RecipesApple Cinnamon Crostata with Village Cider Caramel
Apple Cinnamon Crostata with Village Cider Caramel
Servings4
Prep Time55 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time90 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cream cheese, plain
1/2 cup butter
3 tbsp sugar
1 egg, beaten
Filling
2 apples, peeled, cored and medium diced
3 tbsp sugar
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup cider
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp water
Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup cream
1/4 cup cider
How to make it
To make the pastry; place the flour into a bowl and add the cream cheese and diced butter. Work the mixture together by squeezing with your fingertips to start, eventually kneading lightly for a few seconds to ensure thorough mixing. Break apart into 4 equal pieces and flatten into disks. Individually wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for half an hour.
To make the filling; peel and dice the apples, mix with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Prepare the cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch and water.
Place the cider in a saucepan and over high heat bring to a boil, add the apple mixture and mix to coat. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and mix thoroughly to disperse, return to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
To make the sauce: Note – please take care not to get hot sugar on skin, and perhaps consider watching some YouTube videos in advance to familiarize yourself with the procedure. In a high sided saucepan, place sugar and cider and bring to a boil. Gently shake and tilt the pot, do not use a utensil to mix as using a utensil may cause sugar crystals to form. Cook until the liquid evaporates, and the sugar becomes molten and then begins to change color from clear, to tan and then auburn. This should take 5-10 minutes. At the moment the auburn color is achieved, remove the pan from the heat and away from your face add the cream in. The cream will initially sputter and spit as it hits the hot sugar and drops the temperature. Once the rapid boiling, steaming, and sputtering subsides, return the pot to the heat and return to a boil to dissolve and incorporate the caramelized sugar into the sauce. After the boil is achieved, turn the heat off or set aside to cool. It will stay warm for a long time as it cools down.
To make the crostatas: Roll the pie doughs out to 6 inch rounds, put ¼ of the apple mix into the center of each dough and then fold the sides up and over starting on one side and rotating around until all sides are folded up. Beat the egg and brush the outsides of the pastry with egg wash for nice browning in the oven.
Place pies on a tray and bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until filling is bubbling and pastry is golden brown.
Place hot crostatas on plates and drizzle the caramel on top and around, optionally garnish with icing sugar.
Serve with whipped cream or iced cream if you wish.
