Gingerbread With Warm Apples And Cider Sabayon

Classic Stars Desserts by Emily Luchetti

Posted by Chronicle Books

About

Of all the recipes in Stars Desserts and Four Star Desserts, this is the one I make the most often, and also the one people tell me they make again and again. Dessert doesn’t get much better than this.

- Serves 6 -

Planning Ahead
The gingerbread may be made a day in advance. Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. The apples may be cooked 2 days in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.

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You Will Need (27 things)

  • Gingerbread :
  • Butter for the pan
  • 1 ½ cup Water
  • 1 cup light or dark Molasses
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 2 ½ cup All Purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1 ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 pinch Ground Cloves
  • 1 tbsp Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • 4 oz (8 tablespoons) unsalted Butter , at room temperature
  • 1 cup firmly packed Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 large Egg(s)
  • Warm Apples :
  • 1 oz (2 tablespoons) unsalted Butter
  • 7 firm, juicy Apple (about 7 pounds), peeled, halved, cored, and sliced 3/16 inch thick
  • ½ cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 tbsp Apple Juice or Calvados
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
  • 1 pinch Kosher Salt
  • Cider Sabayon :
  • 4 large Egg Yolk
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
  • Small pinch of Kosher Salt
  • 6 tbsp sparkling Apple Cider (hard or nonalcoholic) or 5 tablespoons apple juice and 1 tablespoon Calvados (apple brandy)
  • ½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Steps (3 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    To make the gingerbread: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.

    In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the molasses and baking soda. Set aside to cool to lukewarm. Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder onto a piece of parchment paper or into a bowl. Add the salt and set aside.

    Combine the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with the cooled molasses mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing well after each addition. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

    Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

  2. 2

    Cider Sabayon

    Sabayon was a Stars staple. Its velvety thick consistency makes it the best dessert sauce there is. I find it difficult to write a dessert menu and not include it at least once. At Stars, we always had several flavors on hand, to be used on a moment’s notice.

    Makes about 1 1/2 cups

    Prepare an ice bath. In a stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until blended. Whisk in the cider.

    Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick and there are no air bubbles, 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture should mound slightly when dropped from the whisk.

    Remove the bowl from the pan and place it in the ice bath. Let cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally.

    Put the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment and whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Using a spatula, fold the cream into the cooled sabayon just until combined.

    Cover and refrigerate until serving.

  3. 3

    To prepare the apples: In a large sauté pan, combine the butter, apples, sugar, apple juice, lemon juice, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft but still retain their shape, about 10 minutes.

    Cut the gingerbread into pieces. Top with the warm apples and the cider sabayon.