Baked Apple Pavillon The New York Times Craig Claiborne with Pierre Franey March 12, 1978 Yield: 10 servings 5 medium-to-large-size apples, about 2 pounds (Granny Smith are good) 1 cup water ½ cup sugar 2 Tbsp. honey Juice of half a lemon 1½ cups bananas cut into half-inch cubes (cut from about two bananas), or crushed pineapple ¼ cup chopped ginger in syrup (sold in bottles), or crystallized ginger; or use an equal amount of kumquats in syrup 2 Tbsp. juice from the bottles of ginger or kumquats in syrup 3 cups crème patissière (see recipe below) 2 Tbsp. dark rum 3 Tbsp. crumbs made from ladyfingers, spongecake or any firm-textured cookes or cake made with vanilla Peel the apples and split them in half lengthwise. Using a melon ball cutter, scoop out the core of each apple. Trim away and discard the stem line leading from the core. Combine the water, sugar, honey and lemon juice in a skillet large enough to hold the apple halves in one layer. Add the apple halves and cook, turning gently once or twice so that the apples cook evenly. Poach them about 5 to 8 minutes until just cooked. Do not overcook or they will become mushy. Let the apple halves cool. Drain them upside down on a rack, but do not discard the cooking syrup. Preheat the oven to 450o. Add the cubed bananas, chopped ginger and ginger syrup to a saucepan. Add half a cup of the syrup in which the apples cooked. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Let cool. It will thicken slightly as it stands. Arrange the apple halves cored side up on a baking dish large enough to hold them in one layer. Spoon equal portions of the fruit mixture into and over the center of each apple half. Blend the pastry cream with the rum and half a cup of reserved syrup from the cooked apples. If not wanted, discard the remaining apple syrup. Spoon the pastry cream over the filled apple halves. Sprinkle with the crumbs. Place in the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot or lukewarm. Crème Patissière Yield: about 3 cups ½ cup heavy cream 1½ cups milk, divided 4 egg yolks ½ cup sugar 3 Tbsp. cornstarch Blend one cup of the milk and the cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. As the liquid is heating, add the egg yolks and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat until pale yellow. Add the cornstarch to the yolk mixture and beat well. Add the remaining half cup of milk and beat until blended. When the milk and cream are at the boil, remove from the heat. Add the yolk mixture, beating rapidly with a wire whisk. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly with the whisk. When thickened and at the boil, remove from the heat and let cool, stirring occasionally. From Wikipedia: Le Pavillon was a New York City restaurant that defined French food in the United States from 1941 to 1966. The restaurant started as the Le Restaurant du Pavillon de France at the 1939 New York World's Fair run by Henri Soulé. When World War II began, Soulé and the Pavillon chef Pierre Franey stayed in the United States as war refugees. The restaurant formally opened on October 15, 1941 at 5 East 55th Street on Fifth Avenue across the street from the St. Regis Hotel. Soulé died in 1966 and the Le Pavillon closed in 1971.

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