Chaussons-aux-pommes Recipe from Duchess At Home Cookbook

Duchess Bake Shop is not just some random highly acclaimed Edmonton-based bakery, it happens to be the bakery in the same city that I live in. It is not an exaggeration to say that I have ordered and eaten all their baked goods over the last decade. So, it was exciting in 2014 when one of the owners, Giselle Courteau, published her first cookbook Duchess Bake Shop where she shared the recipes for their most popular pastries and cakes. Recently this past Fall, I was offered a copy of Giselle's second cookbook Duchess at Home where she shared recipes that she enjoys baking at home.

After flipping through the cookbook, I thought that some of the recipes were more accessible because it's something that she makes all the time. One of the first recipes I wanted to bake was her Chaussons-aux-pommes. These are French-style apple turnovers using puff pastry so it is extra buttery and flaky. I was given permission to share the recipe from the cookbook which comes with more tips.  

Ingredients for chaussons-aux-pommes

Ingredients for Chaussons-Aux-Pommes (makes 8 chaussons)

• 400g (3-4 small apples) Granny Smith or Honey Crisp
• 60g (1/4 cup) water
• 50g (1/3 cup firmly packed) dark brown sugar
• 30g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), each sheet about 10 inches square
• 1 tbsp brandy or calvados
• 2 large egg yolks, beaten
• sugar, for topping

Note: If you are comfortable making your own puff pastry feel free to do so. A much more convenient option is to buy pre-made frozen puff pastry. Make sure you look for one that is all butter- it's a bit pricier, but worth it for the quality and flavour. 

Equipment

You will need two baking sheets

Directions: to prepare the apple filling

1. Peel, core, and dice the apples into 1-to-2-cm pieces. In a saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the brandy, puff pastry and egg yolks. Saute over low heat for 25-30 minutes until the apples are very soft, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
   
   
2. Once the apples have softened, turn the heat up to medium. Add the brandy and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. This should take less than 1 minute. Set the apples aside to cool, and then place them in the refrigerator. The apple filling needs to be completely cool before filling the puff pastry.
   
   
   to roll, fill, and bake the chaussons
3. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and leave it on the counter to defrost. This should take 15-20 minutes. Make sure it is still cold when you start working with it.
   
4. Once thawed, on a lightly floured surface roll out each sheet of puff pastry slightly to make it smooth. Using a small bowl or lid 4-5 inches wide (about the size of a yogurt lid), cut out 4 circles per sheet.
   
   
5. Place 1  1/2 to 2 Tbsp of apple filling in the centre of a circle. Using your finger, dab a bit of water around the edges. Fold the circle over to make a half-moon shape. Using your fingers, press down on the seam edge to seal well. With a pizza wheel or a sharp paring knife, trim the edge of the puff pastry to create a clean line. Avoid using a fork to crimp the edges as this will prevent the pastry from puffing out as it bakes.
   
6. Transfer the chaussons to a lined baking sheet. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, gently brush egg yolk over the whole of each chausson.
   
7. Chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes. While the chaussons are chilling, preheat your oven to 375F (190C). When the chaussons are cold, brush them with another layer of egg yolk. Use a small, sharp paring knife, score each chausson with a half-moon shape from corner to corner; making sure not to cut all the way through the dough. Score small diagonal lines on each side of the half-moon to create a leaf pattern, again not cutting all the way through.
   
8. Sprinkle generously with sugar.
   
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden brown. Don't be alarmed if yolk that may have baked around the edges gets quite dark. After the chaussons have cooled to the touch remove them from the parchment, cutting off any dark yolk drippings. Serve warm for maximum enjoyment!
   

serving & storage
Chaussons aux pommes are best eaten the day they are baked. They will keep at room temperature for up to three days.

Personal notes and substitutions

• I used honey crisp apples because I don't like the sourness of Granny smith apples.
• I used 3 medium-sized apples instead of small ones.
• I didn't have brandy so I used rum.
• My resulting apple filling only had about 8 tablespoons worth of filling.
• It took a lot longer than 25-30 minutes to soften the apples, next time I will try pressure cooking it or maybe cooking it with the lid on.
• I could only fit about a tablespoon of filling in each chausson, but that might be because the pastry circle was a bit smaller than the recipe instructed. 
• I used the leftover puff pastry to make savoury palmiers (butterfly-shaped pastries with cheese).

Look at how flaky and delicious they are on the inside! Hubby says I might have filled ours a bit too much but they were so good! I could barely restrain myself from eating them straight out of the oven. Every single bite had the cooked down apples in it. I do wish that this recipe made more than just 8 chaussons as these were eaten way too quickly. I guess I will have to make more next time! 

Here is another look of the amazing chaussons-aux-pommes!

Also, if you missed here are some more recipes and blog posts for Duchess Bake Shop on the blog:

Macarons from Duchess Bake Shop

Lemon Meringue Cake that I made for Dan's birthday!

Sour Cream Pie

Croissant Challenge - Baking the Duchess Croissant

Duchess Bake Shop party for their First Cookbook

Duchess was also part of our engagement (back in 2010!)


Excerpt from Duchess at Home by Giselle Courteau. Text copyright © 2019 Giselle Courteau. Design and Photography © 2019 Sarah Hervieux. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Pictures in this blog post are all taken by Lillian Tse (Beyond Umami).