Baked Brie with Caramelized Apples

We are getting really close to that wonderful holiday where it is completely socially acceptable to have four different carbs on your plate at one time.  Thanksgiving is an amazing product of commercialized American heritage, and I love every single part of it.

This is the time where everyone is telling you how to bake the very best mashed potatoes, that are undeniably different than any other recipe for mashed potatoes, and which turkey brine you simply have to use.  (I highly recommend Alton Brown’s.)  Unfortunately, with all this attention directed to the lavish array of side dishes and the iconic Norman Rockwellesc turkey, the prelude to the feast is often grossly overlooked.  We must not let another year go by without reclaiming the first course and bringing it back to its full glory!  Ready?  Let’s get started.

Thanksgiving is a game of time.  It requires strategic planning and precise execution, so the last thing we need is one more thing to take up a lot of preparation or oven time.  This is why many choose to mitigate the homemade appetizers and settle for a boring crudites.  I promise that with minimal effort, you can create an appetizer which is equally as tempting and delicious as your second course. 

If I could only eat one cheese for the rest of my life I would unreservedly choose brie.  It’s rich, creamy, and oh-so-versatile.  

For this recipe we begin by caramelizing some apples with brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.  You can caramelize your apples ahead of time and heat them up just before serving to save yourself some time. 

The brie is baked for a few minutes, just to warm it up.  The hot caramelized apples are poured directly over the brie along with a good sprinkling of sliced almonds.  

I like to serve mine with crostini but you can certainly substitute crackers if you wish. 

It takes me exactly 7.36 minutes to demolish 1/4 pound of brie.

 Let’s make our first course as spectacular as our second this year.  Happy Holiday!!

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie

P.S. If brie is not your jam then you might want to try out this Balsamic-Roasted Grape Crostini.

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Baked Brie with Caramelized Apples 

serves 6 (or one very hungry lady) 

- 1/3 cup brown sugar 

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

- 1 large apple, peeled and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups) 

- pinch of kosher salt 

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

- 1/2 lb triple cream Brie 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a small bowl combine cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt.  Sprinkle over apples and toss to coat.  

In a small sauté pan melt butter over medium heat.  When the butter has melted add apple mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-12 minutes or until the apples are soft and a thick caramel has formed.  Remove from heat and reserve. 

Place the Brie on a baking sheet lined with parchment.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the Brie begins to melt.  

Pour the caramelized apples over the baked Brie and serve immediately with crostini or crackers.  Enjoy!! 

For crostini:  Set your oven to its broiler setting.  Slice a baguette into slices 1/2 inch thick. Brush one side with olive oil and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment.   

Bake for 2-4 minutes or until the toasts are golden brown.  Can be made one day in advance. 

Sweet Cinnamon and Apple Turnovers

Recently, I have been reminded of the preciousness of moments.  There are weeks where I find myself wondering how seemingly everything in my life is going awry.  It is during these weeks that I try to learn some sort of lesson from the mishaps and trials so that I will not have to be taught it so severely again.  Last week looked me straight in my soppy, tired eyes and told me sternly that I need to remember to take advantage of the moments I have with the people I love. 

This is a place where we talk a lot about butter and sugar, but I hope that it is also a reminder to make the small moments of your life special and memorable.  Because moments, especially those with the people we love, are fleeting.  That is just some real-talk - now on to the butter and sugar!

Puff pastry is an endeavor so satisfying and so rewarding it feels like winning a trophy when you pull your long-awaited puffed layers out of the oven.  My mother has told me at least 692 times that working hard for something makes the achievement exponentially more rewarding.  This lesson is especially applicable to baking endeavors. 

We have talked about approaching that intimidating, yet certainly attainable giant which is puffed pastry.  I promise, that if you can make a pie crust, you can certainly make your own puffed pastry.

In this application, our puff pastry is stuffed with crisp apples, fragrant cinnamon, and a kiss of sugar for some extra sweetness.  If you picked your own apples on a cool, blustery, autumn day, you get extra points.  If you bought your apples from the produce section, you still win, because we are making turnovers and there are no losers in the turnover game.

These turnovers are pretty magnificent.  Their magnificence is chiefly due to their simplicity.  We are not extravagant with the spices or sugar and the puff pastry gets its flavor from butter and time alone.  All and in all, they are pretty perfect, because they are just turnovers and turnovers do not need to be complicated. 

This recipe is a labor of love, not because it is difficult, but because it is a bit time-consuming.  But, as my mother assured me, I can promise you that the prize is well worth the labor.  There is an evident sense of satisfaction which you will feel when you pull these lovely pastries from your oven, a sense of satisfaction which is elevated only by sharing these with someone you care about. 

Sit down with a glass of chilled milk or steaming coffee, share these turnovers, and enjoy the moment with someone you care for, because you never know when you will get the chance again.  

Sincerely,

  Pedantic Foodie

Sweet Cinnamon & Apple Turnovers

makes 12

pastry recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse

for the filling

- 3 cups apple slices, peeled 

- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice 

- 1/4 cup brown sugar 

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 

Toss apple slices in lemon juice.  In a small bowl use a fork to combine spices and brown sugar.  Sprinkle the sugar and spice mixture over the apples and toss until all the apples are evenly coated.  Reserve for later use.  

for the glaze

- 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup powdered sugar 

In a small bowl, combine vanilla extract and heavy cream.  Slowly whisk in powdered sugar until the glaze is smooth.  

for the puff pastry

• 12 ounces all purpose flour
• 2 ounces cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled 
• 1 cup ice water 
• 1 egg 
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar 

Sift to combine all-purpose flour, cake flour and salt.  Cut 6 tablespoons of the cold butter into cubes and place the cubes in the flour mixture.  Use a pastry blender or the tips of your fingers to blend until the texture of rough cornmeal, similar to pie crust.  

Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the cold water.  Use a spatula to gently mix into a rough dough.  Do not over mix, the dough will be rough and sticky.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.    

Place the remaining chilled butter on a sheet of plastic wrap and cover with a second sheet.  Use a rolling pin to smash the butter to form a 5-inch square of butter.  Chill until ready to use.  

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a floured surface.  Roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle and place the chilled sheet of butter in the center.  Wrap the sides of the dough up around the butter and pinch the ends to seal.  You should now have a square of butter enclosed in dough.  

Roll the dough out into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle.  If needed you may use the rolling pin to pound the dough and make it more pliable.  Be careful not to tear the dough!  Fold the rectangle 3 times like a business letter.  Place the rectangle in front of you lengthwise and roll again into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle.  Fold again 3 times like a business letter.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.  

When the dough has rested, return to a floured surface and repeat the process of rolling the dough into a rectangle and making a business-letter fold.  Do this twice as before and wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Remove rested dough from the refrigerator and return to the floured surface.  Repeat rolling and folding process twice as before and refrigerate for 2 hours.  Now the puff pastry is ready to use. 

Cook’s Note:  At this point, you can wrap the dough in plastic, walk away, and save the baking for another day.  I would not recommend keeping this dough past two days because it is very heavily fattened and butter likes to soak up refrigerator flavors.  But do feel free to make it a day or two in advance! 

Prepare apples and glaze.  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a baking sheet in the freezer and allow to chill.  

In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a teaspoon of water. 

Roll the dough into a 6 x 18 rectangle.  Cut lengthwise and then cross wise, forming 3x3 inch squares.  Turn the squares so that the tips are facing towards you and away from you - like a diamond.  Lay several apple slices across half of the square and brush the edges of the pastry with your prepared egg wash.  Fold the top part of the dough over the filling and press gently to seal the edges.  You should now have a triangle filled with apples.  Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar.  Repeat with each pastry.  Lay the finished pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment.   

It is important to work fairly quickly so that the pastry remains cold.  If the pastry begins to warm and soften, lay the chilled baking sheet over the dough until it firms up again.  

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry has puff and is deep golden.  

It is going to be hard, I know.  But you should really allow these pastries to cool for about 10-15 minutes before you start glazing and devouring.  Patience, grasshopper... When the turnovers have cooled, drizzle with prepared glaze and serve.  Enjoy!