Pastry-Cloaked Baked Apples with Honey, Dates, and Ginger
French cooks in the province of Normandy make an elegant baked apple version called Douillon. This dish is like an individual, whole apple pie. The apple may be peeled or not and stuffed or not, then lightly sweetened before being wrapped in puff pastry and baked to a golden brown. You can buy packaged frozen puff pastry or substitute traditional pie dough. Douillon is a gorgeous and luxurious dessert, fit for company or any festive meal and is wonderful served as is or with sorbet, ice cream, or custard sauce.
- Duration
- Cook Time
- Prep Time
- 4Servings
Ingredients
- 4 large baking apples
- ½ lemon
- ¼ cup chopped nuts
- 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped dates
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 box frozen puff pastry dough
- 4 teaspoons sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon
- Cinnamon
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon water
Preparation
1. Heat the oven to 375°F.
2. Wash the apples and remove the core with an apple corer or small knife, leaving ½ inch of the core on the bottom. Peel the apples and rub the surface with the cut side of the lemon.
3. Mix the nuts, ginger, dates, and honey and stuff this mixture into the apple hollows. Roll the puff pastry to make it slightly thinner. Cut the pastry into 4 (8-inch) circles. Place 1 stuffed apple into the center of each circle. Sprinkle the apples equally with some cinnamon and the sugar.
4. Mix the egg yolk and water and brush some of this mixture around the perimeter of each circle. Enclose the apples with the dough, pressing the dough lightly on the perimeter to almost completely close the top. Leave a tiny hole for steam to escape. Pierce the dough in 2 places with the tip of a sharp knife.
5. Put the apples on a baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Recipe published in JOY of KOSHER with Jamie Geller Magazine Fall 2015. Subscribe Now.
