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Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Green Salad with Bacon and Croutons
Apple Crostada with Brown Butter Streusel
Tender apples, cinnamon spice, brown butter streusel, all in a flaky pastry? Come to momma!
I first made this dessert last year, and I have been waiting for the right time to make it again and share it (along with countless other recipes that I can’t seem to get to because life is, well…BUSY). Since I haven’t shared a Sunday dinner post in a very long time, I thought this would be the perfect Sunday to conquer both the making and sharing.
I prefer to use a mixture of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples for their texture and taste. The apples are cooked slightly in a maple syrup sauce before being baked, ensuring you have tender apples in the final product. Just keep an eye out for the Golden Delicious cause they can turn to mush quite quickly. I also like a hint of lemon flavor in my baked apple recipes, so I used a strip of lemon to infuse the maple syrup mixture.
And how about that brown butter streusel? Yeah, I just got weak in the knees. The original recipe called for walnuts in the streusel, but I completely forgot about that when I was at the store, so I used sliced almonds since I had them on hand. Pecans would work as well.
This is the perfect apple dessert, but here is one thing missing. A scoop of vanilla ice cream! Doh! I’m telling you my head is just not screwed on right these days. It’s not pictured, but you better believe I ran to the freezer before sinking my fork into a slice of this goodness.
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Apple Crostata with Brown Butter Streusel
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ cup ice water
For the Streusel and Filling
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sliced almonds,
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and scraped
- 1 (3-inch) strip of lemon peel (no pith)
- 6 large apples, I use a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious, peeled, cored, and sliced ½-inch thick
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
Instructions
For the Pastry
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the water and pulse until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Using the plastic and the back of your hands, press the dough into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
For the Streusel and Filling
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the almonds, granulated and brown sugars, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and the cinnamon. In a small skillet, cook 5 tablespoons of the butter over moderately high heat until golden brown, 2 minutes. Pour the butter over the almond mixture and toss gently until the mixture is crumbly. Refrigerate the streusel until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large skillet, bring the 1 cup of maple syrup to a simmer with the vanilla bean and seeds, and lemon strip. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Add half of the apples to the skillet and cook until beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to a platter. Repeat with the remaining apples; let cool. Discard the vanilla bean and lemon and scrape the pan juices into a bowl; set aside.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a 15-inch round, about ⅛ inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Brush the egg wash in a 2-inch band around the edge of the dough. Spread the apples on the pastry; add any pan juices from the apples to the bowl of the reserved syrup mixture. Fold the border up over them, leaving the center exposed. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples in the center and brush the pastry with the egg wash. Bake the crostada for 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool slightly, then serve with vanilla ice cream drizzled with the reserved pan juices and maple syrup. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use a combination of apples, like Granny Smith and Golden Delicious.
- Sliced almonds can be substituted with walnuts or pecans.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sounds like heaven to me.
O my gosh…this looks sooo good. I think this will be next on my "to do" list!
So glad that I just found this post. I read your blog in the past when you posted more frequently. Your recipes – and prose – are wonderful. I hope that your life slows down one day so you'll be able to post more frequently. But I wanted you to know that I always really appreciated your blog.