You’ve (Really) Never Eaten Apple Pie Like This Before
There’s something seriously reassuring about apple pie — it always reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking, which means it’s proper comfort food. But it’s a bit of a pain to make. You have to line a pie dish and create a pie crust design on top, not to mention host a dinner party so you can have some help to eat the huge thing. As a result, I never cook it myself, which is a real shame. But these apple pie tostadas are a much easier version, and have all the flavors of my favorite! They’re individual discs of crispy pastry, topped with spiced apples and a good dollop of cream. Plus, you can just make a few portions if you need to, rather than enough to feed the whole #squad!
Ingredients:
Serves 3
— 3 apples
— 1/2 Tablespoon water
— 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
— 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided
— 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, divided
— 1 small ball shortcrust pastry
— 1/2 Tablespoon butter
— to serve: cream, chopped walnuts, honey (optional)
*You’ll also need a small amount of flour for dusting your surface
Instructions:
1. Peel and core the apples, and cut them into fairly small pieces. Add them to a saucepan along with half a tablespoon of water, half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg and one and a half tablespoons of brown sugar. Cook over a medium-low heat for up to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, or until the apples are soft and any excess liquid has evaporated. If the mixture starts to look too dry at any point or sticks to the pan, just add a dash more water.
2. While the apples are cooking, lightly flour the worktop and roll out the pastry until it’s around 2 millimeters thick. Cut around a bowl to form 3 pastry discs (note that the discs will shrink a little as they cook, so cut them a bit larger than you want your finished tostadas to be). Place the pastry discs on a lined baking tray and heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Melt the butter in a small bowl and add the remaining quarter teaspoon of cinnamon, quarter teaspoon of nutmeg and half tablespoon of brown sugar. Mix well and allow to cool slightly. Use a pastry brush or clean finger to brush the pastry discs all over with the spiced butter mixture — you may not need to use all of it.
4. Bake the pastry discs for around 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and crispy.
5. Serve the crispy pastry topped with the cooked apples, and if desired, garnish with cream, chopped walnuts and a drizzle of honey.
Peel and core the apples and cut them into fairly small pieces. Add them to a saucepan along with half a tablespoon of water, half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg and one and a half tablespoons of brown sugar. Cook over a medium-low heat for up to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, or until the apples are soft and any excess liquid has evaporated. If the mixture starts to look too dry at any point or sticks to the pan, just add a dash more water.
While the apples are cooking, lightly flour the worktop and roll out the pastry until it’s around two millimeters thick. Cut around a bowl to form three pastry discs (note that the discs will shrink a little as they cook, so cut them a bit larger than you want your finished tostadas to be). Place the pastry discs on a lined baking tray, and heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Melt the butter in a small bowl and add the remaining quarter teaspoon of cinnamon, quarter teaspoon of nutmeg and half tablespoon of brown sugar. Mix well and allow to cool slightly. Use a pastry brush or clean finger to brush the pastry discs all over with the spiced butter — you may not need to use all of it.
Bake the pastry discs for around 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and crispy.
Serve the crispy pastry topped with the cooked apples, and if desired, garnish with cream, chopped walnuts and a drizzle of honey.
These apple pie tostadas are best served immediately, as pastry doesn’t always reheat too well. If you do decide you need to make them in advance, reheat the pastry in the oven and the apples in a saucepan. Assemble just before serving.
These tostadas are so easy to make — you’re much less likely to make a mistake than if you were making a full apple pie! So they’re perfect for unconfident bakers like me. Give them a try!
Do you have any great tricks to simplify an otherwise tricky recipe? Share your tips on Twitter @BritandCo!
