Family Recipe, Food and wine pairings

At Jean-Marie Bourgeois’s house, the arrival of fall is marked by a very specific scent in the kitchen: that of apples baking gently in the oven, with notes of cinnamon and melted butter. The old-fashioned apple tart and île flottante are his go-to desserts, the ones he prepares to round out a family meal—paired with a glass of “d’hOrées,” our late-harvest cuvée, served well chilled.

This recipe is part of our “Family Recipe” series: each season, a member of the Bourgeois family shares a dish they prepare to pair with one of our vintages.

Serves 6 · Prep 1h · Cook 45 min · Rest overnight

Ingredients

For the apple tart:

• 1 kg apples
• 1 lemon
• 15 g cane sugar
• 1 shortcrust pastry shell
• 20 g tapioca
• 20 g ground almonds
• 3 eggs
• 15 g sugar
• 35 g melted butter
• Cinnamon

For the glaze:

• 15 cl grape marc brandy (eau de vie)
• 1 sachet agar-agar

For the floating island:

• 6 eggs
• 10 g cane sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 50 cl whole milk
• 25 cl semi-skimmed milk
• 2 vanilla pods

Prepare the apples (the day before)

Peel the apples, remove the cores and cut into wedges.

Place them in a bowl, add the lemon juice, then sprinkle with sugar.

Mix, cover and leave to macerate overnight in the refrigerator.

Make the floating island

Separate the egg whites from the yolks.

Whisk the yolks with the sugar until pale.

Whip the whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt.

In a saucepan, heat the milks with the whole vanilla pods and let infuse for 5 minutes.

Remove the pods, split them, scrape out the seeds and return them to the milk.

Poach large spoonfuls of the whipped egg whites in the hot milk, one minute per side.

Lift out gently and set the floating islands aside. Reserve the remaining whipped whites.

Make the custard (crème anglaise)

Whisking constantly, pour the hot milk over the yolk-and-sugar mixture.

Fold in the remaining whipped egg whites.

Return everything to a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until it reaches 85°C, without boiling, until thickened.

Pour the custard into bowls and place a floating island on each portion. Set aside.

Make the apple tart

Line a tart tin with the pastry and blind-bake with baking weights, then remove from the oven.

Sprinkle the base with the tapioca and ground almonds, then arrange the apple wedges.

In a bowl, mix the eggs, sugar and melted butter, then brush this over the apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon and a little cane sugar. Trim any excess pastry from the edges.

Bake for 45 minutes at 150°C.

Make the glaze

In a saucepan, heat the brandy with the agar-agar.

Bring to a simmer, then flambé. Pour the hot glaze immediately over the tart. Leave to cool completely.

Serve the tart well chilled, with the floating island and its custard.

"d'hOrées" is a late-harvest cuvée: the grapes, picked well past normal ripeness, give a wine that is off-dry to sweet, with concentrated texture and noticeable residual sugar.

That's precisely the profile that makes it a natural match for a fruit dessert like apple tart, and for a preparation built on whipped egg whites and custard like floating island: for a sweet pairing to work, the wine's sugar level must always equal or exceed the dessert's — never the other way around. Against the sweetness of the caramelized apples and the airy lightness of the floating island, "d'hOrées" has the depth of matter needed to hold its own. It's the pairing Jean-Marie pours at the end of a meal, when everyone still lingers a little at the table.

Serving note: serve the tart and floating island well chilled, with the wine cold, around 10°C.

Jean-Marie's Tip

Halfway through baking the pastry, remove the weights and brush the tart base with egg white, then return it to the oven for a few more minutes. This step makes the pastry watertight and keeps it fully crisp.

Wine

"d'hOrées" is available in our shop, online and at the estate. It's the cuvée Jean-Marie opens to accompany desserts at the end of a family meal — sweet enough to stand up to apple tart, lively enough never to feel heavy.

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