decadence

my niece recently reminded me of a wonderful way to enjoy apples.

 hello decadent caramel, mascarpone cheese and skor dip!

i remember her mom, my sister nancy, making it for us. it’s truly amazing.

caramel, mascarpone cheese and skor dip for apples 

a dreamy, decadent way to enjoy our apples!

cortlands and honeycrisps resist browning.. perfect and delicious for this!

in october, our mutsu, jonagold, and granny smith apples will be wonderful to dip. 

you will need..

4 apples

1 475g tub of mascarpone cheese

3 tablespoons of icing sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 

2/3 cup of caramel sauce (recipe follows)

2/3 cup of chopped skor bars.. 1 bag of the mini bars is more than enough

a sprinkling of maldon salt 

make the caramel sauce first..

you will need..

2 cups of granulated sugar

1 cup of heavy cream  35% whipping cream 

1/2 teaspoon of maldon salt

in a medium saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of sugar over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.

once the sugar is melted and a light golden colour, stir in another 1/2 cup of sugar. caramelize the sugar 1/2 cup at a time, continually stirring, until all the sugar has been added and the caramel is a deep golden colour.

reduce the heat to medium and slowly add the cream, stirring constantly. it will bubble and steam.. be careful. 

add the salt.. and bring to a boil. 

remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to use later. 

it will thicken as it cools. 

you can store this in the fridge, in an airtight container for 2 weeks. 

this recipe makes more than enough!

next..

mix the mascarpone cheese, icing sugar and vanilla together until smooth.

spread this on the bottom of an 8 inch pie plate.

tuck this in the fridge for 30 minutes.

drizzle and dollop the caramel sauce over the cheese mixture.. then tuck it back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

chop the skor bars into tiny pieces.

shave a few curls of chocolate off the sides with a vegetable peeler for fun.

sprinkle the skor pieces and chocolate curls over the caramel topped cheese. 

drizzle with more caramel if you like.

sprinkle a little maldon salt on the top.

cut your apples into slices and place them around the pie plate. 

dip, and devour. dreamy!

there will be extra caramel sauce to love later.. 

on apple pie, ice cream, cake, popcorn, cheese boards... 

you’ll find a way!

 

it’s pure joy to pick apples with people you love.. especially little ones!

happy picking! see you soon,

warmly

laura

carl laidlaw orchards

hello applesauce!

hello applesauce! 

and good bye summer.  

i love homemade apple sauce.. 

on its own, or dolloped on oatmeal or swirled in yoghurt. 

of course it pairs beautifully with ice cream too. warmed is best.

my dad loved it and the littles too.. its ageless!

it’s so easy to make.. 

it only takes 10 apples, a lemon and a vanilla bean. 

years ago a lovely customer shared that she added vanilla to her apple sauce.

 i have done it ever since and always think of her!

i believe a variety of apples makes the best sauce..

the flavours blend and the sauce becomes complex and layered.

use some sweet, and some tart.  i have been known to put a pear in my sauce!

every batch is a little different! 

you will need.. 

10 cups of apples cut into small pieces, without the cores.. about 10 apples. 

leave the skin on to impart a lovely pink colour, or peel them. 

i used macintosh, cortland, royal gala, ginger gold, prima, wealthy, gravenstein and honeycrisp apples. 

1 small lemon  juiced..  about 3 tablespoons.

3/4 cup of our apple cider or water.

1 vanilla bean cut in half with the seeds scraped out

or a splash of vanilla extract.. a tablespoon. 

place the apples, cider or water, lemon juice and the vanilla bean seeds in a pot over medium heat.

gently boil for about 25 ish minutes.. stirring every now and then making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

add a little more cider or water if it’s sticking.

each time you stir you will see the apples breaking down and softening. 

when the apples are very tender, you’re done!

your home now smells wonderful too! 

remove the pot from the heat.

you can run it through a mill, or sieve to extract the skins. 

or blend everything in a food processor.

if you like your sauce a little chunky, there’s no need blend. 

applesauce keeps for a week in the fridge. you can freeze it too. 

the pot i used belonged to my mom, and the mill i used belonged to my my mother in law!

 

applesauce is just so simple and delicious! and nostalgic and cozy!

we welcome autumn this sunday!

the valley has started her costume change!

warm hugs,

laura

carl laidlaw orchards

oh what a gorgeous week it has been!

i recently read that this time of in between seasons is known as long summer.

i love this!

we have so many fabulous apples available to enjoy fresh or turned into a dessert. 

i am sharing another easy recipe, sure to become a favourite! 

you will love this upside down apple tart.

you will need..

1 package 450 g of all butter frozen puff pastry thawed

a tablespoon or so of soft butter

4 apples (our honeycrisp or gravenstein are perfect!)

1/4 cup of butter

1 whole vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

to make.. 

preheat your oven to 400°f. 

the pastry i use comes in a box of 2 sheets.. you will need both. 

unroll one sheet of puff pastry onto a piece of parchment paper. 

spread with soft butter, staying away from the edges.. you don’t want it to squish out when you roll the pastry pieces together.

place the second unrolled sheet on top.

gently roll out to a 12 inch square. it doesn’t have to be perfect.

cut into an 11 inch circle. cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.

peel your apples.

cut in half length wise, and scoop out the cores with a melon baller. alternatively, you could cut the apples vertically into thirds, avoiding the core altogether. 

in a 10 inch cast iron pan, melt the butter over medium heat.

stir in the vanilla seeds.

sprinkle evenly with the sugar.. do not stir.

add a single layer of the apples, cut side down.

slice the remaining apples into smaller slices to tuck around the apples in the pan. you may not use all the apple pieces.

cook over medium high heat until the liquid is bubbly and light golden.. about 3 minutes.

turn down the heat to medium and cook for another 4 minutes.. sprinkle with salt. you could sprinkle a little cinnamon if you like too.

turn the apples over, rounded side down and cook until the liquid is thickened and deep golden brown.. another minute or so.

remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. 

cover the apples with the puff pastry circle, gently tucking the edges into the pan. 

cut a couple of slits in the top of the pastry.

bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown… about 25 minutes.

cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

using a thin knife or offset spatula, loosen the edges of the tart from the pan.

place a serving plate upside down on top of  the pan.

with oven mitts, carefully invert the pan and plate together to transfer the tart to the plate.

place the scraped vanilla bean in your sugar jar..  it will impart a vanilla flavour into your sugar. 

this apple tart is another dreamy dish that pairs beautifully with ice cream! 

it is still summer after all! 

enjoy!

look who was loving our orchard recently!

enjoy this long summer!

hugs

laura

carl laidlaw orchards