Last Tuesday, I introduced my first contributor here at Love Grows Wild, and today I have the honor of sharing another talented blogger with you! Amber from Dessert Now, Dinner Later creates the most delicious, mouthwatering recipes, and she’ll be here once a month to share them with you! Let’s give Amber a warm welcome as she dishes up this incredible apple dessert!
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There are two flavors that I love in the fall; Apple & Pumpkin. Today, I went the apple route. If there is one thing you should know about me, it’s that I am a pie girl. I love to make & eat pie. There is just something about that flakey crust that I can’t get enough of, but sometimes, even I, a culinary graduate, struggle getting my pie crust transferred from the countertop to the pie dish all in one piece without it ripping. This Caramel Apple Crostata solves that issue! If you have a silicone baking mat, then you can roll out your dough straight onto your mat & not have to put it in that pie dish! Sweet right? Not only that, but crostatas are rustic & don’t have to look perfect. So if you do screw up, no one will know, it will just add more rusticity right? Right! I also love this dish because it uses fresh apples, half the crust of a typical pie (hey, I do watch my figure a little bit), & who doesn’t like caramel with their apples? It’s the perfect combination for a delicious fall treat! Now get to baking!
Caramel Apple Crostata
Recipe by: Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)
1 pie crust dough, store bought or homemade
4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter, cut into cubes
Caramel Topping (found in the ice cream section) or homemade
If making pie crust, chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or 15 minutes in the freezer. Place peeled, cored, & thinly sliced apples in a bowl with the lemon juice, sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, & salt. Fold gently until everything is coated. Let mixture macerate (release juices) at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Using a silicone baking mat that has been sprinkled with flour, roll pie crust into an 11″ or 12″ circle with a floured rolling pin until the crust is about 1/4″ thick. Roll from the center outwards, & rotate the crust so it doesn’t stick to the mat. Arrange apples in the center of the crust, make it pretty if you want, since it is open faced. Leave about 2 inches of space around the edges. Pour any liquid the apples released over the top of the apples. Fold up the edges of the dough & crease where necessary to conceal the apples within the crust. Place little cubes of butter over the apples. This helps the apples not dry out too quickly. Lift the whole mat, supporting underneath the crostata, & place it onto a baking sheet.
Bake at 425˚F for 30-45 minutes or until the apples are done & the crust has browned. If things start to get too brown, cover the crostata with some foil until it is done baking. Check the doneness of the apples with a fork. Allow to cool slightly before cutting & serving. Top with a drizzle of caramel & fresh, sweetened whipped cream.
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P.S. I’m sharing this post at some awesome link parties… Check them out HERE!
Yum! This looks delicious : )
I love crostatas for fall harvest style dinners. This looks wonderful!
I love apple desserts, and this one looks delicious!
Would it be alright to prep this all the day before….and refrigerate a day? Cooking dinner tomorrow, and thinking this May be a lot to tackle with company. Thoughts? It looks amazing!
Hi Kelsey! I totally understand! Here’s some options to prep this ahead:
#1 Substitute a store-bought apple pie filling. Since the store-bought kind is already jellied it won’t make the crust soggy. #2 Put a thin layer of plain panko breadcrumbs on the crust before adding the apple mixture so the crust doesn’t get soggy. The breadcrumbs will help soak up some of the juice that is released from the apples. Or #3 Roll out the crust on the pan and have the apple filling in a bowl and keep them both covered and refrigerated overnight. Then you can assemble in the morning!
I hope this helps!