Best Fruit Gratin With Calvados And Mascarpone Recipes

FIFTEEN-MINUTE FRUIT GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler; set the rack as close to the heat source as possible (even 2 inches is not too close).
• Wash, pit, stem, and peel the fruit as necessary. Cut stone fruit in halves or slices as you prefer. Cut strawberries in thick slices; leave smaller berries whole. Put the fruit-there should be at least 2 cups-in a baking or gratin dish just large enough to hold it.
• Whip the cream with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the vanilla until it is thick and just barely holding soft peaks. Pour it over and around the fruit. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Broil carefully, allowing the cream to brown all over and even burn in a couple of spots; rotate the baking dish during broiling if necessary. Remove and serve.
• Using sour cream in place of cream will produce a strikingly different result. Sour cream is thick, rich, flavorful, and (obviously) sour; sweet cream becomes thinner and saucier in texture: Combine 1 cup sour cream with just enough milk-about 1/4 cup-to allow you to whisk it smooth. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and proceed as directed, using 1 tablespoon brown sugar for the topping.

TWO POTATO GRATIN WITH MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the mascarpone cheese with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Arrange half the red potato slices in a greased 9 x 9 baking dish or similar sized casserole; top with half the sweet potatoes.
• Spread half the mascarpone on top; repeat layers.
• Wrap tightly with aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and minced green onion (white and light green parts).
• Stir in melted butter and sprinkle over baked potatoes and return to oven, uncovered, until golden, about 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle with dark green onion slices and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

WARM BERRY AND MANGO GRATIN IN MASCARPONE CHANTILLY

Steps:

• First you'll make a pastry cream and then fold in both mascarpone and whipped cream.
• Prepare the pastry cream:
• Scald the milk.* Whisk together the egg, egg yolk, flour, and sugar in a small bowl. Slowly pour the scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. When all the milk has been incorporated, pour it back into the pan and return to the heat. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flavor of the flour. Stir in the vanilla beans or vanilla extract. Pass through a sieve to remove any lumps and cover with plastic wrap pressed right down onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Cool.
• Make the mascarpone chantilly:
• In a large bowl, fold together the cooled pastry cream, mascarpone, and whipped cream.
• Assemble the gratin:
• Preheat oven to 450��F. Scatter the berries and diced mango over the bottom of a 9-by-11-inch baking dish with low sides. (Low sides in the pan allow for better browning, because the air current moves easily over the surface of the food.) Spoon the mascarpone chantilly evenly over the berries and mango. Place dish in the hot oven for about 10 minutes, and cook until the berries have popped open a bit and the surface of the gratin has browned. Serve warm from the oven.
• *To scald means to bring the milk just up to under a boil so you get a skin on top.

FRUIT GRATIN WITH CALVADOS AND MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Halve apples lengthwise (quarter if large), leaving stem intact, and core halves with melon-ball cutter. Halve Seckel and Forelle pears or quarter Bartletts lengthwise, then core with melon-ball cutter and trim root ends.
• Melt butter in a 14- by 9-inch oval gratin dish or other 2 1/2- to 3-quart shallow baking dish in middle of oven, about 2 minutes. Stir in Calvados and 3 tablespoons brown sugar, then add fresh and dried fruit and zest and turn gently to coat. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake in middle of oven, gently turning fruit and basting occasionally with juices, until apples and pears are tender but not falling apart, about 1 hour. Remove dish from oven.
• Preheat broiler.
• Spoon 1/3 cup baking juices from baking dish into a bowl and stir in mascarpone and remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rearrange fruit, cut sides up, in baking dish to form an even layer, if necessary, and spoon mascarpone mixture over fruit. Put confectioners sugar in a fine-mesh sieve and sift over fruit. Broil gratin 3 inches from heat until confectioners sugar is caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Available in Italian markets and many supermarkets.