Apple Blossums

Well, since Tina said that this was the best desert I ever made, I thought it would be OK to include in the cookbook. Individual servings of diced apples, infused with sugar and cinnamon, baked in ordinary pie crust. You can bet that it tastes wonderful, PLUS makes a terrific presentation when served hot out of the oven with my home made caramel sauce.

Jan 3, 2015 - Serves 6

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INGREDIENTS
Apple Blossums

  • 3 apples; granny smith, fuji or similar.
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbs cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 package Pillsbury (or similar) refrigerated packaged pie crust.

Caramel Sauce (optional)

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 6 tbs Half & Half
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 3 tbs water

Streusel Topping (optional)

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 3 tbs butter

PREPARE THE APPLE BLOSSUMS
This can be done ahead of time..even several days ahead!

Core, peel and dice the apples. Place in a bowl and mix with the lemon juice.

Add the water, sugar and cinnamon to a pan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and add the diced apples. Stir for about a minute then turn the pan heat off; leave the diced apples in the pan for now.

The pastry usually comes 2 sheets to a package, rolled and sealed. This will be enough to make a total of 6 blossums. Take the first sheet out and using a pastry roller (or a can of soup or beer bottle works almost as well) roll it in order to enlarge and thin it out a bit. Using a small amount of flour will aid the process. Then using a small cereal bowl 5-6 inches in diameter as a template, cut out 3 circular sections from each sheet. You will need to re-roll the dough each time in order to get 3 equal pieces. Using a sharp knife, cut 5 or 6 groves as shown in the diagram to facilitate the folding of the dough up and over the apple mixture. Place about 1/4 cup of the diced apples in the center of each circle of dough then fold the edges (flaps) up and slightly over the top, pinching the edges to seal the flaps together...ensure an opening is left at the top. Brush the outside of the pastry with melted butter.
Place the prepared blossums on a plate or baking sheet and put in the refrigerator until its time to bake them...you can even freeze them at this point for serving a day or week later!

PREPARE THE CARAMEL SAUCE
This can be done ahead of time..even several days ahead!

Combine 1/3 cup brown sugar, Half & Half, and 2 tablespoons butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in 2 teaspoons water. At room temperature the sauce should flow easily; if not you can add a bit more Half & Half to thin it out. When refrigerated, the sauce will definately thicken, so you will want to slightly reheat it prior to serving to get it back to the desired consistency.

PREPARE THE STREUSEL TOPPING
This also be done ahead of time..even several days ahead!

Combine flour and brown sugar in a bowl. With sharp knife cut 3 tablespoons cold butter into small bits and add to the brown sugar mixture; cut in with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Just prior to baking , sprinkle about a tablesppon of the streusel mix on top of the blossums.

BAKE & SERVE

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place blossums on a cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, or until they become golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly (about 10-15 minutes). In the meantime, pour a small amount of the caramel sauce on a desert plate, then place one blossum on top of the carramel sauce and serve.

 
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