9th December 2019... Autumn is about to go, after bringing its changing and shimmering colours as well as its many delicacies in our gardens and orchards. The freezing temperatures we've experienced over the last few days prove that winter has arrived. A time of the year when we appreciate eating warm and comforting food, as well as heartening desserts.

 

For this recipe we will use a local and seasonal product - apples - associated with a style of wine we generally enjoy drinking in winter. Sweet wines, because of their high concentration in sugar*, and for some of them, because of their low acidity level, are generally wines that are less appreciated when the weather is warm.

 

The proof is that they are often served at festive meals during the holiday season, for instance as an aperitif with nice appetizers or with foie gras, a dish traditionally associated with Christmas or New Year's celebrations.

 

Here is a simple recipe: a dessert of Italian inspiration adapted to use ingredients both found in the Loire Valley. A dessert to make a few hours before serving it and to serve with the wine used in the recipe.

 

Ingredients (for 4 people) :

- 4 farm eggs

- 50 g sugar

- 12 cl sweet wine (if you want to use a Loire Valley wine, the following AOC wines should be perfect : Vouvray, Montlouis-sur-Loire, Coteaux du Layon, Coteaux de l'Aubance...)

- 4 apples

- 250g mascarpone

- ladyfinger biscuits

- a few knobs of butter

 

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture turns pale. Add the mascarpone and mix.

Beat the egg whites, add them to the mixture and mix again.

Peel the apples, slice them and brown them in a frying pan with a few knobs of butter and 2 cl of sweet wine.

Keep the cooking juice from the apples and add the remaining wine to it.

Dip the biscuits in this syrup and put them at the bottom of a dish or verrines. Cover with apples then with the mascarpone mixture. Repeat the operation to get several layers.

Chill for at least a couple of hours before serving.

 

Bon appétit !