Simple French Desserts

Elegant and delicious as French desserts are, sometimes the simple French desserts are the best.

Simple French Desserts

French desserts have a tendency to look very complicated and sometimes they are, but many French desserts are often really quite simple.

One thing that makes people think French desserts are complicated are the names of the desserts themselves. When you serve a simple custard that comes with it own caramel sauce and tell your guests that it's called Crème Renversée or serve a delicious apple tart that's called an apple tarte tatin, these simple French desserts only sound complicated.

Crème Renversée

Crème Renversée looks very impressive when you serve it, but if you can make a simple syrup and a simple custard, you can put this together with ease. Once you have made Crème Renversée a couple of times, you can play around with the flavoring of the custard. This recipe is for vanilla Crème Renversée but you can try cardamom, cinnamon, or orange, if you like.

One other thing that makes Crème Renversée a perfect dessert is that it can be made up to three days in advance and, in fact, the flavor matures nicely as it rests in the refrigerator. This recipe makes 6 5-ounce desserts, so you will need 6 5-ounce ramekins.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 4 ounces of water
• 12 ounces of whole milk
• 2 ¾ ounces granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 vanilla bean

Instructions

1. Place the 8 ounces of sugar, 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup, and 4 ounces of water into a saucepan and place over a medium high flame.
2. Cook to a medium amber color.
3. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute or two.
4. Pour the caramel into the bottom of the ramekins.
5. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds out.
6. Place the milk and a teaspoon of the remaining sugar in a saucepan with the scraped vanilla seeds and vanilla pods.
7. Place over a medium low flame and bring to a simmer.
8. Whisk eggs and remaining sugar together in a heatproof bowl.
9. Once the milk is quickly simmering, remove from the heat.
10. While whisking the eggs, pour a small amount of the scalded milk into the eggs.
11. Then pour the eggs into the scalded milk while whisking.
12. Strain into a bowl.
13. Pour into the ramekins.
14. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
15. Place the ramekins into a roasting pan and place the roasting pan into the oven.
16. Pour water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the ramekins.
17. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
18. You will know that the custard is ready when the sides are set and the center is a bit wobbly.
19. Remove from oven and let come to room temperature.
20. Chill overnight.

Apple Tarte Tatin

The fun part of this tart is that it can be made with either puff pastry or pie dough, either of which can be bought pre-made at the store. Once you have your puff pastry or pie dough, all you need is some apples, sugar, and a 10-inch skillet.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds cooking apples (granny smith apples work well)
• 3 ounces butter
• 8 ounces sugar
• 1 9-inch pre-made piecrust or a 9-inch puff pastry round

Instructions

1. Peel the apples and cut them in half.
2. Remove the core.
3. Cut into wedges.
4. Place a heavy 10-inch oven safe skillet (like a cast iron skillet) over a medium heat.
5. Place the butter into the pan and let melt.
6. Cover the melted butter with an even layer of sugar.
7. Place the apple wedges standing on end around the edge of the pan.
8. Arrange the remaining apple wedges around the center of the pan.
9. Cook the apples over a medium heat until the apples are soft, about 30 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
11. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
12. Lay the pie crust over the apples.
13. Bake for 35 minutes until the pastry is light golden brown.
14. Let the tart cool to room temperature.
15. Invert onto a platter.