Saveur magazine (1998) is the source for one of my all-time favorite break-your-diet apple dishes. It’s a traditional dessert from the Brittany coast in France (the region that gave us the wonderful, versatile crepe). It is similar to the apple pancake recipe below, but is less sugar-coated and more like a thick baked custard with fruit.

Apple Far
Serves 8

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease a deep 10- or 12-inch cake pan with two tablespoons of lightly salted butter, and dust it with 3 tablespoons of sugar. Peel and core four large crisp apples (try Mutsus, or “real” golden delicious if you can find them), and slice into thin rounds. Layer 3/4 of the apple slices in the pan and bake until soft, about 30 minutes.

Melt a stick (1/4 pound) of lightly salted butter.

Sift 1 1/2 cups of flour and 6 tablespoons of sugar together into a mixing bowl, making a well in the center. Whisk in two cups of milk and three eggs, beating until the batter is smooth. Stir in melted butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Pour batter over cooked apple slices.

Arrange remaining slices on top and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar (some candied ginger cut into microscopic bits and sprinkled on top is always nice on custardy desserts, too).

Bake until golden and crusty around the edges, about one hour. It will puff up nicely, but will of course fall quickly, so if there’s anyone you want to impress or delight, have them at hand when you open the oven door.

Cut into wedges and serve warm from the pan.