Floral Apple Pie Recipes

Steps:

• For the caramel walnut cream: Place the white chocolate in a nonstick pan and melt it over low heat, stirring with a rubber spatula until completely melted. Let cook undisturbed until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. (The chocolate that is in contact with the bottom of the pan will caramelize and gain color.)
• Take the pan off the heat and stir the chocolate together, pressing down and scraping against the pan until the chocolate is smooth and liquid again.
• Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.
• Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water in a small bowl for 5 minutes. Squeeze the gelatin to remove excess water and stir it into the warm milk.
• Add the white chocolate to a food processor. With the food processor running, stream the warm milk into the white chocolate, then stream in the heavy cream.
• Pour out into a shallow 3-quart baking dish and stir in the walnuts. Cover the cream with plastic wrap pressed directly against its surface and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• For the crust: Place the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a bowl and combine it with the tips of your finger until it resembles sand. Add the water and mix just until it comes together. (Do not overmix.) Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Divide the dough into 6 even pieces, then use your fingers to press each piece into a 4-inch tart pan.
• Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake until the edges look golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• For the floral decoration: Fill the tart crusts with caramel walnut cream. Set aside.
• Cut the flesh off the core of an apple in 4 pieces. Slice each piece super-thinly on a mandolin, so that each slice has a border of peel on it.
• Place a piece of plastic wrap down on your work surface. Place one apple slice on one end of the plastic, cut-side facing you, domed side facing away. Then shingle the rest of the slices in a line from left to right. Brush them with some lime or lemon juice. Roll them up tightly until they take the size and shape of a rose. Place the apple rose on top of one of the tarts and open up the petals by loosening them with your fingers to create a flower that covers the entire surface of the tart.
• Repeat with the remaining apples and tarts. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• For the dough: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and process until the largest pieces of butter are pea-size. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Stir the vodka, vinegar and 1/4 cup ice water in a small bowl (or 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water if you're not using vodka). Drizzle the wet ingredients over the dough, and then mix with a fork until shaggy pieces form. Knead the dough in the bowl with your hands a couple of times until it comes together (it will look quite dry, which is fine). Transfer the large clumps of dough to a work surface. Drizzle 1 tablespoon ice water over any remaining smaller bits of dough in the bowl and knead again to bring it together. If the remaining dough is still too dry to come together, add more ice water in 1 tablespoon increments. Add to the dough on the work surface and press together into a single mass, incorporating any dry bits. Then pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick block. Divide the block into 4 pieces with a bench scraper or knife. Stack the pieces on top of one another, tucking any unincorporated dry bits in between the layers. Flatten the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick block. Repeat this process (cutting, stacking and flattening) three more times; this creates layers of butter in the dough that produces a wonderful flaky, almost puff pastry-like crust.
• Divide the dough in half and form into 1-inch-thick discs; wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or preferably overnight. The dough can be made 3 days ahead. Keep it refrigerated or freeze it for up to 3 months.
• To fill and assemble: Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/2-inch wedges. Toss the apples, brown sugar, flour, butter, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, allspice and nutmeg in a large bowl. Let the fruit sit for 30 minutes to extract the juices.
• Meanwhile, soften one dough disc at room temperature for 5 minutes. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick (about 16 inches in diameter). Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate. Soften the second disc at room temperature for 5 minutes. Then roll it out to the same thickness and diameter as the first disc.
• Carefully transfer the second disc to a 9-inch pie dish. Lift the edges so the dough slumps down into the dish. Press the dough firmly against the sides and bottom of the dish. Trim the edges, leaving about a 1-inch overhang. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to firm up. Remove the first disc from the refrigerator and let it soften for 5 minutes.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Line another rimmed baking sheet with foil and place it on the center rack.
• Scrape the apple filling into the pie dish, creating a mound in the center. Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl and brush the edges of the dough. Place the other disc over the filling. Trim the edges, leaving about a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the bottom edge up and over the top edge; press together to seal. Crimp the edge and brush the top with egg wash. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Cut several vents in the top evenly spaced. Freeze the pie for 10 minutes.
• Put the pie dish on the preheated baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. Continue to bake for 45 minutes, and then loosely tent with foil. Continue baking until the crust is a deep golden brown and the juices are thick and vigorously bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes longer. The juices will start to bubble at around 75 minutes, but they will thicken and bubble faster in the last 15 minutes; don't be tempted to pull it out until the bubbles are really going. (If using a clear pie dish, check underneath to make sure the bottom crust is evenly browned.) Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let it cool at least 4 hours before serving. (Yes, it smells amazing, and yes, people love warm pie. But if you don't give it time to set up properly, the filling will be runny when you cut into it.)

Steps:

• Peel the apples and place them in a large bowl with enough water to cover. Squeeze lemon juice in the water to prevent the apples from browning. Working with 1 apple at a time, cut around the core, discarding the core and removing the "cheeks." Slice the cheeks very thin.
• In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Add the sliced apples, stir to coat, and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Line a pie dough in a 9-inch (23-cm) cast-iron pan, and prick the dough with a fork all around. Chill in the fridge until very firm, 20-30 minutes.
• Working in batches, remove the apples from the cinnamon-sugar mixture by taking a handful at a time and carefully squeezing them with your hands to remove the excess moisture. Place the drained apples in a separate large bowl, reserving the liquid to make the caramel sauce.
• Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C).
• Working from the outside in, line the apple slices on the pie dough by overlapping each slice to create a rose shape. Roll up 1 apple slice tightly and place it in the center, creating a bud shape. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
• In a saucepan, bring the reserved cinnamon-sugar liquid to a boil. Once the liquid is reduced by half, 10-15 minutes, add the heavy cream and stir well.
• To serve, pour the caramel sauce over the apple pie.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Make the crust: Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and pulse until incorporated. Pulse in the water, about 2 teaspoons at a time, until the dough starts to hold together. It will appear to be a bit crumbly, but should hold together easily when pressed.
• Lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and pour the dough mixture into it. Press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Use a lightly floured straight-sided measuring cup to help press the dough into the corners of the pan.) Reserve extra dough to repair any cracks after the shell is baked.
• Freeze the formed dough in the pan until completely firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line the tart shell with a piece of aluminum foil, making sure to tuck it into the corners and over the edges. Bake the shell for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough appears dry and lightly golden. If the dough puffs up while baking, gently press it back into the pan with an offset spatula or similar tool. If necessary, repair any cracks with the remaining raw dough. Cool slightly while you prepare the apples.
• Cut the apples from their cores in 3 pieces: Stand the apples up, with the stems facing up, and, using a sharp knife, cut 1 face of the apple, then rotate the apple about 120 degrees, slice again, and finally slice the last piece from the core. You should have a triangle-shaped piece of core left and 3 pieces of apple with flat bottoms.
• Reserve a smaller piece of apple, and carefully slice all the other apples into very thin half-moons, about 1/8-inch thick. (A mandoline makes this move quickly, but, if you are using a knife and working slowly, it's a good idea to squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the sliced apples to prevent browning.) Make sure to keep the slices together as you cut to make the assembly easier.
• Once the apples are sliced, build the tart: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar on the bottom of the blind-baked tart shell. Starting at the outer edge, arrange the apples in tight concentric circles, overlapping each slice about halfway over its neighbor. Take care to stand the apples up vertically, with the cut edges down and the peel edge pointing up. Pack the rows very tightly, stopping periodically to check your work.
• As you move toward the center, the apples will become trickier to bend into place. If you find the slices are breaking, slice the reserved piece of apple even thinner to make it easier to bend. Roll the last few slices into a circle and tuck it in the center.
• Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and a pinch of salt over the apple slices. Take care to sprinkle the sugar between the apple slices, rather than on top. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and bake the tart for 40 to 45 minutes or until the apples begin to brown just slightly on the edges and the crust is a deep golden brown. Check the tart periodically to make sure the shell is not over-browning at the edges. If it is, cover the edges with foil.
• Cool the tart on a rack for about 10 minutes, then prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan, warm the jam and a few drops of water over medium-low heat until it is runny. Use a pastry brush to very gently brush the warm tart with jam. Avoid brushing jam on the crust, but a thin layer all over the apple slices. Serve warm or room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a bowl combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Place mixture in a pastry-lined 9 inch pie plate. Dot with butter and adjust top crust that has been vented.
• Place in oven and bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Turn oven temperature down to 275-300 degrees F (135-150 degrees C) and bake 40-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender. Let cool and serve.