• preparation

Arrange the cooked mussels on a serving dish. Refrigerate. Combine mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and chives.
Pour sauce over the mussels. Serve cold

• preparation

Dice the fish into 1/2-inch cubes, rinse with fresh water, drain, and place in a large nonreactive salad bowl.

Squeeze the limes and pour the juice over the fish. Add the rice wine vinegar, sriracha sauce and ginger. Mix well and chill 15 to 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

Cut onion and green pepper into thin slices, and cut tomato into small cubes. Remove seeds from cucumber and cut into thin half-moons.
onions, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in bowls

Drain some of the lime juice, add the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
Five minutes before serving, add the coconut milk. Serve chilled.
Tip
you can substitute tuna with jackfish, halibut, salmon, or snapper.

• preparation

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, lemon rind, lemon juice, capers, dill, mustard, and pepper until smooth. On a large sheet of wax paper, spread out the slices of salmon to form a rectangle. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the surface of the salmon.
Roll up the salmon tightly from one end, jelly roll style. Enclose in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Wash cucumber, dry and slice across into 1/4-inch slices.
Just before serving, slice the smoked salmon roll into -inch slices. Top each cucumber slice with a slice of salmon roll. Serve at once.

PRESENTATION
Serve this hors d'oeuvre on a tray. Arrange the cucumber and salmon rolls on the tray into two circles. Garnish center of tray with parsley or dill sprigs.

• preparation

Cut two 16 inch round parchment paper disks to fit under each pogne. Butter each disk. Place on baking sheet. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water.
Stir in flour to make a soft dough. Let dough rise in covered bowl at room temperature (70-75 F) to double in bulk. On a working surface, form a well with 1 1/2 cups flour. Break 4 eggs in center. Bring the flour and eggs together to form a mass.
Turn dough to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat 2 to 3 minutes at medium speed.
Batter will be smooth and light golden yellow. Add, rum or brandy, sugar and 2 teaspoons water. salt and orange flower water and stir in.
Gradually add butter while mixing. When all the butter has been stirred in, add remaining eggs and blend well at medium speed. Knead the rest of flour, one cup at the time until dough is soft and elastic. Form dough into a ball. Return to the large bowl. Cover with plastic.
When the starter has developed, it is added to the larger ball of yellow dough. Place the yellow dough on the working surface and flatten. Spread the starter dough over it. Fold over the yellow dough to envelop the starter dough.
Work and knead together to form a smooth dough with no streaks of color remaining. Place dough in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume. Turn dough onto work surface.
Divide into 2 pieces. Form each into a ball. Flatten the ball so the pogne is about 8 inches in diameter.
Press a thumb down in the center. With the fingers, open a hole about 4 inches across. Place pogne on the prepared paper disk on baking sheet. Repeat for second piece. Cover with wax paper and let rise at room temperature free of draft for about 21/2 hours. Brush with glaze. With a razor blade, make 3 connecting cuts on top of each pogne to form a triangle.
Bake at 350 degrees until crust is a deep glistening brown.

• preparation

Scrub mussels under cold running water.
Heat wine in a large pot. Add mussels. Cover pot and steam for about 5 minutes, or until mussels are opened.
Strain cooking liquid through cheese cloth. Save.
Remove mussels from shells.
Reserve for garnish.
In a medium saucepan, add mussel broth, shallots, onion, saffron, parsley and chicken broth.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
Combine butter and flour to a paste. Whip in the cooking liquid to thicken. Add cream and seasoning. Add mussels. Heat soup, and serve hot.

• preparation

To make the tangzhong:
Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain.
Place the saucepan over low heat, and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the tangzhong to a small mixing bowl or measuring cup and let it cool to room temperature.

To make the dough
1. Place the flour in a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook) and add the yeast to one side, the salt, sugar and milk powder to the other (if the salt is added on top of the yeast it can kill it), stir to combine.
2. Whisk together the cooled tangzhong, egg and milk and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix everything together until it forms a soft, shaggy dough. If you are kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a worktop and knead for 5-10 minutes until it starts to feel smooth and a little less sticky (it will still be very sticky), add no more than a spoonful of flour while you are kneading, the dough is meant to be sticky! The best way to knead a wet dough by hand is to stretch it up away from the worktop (it will stick), then slap it back down, make sure that you pull from a different section each time and keep a dough scraper handy. If you are using a stand mixer, mix for 5 minutes or so until the dough is smooth.
3. Add the butter and mix until it is fully incorporated, continue to knead until the dough is very elastic and begins to come away from the worktop (or sides of the stand mixer bowl) cleanly. It should pass the windowpane test - stretch the dough with your hands, you should be able to stretch it to a very thin, almost transparent membrane without it tearing. This can take up to 20 minutes of kneading, especially by hand.
4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm, leave to rise for 1-2 hours until well doubled in size. Alternatively, place it in the fridge to rise overnight. If you refrigerate it, the following day let it come up to room temperature for about half an hour before continuing.
5. Line an 8.5x4.5in (or thereabouts) loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and fold it in on itself a couple of times. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, divide it in to four equal pieces and roll each one into a ball.
6. Roll each ball out into a long oval, fold one third of the oval over the middle (from the side, not the top), then the other third over the top to form a long, narrow packet. Roll over the seam to flatten it, then roll it up from one end to make a fat sausage. Repeat with the other balls of dough then arrange them in the loaf tin, seam side down.
7. Loosely cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise until at least doubled in size, this can take 1-2 hours (mine took nearly 2). If you press the dough gently with a finger the indentation should spring back slowly but remain visible. If it springs back quickly it needs to proof for a little longer. Preheat the oven while the dough is rising to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
8. Brush the top of the dough with some of the beaten egg then bake on the lower middle shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes until well risen and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, the internal temperature should reach 94C/200F on a probe thermometer. Cover the bread with foil partway through baking if it starts to get too dark.
9. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before slicing.

• preparation

Heat oil in a saucepan. Do not overheat place herbs in a metal bowl. Pour oil over them. Cool completely and pour oil and herbs in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add garlic and herb sprigs. Add goat cheese. Marinate 3 days in the refrigerator. Remove cheese from oil and drain. Refrigerate herb oil for other uses.

In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, green onions and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Rub one side of toasts with cut garlic.
Preheat broiler. Spoon tomato mixture onto the toast slices. Arrange on a baking sheet. Place one piece of cheese on each toast.
Broil 2 minutes or until cheese starts melting.
Serve immediately. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

• preparation

Beat eggs, 2 tablespoons parsley, 2 teaspoons water, dried herbs, salt and pepper in small bowl to blend.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of egg mixture (about 1/2 cup) to skillet. Cook until eggs are just set in center, tilting pan and lifting edge of omelet with spatula to let uncooked portion flow underneath, about 2 minutes.
Top half of omelet with 1/4 cup cheese.
Using spatula, fold other half of omelet over cheese; slide out onto plate. Repeat with remaining butter, egg mixture and cheese. Sprinkle omelets with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

• preparation

* Peel and cook sliced carrots until soft. Drain, and place carrot slices in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Puree in a mixer. The carrot puree should be thick.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the interior of a 6-cup soufflé mold with the softened butter.
In a heavy saucepan heat the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic. Cook briefly while stirring, until onions are wilted. Stir in the flour and cornstarch. Add the milk. Cook while whisking until sauce becomes thick.
Tranfer the bubbly sauce to a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix in chopped basil.
Mix egg yolks, and carrot puree into the thick cream sauce. This mixture can be prepared 2 hours ahead.
Using an electric beater, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff and glossy. Do not overbeat. Gently fold into cream sauce mixture. Pour and scrape the mixture into the prepared soufflé mold.
Place on a baking sheet. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve at once.

• preparation

Dough
In a small bowl, add 1/3 cup lukewarm water and 1 tsp. sugar. Add yeast and let sit until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Combine 3 ¾ all-purpose flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough blade, add water, olive and yeast mixture and blend. Knead on low speed for about 10 to 12 minutes until the dough comes together and is smooth. Remove dough from the bowl. Turn dough onto a well-floured surface and continue knead by hand until smooth and elastic, about 2 to 5 minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If dough is still too sticky, add a little more flour. Place the dough in a lightly oiled medium bowl and cover. Let rest in a warm spot until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Sauce
Drain the tomatoes in a strainer to remove excess liquid. Process the tomatoes in a food mill over a medium bowl. Discard excess liquid or keep to make a soup.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes or until softened. Add tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside. Let cool to room temperature.

Toppings
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of oven when oven begins to preheat. Heat according to manufacturer’s directions.

Punch down dough. Divide dough into 4 balls. Using your hands, stretch and pull (or alternatively roll with a rolling pin) each ball of dough into 10 to 12-inch rounds depending on how thin you want your crust.

Sprinkle some flour onto a pizza paddle (if you don’t have a paddle, you can sprinkle flour on pizza pans or baking sheets). Place a round of dough onto the pizza paddle or pan. Evenly spoon over tomato sauce and basil and cheese. Season the pizzas with salt and pepper and chile flakes, if desired. Drizzle with olive oil. Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone. Bake until topping is bubbly and crust is golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining rounds of dough.

• preparation

Dice the fish into 1/2-inch cubes, rinse with fresh water, drain, and place in a large nonreactive salad bowl.

Squeeze the limes and pour the juice over the fish. Add the rice wine vinegar, sriracha sauce and ginger. Mix well and chill 15 to 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

Cut onion and green pepper into thin slices, and cut tomato into small cubes. Remove seeds from cucumber and cut into thin half-moons.
onions, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in bowls

Drain some of the lime juice, add the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
Five minutes before serving, add the coconut milk. Serve chilled.
Tip
you can substitute tuna with jackfish, halibut, salmon, or snapper.

• preparation

Heat oven to 400°F.
Lightly grease or spray cookie sheet.
Place croissant halves 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake 5 minutes.
Divide scrambled eggs among croissants. Crumble bacon on top of eggs.
Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese.
Bake about 5 minutes.

• preparation

Snap off the woody ends of asparagus where they naturally break when you bend them or cut them off with a knife.

Boil water in a large pot or saucepan with steamer then reduce to simmer, add asparagus, cover with lid and steam asparagus until tender (about 8-10 minutes) *This will depend on your preference.

Use tongs to remove asparagus

In a small bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar, oil, red wine, dijon mustard, salt and pepper together.

Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Arrange cooked asparagus tomatoes on a large platter.

Sprinkle with feta cheese and parsley.


Drizzle with ½ the dressing and serve the remainder on the side *Can be served warm, room temperature or chilled.



????Variations & Substitutions
Tomatoes- you could use cherry tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes
Asparagus -you could use grilled or oven-roasted asparagus instead of steamed
Tarragon- fresh tarragon is ideal, but you can use dried
Feta cheese - you can use regular, light or fat-free feta or use goat cheese
Add-ins- you could also sprinkle on a little parmesan cheese and/or add red onions or green onion

• preparation

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, lemon rind, lemon juice, capers, dill, mustard, and pepper until smooth. On a large sheet of wax paper, spread out the slices of salmon to form a rectangle. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the surface of the salmon.
Roll up the salmon tightly from one end, jelly roll style. Enclose in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Wash cucumber, dry and slice across into 1/4-inch slices.
Just before serving, slice the smoked salmon roll into -inch slices. Top each cucumber slice with a slice of salmon roll. Serve at once.

PRESENTATION
Serve this hors d'oeuvre on a tray. Arrange the cucumber and salmon rolls on the tray into two circles. Garnish center of tray with parsley or dill sprigs.

• preparation

Scrub and debeard mussels. In a large kettle, combine parsley, white wine, and shallots, and bring to a boil. Steam the mussels in the boiling liquid until opened. Drain and save the cooking stock. Remove only top shells of mussels and discard.
Arrange mussels in ovenproof serving casserole. Strain cooking liquid through cheese cloth. Pour in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
In a small saucepan, melt butter, and add flour to make roux. Stir roux in stock and whisk to thicken. Add the saffron. Pour a little sauce into egg yolks. Mix well and stir into remaining sauce.
Heat sauce but do not boil. Season to taste with salt, pepper.
Do not add salt since the mussel stock is salty. Pour sauce over the hot mussels. Serve immediately.

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Peel the carrots. Blanch for 5 minutes and drain. Plant a bamboo spike at the base of each carrot, asparagus, and corn on the cob.
Roll carrots, asparagus and corn in flour. Dip them in the beaten eggs. Finally, roll the corn in the chopped cornflakes, then the carrots and asparagus in the breadcrumbs.
Place the vegetables on a baking sheet lined with lightly oiled baking paper. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake 20 to 30 mins. Sprinkle the carrots and asparagus with the parmesan then place everything on a serving platter before serving.

• preparation

Beat eggs, 2 tablespoons parsley, 2 teaspoons water, dried herbs, salt and pepper in small bowl to blend.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of egg mixture (about 1/2 cup) to skillet. Cook until eggs are just set in center, tilting pan and lifting edge of omelet with spatula to let uncooked portion flow underneath, about 2 minutes.
Top half of omelet with 1/4 cup cheese.
Using spatula, fold other half of omelet over cheese; slide out onto plate. Repeat with remaining butter, egg mixture and cheese. Sprinkle omelets with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

• preparation

In a medium saucepan, heat water and butter to a simmer. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon over low heat until mixture no longer sticks to pan and forms into a ball. Remove from heat.
Beat eggs in thoroughly, one by one until mixture is smooth. Mix in the cheese and seasonings.
Transfer cheese mixture to a mixing bowl.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees. Carefully fry half of the dry parsley sprigs for about 10 to 12 seconds.
Transfer to a plate on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining parsley. Season with salt.
Spoon about 5 or 6 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into the oil. Do not crowd as they double in size and self rotate while cooking. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
Keep beignets in a warm oven while frying the remaining. Arrange the warm cheese beignets on a platter with the fried parsley.
Serve with hot tomato basil.
Note: If served as hors d'oeuvres, fry teaspoonfuls of the cheese mixture.

• preparation

Peel and cut potatoes into large cubes. Place in a large saucepan, boil in salted boiling water until tender. Drain well, and put through a ricer.
In a large saucepan, combine potatoes with butter, egg yolks, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well over medium heat until mixture thickens.
Spread mixture onto a greased baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold.
Shape duchess potato into small logs, (1 inch round by 3 inches long).
Dip in beaten egg mixed with oil. Coat in flour, and roll in breadcrumbs and sliced almonds combined. Deep Fry at 350 degrees until golden brown

• preparation

Cook white and green asparagus separately in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until just tender, about 5 minutes for white asparagus; about 3 minutes for green asparagus.
Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to a colander and rinse under cold water (to stop cooking), then drain again. Pat dry.
Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté shallots, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add morels and sauté, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus, tarragon, salt, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter and sauté, stirring, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Serve immediately.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss pumpkin seeds and 1 tsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 5 minutes; let cool. Finely chop 2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds. 

Whisk chopped pumpkin seeds, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, vinegar and remaining oil in a medium bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper.


Combine fennel, Asian pear, celery root, Granny Smith apple, most of the Manchego, and remaining pumpkin seeds in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over top and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining Manchego.

• preparation

Steam or boil cauliflower and garlic until soft. Drain, add buttermilk, light butter, salt, pepper and purée with a hand blender or regular blender.

• preparation

Cut asparagus in halves. Discard the woody parts. Cut spears into 1-inch pieces. Cook in salted boiling water until tender, about 6 minutes. Melt butter in a skillet. Add asparagus, scallions, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Puree mixture in a blender. Put through a strainer. Heat in a saucepan with the cream, and keep warm until needed.

• preparation

In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a steel blade, chop finely parsley, dill and watercress. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Process spinach in the same way and add to herb mixture. Add scallions, mayonnaise and sour cream. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.
Refrigerate until ready to use

• preparation

Clarify butter over medium heat.
Whisk egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl. Place the bowl over top of a double boiler. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water as it will overcook the egg yolks. Slow, progressive heating is best when making hollandaise sauce.
Whip the yolks until they reach a creamy consistency. Remove from heat.
Slowly pour warm butter into the yolks, whipping continuously to blend. Add seasonings to taste.
The sauce will keep, covered, in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.

• preparation

1.Place prunes in a bowl and pour on boiling water to cover. Let sit for 5 minutes, and drain.
2.Combine wine and honey in a medium saucepan. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from the vanilla bean halves into wine and add pods. Add cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes.
3.Add prunes to simmering wine and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add orange or lemon zest. Cover and let sit for at least 2 hours before serving.
Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

• preparation

Brush the inside of the soufflé dishes with soft butter. Lightly sprinkle with sugar and rotate dishes so the sugar evenly coats the surface. Refrigerate until needed.
In a medium bowl, combine cocoa and chocolate. In a small pan, combine light cream with water, and bring to a boil. Pour into bowl of chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
In a small pan, combine sugar with water. Bring to a boil, and heat to the soft- ball stage, or 250 degrees on the candy thermometer. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, whip egg whites until fluffy.
Slowly add hot sugar to the egg whites, pouring it down the side of the bowl as the whites whip. Whisk egg whites to soft peaks; do not overbeat. Add warm chocolate mixture to beaten egg whites.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in until thoroughly combined. Spoon or pipe into soufflé molds.
Refrigerate, uncovered, up to 24 hours ahead of serving.
To serve, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Allow soufflés to come to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes. Place on a baking sheet, and bake until risen, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving. Serve immediately.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan. Dust pan with flour, tilting to coat evenly and tapping out the excess. Line bottom with parchment or wax paper. Lightly oil paper.
Spread almonds in a shallow pan and bake for 4 to 8 minutes, until light golden. Let cool.
In a food processor or blender, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and toasted almonds. Process until almonds are ground. Set aside.
In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk, oil and vanilla and almond extracts. Set aside
In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, egg whites and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until mixture is thick and pale, about 5 minutes. The beaters should leave a ribbon trail when lifted.
With a rubber spatula, alternately fold reserved dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture into egg mixture, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 additions of liquid.
Gently spread batter in prepared pan and tap the pan once on the counter to release air bubbles. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched and cake shrinks away slightly from sides of pan.
Place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Loosen edges of cake from pan, remove pan rim and invert cake onto rack. Remove pan bottom, peel off paper and let cool completely.
To prepare berries: In a large bowl, toss strawberries with sugar. Set aside.
To make vanilla cream: Chill a mixing bowl. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand for 1 minute.
In a large saucepan, bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer. Adjust heat so water barely simmers. In a heatproof mixing bowl large enough to fit over the saucepan, combine egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and softened gelatin. Set the bowl over the simmering water and beat with an electric mixer at low speed until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees F. Increase mixer speed to high and continue beating over the heat for 3½ minutes. Remove bowl from heat and beat meringue until completely cooled, about 4 minutes more.
In the chilled bowl, combine cream and vanilla and beat with electric mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Fold one-fourth of the meringue into the cream. Gently fold in remaining meringue.
To assemble cake:
No more than 2 hours before serving, place the cake on a serving plate. Using a serrated knife, slice cake horizontally into 2 layers.
Carefully lift off top layer. Spoon half the berries and all the juices onto the bottom layer. Spread with half the vanilla cream. Cover with the top layer. Spoon remaining vanilla cream on top and arrange remaining strawberries over cream. Refrigerate until serving time.

• preparation

Preheat to 425°F. Combine 1/2 cup sugar if using canned apricots (or 3/4 cup sugar if using fresh apricots) and 2 tablespoons water in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.
Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, about 8 minutes.
Add butter and cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until any caramel bits are dissolved. Immediately pour caramel into nonstick 10-inch-diameter ovenproof skillet; swirl to cover bottom of skillet. Carefully place apricot halves, rounded side down, tightly together atop caramel.
Roll out puff pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 12 1/2-inch square.
Using 12-inch tart pan bottom or platter as guide, cut pastry into 12-inch round. Place puff pastry round atop apricots in skillet.
Gently press down pastry around apricots at edge of skillet.
Bake tart until pastry is puffed and deep golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; cool 1 minute.
Cut around edge of pastry to loosen. Place large rimmed platter atop skillet.
Using oven mitts as aid, hold skillet and platter tightly together and invert, allowing tart and syrup to fall onto platter.
Carefully lift off skillet. Rearrange any apricots that may have become dislodged. Serve warm.

• preparation

Peel, core and grate the apples.
Sprinkle them with the rum or Calvados and mix everything well.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and beaten eggs. Add the milk and whisk everything together to remove any lumps.
Fold the apples into the batter.
Melt a teaspoon of butter in a small pan (blini pan style). Place 2 tablespoons of the beignet mix in the frying pan, distributing the grated apples over the surface.
When the beignet is set and browned on one side, flip it. Add another teaspoon of butter to the pan and brown the other side.
Repeat the operation with the apple-batter mixture.
Reserve the beignets pancakes in a dish.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy still warm.

• preparation

In medium saucepan, combine apricots, sugar, water, orange and lemon juice over high heat. Bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium; simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until apricots are very soft. Let cool slightly, then spoon into food processor; process until smooth. Cool in a mixing bowl. Freeze in an ice cream maker until firm enough to scoop. Spoon into serving bowl; garnish with mint.