Miracle Three
We finally got around to posting the third miracle of the grocery store, puff pastry. You may remember wonton wrappers and phyllo as the other two. Puff Pastry Apple Tarts Glazed With Honey may not be a world class tart tatin, but it is a simple, tasty treat. There are only 5 ingredients—apples, pastry, butter, sugar and honey. The hardest part is remembering to take the pastry out of the freezer. We once served this with leftover marscarpone, which was an excellent substitution for vanilla ice cream.
The Sauternes, which the recipe recommends, is a French dessert wine. It’s not as sweet or as high in alchohol as a sherry or an ice wine, nor is the flavour as intense. In weight and flavour, it’s between regular white bordeux and an ice wine. We found a half bottle at the Superstore Liquor store for $20.
The combination of the apples and honey with the golden raisin flavour of the Sauternes is quite striking. It’s high on my list of best pairing I’ve ever had. Both had a similar level of sweetness, and they strengthened the caramel and fruit flavours in the other. I find a liqueur or ice wine is often too strong to compliment a dessert. Wine can be over powered by the sweetness. Sauternes is a pleasant compromise.