Ingredients:
For The Crust:
· 4 oz unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
· 8 oz, all-purpose flour
· 3 oz, ice cold water, more or less as needed
· Pinch salt
For The Filling & Decorating:
· 2 apples, peeled and sliced
· 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
· ¼ cup packed brown sugar
· 1 teaspoon cinnamon
· ½ teaspoon allspice
· ¼ teaspoon cloves
· ¼ teaspoon cardamom
· 1 tablespoon cornstarch
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1 tablespoon orange juice
· 1 egg, lightly beaten
· Decorating Sugar Crystals
For The Stabilized Whipped Cream:
· 1 cup cream
· 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
· ½ teaspoon vanilla or vanilla paste
· ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
For The Caramel:
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 stick of butter, cut into small pieces
· 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions:
For the Crust:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together salt and flour. Add butter and either using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour. I prefer to use my hands and “flake” the butter. Add water in 2 tablespoon increments and mix with a fork until dough just comes together. Shape into a disc and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Tips: Be careful not to overwork the dough or add too much water – both make for tough crust and can cause shrinkage.
For The Spice Mixture:
1. In a large bowl, mix together the ginger, brown sugar, spices, cornstarch, vanilla and orange juice. Combine well. Toss the apples in the spice mixture and set aside.
For The Assembly:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out the dough out so it is approximately a 12” circle. Gently transfer the dough to a baking sheet or cast iron pan, and then make a two to three circles of apple slices in the bottom, leaving 1 ½” gap to the edge of the pan.
3. Now, gently fold the crust, folding in the edges every inch or two (or do the fold & flip!). When the edges are all folded in, brush beaten egg around the top and sides of the crust, using a pastry brush, and then sprinkle deco sugar (your own desired amount) on top of the crust.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust has browned. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Tip: Be sure to place on a rack so that the bottom doesn’t get soggy during cooling.
For The Whipped Cream:
1. Add cream to a bowl or stand mixer bowl. Whip to soft peaks, then add sugar, vanilla and cream of tartar. Whip to stiff peaks, then remove and refrigerate until ready to use. This whipped cream should hold for up to 3 days.
For The Caramel:
1. Add sugar to pan. As sugar melts, begin to stir gently with whisk. As soon as sugar is melted, add butter pieces as you continue to whisk.
2. Once all the butter is added and the bubbling has settled down, take it off the heat and slowly add the heavy whipping cream, continuing to whisk until fully incorporated. Set aside to cool.