JIM HAGY / CHEF'S MARKET CATERING & RESTAURANT
2 puff pastry sheets, thawed
10 granny smith apples, medium, peeled, cored, sliced thin
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of fresh cranberries
1/2 cup of apricot preserves
4 ounces almond paste
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Thaw 2 sheets of puff pastry, about one hour, and with wet hands form into a ball. Core and peel apples, and then slice into thin half moons. It is important to slice them thin or the pastry sheet will be done before the apples are baked tender. Place into a bowl. Place pastry on a parchment paper cut to fit your baking pan. Spray parchment with cooking oil and roll the ball of pastry with a rolling pin into a 12 or 14 inch round. Once rolled in a circle, carefully move the parchment paper with the pastry on top to the baking pan. Pinch the almond paste into small pieces placing evenly over the top. Beginning one inch in from the outer circle begin arranging the apples. You will create three rows as you work towards the center. Overlap the apple slices one on top the other as the apples will shrink while baking. Create a rim by rolling the outer edge of the pastry up or over itself slightly. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, rotating once during baking. If the crust is puffed up and golden brown and apples appear tender, it is close to done. Meanwhile, in a glass bowl add the water to the apricot preserve. Warm in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and stir. Warm a bit longer if necessary to thin. After 25 minutes remove the baking pan and scatter the fresh cranberries over the top. Brush with apricot water mixture using a pastry brush. Place into the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. This dessert can be served warm with vanilla ice cream or serve at room temperature. Almond paste can be found in the grocery store in either a tube or can. If you prefer make your own almond paste with the following recipe.
Homemade Almond Paste
3 cups raw almonds (not roasted, or the blanching step will not work correctly)
3 cups powdered sugar
2 egg whites
Heat a big pot of water to boiling. Dump a scant 3 cups of almonds into the boiling water (they'll expand quite a bit as they boil), and boil for one minute. Drain immediately and let cool for a few
minutes before peeling their loose brown skins off. Discard skins. Re-measure the 3 cups of blanched almonds to make sure you have exactly 3 cups - you may have a few extra due to how they expand in the hot water. Add the 3 cups of blanched almonds to a food processor and let run until the almonds are broken down into very tiny pieces, about 1-2 minutes. Next add the 3 cups of powdered sugar and let run for another 1-2 minutes. Take your time on this step - you want to get the mixture as finely ground as possible. Once you add the egg whites, the whole mixture will ball up into a very firm and sticky mass and unless you have a really powerful food processor you will not be able to process it much past this point! Add the 2 eggs white and process until they're fully incorporated. Store tightly sealed in airtight containers in the refrigerator for a week. It can be held in the freezer for several months with great results.
