An Autumnal Treat: Apple Butter.

Apples are incredibly useful fruits and I always make sure to have some in my kitchen. Apples come in many different colors, textures and sweetness to please even the pickiest of eaters. You know how some fruits are just meant to be consumed fresh? Luckily apples are wonderful as fresh and get even better when cooked or baked. Apples go so well in way too many sweet recipes and what's more, they make wonderful ingredients in several savory dishes.

Nowadays we can have apples all throughout the year, however, the best apples are had during autumn. During this time of apple-plenty, one thinks of ways to capture the essence of apples while they are at their best. Apple jams and preserves is one way but another and perhaps lesser known way is apple butter. Spicy with a silky soft butter like texture, this preparation is a wonderful addition to many sweet and savory goods.

During old times, apple butter was seen as a way to make use of excess apples and since then many recipes have been developed. I opted for a simpler and quicker recipe that delivers the flavor and texture expected from apple butter.

Next time you have lots of apples, make some "butter" for yourself and for others, as it makes a great gift: autumn in a jar!!

To make the apple butter you need:

• 1 kilo of  peeled, cored and cut into chunks apples (I used different types of apples like granny smith, russet, red delicious, royal gala and fuji as this will provide a mix of sweet and tart flavors)
• 40 g dark brown sugar, 40 g white sugar (you can adjust the amount to your liking)
• mix of spices, 1/4 tsp of ground cloves, ground ginger, ground cardamom, ground all spice, ground star anise, ground nutmeg, orange zest and 1 tsp of cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• squeeze of lemon

In a pot, mix the apples, sugar, salt and the lemon, add a tbsp of water and cook on a gentle heat until soft. Process the apples into a purée. I used a hand blender and it took me just a few minutes.

Add the spices and cook again until you get the desired thickness. The cooking time will depend on the kind of apples you use, mine took about an hour before adding the spices, and after that they needed about 10 to 15 minutes.

Now you´re ready to fill the apple butter into your sterilized jars. Once cold leave in the fridge.

The uses of this butter are unlimited. Put some in a melted cheese sandwich or with chicken, on a pizza instead of the tomato sauce with arugula and Parmesan and many more. But for me this apple butter really shines in baked goods and I invite you to make it and experiment with its uses. I'm pretty sure you will not be disappointed.

An Easy Apple and Frangipane Tart

After a short break from all the holidays baking and indulging, I guess it´s time to start baking again.
Even though I´m craving for sweet recipes again but I don´t have the time or the energy right now to bake complicated recipes and I am ready to take shortcuts to satisfy my demanding sweet tooth. 

Thinking of what this easy recipe would be I sifted through the ingredients I would like to see featured and went with apples as my go to baking fruit coupled with a hint of chocolate for more depth of flavor. 
So an apple tart was that easy recipe that could meet my needs especially that I didn't bother making the dough myself. I bought a good quality puff pasty, already rolled, saving me much time and effort. 

As for the filling, I went with the frangipane which I love to use as much as possible. It's very common in French patisserie but I don't know if it's of pure French origins or the Italians have contributed to its elaboration. In all cases, it's a delicious, rich, sweet and nutty filling.  

Now let´s go to the recipe.
For an 18 cm tart pan you need:

• 1 pack of good quality puff pastry 
• 1 small egg at room temperature
• 50 g of ground almonds or any other nut you like (I used a mix of almonds and hazelnuts)
• 50 g white sugar
• 50 g soft butter
• dash of salt
• tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 apple cored, I didn´t bother peeling it and I used the pink lady variety
• Some dark chocolate and cinnamon

First cover your pan with the puff pastry, prick it with a fork, cover it with parchment paper and put some weight in the middle (beans, chickpeas or whatever) and bake in a preheated (180C) oven till the edges are golden, remove the parchment and bake until the middle is also crisp and golden. Let it cool a bit.

Meanwhile, mix the butter with the sugar and salt, add the egg and the vanilla and mix well, then add the nuts and combine, pour the mixture over the baked puff pastry, then arrange the wedges of apple over the mixture. 

Grate some chocolate over the apple (the quantity is up to you) and finish with a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

Bake the tart for between 15 to 20 min in a preheated oven (180C). The frangipane will rise a bit and cover the apples. The tart is done when the frangipane has a nice golden color and feels set. Don't over bake it as the mixture will dry out and you lose that special taste and texture of the filling. 

So when you have little time to spare but don't feel like baking and prepping for hours, try this tart and you're in for a sweet surprise!

Tarte Tatin

Throughout history, humans gave a symbolic status to many natural elements and food items surrounding them. So what was the symbol of eternal youth in pagan Germany, the symbol of beauty in Mesopotamia, and a source of immorality in the garden of Hesperides? More importantly, what's the fruit that lured humanity into sin according to popular misinterpretation of the Bible? Yup, you guessed it, it's the humble Apple.

Apples are widely popular and incredibly versatile ingredients that go well in many savory and sweet recipes. Apples are the star ingredient of one of the most famous and delicious French recipes of all times: Tarte Tatin.

The Tatin sisters who worked at the Hotel Tatin in the village of Lamotte-Beuvron in France's Loire Valley, entered history through a random series of events. Stephanie Tatin was the hotel's cook, while her sister Caroline was the hostess. They successfully managed the hotel  located in the Loire Valley, a region many call the garden of France due to its abundance of fruits, vegetables and vineyards.

So how the Tarte Tatin came to be? In 1889, at the peak of the hunting season, the hotel was overwhelmed with hungry guests. While Caroline was taking care of the guests, Stephanie was running frantically in the kitchen from one stove to another preparing food. As she was preparing the traditional and well known apple pie, she forgot the pan of apples on the stove. The smell of caramelizing apples caught her attention. Fearing the apples might burn and in an attempt to save them, she put the pie crust on top of the apples and put the pan in the oven to cook it. Stephanie admired the result and so did the guests. And there you have it, out of a mere coincidence a sublime dessert was born. 

The original recipe has only few ingredients, apples (reines de reinettes or king of the pippins variety), sugar, butter and pie crust. However, throughout the years some variations were made such as adding spices or using puff pastry.

Organic reines de reinettes apples rich with their natural flavor are not easy to get hold of, so I always add spices to my apples to enhance the flavor. Many spices can be added, but cinnamon and apples are a marriage made in heaven.

You can use either a traditional pie crust or puff pastry for this recipe. I honestly prefer using puff pastry, it's lighter, richer and just adds a magical touch to this dessert. 

In order to make this delicous tarte tatin you will need:

• 6 granny smith apples
• 100 g brown sugar (demerara preferably)
• 35 g butter
• 30 g maple syrup
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• pinch of fresh ground star anis and cloves

You can substitute the spices with vanilla and if you are a purist you can omit the addition of spices and vanilla altogether.

Follow these steps and you will surely make an excellent dessert.
Peel and core the apples, put them in a bowl full of water and the juice a a lemon. The lemon will stop the browning of the apples.

On a low heat and in an oven proof pan combine sugar, butter, maple syrup, salt and the spices. Let the sugar melt slowly and do not stir it, just move the pan gently to avoid that the sugar burns.

When the caramel is ready, line the apples in the pan keeping in mind that they will shrink after cooking. You can either line them in a pretty fashion or keep free form, whatever you prefer.

Let the apples cook for a while, turn them, and when you see that the caramel is bubbling, you can turn off the heat and let them cool for few minutes.

While the apples are cooling, prepare your puff pastry. Cut a sheet a few centimetres bigger than the pan you're using. Cover the apples with the dough, make few holes in the pastry so you won´t have steam condensation and cook in a preheated oven (200C) until golden brown which usually takes 20 to 30 minutes.

You can make your own puff pastry ( I will share the recipe in an upcoming post) or you can use a store bought one. Please make sure to use a brand that you trust and that actually uses butter to make the pastry, otherwise the taste won't be there. 

Leave it to cool for 5 minutes, place the serving dish over the pan, cover it with aluminium foil, then with some towels and turn it over, be careful not to spill any of the hot caramel!

The smell at this point overwhelms the senses. You know in advance that the caramelized apples along with the puff pastry soaked in this luscious caramel will be just heavenly.  

Serve warm with a sccop of ice cream, and listen to Piaff singing La vie en rose!! Indulge!