Don’t be intimidated by the French name, this is essentially a ‘grapefruit brûlée’ which tops delicious winter citrus with a fresh lemon curd.  The result is a surprisingly light and healthy dessert that still feels gratifying and is perfect for when you’re looking for a dessert that’s not too sweet yet bursting with flavours.

‘Chaud Froid’ literally means ‘Hot Cold’ and that’s what so special about this dessert – its success lies in the contrast between the cold grapefruit and the hot custard, a zingy mix that’ll wake up all your taste buds! It’s relatively quick to throw together and you can even prepare the various parts ahead of time so all you’ll have to do before serving is assemble and ‘torch’ or broil the brûlées.

Chaud Froid de Pamplemousse au Romarin

To make the curd, in a bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in the lemon juice, egg yolk, and whole egg, mixing well. (Reserve the egg white for later.) Strain through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and butter.

Pour the mixture into a thick-bottomed saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat, stirring constantly, including into the corners of the pot – until the mixture reaches 185°F (84°C). You will notice it starting to bubble along the sides of the pan.

When you see the bubbles, immediately transfer it to a bowl and refrigerate it.

Rinse the saucepan so you can use it for the syrup. Add the sugar and water, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat, add the rosemary, and allow to infuse for 5 minutes. Strain syrup through a sieve and set aside.

Peel the grapefruits, keeping the segments whole and tidy (Google for a video if you don’t know how to do this).

In a small bowl, whisk the reserved egg white until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Get out your blowtorch, or preheat your broiler. Set out 4 broiler-proof plates or individual gratin dishes. Put a grapefruit’s worth of segments on each plate, arranging them side by side. Drizzle one tablespoon of the rosemary syrup over each portion of grapefruit segments.

Gently fold the egg white into the curd…

…then spoon the curd evenly over the grapefruit portions.

Run the torch over the curd topping until nice and caramelized, or put the plates or dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and slip under the broiler for a minute or two. Remember the top should be hot but not the bottom. That’s chaud froid! Serve right away.

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Cheese has always been a perfectly acceptable way to end a meal and any types from the mild, creamy ones to pungent blue ones can serve as an ideal dessert when paired with nuts and fruits. This is exactly what this cheese and apple tart is – an original and obviously very tasty way to get that cheese, fruit and nut pairing dessert we all crave while we still have a few cold nights to go by.

This is a great tart to make ahead as it is equally good at room temperature or reheated in the oven. An uptake on the old diner special of ‘apple pie and cheddar’, the combination of creamy triple-cream cheese with tart apples and crunchy almonds is fancy enough though still appealing to everyone because of its mild taste and crowd-pleasing factor. Triple creme cow’s milk cheese is usually made of cream, double (heavy) cream, and crème fraîche so now is not the time to think about your waistline! Think instead of how this silky, velvety paste goes naturally so well with apples and how you’ve always wanted an excuse to grab something other than brie or cheddar at the grocery store. St. André, Pierre Robert, Explorateur, Brillat Savarin, and Les Delices des Cremiers all work very well in this recipe, though you can use any ‘triple-cream’ you get your hands on. I’ve used St. André here as it is widely available.

Apple Tart with Triple-Cream Cheese, Almonds, and Honey

To prepare the dough: Cut the butter into small cubes and place in a medium mixing bowl with the flour. Rub the butter into the flour with your hands until a coarse meal is formed.

Transfer the mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Add the crème fraîche and pulse until a dough forms (if the mixture seems too floury, add a tiny bit of water and pulse again until it comes together slightly).

Take the dough in your hands and slam it down onto a very lightly floured work surface. Gather up the dough and continue to slam it down hard, a good ten to twelve times more. (This will help prevent the dough from rising too much during baking). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap/cling film and chill for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.

To assemble the tart: Peel and core the apples. Cut them into 1/8 of an inch (3mm) thick slices.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter with the honey in a frying pan over low heat. Add the apple slices and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly gilded but still quite firm. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Slice the cheese as thin as possible.

Roll out the pastry dough to a 15in (38cm) circle. Place the dough circle on a baking sheet (I’ve used a pizza pan here) and prick it all over with a fork. Arrange the apple slices in a concentric circle, leaving about a ½in (12mm) border.

Roll up the edges of the tart and pinch to form a simple crust.

Scatter the slices of cheese and the almonds across the top of the apples.

Dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the dough is cooked on the bottom and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve hot or at room temperature.

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