apples in dressing gowns, the recipe

When I saw this recipe - and it's cute illustration - in my vintage Austrian cookbook, I was very curious to try it. It's a simple recipe, and it gives a satisfying result - please enjoy Äpfel im Schlafrock, which is apples in dressing gowns for you and me.

Apples in Dressing Gowns
the perfect recipe to use small heirloom apples in!

Preparation (5-10 minutes):
Whatever kind of small apples you use, buy an extra one and cook it before starting on the recipe to see if your type of apple withstands simmering in hot water or not. My apples disintegrated after 2 minutes of gentle stewing so I decided to bake them from raw, and that worked out perfectly. I'd say if your cored and peeled apples let you to stew them for 5 minutes (or more) and still hold together well then use pre-cooked apples for the recipe, if not then use the apples raw. Both methods are instructed below.

Ingredients:
12 small apples + 1 one more
a small bowl of water
a little lemon juice

85grams (3oz) sugar
50ml (1.5 fl oz) maple syrup
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 pod of real vanilla, scraped
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
200ml (7 fl oz) apple juice
water as needed

120grams (4oz) raspberry jam (or similar)
a packet of puff pastry
1 egg

1.) Core and peel your apples, and dip them into a little water laced with some lemon juice to prevent them from browning.

2.) If you can pre-cook your apples: In a saucepan, mix together the sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, the apple juice, and some water to have enough liquid to just cover the apples. Bring to a gentle simmer and stew the peeled and cored apples in the liquid for 5 minutes. Set the apples aside on kitchen towel to drain and to cool.

If you are using raw apples: Use the extra apple from the stewing trial. In a saucepan, mix together the mushed apple, the sugar, maple syrup, juice of 1/2 a lemon, vanilla, cinnamon, the apple juice and some water. Bring to the boil, and stirring frequently, reduce the liquid to a syrup. Once it reached a sticky but still runny consistency (~10minutes) set aside to cool.

3.) Preheat the oven to 225 C (adjust for fan ovens).

4.) If you are using pre-cooked apples, skip this step. If you are using raw apples: dip your raw apples into the cooled syrup and line them up on a tray. 

5.) Roll out your puff pastry about 1/2 cm thick. Cut into 12 squares. My puff pastry came pre-cut into rectangles, so don't let the picture fool you. I do mean squares when I say cut into squares.

6.) Place an apple in the middle of each pastry square. Fill the hole in the middle  of the apple with a spoonful or two of jam.

7.) Pull the four ends of the pastry together on top and pinch to secure. 

8.) Place the pastry parcels onto a baking sheet lined with grease-proof paper, and brush with a beaten egg.

8.) Bake them in a pre-heated hot oven for 20 minutes until they are golden.

9.) When ready, let them cool down properly before eating.

Enjoy! They are very nice for elevenses - and even for breakfast or as an afternoon snack while doing some gardening or taking a walk in the autumn sunshine.

Have a lovely Sunday, friends!