Candied Apple Cobbler

I don’t know about you, but I love Halloween. It’s a day when it’s officially acceptable to act like a kid, no matter how old you are. (Although, I’m not going to lie, I act like a kid every other day of the year, too.) It’s also a day when you can make and eat an exorbitant amount of sweets. Which, as a former pastry chef, is something I find pleasure in. My favorite things to make for Halloween, when I used to work in kitchens, is candied apples. Apples are such a versatile culinary medium. They can be sweet or savory, which means you can pretty much add whatever toppings you like to candied apples and they’ll always be tasty. However, the problem with them is they’re notoriously messy and awkward to eat. This is why I decided to make them into a cobbler for this year’s Halloween festivities.

This recipe took me several tries to make, as I was extremely dissatisfied with the way they turned out in early trials. (Which is why several of the photos include ingredients that the final product does not.) But, whatever, I’m only human, and definitely not yet perfect when it comes to recipe development. Anyway, tangents aside, here is the final recipe and I hope you all enjoy it as much as my family and I did.

Candied Apple Cobbler Preheat oven: 375o F Cooking time: 35-40 minutes Cobbler Filling

2 small apples or 1 large apple, cubed 2 tbsp all purpose flour ¼ cup sugar

First, cut the apples into small cubes and place in a bowl. Add the flour and sugar and mix well. Spoon into your desired dishes for baking.

Cobbler Topping

½ cup butter, cubed and chilled 1 cup flour 1/8 tsp salt 3 tbsp cold water 1 tbsp cold milk Sprinkling of your favourite toppings

First, cut the butter into small cubes and place in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes. While you wait, put flour and salt in a bowl. Next, remove the butter and add it and the cold water and milk to the flour and salt. Mix it all until combined*. Once combined, add in your favourite toppings and make sure to thoroughly distribute it through the dough.

For topping your cobbler, take small pieces of the dough and place it over the filling.

*There are several methods that you can use to combine the dough. I prefer to cut in my butter with a pastry cutter and then get my hands in there to make sure that it is well incorporated. However, if you don’t like to get your hands dirty, you can use a mixer with a paddle attachment until it is combined.

Caramel Sauce

½ cup sugar 1/8 cup water 1 tsp honey ¼ cup heavy cream, heated 1 tbsp butter ¼ tsp salt First, place the sugar in a flat bottomed sauce pot. Add the honey and water. Mix together until it resembles wet sand. Make sure that there is not a lot on the sides of the pot, as it will cause your sauce to crystallize as it heats. Turn the heat on medium high and cook until it turns light amber in color. If you cook it too long it will cause your sauce to taste bitter. While the sugar is cooking, heat the heavy cream until it is just warm to the touch. Once you’ve achieved the color you desire, immediately remove the pot from the heat and place on a trivet, towel, pot holder, etc. for the addition of the heavy cream. SLOWLY add the heavy cream to the sugar in small additions while whisking constantly. The mixture will bubble and rise furiously, so be extremely careful. So, yes, the emphasis on the word “slowly” is necessary, unless you really enjoy being burned by 200+ degree sugar. Which, if you’re like me, then you don’t. Once it is completely mixed, add the butter and salt and stir until combined. Let the sauce cool until it thickens and pour over the cobbler.

Custard Sauce

1 cup heavy cream 2 egg yolks 1/8 cup sugar 1/8 tsp vanilla extract Put all ingredients into a sauce pot and whisk together. Heat the custard on medium low, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (or nappe, if you want to be technical). If you somehow manage to have a little bit of cooked egg yolk in your custard, you can strain it through a fine strainer. Refrigerate until cold and serve with the cobbler.

Enjoy!

Happy Halloween,

Meg With Love

Written by Megan | Meg With Love | www.facebook.com/megwithlove

*Most photographs by Bethany May Photography

www.bethanymayphotography.com