Apple Tartlets, Melissa d'Arabian

Ever since the first episode of The Next FoodNetwork Star, I have been dying to try Melissa d'Arabian's Apple Tartlets...but FoodNetwork was not giving up the recipe! Well, after doing a quick Google search, I found Melissa on Facebook, yay. I posted a link to my review of her 5-Minute Individual Potato Gratins, and begged her to post her recipes not only for the Tartlets, but the Orange Chocolate Pastries as well. And can you believe she responded back!?! I was floored, how cool is that. She gave me the link to the Tartlets and a promise to soon post her Orange Chocolate Pochette recipe!

Still waiting on that Pochette recipe Melissa, but I can be patient, I know you're busy ;) In the meantime, here's the Tartlets:

Apple Tartlets, adapted from Melissa d’Arabian

3 Medium Granny Smith Apples, thinly sliced
2 Tbs Sugar for Sprinkling
2 tsp Cinnamon for Sprinkling
2-3 Tbs Butter for Dotting
2 T Water
1 Egg Yolk
Dough for Crust (recipe to follow)
Caramel Sauce (recipe to follow)

Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. Once the dough is done resting, roll out in between 2 sheets of wax paper until the dough is between 1/8 and ¼ inch thick. Using a large (3 - 4 inch) biscuit cutter, cut out 8 - 10 mini tartlet crusts and place on buttered baking sheets.

Place the apples on the crust decoratively, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and dot each tartlet with a small cube of butter. Mix egg yolk with water in a small bowl and brush the sides of the crust using pastry brush.

Bake at 375° for 35 - 40 minutes until golden brown. Drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with salt.

Dough for Crust

1 stick of Unsalted Butter
1 c All Purpose Flour
¼ c Whole Wheat Flour
1 T Sugar
1 tsp Salt
8 T Ice Water

Cut butter into half inch cubes and chill in freezer for 10 - 15 minutes. Once cold, place butter in a food processor, add flour, sugar and salt. Pulse quickly on and off until mixture resembles coarse sand. Then add water and pulse quickly until the mixture starts to clump and the texture is like peas, but not yet sticky. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, being very careful not to put too much in or to make the dough sticky.

Once the dough as pea-sized clumps immediately pour the mixture into a large, plastic, zip-top bag (or a large piece of plastic wrap). Very gently use your hands to shape the dough into a ball. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour and up to one day. * I don't have a processor this large, so I used a pastry blender.

Caramel Sauce

¾ c of Sugar
¼ c of Water
½ c of Half and Half
½ Vanilla Bean, Scraped

Place sugar, water, vanilla bean in medium sauce pan and stir to mix over high heat. Let the mixture melt without stirring, once the mixture bubbles and starts turning golden brown begin whisking quickly.

Add half and half in a very thin stream, whisking constantly. As sauce becomes caramel colored and starts to thicken remove from heat and let it cool.
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I couldn't get the caramel sauce to work out, so I reverted back to my standby caramel recipe. These were really awesome, and came out a lot like a cookie, which is so cool. Definitely will make these again. Next time I'll cut the circles a little larger so that I have more flaky crust around the edges.




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