During the Christmas season food is in abundance; colourful and tasty feasts are delighted in all around. These apple puff pastry rolls are a great alternative to mince pies.

Apple puff pastry with Christmas spices

  • 500g block of puff pastry
  • 4 tbsp Muscovado sugar
  • 4 Cox apples
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp powdered ginger
  • 1 tsp powdered nutmeg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp milk

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
  2. On a lightly floured surface roll out your puff pastry into a large square shape, about 3-4 mm thick. Brush the whole sheet of puff pastry with the beaten egg yolk mixed with the milk.
  3. Mix together the Muscovado sugar with all the spices and sprinkle this dry mix evenly all over the pastry sheet.
  4. Wash, core, quarter and slice the apples as finely as you possibly can (use a mandolin if you have one). Then slice again to obtain a “julienne”: thin strips of apple cut to matchstick size. Scatter them evenly onto the pastry sheet all facing the same direction; this will make it a lot easier to roll. Once you have covered your whole sheet of pastry with the apple julienne you can start the rolling as you would for a classic roulade; making sure the apples are wrapped nice and tightly inside.
  5. Once you have a large sausage-like roulade, cut into round slices of 4cm thick using a sharp knife. Brush all over with the egg wash before snuggling into muffin moulds and cooking for 25 minutes until golden brown.

The Christmas spirit is one that I thoroughly enjoy. Sharing delicious meals and fantastic wines with all the family brings a smile to my face.

To keep the whole family happy I make enormous quantities of mince pies. However, this year I’m going to do something a little different and make delicious, individual spiced apple rolls using puff pastry.

For a best budget dessert wine to go with these, the Château Haut-Bernasse Monbazillac 2005 is a must. The notes of honey and grapefruit are perfect for nuancing our spiced sweet Christmas delights.

The Coteaux du Layon, Carte d’Or, Baumard 2011 is a fantastic alternative to Sauternes; too often considered as the only dessert wine available. This perky young wine is moderately sweet with hints of fig and orange.

A personal favourite of mine, although a little more pricey and all the way from Canada is Neige Ice Cider 2012. With aromas of freshly picked apples this sweet ice cider has the perfect balance of sugar and acidity. There simply couldn’t be a better combination at Christmas time.

Wines to drink with Apple puff pastry with Christmas spices by Michel Roux Jr.

Château Haut-Bernasse Monbazillac, 2005 – Wonderfully fruity with sweet apricots, peaches and honey. A gorgeous dessert wine that feels perfectly indulgent around the festive season.

RRP: £21.95 Evingtons

Coteaux du Layon Carte d’Or, Baumard, 2011 – There is a slight smokeyness to this dessert wine which is a great balance with the sweetness and spiciness of the dessert. On the palate is honey and citrus making it both tangy and fresh.

RRP: £9.49 The Fine Wine Company

Neige Ice Cider, 2012 – Made with a combination of McIntoch apple which has a sweet and acidic flavour and the Spartan apple which is gorgeously sweet with aromas of pear, this golden dessert wine is not the obvious choice but is a real show stopper, which is exactly what you want around this time of year.

RRP: £47.50 (37.5cl) The Drinks Shop

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Michel Roux Jr
Michel Roux Jr
Columnist
Michel Roux Jr was born in 1960 in Pembury, Kent, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family. His earliest food memories are the smells of the Fairlawne kitchen – pastry, sugar caramelizing and stews – where he played under the table while his father and mother Monique prepared the meals. After deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, he left school at 16 for the first of several challenging apprenticeships at Maître Patissier, Hellegouarche in Paris from 1976 to 1979. He was then Commis de Cuisine at Alain Chapel’s signature restaurant at Mionay near Lyon, Michel’s biggest influence. His military service was spent in the kitchens at the Elysée Palace at the time of Presidents Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand. He also spent time at Boucherie Lamartine and Charcuterie Mothu in Paris, and the Gavers Restaurant in London. After a stint at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong he returned to London and worked at La Tante Claire before joining the family business. He took over running Le Gavroche in 1991, gradually changing the style of cooking to his own – classic French with a lighter, modern twist. Michel opened Roux at Parliament Square in May 2010 with Restaurant Associates, part of the Compass Group UK and Ireland. And in November 2010, he opened Roux at The Landau at London’s prestigious luxury hotel, The Langham. Michel was a judge and presenter on the BBC’s popular prime time show, MasterChef: The Professionals, and presented all series of ‘Great British Food Revival.’  Michel fronted BBC2’s ‘Food and Drink,’ in 2014 and presented a documentary on Escoffier, whose revolutionary approach to fine cuisine has inspired Michel and many others. In the same year, Michel went on a journey to create the perfect chocolate for the Le Gavroche Kitchen.  Filmed by the BBC, in Paris he discovered chocolatiers, Cacao Barry and their Or Noir Lab. In 2013, Michel launched his most recent cookbook, ‘The French Kitchen’.  Focusing on traditional French home cooking, this is the fifth solo cookery book from Michel. He is involved with the Roux Experience courses at the ‘Cactus Kitchens’ cookery school, with the Executive producer of Saturday Kitchen, Amanda Ross. Cactus Kitchens offers people the opportunity to learn to cook within small intimate groups from some of the UK’s finest chefs, on site above the Saturday Kitchen studios. Michel has fronted a brand new four-part Channel 4 series, ‘The Diner’, exploring the hurdles faced by people with disabilities and mental health issues when finding employment. Michel also recently presented a new program on his first ever project with the Disney Channel.  ‘First Class Chefs’ which launched in June 2015, is a show where kids aged 9-11 compete to showcase their restaurant skills.