au Citron, or Lemon Pie. This is a recipe for a Tartelette au Citron, a small but very different pie. The filling is lemon curd, which you add to the pastry case just before serving. You can easily make both components a day ahead. The crunchy, slightly sweet pastry case and the soft, rich, tart filling go together very well. You could decorate the tartelette with meringue or chocolate sprinkles, but we prefer them as they are. Great with a strong cup of coffee.

What You Need
  • Pâte Sucrée
    • 50 grams of Unsalted Butter
    • 40 grams of Caster Sugar
    • 125 grams of All Purpose Flour
    • 1 gram of Salt
    • 1 Organic Egg
    • Water (optional)
  • Curd
    • 65 ml of Lemon Juice
    • 65 grams of Unsalted Butter
    • 80 grams of Fine Sugar
    • One Organic Egg
What You Do (Curd)
  1. Beat the egg
  2. Melt the butter
  3. Combine all ingredients.
  4. Cook Au Bain Marie until you have the right consistency.
  5. Or transfer to your microwave, put it on 50% or 70% power (depending on your microwave) and heat with intervals of 20-30 seconds. Mix between the intervals. This is a very precise way of heating the mixture and it gives you full control over the process. Towards the end of the process, you may want to reduce the power or shorten the intervals. The percentage and the duration of the intervals depend on your microwave and the bowl you use.
  6. Set aside and allow to cool.
  7. Transfer the curd to the refrigerator. It will keep for a few days.
What You Do (Pastry Case)
  1. Combine sugar, flour and salt.
  2. Dice butter, add to the mixture and combine. Use a hand mixer with kneading hooks.
  3. Beat the egg and add.
  4. Use your hands to make the dough. It should not be sticky, so it must be easy to make a ball. If too dry, add just a bit of water. If too wet, add some flour.
  5. When done, remove from the bowl and wrap in kitchen foil. Store in the refrigerator for at least two hours. It can be stored for a few days.
  6. Flour your work surface and roll out the pastry to a circle a larger than the top of the tartelette forms. We used 8 cm or 3 inch (quiche-) forms. The dough should be approximately 2 or 3 mm (0.1 inch) thick.
  7. Coat the forms with butter.
  8. Line the forms with the pastry. Press the pastry well into the sides and bottom. Use a knife to remove the excess dough.
  9. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  10. Preheat the oven to 190 °C or 375 °F.
  11. Use a fork to prick small holes in the pastry.
  12. Line the forms with greaseproof paper or aluminum foil, add baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes.
  13. Remove the paper and the baking beans.
  14. Reduce the oven temperature to 160 °C or 320 °F.
  15. Transfer back to the oven for 5 minutes or until golden
  16. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
  17. When the pastry cases are completely cool, add the curd and serve
PS
  • Two other very tasty Tartelettes: one with Blueberries and the other with Raspberries
  • To be published: Tartelette with Pear
Tartelette au Citron ©cadwu
Tartelette au Citron ©cadwu

Paupiette

1 May 2025

When you visit a French butcher or supermarket, you are bound to find paupiettes. In general, it is a thin slice of meat, stuffed, rolled up and tied. Lots of possibilities: the outside could be veal, beef, pork, chicken, lamb or even fish. The inside could be meat, or a mixture of meat and vegetables, or a duxelles or well, you get the idea.
In the Provence you will find so called Alouettes sans Tête (meaning larks without a head). A thin slice of beef is stuffed with bacon, parsley and garlic. The alouettes are quickly fried until golden and then cooked in a sauce with onions, wine and various herbs.
In the Netherlands and Belgium a paupiette is called Blinde Vink (meaning blind finch). This is a thin slice of pork or veal, stuffed with minced (pork) meat.  

Preparing paupiettes is not obvious. Many recipes suggest cooking the paupiette in a sauce, but that’s not what we recommend. The paupiettes will be a bit dry and bland. Others suggest transferring the paupiettes to a hot oven, with an even more disappointing result. We think the best way is to quickly fry the paupiettes until golden and then transfer to the oven and braise with some liquid on low temperature.

We asked our favourite butcher to make paupiette de veau (sometimes called melon de veau). A thin layer of veal stuffed with a mixture of minced veal and pork meat, with a generous amount of chopped sage and a hint of salt. It is decorated with two leaves of sage.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed the dish with a glass of Portuguese red wine, produced by Vidigal. The wine is made with aragonez, castelão and cabernet grapes. The wine has a nice red colour and aromas of fruit and herbs. Its taste is light, with some tannins and a touch of oak. In general, you’re looking for a smooth, easy to drink red wine with character.

What You Need
  • 2 Paupiettes de Veau
  • 1 small Carrot
  • 1 Celery stalk
  • 1 Leek
  • Veal Stock
  • Dried Oregano
  • Olive Oil
  • Butter
  • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 120 °C or 250 °F
  2. Thinly slice carrot, celery stalk and leek.
  3. Heat a heavy iron skillet, add butter and olive oil
  4. Quickly fry the paupiette, top and bottom only
  5. Transfer paupiettes to a plate
  6. Reduce heat
  7. Add carrot, leek and celery
  8. After a few minutes deglaze with veal stock
  9. Add oregano
  10. Transfer the paupiettes back to the skillet
  11. Transfer the skillet to the oven
  12. Leave until the internal temperature is 68 °C or 155 °F
  13. Remove the paupiettes from the skillet and allow to rest for 5 – 10 minutes (depending on the size). You could wrap them in aluminium foil
  14. Put the skillet back on the cooktop or hob
  15. Reduce the sauce, taste, adjust, add black pepper
  16. Serve on a hot plate with potato puree combined with wild garlic, watercress or rapini
Paupiette ©cadwu
Paupiette ©cadwu

Orange Parfait

26 April 2025

Today April 26th, we celebrate the birthday of the King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. Well actually, his birthday is tomorrow, but you can’t have a party on a Sunday, can you?
The Dutch royal family is also known as ‘de Oranjes’, which is reflected in the use of the colour orange when referring to Dutch royalty. There is no real link between the royal family and the colour. The ‘orange’ in their name refers to the French city of Orange, a Principality one of his ancestors inherited in 1544.
Over the years we prepared Orange Sabayon, Queen’s Soup, Orange and Almond Cake, Bouchée à la Reine, Orange Flan, Canard à l’Orange and Baba au Mandarine Napoléon on this day.

Today we finally have nice weather in the Netherlands, so let’s prepare something very special: a parfait of orange. The recipe we followed was published by Jeroen Meus, a well-known Belgian chef. He was inspired by Bernard Pacaud, a French chef who owns restaurant l’Ambroisie in Paris, awarded with three Michelin Stars.

Perfect

A (French) parfait is an ice cream made without churning, so no need for an ice cream maker. In this case the mixture is poured into an empty orange and frozen.
One of the components of a parfait is the combination of egg yolks and sugar, beaten until ruban. This means that the mixture has become pale yellow and soft. It should resemble Greek yoghurt.
The beaten egg whites will add lightness, as they do in mousse au chocolate.
Then it’s a matter of richness (cream), flavour (coffee, orange, mango, passion fruit et cetera) and sugar.
Making a parfait requires a number of parallel actions, but with the right mise-en-place it’s not difficult (although, to be fair, our kitchen was a bit of a mess).

Orange Parfait

The orange parfait as prepared by Jeroen Meus is a combination of:

  • Whipped Cream
  • Cooked Cream flavoured with Orange Peel
  • Whipped Egg White 
  • Orange Juice
  • Mandarine Napoléon
  • Egg yolks and Sugar (beaten until ruban)
  • Gelatine
  • A salad of Oranges and Blood Grapefruit

Details can be found on the website of Jeroen Meus, including a helpful video (in Dutch).

Orange Parfait ©cadwu
Orange Parfait ©cadwu

Herb Roasted Chicken

24 April 2025

The first time we had chicken prepared this way was in a lovely restaurant in Vence, France. The restaurant was called Auberge des Seigneurs and offered a wide range of beautiful dishes from the days of King François I, such as blue trout, tian, chicken and lamb cooked on a spit before an open fire in the dining room. Ah, Madame Rodi, those culinary evenings, the wines from the Domaine de Rimauresq, and your infinite hospitality, dear memories.
The chicken was a special treat. It was juicy, tasty and rich. The chicken was rubbed on the inside with a very intense paste. A wonderful idea because the powerful rub flavoured the whole chicken, not just the outside. The result was aromatic, flavourful and light.
Since we don’t have a spit with an open fire at home, we had to find another way of roasting our chicken to perfection. An oven dish? A chicken sitter?
We think the best way to roast your chicken is using a baking rack over a roasting pan filled with water. The rack will guarantee an evenly cooked and golden chicken, the water helps keeping the meat juicy and the skin crispy.
We served our chicken with slow cooked fennel. 

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of red wine made with cabernet sauvignon grapes from the Pays D’Oc In France, produced by Abbotts & Delaunay. The wine is ruby red, it has aromas of dark fruit and the taste is long and velvety. Its fruitiness combines beautifully with the aromatic chicken.
In general we suggest an intense, fruity, easy to drink red wine.

What You Need
  • For the Rub
    • 2 twigs of Rosemary
    • 5 twigs of Thyme
    • 3 leaves of Sage
    • Salt
    • Oil
  • Organic Chicken
  • Black Pepper
  • For the Fennel
    • 1 Fennel
    • Olive Oil
    • Pastis (optional)
What You Do
  1. Finely chop rosemary, thyme and sage
  2. Transfer to a mortar, add a teaspoon of salt and make into a paste. It must be very aromatic and salty
  3. Add some oil, just to make it a bit smoother
  4. Rub the inside of the chicken
  5. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine
  6. Transfer the chicken to the refrigerator and allow to rest for a few hours (at least two)
  7. Preheat your oven to 350 °F or 180 °C (with fan)
  8. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper
  9. Add a layer of water to the roasting pan
  10. Cook until golden and done. The internal temperature should be 165 °F or 75 °C. In general, a chicken needs 30 minutes per 500 grams
  11. Allow to rest for 5 – 10 minutes
  12. Serve on a warm plate with black pepper (and slow cooked fennel)
PS
  • Slice the fennel, add olive oil to a pan, add the fennel, put the lid on the pan and leave on low heat for an hour or so. Stir and check every 15 minutes. Add a splash of pastis to enhance the taste.
  • Normally we use the leftovers to make chicken stock. Due to the intensity of the rub this stock will be okay if you want to make Mediterranean flavoured soups, for instance one with zucchini. 
Herb Roasted Chicken ©cadwu
Herb Roasted Chicken with Fennel ©cadwu

Tarte Au Citron

17 April 2025

The key to a tasty lemon pie is the quality of the lemon. Sounds obvious but unfortunately not every lemon is tart, aromatic and a touch sweet. Best are lemons used for limoncello: Sorrento (or Femminello), Eureka, Amalfi or Lisbon lemons. In all cases the lemons must be fresh, vibrant yellow, firm, untreated and organic.
The lemons we used needed a small aromatic push, that’s why we added one mandarin to the filling.
This recipe is for a classic tarte au citron or lemon pie. You could also make it with lemon curd, which we will do in a few weeks. 

What You Need 
  • Pâte Sucrée
    • 50 grams of Unsalted Butter
    • 40 grams of Caster Sugar
    • 125 grams of All Purpose Flour
    • 1 gram of Salt
    • 1 Organic Egg
    • Water (optional)
  • Filling
    • 2 Organic Eggs
    • Juice and Zest of 2 Organic Lemons
    • Juice and Zest of 1 Organic Mandarin
    • 50 – 70 grams of Caster Sugar (depending on the flavour of the Lemons)
What You Do
  1. Recipe for a 16 cm or 6 inch form or baking tin
  2. Combine sugar, flour and salt.
  3. Dice butter, add to the mixture and combine. Use a hand mixer with kneading hooks.
  4. Beat the egg and add.
  5. Use your hands to make the dough. It should not be sticky, so it must be easy to make a ball. If too dry, add just a bit of water. If too wet, add some flour.
  6. When done, remove from the bowl and wrap in kitchen foil. Store in the refrigerator for at least two hours. It can be stored for a few days.
  7. Flour your work surface and roll out the pastry to a circle larger than the top of the form. The dough should be approximately 4 mm thick.
  8. Coat the form with butter.
  9. Line the form with the pastry. Press the pastry well into the sides and bottom. Use a knife to remove the excess dough.
  10. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  11. Preheat the oven to 190 °C or 375 °F.
  12. Use a fork to prick small holes in the pastry.
  13. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper or aluminium foil, add baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes.
  14. Remove the paper and the baking beans.
  15. Reduce the oven temperature to 160 °C or 320 °F.
  16. Transfer back to the oven for 5 minutes.
  17. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
  18. Mix eggs, sugar and zest.
  19. Add the mixture to the pastry case.
  20. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until set.
  21. Transfer to a wire rack, allow to cool. Remove from the tin and allow to cool completely.
Tarte Au Citron ©cadwu
Tarte Au Citron ©cadwu

Omelette with Chard

10 April 2025

Chard (Bietola, Blette, Krautsteil, Snijbiet) was once a popular and cheap vegetable. Today it’s hard to find and when you find it, it can be ridiculously expensive. A pity because it’s a very tasty vegetable. Forgotten for all the wrong reasons.
Chard is the main ingredient of Tourte de Blette, also known as Tourta de Bléa. It comes in two varieties: one sweet, one savoury.
In this dish (also known as Trouchia) we combine the rich flavours of the omelette with a touch of bitterness of the chard. Simple and delicious.

Wine Pairing

The omelette has a rich and creamy texture. You can pair it with a wine that offers contrast (a sparkling wine with notes of citrus for instance) or with one that complements the omelette, for instance a lightly oaked chardonnay. We decided to enjoy a pleasant, fruity rosé from the Var region in France.

What You Need
  • 500 grams of Chard
  • Olive Oil
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Black Pepper
  • 2 organic Eggs
What You Do
  1. Wash the chard
  2. Remove the stems (and use in another dish, perhaps a curry)
  3. Chop the leaves
  4. Add olive oil to a pan on medium heat
  5. Add the chopped chard and sauté for 5-10 minutes. Duration will depend on the leaves (small, young leaves will be ready in 5 minutes)
  6. Stir occasionally
  7. Let cool
  8. Beat the eggs
  9. Add grated Parmesan cheese and black pepper
  10. Add the chard to the egg mixture
  11. Add olive oil to a relatively small pan on medium heat
  12. Add the mixture and leave for 15 minutes or until baveuse
  13. The omelette can be eaten warm or cold
Variations
  • You could replace the Chard with Spinach or (better) with Water Spinach (also known as Kang Koen or Ong Choy).
  • Some recipes for Trouchia suggest adding chopped parsley and/or basil.
  • We tend to add a few chopped stems to the mixture because it gives the omelette a nice subtle crunch.
  • You don’t want a golden (or even worse: brown) omelette because then the omelette will taste like fried eggs, and it will be firm.
Omelette with Chard ©cadwu
Omelette with Chard ©cadwu

Simple Apple Pie

27 March 2025

There is so much fun and creativity in baking! Just think about the aromas in your kitchen when you bake an apple pie, the positive vibes when you transfer it to a plate, the joy when sharing and eating it.
Baking can also be challenging, just think about techniques as tempering chocolate, but this apple pie is really simple. No spectacular ingredients and no complex skills required. Serve it with a cup of tea or coffee or as a dessert, perhaps with vanilla ice cream.

What You Need

The quantities depend on the size of your baking tin.

  • (tart) Apples
  • Cinnamon
  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Puff Pastry
What You Do
  1. Place butter in a pan and melt
  2. Peel, core and chop apples.
  3. Add apples, cinnamon and sugar to the pan
  4. Cook for 20 – 30 minutes, stirring from time to time
  5. The compote should not be runny, perhaps you need to reduce
  6. Allow for the compote to cool (room temperature is fine)
  7. Preheat oven to 200 °C or 390 °F
  8. Line a baking tin with puff pastry.
  9. Use a fork to poke holes in the pastry
  10. Peel, core and slice apples
  11. Add compote to the baking tin, covering the bottom
  12. Add the sliced apples 
  13. Bake until golden
PS

Best is to use apples such as gala, granny smith, jonagold or braeburn. It may take a bit longer to make a compote with these apples, but they remain nice and firm when baking the pie.
Don’t use vanilla as ingredient of the compote. We feel it deteriorates the flavour of the apple. Cinnamon and sugar will be perfect.
If buying readymade (frozen) puff pastry, make sure it’s made with flour, butter, water and salt only.

Apple Pie ©cadwu
Apple Pie ©cadwu