Apple Bourdelot en Croute

Nothing gets you in the mood for fall like the fresh, crisp taste of an apple. Whether it be Macintosh, Granny Smith or Golden Delicious, apples emulate all that is fall. They're refreshing, bright, comforting. They match the same soothing colors that are starting to pop up on the trees all around us and when you bite into them it sounds like the crunch of leaves under your favorite pair of boots.

Fall in New England is not a season known for its longevity, but luckily there is no shortage of apple-related recipes to make the warm, fuzzy feeling of the season linger on and on. 

Apple Bourdelot en Croute (which in English translates to Baked Apple in Pastry Crust) is an amazing dessert that allows everyone to have their own piece of fall...and the best part is, you don't have to share! Each apple is cored, stuffed with butter, brown sugar, dried cranberries and maple syrup resulting in the apple pie equivalent of a molten lava cake. And then to top it all off, it gets wrapped up in its own individual pie crust and decorated to resemble the very fruit that the dessert celebrates.

I learned how to make this last year in an Adult Ed Decadent Desserts class and I was enamored. How delicious. How fancy. How....simple. 

Trying to impress someone this fall? Try this one out.....Oh heck, make it for yourself. It's delicious & you'll thank me later.

The quality of the photos aren't that great. Obviously, I was just eager to eat this thing.

Recipe after the break....




Apple Bourdelot en Croute

This recipe will make four baked apples.

4 Apples (any kind will work - use your favorite. Softer apples like Cortland or Macintosh work the best)
Lemon Juice
Brown Sugar
Butter
Craisins (or raisins, or currants, your choice)
Maple Syrup (traditional recipe calls for Apple Brandy, but this makes an excellent always-in-your-cabinet substitute)
Cinnamon
1 egg


For the Crust:

(Covers 4 medium apples)

2 C. Flour
1 Stick Chilled Butter
3 Tbsp. Crisco
2 Tbsp. Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1/3 C. Cold Water

Pour flour in to a bowl. Cut butter in to cubes and add to the flour. Mix butter into flour well with fingertips. Add sugar & salt.  Add water to the flour slowly and mix with your hands until a ball of dough is formed.

Sprinkle flour on a flat surface. Break dough in to four equal pieces, roll and slightly flatten into a disk. Wrap dough individually in plastic wrap & place in the fridge.

While the dough is chilling, peel all of your apples from top to bottom. Remove the bristles on the bottom of the apple with a mellon baller. Use the melon baller to scoop into the stem and remove. Then, use the melon baller to scoop out the center of the apple where the core & seeds are. Be careful not to core all the way through the apple. You want to create a cup in the center of the apple where all of the other ingredients can sit in. Brush each apple with lemon juice and set aside.

Now, start filling your apples with all of your ingredients - a small hunk of butter, some brown sugar, a few craisins, dash of cinnamon and top it off with the maple syrup. Make sure your ingredients do not overflow. This will make it difficult (and messy) to cover them with the pie dough later.

Set apples aside & remove pie dough from the fridge. Roll a disk of dough out on a lightly floured surface into a large 8" circle about a 1/4" thick. Place an apple in the center of the dough. Cut a few slits in the dough so that you can fold it up in pieces around the apple. Fold up dough one piece at a time and form to the apple. The goal is for the pie dough to reach the top & cover the opening of the apple. Repeat until apple is fully covered in dough. Use any extra dough to make a steam & leaves. Apply to the top of the apple.

Repeat with all four apples.

Whisk an egg in a small bowl & brush the dough with it. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. This will make the pie crust brown up nicely when baking.

Bake on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, or until pie crust is a golden color. Remove from cookie sheet with a spatula.

Serve with vanilla ice cream & enjoy! Best when served right out of the oven.