The other day as I was heading out of my office, there were baskets of beautiful apples on the countertops. I grabbed a couple and headed to my car for the afternoon commute.
I ate one of the apples as is – I should get at least some brownie points for eating healthy … you know.. an apple a day keeps the doctor… anywho…., the other apple begged to be something more. See… poor little, lonely apple…..
I always have puff pastry in the freezer, so I made some lazy, drunken apple pastries. They were fantabulous! Here’s what I did….
1 Granny Smith Apple (cored, sliced and cut)
1 Sheet of Puff Pasty (I used Pepperidge Farm)
2 tablespoons of Cognac
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (yes.. I left a few ingredients out of the picture – I’m over it)
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar or brown sugar
1 teaspoon of lemon or orange zest if you have some
1 egg beaten (for egg wash)
A few pats of butter
A little flour for dusting the pastry when your working with it.
I added the apples, cognac, vanilla, cinnamon and most of the sugar to a bowl (I didn’t have any lemon zest) and let it sit for a bit to get the juices flowing and the apples a little softer. Meanwhile, I cut the pastry into four squares….
Side note… I needed just a smidge of cognac for a seafood soup I made recently- I don’t drink so I have to find something to do with this gorgeous concoction! It will surely be used in everything I can think to put it in over the coming weeks!
…I added a fourth of the mixture to the center of the pastry squares, topped with a pat of butter, a sprinkling of sugar and folded them over. I then brushed them with the egg wash and sprinkled them with the remaining sugar.
Then I pinched the edges with a fork, put them on a baking sheet and popped them into a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. I said these were lazy, drunken apple pastries… they’re not supposed to look perfect!
The apples cooked perfectly, still had a little bite to them… just perfect – fresh tasting. This one is a keeper.
Just look at how flaky and buttery…
Lazy, Drunken, Apple Pastries Yum!!!