Apple Tart

Posted on December 5, 2012 by kitchenbelle

Remember back in the day when I used to make tarts all of the time?

Well, I was asked to make an apple dessert for Thanksgiving and I wanted to step outside of the apple pie box. I contemplated making an apple tart for Rosh Hashanah and decided on apple cake instead, so for Thanksgiving I determined it was time for a tart!

This tart was well-received. My dad actually thought it was purchased from a bakery when he saw it on the dessert table. (That is always the best compliment, isn’t it?)

This recipe follows my standard tart formula: crust + filling + fruit + glaze. It is easy to make and yields a beautiful and delicious tart. Enjoy!

Apple Tart:

Filling

  • 3 Granny Smith apples
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup (50 – 100 grams) granulated white sugar, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
  • Confectioners’ Sugar for browning the top of the tart.
  • 1 1/2 cups chunky apple sauce (you can definitely use home made if you prefer)

Crust

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup apricot preserves
  • 1 tablespoon Water

Make the Crust

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all crust ingredients and stir with a fork until mixture is moist, like wet sand. Pour into a well-buttered 9- or 10-inch tart pan and press into an even layer, going up the sides of the tart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until crust is just starting to brown at the edges. Cool completely.

Make the filling

Peel, core, and cut the apples into slices 1/4 inch thick. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the other 2 – 4 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the apples and saute until they begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Set the cooked apples aside.

Assemble

Spoon the apple sauce into the cooled crust.

Arrange the cooked apple slices in concentric circles over the applesauce, and brush with 1 – 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. Broil it under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat until the edges of the apples are golden brown and crisp.

Make the Glaze

In a small saucepan, heat the apricot preserves until boiling. Remove from heat and strain to get rid of lumps. Add the water. Use this glaze to seal the baked tart shell and to brush the top of the finished tart.
Recipe inspired from this one found here on The Joy of Baking.

Filed under: apple, Dessert, Fall | 1 Comment »

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

Posted on September 17, 2012 by kitchenbelle

It’s that time of year! (And believe it or not, I’m not referring to pumpkins. Not yet, at least!) I have APPLES on the brain!  Boy am I loving these crisp cool mornings. I’ve officially made the switch to hot coffee, which is a big step given the iced coffee addict that I am.

I always welcome the transition to fall with open arms. The season seems  briefer and briefer each year, which is all the more reason so savor it. The pressure of filling the long days of summer is behind us and we can retreat to the house for warm dinners, red wine, and pumpkin beer. And the season is all the sweeter now that I have a little pumpkin’s birthday to celebrate each fall!

I attended a Rosh Hashanah dinner party this weekend and I was asked to make a dessert containing apples. It’s my understanding that apples (and honey) signify the sweetness of the New Year. (If anyone would like to elaborate on this in the comments, please do.)

I always enjoy being tasked with a specific request! I contemplated an apple tart but ultimately decided on this apple cake because it gave me a reason to purchase a Bundt pan. I can’t believe I didn’t already own one! It’s green, of course!

This cake turned out great! While it worked well as a dessert, it would also be appropriate to serve with tea and coffee as a coffee cake. I decided to take a short cut using the caramel candies instead of making caramel sauce from scratch because it was so. much. easier. While making the sauce from sugar might have been fun, it would have required me to find my candy thermometer and would have taken much longer. This “fake” method tasted fantastic and I am not sure it would be worth my time to make it from scratch. (Feel free to convince me otherwise!)

I poured the sauce into a squeeze bottle and drizzled it over the cake until it dribbled down each corner and crevice. Mmmmm. Apples + Caramel– a duo that is in the rankings of Peanut butter + Chocolate, Tuna Salad + Potato Chips, and Crusty Bread + Cheese in my book.

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce:

  • non-stick cooking spray
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground
  • cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
  • 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; set
aside.
Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine vegetable oil, sugar, vanilla and eggs; mix on high speed until combined.

With mixer on medium speed, gradually add dry ingredients until just incorporated.

Using a wooden spoon fold apples into batter and mix to combine.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with
a few moist crumbs attached, about 60-65 minutes. Note: Ovens vary drastically so this cake could take as long as 70 minutes. Begin checking it at 55 minutes. My oven is hot and this cake took about 60 minutes.

Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack. Invert cake onto rack; turn cake right-side up to cool completely on rack, and drizzle with caramel sauce.

Easy Caramel Sauce:

  • 1 bag of caramel candies
  • 1/2 cup of cream or milk

Place unwrapped caramel square candies into a microwave safe bowl. Add cream or milk. Microwave on high for one minute at a time stirring after each minute until melted.

Recipe adapted from Butter + Cream blog, originally from Martha Stewart.com.

Filed under: apple, bread, Breakfast, cake, Dessert, Fall | 2 Comments »

Curried Chicken Salad

Posted on July 23, 2009 by kitchenbelle

j

As I previously mentioned, I have been in search of low-fuss no-cook appetizers.  There is nothing worse than slaving over a hot oven in the middle of summer!  (That kind of heat makes me grumpy and that is no way to greet guests!)  Again, with the guidance of MyRecipes.com editor Ashley Johnson, I decided to make this curried chicken salad.  Not only was it a success with my guests but I have been eating it for lunch every day! 

Some notes:

–I chose to serve this as an appetizer with pita chips, therefore, it was extremely important that I diced the components of the salad into very small pieces.  I made sure there weren’t any large chunks of chicken that would be larger than the pita chips.  The same for the apple, pineapple, and grapes.  Definitely cut each grape into at least four pieces–possibly even six.  When you are chopping envision each pita chip scooping up some of the salad–if your dices are the right size each bite should contain almost every component of the salad. You would never want one scoop to contain nothing but a giant grape!  On the other hand, if I were serving this in sandwich rolls at a luncheon, it would be okay to leave the components of the salad in larger cubes because in that situation your guests are filling an entire roll.  Make sense?

–I substituted Chobani plain-flavored yogurt in place of mayo.

–Some commenters on MyRecipes.com indicated they used raisins instead of currants.  I suggest sticking to the currants.  They are nice and small and make the salad a little jazzier.

–For the chicken, I grilled fresh cutlets seasoned with salt and pepper and then shredded/diced them up, however, you could use a grocery store rotisserie chicken or even canned water packed chicken (drained) in a pinch. 

–Add the curry powder and then taste.  You may want to add more.

–I think I doubled (or maybe even tripled) this recipe.

Curried Chicken Salad:

  • 1 1/2  cups  chopped cooked chicken breast
  • 1/2  cup  halved seedless red grapes (dice size depends on you want to serve the salad)
  • 1/2  cup  diced peeled unpeeled green apple
  • 2  tablespoons  diced pineapple
  • 1  tablespoon  dried currants
  • 3  tablespoons  plain Chobani yogurt 
  • 1  teaspoon  honey
  • 1/2  teaspoon  curry powder
  • 1/2  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

    • Combine chicken, grapes, apple, pineapple, and currants in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine yogurt, honey, curry powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper stirring with a whisk. Pour dressing mixture over chicken mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill.

    j

    Adapted from MyRecipes.com.

    Filed under: Appetizer, apple, chicken, Main Dish, pineapple, salad, sandwich | 5 Comments »

    Apple and Meringue Tartlets

    Posted on December 9, 2008 by kitchenbelle

    My sincerest apologies to all of you for my lack of posts lately.  The weeks have been flying by–don’t you hate it when that happens?–and my kitchen and all of its lovely stainless pots, enamel pans, melamine mixing bowls,  wooden spoons, and rubber spatulas have been neglected.  I haven’t made much worth sharing lately, that is, until these little guys.  Tartlets.  Is that not the cutest name for a dessert?  I want to say it over and over.  Tartlet.  Tartlet. Tartlet.  I may have made these for that reason alone.  (Well, that’s not entirely true.)  These are tasty and the meringue makes them especially attention-worthy.  What these aren’t? Pint-sized apple pies.  These are different.  They have pastry cream. And meringue.  And rum.  And raisins.  I’ll let you know up front, however, that these innocent looking fellas, as adorable as they are, will require a fair amount of your time. But don’t let that scare you.  These are worth the effort and if you need to attack them in separate stages, you can always make the crust, the filling, and the pastry cream in advance, then bake and fill the tartlets and make the meringue at a later time.  If you have questions about how to do this feel free to email me.  Happy Tartletting!

    Pie Crust:

    • 1.5 cups flour
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • pinch of salt
    • 9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
    • 5 tablespoons ice water

    Apple Filling:

    • 6 apples, peeled cored and chopped coarsely
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 1/4 cup apricot jam
    • 2 tablespoons raisins
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

    Pastry Cream:

    • 1 1/3 cup whole milk, scalded
    • 4 egg yolks, separated
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 4 tablespoons flour
    • pinch of salt
    • 2 tablespoons rum
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla

    Meringue:

    • 2 egg whites
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

    First make the pie crust.  (It is important that you do this first because it will need to chill for at least 30 minutes.) I like to do this by hand but if you are more comfortable using a stand mixer, don’t let my old-fashioned ways stop you!

    Place flour, sugar, salt, and sugar on clean countertop and toss together.  Add cubes of butter and rub with your fingers until combination looks like small peas.  Add the water a spoonful at a time and fluff the mixture together with your finger tips.  If you have “hot hands” be sure to dip your fingers in ice water to keep the dough cool.  When all of the water is added and dough feels like it will come together nicely, shape into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

    Make the apple filling.

    In a medium pot combine the apples, water, and lemon juice.  Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.  Add sugar, apricot jam,  raisins, butter, and lemon zest and cook uncovered until thick and bubbly.  Transfer to a glass bowl and cool.

    Make the pastry cream.

    Heat the milk until just lukewarm.  Set aside.  In a medium saucepan, beat egg yolks and sugar until light, pale yellow.  Stir in flour and salt.  Carefully whisk the warm milk into the egg mixture.  Cook over medium heat.  Bring to a boil.  Continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.  If mixture becomes “globby” whisk until homogeneous.  Remove from heat and add rum and vanilla.  Strain through a mesh strainer.  Refrigerate until cool.

    Make the tartlets.

    Preheat oven to 400F.  Roll the pie crust until 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured counter.  Butter 10-12 tartlet pans.  (Be sure to get butter into every last crevice!)  Drape the dough over the pans and gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of each pan.  Press firmly around the edge of the pans (using the top of the pan like a cookie cutter) and remove the scraps.  Use a fork to poke holes into the bottom of each piece of dough. 

    Aren’t these little guys adorable?! Here they are uncooked and naked.

    Place all of the tartlets on a baking sheet and cover the tartlets with parchment paper.  Carefully fill each tartlet (on top of the parchment) with pie weights.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and very carefully remove parchment and pie weights.  Return to the oven and continue to bake 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven, remove each tartlet from individual pans and cool on a rack.

    Once cool, place tartlets on a baking sheet.  Spoon about one tablespoon of pastry cream onto each tart.  Top with apple filling.

    Make the meringue.

    In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer and a metal bowl) beat egg whites and lemon juice until soft peaks form.  Add sugar, one spoonful at a time, while continuing to beat.  Meringue should be the consistency of shaving cream.  Transfer into a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe meringue onto each little tart.  (Tarts should already be filled with a layer of pastry cream and apple filling at this point.)  Bake on the top rack of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until meringue is golden brown and firm.  Cool on a rack before serving.

    Filed under: apple, pastry, tart | 2 Comments »

    Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

    Posted on September 21, 2008 by kitchenbelle

    I love autumn! 

    I love how the weight of the thick summer air lifts to reveal the cool crisp dark breeze of fall.  The sun sets earlier, beckoning me to my kitchen and dinner table where the foods of the season can be savored.  Pumpkins, squash, and gourds paired with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.  Warm red wines nudge the cool white bottles off the shopping list.  Walking home after work I’m reminded of those first few weeks of school as a kid.  The excitement.  The newness of a new grade, new class, new teacher.  I wish I could bottle the hours between 3:00pm and 6:00pm and call on them during the humidity of summer and the frigidness of winter.  Fall is so short, such a small transitional season, I feel it my responsibility to take full advantage.  

    And so I present my official first step into fall cooking/baking!

    These cupcakes were somewhat “muffiny” in texture.  The pieces of apple were plump and juicy–a nice surprise!  I could have chopped the apples smaller, but I liked the nice chunks in each bite.  These cupcakes almost reminded me of coffee cake, they pair nicely with a warm cup of tea, and the frosting is a delicious treat!   Overall, I found these very enjoyable–a great way to kick off the season!

    Caramel Apple Cupcakes:

    • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 cups flour
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 2 medium granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces

    Preheat the oven to 350 F. Insert liners into cupcake pans.  In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar with the oil, cinnamon, and vanilla using an electric mixer.  Once combined, add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.

    In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt).  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.  Beat until blended and then stir in the apple pieces until they are evenly distributed through the batter.

    Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way.  Bake for about 22-25 minutes.  Cool on cooling rack and frost with maple cream cheese frosting (recipe below).

     

    Look at the beautiful chunks of apple!

    Recipe notes: The original recipe does not specify how many cupcakes to expect the recipe to yield–my batter turned out about 18 “normal” sized cupcakes. 

    Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

    • One 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
    • 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 tablespoons maple syrup

    Using an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Slowly sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl.  Continue beating until all lumps are gone.  Add the vanilla and maple syrup and mix until fully incorporated.  If mixture becomes too drippy, sift in addtional confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until you reach a spreadable texture.

     

    Recipes adapted from “Crazy About Cupcakes” by Krystina Castella available for purchase here.

    Filed under: apple, cream cheese, cupcakes, Dessert, Fall, frosting | 8 Comments »