Take a Bite Out of Apple Season
Published on September 15, 2020
V!VAlicious Recipe: Individual Apple Pie with Puff Pastry Crust
While summer might be winding down, we can all look ahead to the sites, sounds and most importantly, flavours, of autumn! That’s right – apple season is here again! To help celebrate, we asked our Executive Chef Robert at V!VA Whitby Shores to share his favourite apple-based V!VAlicious recipe.
“We have such great local produce in Ontario, so we try to use it as often as possible. Apples are a staple in our Communities and are one of the most sustainable fruits,” says Chef Robert. There are so many variations of apples and each one has its own individual flavour, from tart to sweet, crispy to crunchy. Apples are so versatile in many recipes, but the Granny Smith apple is perfect for this delectable dessert.”
Elevate your traditional apple pie recipe and surprise your family and friends with a delightful apple indulgence that takes à la mode to a whole new level. Try out this recipe at home or call us to book a tour (or virtual tour) at your local V!VA Retirement Community location for a taste of the good life at V!VA.
Ingredients:
Oat Crust
25 g sugar
25 g oats
25 g flour
25 g butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Apple Filling
4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 12 slices
1/2 lemon zest and juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Date Caramel
500 g brown sugar
113 g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
125 g dried dates
1/4 litre 35% whipping cream
1.20 oz dark rum
1 sheet puff pastry, cut into 8 squares
Toffee Sauce (Not Necessary for the Dish)
1/4 liter 35% whipping cream
113 g unsalted butter
113 g brown sugar
Preparation:
Oat Crust
- Dice Butter into Small Cubes
- Place all dry ingredients into mixer with beater attachment
- Mix dry ingredients until well blended.
- Add vanilla
- Slowly start adding cubes if butter while the mixer is running, one piece at a time.
- Turn off once all butter is about the size of a pea.
Apple Filling
- Peel, core, and slice apples into 12 pieces
- Place in bowl with sugar, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, lemon zest and juice.
- Mix well till everything is combined and set aside.
Date Caramel
- Place brown sugar, rum, and dates into pot and place on stove to melt. Once the mixture has melted and the colour has turn a dark brown. This will take about 10 minutes
- Add butter and vanilla and continue to whisk. The mixture will bubble, continue to whisk until the butter is all melted.
- Add the 35% whipping cream a little bit at a time and continue to whisk. The caramel will start to thin out a little bit.
- Once slightly cooled pulse with an immersion blender or food processor to break down the dates and ensure all ingredients are well mixed.
Toffee Sauce
- Heat cream and butter in a saucepan until butter has melted.
- Add brown sugar to recipe and whisk well to combine all ingredients.
- Keep mixture on the stove until it starts to bubble, then remove and cool.
Assembly:
- Cut Puff Pastry into 8 even squares. Take a muffin pan and oil or butter 8 spots for the puff pastry.
- Push the puff pastry squares into each spot, making sure to form the puff pastry to the muffin pan. You can leave the tops of the pastry standing up above the pan to make a tulip effect.
- Place 2 tsp of the date caramel in the bottom of each of the puff pastry.
- Fill the puff pastry with the apple mixture. You can pack the apples in as they will break down as this starts to cook.
- Top each pie with 1 tbsp of the oat mixture. Ensure that it covers the top of the apples.
- Bake in a convection oven at 350F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once removed from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer out of muffin pan with tongs. or two spoons to a cooling rack, if you wait too long they will stick to the muffin pan and it will be difficult to remove.
Plating:
- Heat toffee sauce in a pan or microwave.
- Place 2 oz in the bottom of a bowl.
- Place apple pie on top of toffee sauce.
- Scoop your favorite vanilla ice cream on top.
