Apple Complicity
The big apple dessert! Baked apples were a favorite dessert in colonial Virginia. In his updated version, Williamsburg Chef Hans Schadler stuffs the apples with a mixture of diced apples and dried fruits, and serves them with a light cider sauce.
Ingredients
- Cider Sabayon
- Apple Cider - 1 cup
- Egg Yolks - 3
- Egg - 1
- Dry white wine - 1/2 cup
- Maple Syrup - 2 tablespoons
- Orange Zest - 1/2 teaspoon, grated
- Lemon zest - 1/2 teaspoon, grated
- Ground cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon
- Stuffed Apples
- Assorted Dried Fruits - 1/4 cup, such as figs, apples, and apricots
- Dark Rum - 1/4 cup
- Granny Smith apples or other tart green apples - 2
- Lemon - 1/2
- Dry White Wine - 1 cup
- Red Delicious Apples - 2, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- Dried Currants - 2 tablespoons
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- Maple Syrup - 1/4 cup
- Small-curd Cottage Cheese - 1/4 cup
- Nutmeg - 1/4 teaspoon
- Ground cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon
- Egg White - 1, lightly beaten
- Soft Bread Crumbs - 1/4 cup, to bind the filling, if necessary
- Phyllo Dough - 6 sheets, thawed
- Unsalted Butter - 4 tablespoons, melted
- Garnish
- Apple - 1
- Lemon - 1/2
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Granulated Sugar - 1 tablespoon
- Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Instructions
To make the cider sabayon: Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk constantly and vigorously until the mixture is light and frothy and has begun to thicken. When the mixture is thick enough that whisking exposes the bare bottom of the bowl, the sabayon is done. Remove from heat and whisk for another 2 to three minutes, then allow to cool. Transfer the sabayon to a smaller bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until needed.
To make the stuffed apples: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coarsely chop the dried fruits and place them in a small mixing bowl. Cover the fruit with the rum and set aside for 1 hour to soak. Drain.
Cut the Granny Smith apples crosswise about two thirds of the way up the apples. Core both halves and scoop out two thirds of the flesh. Rub the inside of each half with a lemon half to prevent discoloration. Place the apples in a shallow baking dish with the white wine and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the apples from the baking pan with a slotted spoon and let cool.
In a medium saucepan, combine the diced Red Delicious apples, drained dried fruit, currants, zests, and maple syrup. Cook over medium heat until the apples are soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cottage cheese and spices. Add the lightly beaten egg white and a small amount of bread crumbs; stir to combine, adding more bread crumbs if necessary to bind the mixture. Spoon into the apple cavities, then return the apples to the baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.
On a clean work surface, lay out the phyllo dough, covered with plastic wrap. Cut a sheet of pastry into 8-inch squares and brush each with some of the melted butter. Repeat with two more sheets, placing each square over the previous one at a 45-degree angle. Repeat to make a second stack of phyllo.
Increase the oven temperature to 400 F. Place a baked apple in the center of each phyllo stack. Gather the edges up around the apple and twist the layers of pastry at the top to resemble a package. Place the apples on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the phyllo is lightly browned and crisp.
While the apples are baking, prepare the garnish: Core the apple and cut each section into crescent-shaped 1/4-inch-thick slices. Rub the slices with the lemon half to prevent discoloration. Set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the apple slices and cook, turning occasionally, until the apples are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle the slices with granulated sugar and cook 1 additional minute, until the apples have a light golden glaze.
To assemble: Place 1 baked apple on each dessert plate and spoon cider sabayon around the base of each. Garnish with the glazed apple slices. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.
