Pêches Gratinées

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (2-liter) heavy saucepan with lid
• •3-quart (3-liter) wide saucepan
• •8 by 6-inch (20 by 15-cm) shallow broiler-safe gratin dish
• •Slotted spoon
• •Small flexible spatula
• •Fine sieve for the icing sugar

Instructions

1. 1

   Stew the apple base

   Put the sliced apples, ¼ cup sugar, and ¼ cup water into a heavy saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, until the apples release their juice, then uncover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes more, stirring and crushing them into a coarse purée. It is ready when a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a trench that stays open. If liquid gathers around the apples, keep cooking uncovered rather than adding starch. Ça se rattrape: steady heat and another few minutes will make the base properly stiff.

   The base carries the fruit, so ordinary tart cooking apples are preferable to very sweet apples that collapse into a loose, watery sauce.
2. 2

   Form the foundation

   Spread the apple mixture evenly in an 8 by 6-inch (20 by 15-cm) shallow gratin dish, making the layer a full 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick as the source directs. Smooth the surface without packing it hard, then let it cool completely. Warm or loose apple will allow the peaches to sink and the Pralin to slide.

3. 3

   Poach the peaches

   Bring the 3 cups water and 1½ cups sugar to a bare simmer in a wide saucepan, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Lower in the peach halves and poach gently for 3 to 6 minutes, turning once, until a knife enters with slight resistance. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain cut side down until cool. If a tender half breaks, fit the pieces together on the apple base later; the complete covering will hold and conceal the repair.

4. 4

   Mix the Pralin

   Combine the ground almonds and ¾ cup icing sugar, then stir in the lightly beaten egg whites. Add the reserved poaching syrup a teaspoon at a time until the Pralin à Condé falls from the spatula in a slow, thick ribbon and spreads without tugging at the fruit. If it is stiff, add another teaspoon of syrup. If it runs, work in a spoonful of ground almonds. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Build the gratin

   Follow the construction of Abricots Gratinés (No. 2554) precisely: arrange the drained peach halves cut side down on the cold apple foundation, then spoon over the Pralin à Condé. Ease it across the fruit with a small spatula until every peach and every gap is covered by a continuous, moderately thin layer. Search for bare patches from several angles and close them now. Complete coverage is the dish, not decoration.

6. 6

   Colour the covering

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the upper third. Sift the remaining 2 tablespoons icing sugar evenly over the Pralin and bake for 10 to 14 minutes, until the covering is set and only lightly hazelnut at its highest points. If it is set but still pale, place it under the broiler for 30 to 60 seconds, watching without interruption. Should one spot darken first, shield it with a small piece of foil; pale gold is correct, deep brown is too far.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Let the gratin rest for 10 minutes so the almond covering settles and the fruit juices return to the apple foundation. Serve warm with a broad spoon, cutting through the lightly crisp Pralin, tender peach, and thick apple beneath in one movement. No fussy garnish is needed. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose peaches that smell ripe but still resist a thumb. A very soft peach will collapse in the syrup; a hard one will remain cottony no matter how neatly it is poached.
• •Outside peach season, use 8 well-drained canned peach halves packed in light syrup. They have already been poached, so skip that cooking step, drain them thoroughly, and reserve a little syrup for thinning the Pralin. The fragrance changes, but the method remains honest.
• •The source also permits stiff stewed semolina prepared like rice for entremets. Use 3 cups (720 ml / about 750 g) in place of the apple, spread it exactly 1 inch thick, and cool it completely before adding the peaches.
• •Do not chase a dark crust. The instruction is to colour the Pralin slightly, leaving it tender beneath its delicate top rather than baking it into a hard almond shell.
• •Strain and chill the remaining peach syrup. It will keep for several days and can poach another batch of fruit, sweeten a compote, or loosen the Pralin if the gratin is repeated.

Advance Preparation

• •The stiff apple foundation can be cooked up to 2 days ahead, covered, and chilled. Spread it in the gratin dish while warm, then bring the dish back to room temperature before it enters the hot oven.
• •The peach halves can be poached 1 day ahead and refrigerated in their syrup. Drain them cut side down for at least 20 minutes before assembly so excess syrup does not loosen the apple base.
• •Mix the Pralin à Condé shortly before assembly. Once the fruit is covered, bake within 30 minutes so the almond layer stays in place and colours evenly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 470g)