“Those apples were kind of pricey, weren’t they?” Joey asked me as we exited the grocery store recently.
“They’re honeycrisps,” I told him.
“So, they’re high-end apples?”
“I mean, kind of.”
It’s amazing that after 15 years of marriage, I can still discover new things about my husband. Case in point: he has no knowledge of apple varieties. At all.
I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I don’t think he could tell a Granny Smith from a red delicious.
OK, so it’s probably not that bad, but you get my point.
Regardless of his lack of apple knowledge, after I had my honeycrisps sliced up and baked with plenty of warm spices, Joey agreed that they were absolutely delicious, despite being a more expensive variety.
The recipe I tried comes from the Instagram account @tisrarewegetout. I switched up the seasoning a bit for my version.
Apple Strudels
Ingredients
13.2 ounce sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 large honeycrisp apples
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 egg
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into about four-inch squares. Place the squares about one inch apart on the prepared sheet(s).
Slice the apples into about 1/4-inch slices, and cut a hole out of the middle to remove the core. (There’s no need to peel them.)
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, and dip the apples in the mixture, coating them on all sides.
Place one coated apple slice in the middle of each puff pastry square, and fold the corners of the pastry up to the middle of the apple slice (you can cut some slits in the pastry to make it fancier, if you so desire).
Beat the egg in a small bowl, and brush each pastry with a liberal coating of egg. If you still have any liquid in the bowl from the sugar mixture, pour it evenly over the top of the prepared pastries.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are softened.
Serve warm with some ice cream or a good cup of tea or coffee.
These were amazing right out of the oven. They were still awesome a day later, but the puff pastry wasn’t nearly as crisp after it sat in a container over night.
The warmth of the spices with the sweetness of the apples and crunch of the pastry was a fabulous combination.
This was easy to make, too, and would be nice for a breakfast or brunch or if you’re hosting an afternoon tea or coffee.
And I would argue this was worth the “high-end” apples—even if Joey is still not sure I actually know the difference.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly recipe column by Lindsey Young, who describes herself as an enthusiastic amateur cook and can be reached through her website at spiceupkitchen.net.