Red Wine Caramel Apples Recipes

THE ULTIMATE CARAMEL APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the pastry, combine the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the chunks of cold butter with a pastry blender, a little at a time, until the dough resembles cornmeal. Add the egg yolk and the ice water, and blend for a second just to pull the dough together and moisten. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.
• To make the caramel sauce: place the sugar and water in a small pot and cook, without stirring, over medium-low heat until the sugar has melted and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner and add the cream and wine slowly. It may bubble and spit, so be careful. When the sauce has calmed down, return it to the flame, add the vanilla bean and heat it slowly, until the wine and caramel are smooth and continue to slowly cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and cool until thickened.
• Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze in the lemon juice. Peel the apples with a paring knife, cut them in half, and remove the core with a melon baller. Put the apple halves in the lemon-water (this will keep them from going brown). Toss the apples with the flour and cinnamon.
• Take the dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap the plastic, and cut the ball in half. Rewrap and return 1 of the balls to the refrigerator, until ready for the top crust. Let the dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes so it will be pliable enough to roll out. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 10-inch glass pie pan. Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice a couple of the apples at a time using a mandolin or a very sharp knife. The apples need to be thinly sliced so that as the pie bakes, they collapse on top of each other with no air pockets. This makes a dense, meaty apple pie. Cover the bottom of the pastry with a layer of apples, shingling the slices so there are no gaps. Ladle about 2 ounces of the cooled red wine caramel sauce evenly over the apple slices. Repeat the layers, until the pie is slightly overfilled and domed on the top; the apples will shrink down as the pie cooks. Top the apples with pieces of the butter.
• Now, roll out the other ball of dough just as you did the first. Brush the bottom lip of the pie pastry with a little beaten egg white to form a seal. Place the pastry circle on top of the pie, and using some kitchen scissors, trim off the overhanging excess from around the pie. Crimp the edges of dough together with your fingers to make a tight seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie so steam can escape while baking. Place the pie on a sheet tray and tent it with a piece of aluminum foil, so the crust does not cook faster than the apples.
• Bake the caramel apple pie for 25 minutes on the middle rack. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with the freshly grated cinnamon. Remove the foil from the pie and brush the top with the remaining egg white. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and return to the oven. Continue to bake for another 25 minutes, until the pie is golden and bubbling. Let the apple pie rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour to allow the fruit pectin to gel and set; otherwise the pie will fall apart when you cut into it.

THE BEST CARAMEL APPLES

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Dip apples in boiling water for a few seconds, then dry with paper towels to remove any wax from the peels. Set apples aside; when completely cool, insert a wooden chopstick firmly into the bottom of each apple for a handle.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Stir butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk together in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and reduce heat to medium. Cook until a candy thermometer reads 248 degrees F (120 degrees C), 25 to 30 minutes; stir constantly to prevent burning. A teaspoon of the syrup, dropped in a glass of cold water, should form a firm ball. Remove caramel from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
• Working quickly, dip each apple into the hot caramel to completely coat the apple and about 1/2 inch of the wooden handle. Sprinkle apples with any desired toppings while still hot. Let caramel apples cool on the parchment paper. Use caution, caramel is very hot.

WARM APPLE TART WITH DATE ICE CREAM AND RED WINE-CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare the ice cream: Prepare an ice water bath. Place the dates, vanilla bean pulp, heavy cream, half-and-half, and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl and slowly pour in the hot cream mixture. Puree the cream mixture until smooth, return to the saucepan, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and cool in the ice water bath. Freeze in an ice cream machine and keep frozen until ready to use.
• To prepare the dough: Using an electric mixer or by hand, combine the flour, butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until pebble-sized balls form. Add the egg yolk and water all at one time and mix until the dough just comes together. Remove the dough from the mixer, pat into a disc, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• To prepare the caramel: Place the sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the butter and vanilla pulp and cook for 2 minutes. Add the apple wedges and cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until the apples are half cooked. Remove the apples from the caramel and reserve both separately.
• To prepare the tart: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and carefully press into an 8- or 9-inch tart ring, trimming any excess. Place the tart ring on a parchment-lined sheet pan and sprinkle 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans in the bottom of the shell. Pinwheel the apple slices in the tart and brush with some of the caramel sauce. Bake the tart for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
• To prepare the red wine-caramel sauce: Place the red wine in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Add the remaining caramel sauce to the red wine reduction and whisk until smooth. Fold in the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans and keep warm.
• Cut the tart into 8 pieces and place a piece in the center of each plate. Spoon the red wine-caramel sauce around the tart and top the tart with a scoop of the date ice cream.