I finally got my act together in time to post for Food ‘n Flix, ha! I really need to work on that! Anyway, this month’s movie is Butter – hosted by Cheap Ethnic Eats. This hilarious movie is about wealth, race, privilege, power, family, small town America, and (of course) butter. I’d seen it before, and enjoyed it so much that I didn’t mind renting it again just to look for food references. Which, by the way, are few and far between other than the ubiquitous butter.
So what was I going to make that would feature butter? I came up with a few ideas, but I kept circling back to these apple dumplings (even though I’d posted about them before). They really are perfect for this movie, though – a little bit redneck, totally unhealthy, and drenched in butter.
The dumplings are actually really easy to make. I like them best when they are fresh and the sugar on top is still crunchy, so I tend to make half a recipe one day and the other half the next day – which is why you will only see 4 dumplings in the photos. Start by peeling and coring an apple, then cutting into 8 slices. (more…)
Last month I posted about a Cranberry Custard Pie using my favorite dough recipe. I typically use a deep dish pie plate, but for that recipe I used a shallower one. So I had a lot of leftover dough to make something else with. I grabbed some apples that were on their way to getting old, and made a galette.
An apple galette in and of itself is not that exciting, but this caramel sauce – with bourbon and fleur de sel – so luscious. It really takes a basic tart over the top. (more…)
Oh. My. Goodness. This is the most deliciously decadent thing ever. I don’t even know whether to call it brunch or dessert, or both. Buttery brioche french toast, sweet pastry cream made with vanilla bean, and crunchy brûléed bananas topped with a drizzle of salted caramel. Total epic ridiculousness.
Step one is to make the vanilla pastry cream. Bring cream to a simmer with a vanilla bean and then let steep before adding to a mixture of egg yolks, sugar, and flour and cooking until thick and creamy. It needs to cool completely and then chill, which is why we make it first.
The next step is to make the salted caramel sauce, which is a bit tricky if you have never made one before (I hadn’t). You have to leave the sugar alone while it melts and colors, and watch carefully for the right moment. Then you add butter and cream. The caramel with pop and splutter like crazy, and ball up on the end of your whisk. You just have to keep whisking over low heat until it all comes together. Then add in your sea salt and let it cool.
While that is cooling, make your French toast using big, thick slices of brioche (a little stale is better).
BLOW TORCH TIME. This is seriously so much fun. Sprinkle banana slices with sugar and brown with a blow torch. Easy. If you don’t have a blow torch, I’m pretty sure that you can use a broiler.
Hand pies are so much fun. You just pick up your own personal mini-pie and munch away. No sharing! And when those flaky pies are filled with cinnamon spiced apples and gooey salted caramel, you won’t want to share.
Putting these together is pretty easy – divide up your apple mixture among the circles of dough, top with a few bits of caramel candy, sprinkle with sea salt, place another round of dough on top.
Crimp the edges with a fork to seal, but the dough is going to puff up like puff pastry so it doesn’t have to be perfect. Egg wash and coarse sugar make the crust a beautiful golden brown.
The one issue with these is that you do have to eat them warm or the caramel will re-solidify. If you don’t eat them all immediately (which, good luck with that) you will need to reheat them before serving. There is also quite a bit of dough in proportion to filling. If that is not your style, make sure to roll it out extra thin. (more…)
