Judy Rodgers' Roasted Applesauce (And Savory Apple Charlottes)
- Roasted Applesauce
- 3 1/2 to 4 pounds apples (Rodgers uses crisp eating apples, like Sierra Beauties, Braeburns, Pippins, Golden Delicious or Galas)
- Pinch of salt
- Up to 2 teaspoons sugar, as needed
- About 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- A splash of apple cider vinegar, as needed
- Savory Apple Charlottes
- A chunk of day-old, chewy, peasant-style bread (4 ounces or more -- you won't use more than 2 ounces, but you need plenty to work with in order to get the right shapes)
- About 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- About 1 1/3 cups Roasted Applesauce
- Heat oven to 375 F.
- Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Toss with a little salt and, unless they are very sweet, a bit of sugar to taste. If they are tart enough to make you squint, add the full measure of sugar. Spread in a shallow baking dish that crowds the apples in a single layer. Drape with slivers of the butter, cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, and bake until the apples start to soften, 15 to 30 minutes, depending on your apples.
- Uncover, raise the heat to 500 F, and return the pan to the oven. Leave the apples to dry out and color slightly, about 10 minutes.
- When the tips of the apples have become golden and the fruit is tender, scrape them into a bowl and stir into a chunky mash. Season with salt and sugar to taste, then consider a splash of apple cider vinegar to brighten the flavor. (Try a drop on a spoonful to see if you like it.)
- You can stop here (serving hot or warm) or go on to make the Savory Apple Charlottes.
- Note: Make these ramekins in straight-sided 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Heat oven to 350 F.
- Slice the bread 1/8 inch thick. (Partially freeze if necessary to get even slices.) Avoiding the crust, cut 8 circles sized to fit the bottom of your custard cups, then cut 4 long rectangles to line the sides. Kitchen shears work well for this. The side piece should rise about 1/8 inch above the rims. (You can cut paper templates first to make this easy, but it's pretty forgiving.) A snug fit and even edges will make your charlottes prettiest. (Save scraps and rejects for croutons or bread crumbs.)
- Brush the bread evenly, on one side only, with the melted butter. Line the custard cups with the bread, pressing the buttered faces against the dishes. Set the 4 extra circles aside. Fill each cup with roasted applesauce. Set the remaining bread circles, buttered side up, on top, held in place by the surrounding bread. Press down lightly.
- Bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. To serve, slide a knife around the edge of each charlotte, then turn out onto warm plates. If the bottom circles stick to the dish, retrieve them by sliding a salad fork under the edges. The charlottes should be golden brown all over, with tasty caramelized spots where the applesauce bled through the coarse-textured bread.
applesauce, apples, salt, sugar, butter, apple cider vinegar, apple charlottes, bread, unsalted butter, roasted applesauce
Taken from food52.com/recipes/14948-judy-rodgers-roasted-applesauce-and-savory-apple-charlottes (may not work)