October 20, 2009
Apple Slices with Frozen Sheep's Milk Yogurt
Maxence and I like to spend a weekend in Amsterdam every once in a while: we love the atmosphere of the city in any season, and we usually stay in a neighborhood called Nieuwmarkt that is both lively (plenty of shops and restaurants) and residential (real people live there), the ideal mix if you want to pretend you're an Amsterdammer (only with terrible language skills) for a few days.
It doesn't hurt that it is also the neighborhood where Pâtisserie Kuyt is located. This award-winning pastry shop and tea room is home to an irresistible apple confection called appelschnitte: sold in rectangular servings, this "apple slice" starts with a layer of dough that is halfway between a cake, moist and tender, and a cookie crust, sturdy enough to be handheld. Gently spiced chunks of apple sit atop that crust, with raisins and sliced almonds in their lap, and the whole thing is dusted -- or rather, sandstormed -- with confectioner's sugar.
I've never had anything quite like it, and if you visit Amsterdam you should absolutely have a taste and send me a piece as my commission. Until then, here is my humble attempt to recreate it, on a slightly leavened pâte sablée made with ground almonds, and using cooking apples that soften when baked, for a tender mouth feel. It is very easy to make and the result is close enough, to my recollection at least, though I suspect the original involves a more substantial amount of butter and, without a doubt, a lot more icing sugar.
I served this autumnal dessert with a scoop of the easiest ice cream you can possibly make: it is simply sweetened sheep's milk yogurt, to which I've added the egg white and liquor leftover from the apple slices, because it seemed like a clever thing to do. Chill, churn, and there you have it: a whiter than white, subtly tangy frozen yogurt to accessorize the still warm, apple-topped squares.
Apple Slices
The recipe for the frozen sheep's milk yogurt is below.
For the crust:
- 150 grams (1 1/4 cups) flour
- 35 grams (1/3 cup) ground almonds (a.k.a. almond meal or powdered almonds)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- a good pinch of salt (I use semi-salted butter so I skip that)
- 80 grams (6 tablespoons) unrefined cane sugar
- 80 grams (6 tablespoons) butter, softened, plus a pat for the pan
- one egg yolk (use the eggwhite in the frozen yogurt recipe below)
For the raisins:
- 35 grams (1/4 cup) raisins
- 3 tablespoons vanilla liqueur (I used Navan, which is like Grand Marnier but flavored with vanilla instead of orange; substitute dark rum if unavailable)
For the apples:
- 600 grams (1 1/3 pounds) cooking apples, preferably of two different varieties for more complexity; I like to use boskoop and/or reinettes and/or canada apples
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- a touch of freshly ground nutmeg
- a touch of freshly ground black pepper
For the topping:
- 4 tablespoons sliced almonds
- confectioner's sugar
Makes 10-12 servings.
Combine the raisins and liqueur in a small bowl and set aside to plump up. (Leave them in overnight if you can.)
Preheat the oven to 160° C (320° F) and butter a rectangular baking pan (about 20 x 30 cm or 9 by 13 inches; I used my Baker's Edge pan).
Combine the flour, ground almonds, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a food processor, or by hand with a sturdy spatula, cream together the sugar, butter, and egg yolk. Add the dry ingredients and blend them in until you get a crumb-like consistency; don't overmix.
Pour into the prepared pan and use the back of a spoon to spread the crumbs into an even layer, but without packing it too hard, or it will be tough.
Peel and core the apples, and cut them into chunks. Put them in a medium bowl (such as the one you used for the dry ingredients above), with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper, and toss to coat. Add the drained raisins (reserve the remaining liqueur for another use, see below) and mix again. Arrange this mixture evenly over the crust and sprinkle with the sliced almonds.
Cover loosely with foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, removing the foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking, until the apples are cooked through and the almonds are toasted.
Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve, slightly warm or at room temperature.
- 500 grams (2 cups) plain sheep's milk yogurt (substitute goat's milk yogurt or Greek-style yogurt; adjust the name accordingly!)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla liqueur (I used the liqueur leftover from soaking the raisins; substitute dark rum or vanilla extract)
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 80 grams (1/4 cup) agave syrup or honey or maple syrup
- a good pinch salt
Makes about 1/2 liter (1/2 quart).
Whisk all the ingredients together, chill for an hour, and churn in your ice cream maker.
[Don't have an ice cream maker? You can still make this recipe on a day when you're home most of the time. Prepare the mixture in early afternoon. Pour it into a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer. An hour later, remove the container from the freezer, draw the sides in with a fork (the ice cream will set from the sides in), stir vigorously, and return to the freezer. Repeat every hour. The ice cream will be ready by dinnertime.]
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Comments (40)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Cakes & Desserts - Recipe Inside!
Yum! love the idea of sheeps milk yogurt I've recently become rather intolerant to cow dairy so must try this!
Posted by anna on October 20, 2009 4:27 PMBeautiful! Wish I had known about that bakery a few years ago when I was there!
Posted by Barbara on October 20, 2009 4:32 PMCan't wait to try your recipe- and I can think of several things to try the goat cheese ice cream on. And the rum and maple syrup flavorings would be perfect with apples.
Clotilde,
Thanks again, for a lovely recipe. This looks so yummy and appetizing. Have added it to my "things to make after I finish my dissertation" :)
Posted by Uma on October 20, 2009 4:35 PMOhmigosh this looks mouth watering!
Posted by Jessica @ How Sweet It Is on October 20, 2009 4:56 PMMmmmm, now that's a dessert I'd like to sit down to. I ♥ the blue plate too.
Posted by Sheena S. on October 20, 2009 5:33 PMI love the yogurt ice cream. It sounds divine. I will have to try this recipe. My family and my students will love it. As usual photo is beautiful. Thanks.
Posted by The Teacher Cooks on October 20, 2009 7:09 PMThis looks delicious! I'll definitely be trying it soon.
Posted by Jessica on October 20, 2009 7:45 PMI love the idea with the sheeps milk yoghurt. Very unusual and delicious. Here in Greece sheeps milk is easy to get. I will try that one out.
Posted by tobias cooks! on October 20, 2009 8:00 PMwow, this sounds incredible. i'm especially intrigued by the sheep's milk yogurt! i wonder if that's available here in italy.
Posted by Ellen on October 20, 2009 8:53 PMYou've struck the right notes again, Clotilde! Apples and apples and ground almonds (am always on the lookout for almond recipes for a book i'm working on)in peak season for both - must try this on a crowd soon. And the frozen yogurt details for making it in an afternoon are perfect. Merci!
Posted by Marolyn on October 20, 2009 8:56 PMI love any recipes that involve apples, and pairing it with sheeps milk yogurt sounds just delicious!
Posted by AnnaC on October 20, 2009 10:34 PMYum! It seems like such a great pair!
Posted by Sam on October 20, 2009 11:50 PMThis might be the tastiest post I've ever seen on your site. I ADORE sheep's milk yogurt, and that "apple slice" looks irresistable. If one makes the frozen yogurt without an ice cream maker, does it still come out creamy, or is the texture more icy from the lack of churning?
Posted by Dawn in CA on October 21, 2009 12:05 AMLovely! I have seen sheep's milk yogurt in stores and have been quite curious. I may try to make this very, very soon! Thank you!
Posted by arugulove on October 21, 2009 2:15 AMI love the crust and am tempted to use it with pears instead.
Posted by Onepot on October 21, 2009 6:22 AMDawn - The resulting texture depends on many factors: how much fat is in the yogurt you use, how cold is your freezer, and how diligent you are with the stirring.
Posted by clotilde on October 21, 2009 10:16 AMI love frozen sheeps milk yoghurt as well! I made it last summer, following David Lebovitz's recipe for yoghurt ice cream, and it was very tasty :-) I ate it with cardamom flavoured butter cookies (traditionally accompanying a typical danish summer dessert called "koldskål" made of buttermilk), crumbled on top, but would love to try the frozen yoghurt as a side to a more substantial cake.
Posted by Agnes on October 21, 2009 10:32 AMThis looks so amazing -- I can't wait to try it. By the way, I enjoyed catching the tail end of your interview on The World on NPR!
Posted by Anna on October 21, 2009 4:41 PMI ADORE frozen yogurt made with sheep's milk! I love your idea of stirring in a liqueur - clever indeed. Alas, I need a bigger freezer.
Thanks for sharing!
Posted by Michelle on October 21, 2009 9:42 PMOh, this looks wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing. Cannot wait to try this, Alabama-style.
Posted by Cathy on October 22, 2009 12:37 AMgetting my ice cream machine delivered today, guess this is one flavour i must try!!!
Posted by 3hungrytummies on October 22, 2009 12:51 AMI really like the idea of the Sheep Milk Frozen Yogurt.. Since I am always trying to diversify our diet, I have come to eating sheep yogurts... but never thought of making frozen sheep milk yogurt!
Posted by Gaelle@whatareyoufeedingyourkidsthesedays.com on October 22, 2009 3:32 AMWill try it soon! Merci!
It really looks so yummy! So yummy! I never thought of mixing apples and yogurt! Oh man, I love it!
Posted by table kitchen on October 22, 2009 4:25 AMCan't wait to try the yogurt! Any recommendations for a good sheep's milk yogurt in the US? I live in San Francisco, so I'm sure we have a good option somewhere :)
Posted by Jill P. on October 22, 2009 8:07 PMHi Clotilde,
glad to see you enjoy our capital, as I very much enjoy yours :-)
The apple thingy looks nice - it is however not Dutch I'm guessing. If the name is correct it must be German ("schnitte" would be "snee"). No problem there of course (just don't mention the war :))
I'm off to Germany myself now - I love living near borders and thus having twice as much good stuff around. Shame we don't have a French border...
Posted by Wouter on October 24, 2009 11:13 AMAs Wouter was saying, great to read you are enjoying Amsterdam! It makes me want to go there, since I haven't lived in Holland for 4 years now....
But in those years I have definately discovered some other great cuisines also!
Posted by Anna on October 24, 2009 2:12 PMI love your recipes! and on Autumn we need sweets. I will advice your site on my blog!
Posted by vera on October 25, 2009 6:19 PMvéronique from www.rendezvousaparis.fr
Hi Clotilde! I've got your first book and I love it! I'm running a food blog too, but unfortunately it's written in portuguese...
Posted by Teresa on October 26, 2009 12:31 PMI've already done your raw courgettes with raspberry vinegar and your chocolate caramel tart. 5 stars both recipes. Thanks for your inspiration!
Thank you for this great looking autumnal recipe! I will try it. Btw I understand that sheep's milk is not only supposed to be more nutritous than cow's milk and goat's milk, but it can also be enjoyed by those who are lactose intolerant without any ill effects.
Posted by BarbaraPJ on October 26, 2009 2:29 PMI live in Colorado; we have wonderful lamb from beautiful sheep. It's really hard, however, to find it sold locally. Most of it is exported. Saaaadddd... When I do find it, in the future, I'll also find a source for sheep's milk so I can make this yogurt!
Posted by Alyce Morgan on October 26, 2009 7:17 PMSweet and tangy is my most favorite pairing of all. As I am unlikely to be in Amsterdam any time soon, I think I need to make this myself - and the sheep's milk frozen yogurt sounds like something we'd enjoy on it's own in the summer, as well.
Posted by annie on October 26, 2009 9:15 PMThis recipe sounds absolutely amazing! :)
Posted by JENNA on October 27, 2009 5:46 PM@Jill P. - I live in No. Cal, as well. Look for the sheepsmilk yogurt made by Bellwether Farms . It's rich, creamy, delicious! Their vanilla yogurt has real vanilla seeds in it - so yummy. I buy it at the Co-op in our town, but I bet you could find it at Whole Foods or another S.F. specialty grocer. Good luck!
Posted by Dawn in CA on October 28, 2009 12:34 AMI never make desserts but I have to try this one. However, being Canadian, I must ask: what, pray tell, are canada apples?
Posted by sue j on November 1, 2009 4:58 PMlet me know when you are in Amsterdam and I show you the city and some more food
Posted by Kaylovesvintage on November 2, 2009 8:18 PMI also live in Canada and have never heard of canada apples - curious to know what they are. But then again who in France has heard of French fries? I recently read that Jerusalem artichokes (see Clothilde's recipe for a soup using them as the main ingredient) were called "the potato of Canada" as they were brought to Europe by French explorers.
Posted by Lee on November 3, 2009 12:56 AMAnd then of course there is "Canadian bacon" which is unknown in Canada. Here it's called "peameal bacon" because of the cornmeal it's rolled in. This might be a new feature on C&Z - national dishes that aren't! Creme anglaise anyone? French bread? Italian dressing? Insalata russa (an Italian chopped salad with mayonnaise....I imagine there are others all over the world!
Posted by Lee on November 3, 2009 1:55 AMwow that looks absolutely amazing! I love desserts! and apples!!
Posted by Mara on November 3, 2009 11:36 PMSue and Lee - Canada apples, also called reinettes du Canada are these rustic-looking cooking apples, nicely tart and very sweet, perfect for compotes and crumbles. I love them! :)
Posted by clotilde on November 5, 2009 12:27 PMOhhh...I miss the Organic food market in Amsterdam...one of the best in the world! You have a beautiful blog!
Posted by The Stoner Gourmand on November 10, 2009 1:20 AM