I love apples…I’ll eat them fresh, dried, in pies, crumble, Brown Betty’s…you name it and I’m there. I was never a big pie maker, mostly because I don’t have the patience to make and roll the dough out. I think this has resulted from my pastry apprenticeship days when the Pastry Chef I was working for had me rolling thousands of mini tart shells for the little fruit tarts we used to make…real drudgery that left deep scars.
Oh, and another thing…I hate to peel apples. Another mind numbing exercise from my past that makes me break out in hives just thinking about it. So, several years ago, I resorted to making a pie filling from dried apples and it’s absolutely delicious. The richness of the gooey caramel apple filling that develops along with tenderness of the apples is so versatile that you can use it for anything, whether it’s a filling you need or a topping for custard or ice cream. Today, I made apple jalousie…jalousie is French for a window blinds (louvered windows) which is reminiscent in this pastry with the slits on top of the dough letting the filling peek through. They are easy to make and very popular with everyone! I hope that you have an opportunity to try it…
***An original recipe from www.goodfoodgourmet.com
Dried Apple Pie Filling
32 oz sweet apple cider
1 teaspoon vanilla
1# chopped up dried apples
2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
7oz granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
4 Tablespoons cornstarch
Scale out apples, chop in food processor and soak in cold water. You will need to rinse and change water several times, especially if the apples are a little dark. After the third rinse, place the apples in a colander, and set the colander in a large bowl of clean water, then add the lemon juice and mix well. Let the colander sit in this bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes. When ready to add them to the gooey filling, drain the apples, squeeze out as much water as you can and set aside. Next, add the cider, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla into a medium sized pot and heat until scalded. Put the cornstarch in a small bowl then add some of the hot liquid and make into a paste then add this to the rest of the liquid in the pot. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken, then add the apples all at once. Cook together stirring constantly over moderate heat for about 30 minutes until the liquid has completely thickened. The pectin in the apples will also help thicken the mixture. When ready, place into a medium sized bowl and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze.
To make the jalousie, take 1 sheet of puff pastry and cut into 8 even slices. Use a fork to “dock” the pastry that will be on the bottom, so that steam can escape while baking.
Add the filling to the bottom slice of pastry. For the matching slice above, fold over and slice the dough halfway to create the slits. Unroll and lay on top of the apple filling. Use a fork to seal the edges, coat with egg wash (1 egg + 2 Tablespoons of cream), and top with coarse sugar. Bake these at 375°F for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or cold. NOTE: You can brush some of the eggwash on the edges of the bottom layer of dough around the filling, if you are having a problem with sealing the top layer of the pastry.
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