Directions

Dough:
Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 (1/4-ounce) packet fresh fast-acting yeast
* 1 1/2 cups warm water, between 100 and 115 degrees F, as measured with a candy thermometer (any hotter will kill the yeast – an organic leavener, too cool and the yeast won’t be activated)
* 3 cups all purpose flour, plus some extra for the dough board
* 2 tablespoons cornmeal, for the pizza stone

Topping:

* 2 tablespoons butter
* 3 to 4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced, and tossed with a little bit of lemon juice to prevent oxidation (good choices are Braeburn, Gala, Jonathan, Rome Beauty)
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 6 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping
* 6 tablespoons hazelnut and chocolate paste (recommended: Nutella)
* 1/2 cup mini-marshmallows
* 1/4 cup chocolate syrup

Dissolve salt, sugar, and yeast in the warm water and allow the yeast to proof. (“Proofing” the yeast is testing it for viability. It will develop a foam which looks like the head of a beer. If it doesn’t proof, the yeast is dead and should be discarded.) Proofing takes about 15 minutes.

Place flour in a food processor fitted with a dough blade, and through the feed tube with the food processor running, slowly pour the proofed yeast mixture, until the dough comes together and is a cohesive mass. Transfer the dough to a floured board, and knead for about 5 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with a clean dish towel and allow dough to rise, so that it roughly doubles in volume. (This will take about 30 minutes to an hour). The dough has risen enough if you make an indentation with your finger and it does not spring back.) Punch the dough down and allow it to rise again. (Allowing the dough to rise a second time gives it a finer texture.) Note: It will not rise as much the second time.

While the dough is proofing, begin to prepare the topping. Melt the butter over medium heat in a pan with a lid. Add apples and stir gently to coat with the warm butter. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the apples. Stir in the lemon juice. Cover and cook over low to medium heat for about 40 minutes, or until the apples are cooked through and tender.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Stretch the dough out into a 14-inch circle which is thicker around the perimeter. Transfer dough to a pizza stone sprinkled with cornmeal. Top evenly with the cooked apple slices. Since the caramel topping and hazelnut, chocolate sauce are thick and awkward to spread, distribute spoonfuls of them evenly over the surface of the apple slices and the heat from the oven will make them melt onto the surface. Sprinkle with mini-marshmallows and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough is nicely browned.

Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Difficult
Yield: 6 slices

Ingredients

* 2 Golden Delicious apples
* 2 to 3 tablespoons butter
* 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
* Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
* Creamy Custard Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash and dry apples. Cut the apples in half and remove the core but leave any stems intact. Place apples in baking dish. Divide butter among each core cavity. Top each apple half with a tablespoon of sugar and dash with cinnamon.

Bake apples until the flesh is tender and they’re bubbly and perfect looking, about 30 minutes. Serve with Creamy Custard Sauce.

Creamy Custard Sauce:

1/2 pint light vanilla ice cream, melted (recommended: Ben and Jerry’s)

2 egg yolks

Heat the melted ice cream in a small saucepan over low heat until hot. Meanwhile, put the yolks in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. While whisking, slowly drizzle about 1 or 2 tablespoons hot melted ice cream into the yolks until blended. While whisking constantly, slowly add the rest of the hot liquid to the yolk mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to low heat.

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the filling:

* 1/2 stick unsalted butter
* 4 medium Granny Smith apples
* 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the batter:

* 2 large eggs
* 1/4 cup whole milk
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing ramekins
* 2 tablespoons sugar, for ramekins, plus extra for top
* 20 slices brioche bread, crust removed
* Cinnamon sabayon, recipe follows

Directions

Begin by making the filling. Set a large saute pan or roasting pan over medium heat and add butter. Peel and cut cheeks off apples then cut into 1/2-inch chunks. Once butter has melted and just starting to foam, add apples, scraped vanilla bean and pod, lemon juice, and brown sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat well and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until apples are just tender and liquid has evaporated. The sauce will caramelize slightly and should be a nice, rich dark color.

In a shallow dish, make the batter by combining eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk until fully combined.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and generously butter and sugar 4 (1-cup) ramekins.

Invert a ramekin, or use a round cutter, on half of the bread slices to use as a guide to cut out circles. These will be the bases and top of the charlottes – you should have 8 in total. Cut the other slices of bread in half lengthwise.

Working with the circles. lightly coat in the batter and place in the bottom of each ramekin. Lightly dip the other rectangles of bread in batter as well, then use them to line the walls of each ramekin – standing them upright around the perimeter leaving an overhang that you will later use to fold over and seal the charlotte. It should take about 6 strips per ramekin. Fill each mold with apples and some of the caramel from the pan. Fold over the edges to seal it up completely and sprinkle the tops with a little sugar.

Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. If the tops brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. When done, the bread will have puffed up slightly, the edges will be brown and the sugar on top will have caramelized. Allow to cool slightly, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto individual plates. Serve with cinnamon sabayon.
Cinnamon Sabayon:

* 6 egg yolks
* 1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
* 1/3 cup calvados or apple liqueur
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
* Splash water

To make sabayon, combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set over a pot of boiling water on low heat, i.e. a double boiler. Whisk (you can use an electric whisk to make it easier) until the mixture becomes light and fluffy and the volume almost doubles.

Autumn is the perfect time for apple recipes!

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 – 6 apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, unbeaten
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Grease an 8-inch baking dish.
2. Fill with sliced apples.
3. In a separate bowl, crumble together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and the unbeaten egg.
4. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the apples.
5. Pour oil over topping.
6. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes.
8. Serve warm.

What better time of year to make this recipe than now?

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large tart apples
• 1 pie shell
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and slice applies, arrange in pie shell.
3. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 tsp. of cinnamon and sprinkle over apples.
4. Sift remaining sugar, flour, and cinnamon for topping.  Cut in butter for crumbly.
5. Sprinkle over top of pie.
6. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until brown.