Chausson aux pommes

If there is one thing I love most at a French boulangerie, it is Chausson aux Pommes. Flaky, buttery pastry embracing apples just makes an unforgettable combination - moist, juicy, layered, crunchy, and flaky with a touch of sweetness. The girls have learned that when we enter a boulangerie, I will go for this. Always. I know that some of you might feel intimidated by assembling this, but please don't. Two years ago, I had no idea how to make this because puff pastry freaked me out, and the shape of the pastry made me wonder about how to make one, but I could not complete the task. Today, I feel it is uncomplicated, meditative, and genuinely wonderful, particularly when fall arrives and the trees offer an abundance of apples to everyone around.

10 - 14 pieces
1 portion puff pastry

apples:
400 g cored apples, in small pieces
1/5 tsp ground cardamom
1/5 tsp cinnamon
bit of vanilla powder
60 g golden caster or Demerara sugar
pinch of sea salt
30 ml water

egg wash:
1 small egg yolk
20 ml milk


Heat the oven to 200°. Line a pan with parchment paper.

In a saucepan, place all the apple ingredients. Sauté until the apples are medium soft and the moisture has evaporated.

Roll out the dough 5 mm thick and press out rounds about 15 cm big. Press a rolling pin in the middle of one round and roll back and forth to make an oval size pastry that keeping the sides a bit thicker. 

Spoon a tablespoon of apple filling onto one side of the pastry leaving an edge around 1-1.5 cm, brush the edges with water, fold the pastry over and press down to seal. I always do this with a fork. Make all of them like this and place the chausson on the prepared baking tray.

Mix egg with milk and brush all of the pastries with the egg wash, BUT only the top, never the sides or they will not rise properly. Now, you can either place them in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up or bake right away, but either way, gently score the top of the pastry with a sharp knife, trying not to cut through to the filling. And make 2 holes somewhere for the steam to escape.

Put in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 20 - 23 minutes, depending on the size of the pastries and your oven. Bake until golden.