The American restaurant revolution of the past 20 years has focused attention on a new generation of pastry chefs--men and women whose work has gained recognition beyond their field. In The Making of a Pastry Chef, pâtissière-author Andrew MacLauchlan presents more than 30 of these talented chefs, exploring with them what it is they actually do, how their own interest in dessert making developed and expresses itself
For the sweet dough, cut the butter into small cubes. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and place them in a mixing bowl with the butter cubes. Add the flour and sugar. Using the paddle on low speed, add the egg and mix until all ingredients are well combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
On a well-floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Place a tart ring or pan on the dough and cut around it 1/2-inch larger in diameter. Lift the dough circle into the tart pan and press the dough into the corners of the pan. Trim the top flush and chill the tart shell for 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until brown. Remove the shell from the oven and set aside to cool.
Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F. For the apple filling, peel and core the apple. Cut it cross-wise into three pieces of roughly equal thickness. Place the rings on a nonstick sheet tray or on a pan brushed with butter. Brush the rings with the butter and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake the apple rings for 12 to 14 minutes or until soft. Remove them from the oven and let them cool.
For the hazelnut filling, combine the sugar and corn syrup in a saucepot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a deep golden caramel color. Carefully whisk in the cream. Add a dash of salt and the honey. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this caramel mixture for final assembly of the dessert. Combine the chocolate and hazelnuts in a bowl and pour the remaining warm caramel mixture over it. Stir until chocolate is melted. Set aside for final assembly of the dessert.
For the chocolate chantilly, whip the cream stiff. Pour the melted chocolate into the cream all at once and fold together quickly. Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a plain, round tip, with the chocolate mixture.
Place the cooled apples into the tart shell. Spread the hazelnut-caramel mixture over the apple rings. Pipe the chantilly onto the nut mixture and garnish with chocolate spirals. Cut the tart into pieces, place in the centers of plates and drizzle some of the reserved caramel sauce around each. Cut some roasted hazelnuts in half and place around each serving.
