Apple Layers
By Mariana Delgado Gambini A member of the American Culinary Federation Serves 4 Chiffon cake: 2 1/4 C Cake flour 1 1/2 C Sugar 1 T Baking Powder 1/2 T – Plus 1 Pinch Salt 1/2 C Vegetable Oil 7 Large Egg Yolks 3/4 C Orange Juice – Fresh 2 T Orange Zest – Freshly Grated 2 t Vanilla Extract 9 Large Egg Whites 1 t Cream of Tartar Poached apples: 6 Medium Gala Apples – Cored from the bottom and peeled 1/2 Lemon 1/2 Gallon Apple Cider 1 C Light-Brown Sugar – Packed 1 Cinnamon Stick 2 Whole Cloves Vanilla mousse: 32 Oz Milk 3 Vanilla Beans – Split 9 1/2 Oz Sugar 12 Oz Egg Yolks 24 Sheets Gelatin – Bloomed 53 Oz Heavy Cream Finish and serve: Thin layers of crispy phyllo Short dough cookies Small apples filled with vanilla mousse Caramel sauce Chocolate sauce Chocolate garnishes and other garnishes of choice To make chiffon cake: •Preheat oven to 325°F. Sift flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt into large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together oil, yolks, orange juice, zest and vanilla; whisk into flour mixture, whisking until batter is smooth. •In bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt until foamy. Add cream of tartar; continue beating until whites hold stiff peaks. Gradually beat in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating until mixture makes stiff, glossy peaks. Stir a third of whites into batter to lighten. Fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spoon batter into a 10-inch greased and floured cake pan. Bake in middle of oven until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Invert pan immediately onto a rack; let cake cool completely in pan upside down on rack. To make poached apples: •Put apples in a wide, heavy 5-quart pot; add lemon, cider, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Cover; bring to a boil over medium heat (this will take 25 to 30 minutes). Remove from heat; cool apples in cider, covered. Finely dice apples before serving. To make vanilla mousse: •In a medium saucepan, heat milk, vanilla beans and half sugar until small bubbles form around edges of pan. In large bowl, beat yolks with remaining sugar. Whisking constantly, very slowly whisk hot milk into yolks. Pour mixture back into saucepan; cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until mixture thickens enough to coat back of spoon. Immediately remove from heat; strain into large bowl. Add bloomed gelatin; stir until dissolved. Place bowl over an ice bath; stir until cooled but not set. Whip cream to medium peaks; fold it into cooled custard. To finish and serve: •Cut out rectangles of chiffon cake; cover top of cake with diced poached apples. Place rectangle of crispy phyllo sheets on top of apples; cover top with dollops of vanilla mousse. Place another layer of phyllo on top. Place stack on each plate. Place cookie on each plate; top with an apple filled with mousse. Pipe sauces on plates; garnish as desired.
