Martha Stewart managed to make a simple apple-filled puff pastry sheet dessert into something complex and time-consuming. Should you wish to follow her recipe, go here. I made the apple mixture as per the recipe, but skipped most of the pastry steps. It turned out just fine.
Ingredients, Filling
- 5 apples, such as Empire, McIntosh or Cortland, peeled, halved, cored, and cut into 8 wedges
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 tablespoons cognac
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Ingredients, Pastry
- 1 sheet puff pastry, preferably all-butter, thawed if frozen
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Sugar, for sprinkling
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Directions
Filling: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together apples, sugar, vanilla seeds, cognac, lemon zest and juice, salt, and flour. Transfer to a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and dot with butter. Bake until apples are tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely.
Pastry: Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Roll out pastry to a 16 1/2-by-12 1/2-inch rectangle on a piece of parchment. Spoon the apple filling on the pastry. Pinch together the sides and ends to form a pocket with an open middle. Brush the pastry with the egg wash, and generously sprinkle the entire thing with sugar. Bake 25 minutes, then switch oven to broiler setting and broil until sugar is caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes (watch carefully to prevent burning). Let cool to room temperature. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
That looks great, and I agree Martha Stewart’s fussing doesn’t add anything.
Thank you, it was scarfed right up.
I trust you more than Martha. And this looks fantastic.
😘
Yummy!!
💯