Apple Confit w/ Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta

Since Michael Laiskonis, pastry chef of Le Bernardin, started blogging, I've found myself starring every single entry in my feed. He just shares so much knowledge and his recipes are so innovative... I still have yet to eat there, but I'm sure once I do I will enjoy it even more after reading his blog!

For a potluck, I wanted to make something that could be easily shared family style but still had an edge... I didn't want to make anything too fancy, so I thought his apple confit recipe pared down would work well, as well as his panna cotta. I changed the recipes so it would fit my schedule (e.g. I could easily make the caramel powder without the smoke, but I was trying to make both things at 9pm on a weeknight).

Unfortunately, I never got a chance to take real pictures of it! This is the only one I have, which is just a peek at the end product. =( It tasted good though! The panna cotta could've been silkier though. Not sure if that was me (making one giant one instead of 40 small servings) or the recipe.

Altered recipes after the jump.

Apple Confit
8 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (original recipe calls for granny smith - I used pink lady and some other organic apple I don't remember)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 stick of butter

- Combine brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon
- Melt butter and vanilla together
- Butter deep pan (hotel pan), apply coat of sugar mixture
- Arrange one layer of apple slices. Brush on butter-vanilla mixture. Coat with sugar mixture. Repeat until done with apples.
- Bake at 300, covered with foil, for 45 min.
- Remove foil, bake for 15 more min.
- Place parchment/wax paper on top and put something that will keep the apples flat on top (I didn't have another pan of the same size, so I used smaller pans with flat bottoms and ramekins. Ghetto, I know). Bake for 1 more hour.
- Let cool, refrigerate for at least 4 hours - overnight.

Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta
1.5 cup cream
2/3 cup sugar
zest of 2 cara cara oranges
10g gelatin (I used powdered bc it's hard to find sheets retail) "bloomed" in a few T of water/juice
1 cup cream fraiche

- Cream + sugar + zest over medium
- Add gelatin, temper into yogurt. Strain (removes all the zest and possible chunks of cream fraiche)
- Spray mold(s) and refrigerate for a few hours-overnight (or freeze for 2 hours)