Apple And Fig Napoleons With Red Wine Sauce And Sour Cream Ice Cream Recipes

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups water and the figs to a simmer in heavy small saucepan over high heat. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, turning occasionally, until the figs are very tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer the figs and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to a food processor (or add some water to make 1/2 cup). Blend until the figs are pureed and no large lumps remain. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and chill. (Fig puree can be made 1 week ahead.)
• Whisk the whipping cream, sugar, maple syrup, salt and egg yolks in a heavy large saucepan until blended. Whisk over medium heat until the custard thickens enough to coat a spoon (and the temperature registers 170 degrees F to 180 degrees F), 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately whisk 1/2 cup of the fig puree into the custard, reserving the remaining fig puree. Transfer the custard to a bowl and chill uncovered until cool, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Whisk in the sour cream and brandy.
• Process the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 3 days.
• Scoop the ice cream into goblets or bowls. Spoon some Brandied Maple-Fig Sauce on top, sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.
• Stir the fig puree, maple syrup and brandy in a small bowl until blended. Cover and chill until needed. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead.)

Steps:

• Soak figs in a bowl of water until softened, 3 to 4 hours. Drain figs and chop.
• Combine chopped figs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until until sugar is dissolved and figs begin to break down, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and cool to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes. Cover saucepan with a lid and refrigerate.
• Heat half-and-half in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until hot but not boiling, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.
• Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, and salt together in a bowl until smooth. Temper egg mixture by drizzling 1 to 2 tablespoons half-and-half into egg mixture, while continuously whisking egg mixture until slightly warmed. Pour egg mixture into half-and-half and return saucepan to medium-low heat; cook, whisking constantly, until custard is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Place saucepan with custard in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally, until chilled, about 30 minutes. Stir sour cream and vanilla extract into chilled custard. Cover saucepan and chill custard completely, at least 3 hours.
• Process custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Stir fig mixture into ice cream in the last 5 minutes of processing. Transfer fig ice cream to a container and freeze until solid.

Steps:

• Over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, melt the margarine, then add the wine and stir in the apples.
• Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over the mixture and stir.
• Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.
• Lower the heat to a simmer and cover; continue cooking for 2 hours, stirring occasionally until the apples break up.

Steps:

• Purée all ingredients with 1/8 teaspoon salt in a blender until mixture is smooth and sugar has dissolved. Chill until very cold.
• Freeze mixture in ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up, about 6 hours.

Steps:

• In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer figs, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer figs with a slotted spoon to a bowl and boil syrup until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Strain syrup through a fine sieve into another bowl. Add syrup to figs and cool to warm.
• Serve fig mixture spooned over ice cream.

Steps:

• Combine wine, sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon together in a saucepan; simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Roll out pastry with a floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface into a 15- by 12-inch rectangle (3/4 inch thick) and trim edges. Halve pastry lengthwise with a pastry wheel or large knife to form 2 (15- by 6-inch) strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 7 equal rectangles (for a total of 14). Arrange rectangles in 1 layer on 2 large baking sheets and chill 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• While pastry is chilling, trim and chop 4 figs and stir together with mascarpone, ginger, sugar, and vanilla. Chill filling, covered.
• Cover pastry rectangles on 1 baking sheet with an inverted large metal cooling rack to lightly weight them, then bake in upper third of oven until golden and cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove rack carefully and transfer baked pastry to another rack to cool completely. Bake remaining rectangles, weighted with rack (make sure it's cooled), in same manner.
• While pastry is baking, cut remaining figs lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Spread filling over 7 pastry rectangles and top with half of sliced figs, overlapping them. Dust with confectioners sugar. Cover figs with remaining pastry rectangles and top with remaining figs, overlapping them. Dust with confectioners sugar.

Steps:

• To make the ice cream, place the milk and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring just to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Whisking rapidly, pour the milk into the yolk mixture. Pour the mixture back in the saucepan, place over low heat and stir constantly until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; do not let mixture simmer. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold. Remove the vanilla bean and whisk in the sour cream. Freeze in an ice cream machine. Store in freezer until shortly before serving.
• To make the phyllo, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on a work surface, brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Top with another sheet of phyllo, brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Repeat once more. Trim the edges to make a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Cut into 8 3 1/2-by-5-inch rectangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining phyllo, butter and sugar. Bake until lightly browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and simmer until reduced to 1 1/3 cups, about 40 minutes. Strain and set aside.
• To make the apples, combine the apples, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, covered, for 8 minutes, stirring once. Uncover and simmer until apples are soft but not mushy and some liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes more. Remove the lemon zest and vanilla bean. Stir in lemon juice and set aside.
• To make the fig paste, puree the figs in a food processor. Add the cream, Armagnac and lemon juice and puree until smooth. Set aside.
• To assemble, place 1 piece of phyllo on each of 8 plates and spread with some of the fig paste. Spoon the apple mixture over it. Spoon a pool of the sauce beside the pastry on each plate. Lean 1 piece of remaining phyllo over the sauce and against one of the longer edges of the plated phyllo. Repeat with all the plates. Place a scoop of ice cream beside the napoleons and sprinkle with a few strands of lemon zest. Serve immediately.