Showing posts with label Brusselse Appeltjes (Baked Apples). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brusselse Appeltjes (Baked Apples). Show all posts

Brusselse Appeltjes

It's apple season! I've already been dehydrating apple slices, and have just about finished canning my yearly stash of appelmoes. I've also baked and frozen 5 Dutch appeltaarten, made an apple cake, and took appelflappen over to my sweet neighbors.  To say I'm about "appled" out, is not an exaggeration, but I know better than to complain. This winter, when I add a heaping spoon of appelmoes to my dinner plate, or enjoy a slice of apple pie with my Sunday coffee, I will be grateful and happy that I did the work. 

Nevertheless, when a freak rain storm last night knocked more apples off the tree, I slightly despaired. Now what? Time is in short demand during the week, but these apples needed something doing with. I dug through my old cookbooks and my eye fell on a recipe name I had not seen before: Brusselse Appeltjes, apples from Brussels, or made the Brussels way.  

Now, I know Brusselse wafels, and I know Brussels sprouts (spruitjes) and Brussels lof (witlof), but Brussels apples were new to me. After digging around the internet (and going down a myriad of rabbit holes, goodbye time!) I found out that the recipe has been around in the Netherlands since approximately around the middle of last century, but that it does not have a Belgian origin, or is even known in Brussels or surroundings. 

Never mind, let's try it out! Brusselse appeltjes are fresh apples, cored and filled with jam, and baked under a blanket of choux pastry....what's not to like? And the good thing is that, since it's not a traditional recipe in that sense, you can experiment all you want. Don't like jam? Fill the apples with boerenjongens, or a walnut/brown sugar/cinnamon filling, or go for almond paste. You can then rename the dish and replace Brusselse with your own name and make it a new family favorite! 

Not particularly fond of choux pastry, or can't be bothered to make it? Then try your hand at these custard covered apples, appeltjes onder de deken, instead. 

For this recipe, I chose not to peel the apples, but that's because I wasn't sure if these apples were good for baking and I didn't dare go back on the internet to check. I believe they're Winesap (the squirrels took off with the tag, so it's a bit of a guess) but Braeburns, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, and Granny Smith are all baking apples and can do with peeling, if you're not fond of peels.

Brusselse Appeltjes 

4 medium size baking apples
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (optional, if peeling the apples)
2 Tablespoons jam* (strawberry, cherry, apricot...you pick)
4 Tablespoons (50 grams) butter and a bit more for greasing the pan 
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk or water
1/2 heaping cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
Pinch of salt, if butter is unsalted
1/3 cup (50 grams) all-purpose flour
2 medium eggs

Optional: 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar and a pinch of cinnamon to dust the dish with right before serving

Peel the apples and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning, or leave unpeeled. Core. Butter the
oven dish. Place apples in the dish and divide the jam* over the four holes.
Heat the oven to 400F/200C.

To a saucepan, add the butter, milk or water, the sugar and the salt if using. Bring to a simmer, and stir until the butter is melted. Lower the heat, dump all the flour in at once, and stir until it becomes a ball of flour that lets go of the sides of the pan. Take the pan off the heat, and stir in one egg, until it's absorbed into the dough. Add the second egg, keep stirring until it all comes together. 

Pour the dough over the apples, and place the dish in the oven. Depending on how shallow your dish is, you may want to place it on a baking sheet in case something bubbles over. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, then check to see if the dough is golden. If yes, remove from the oven. If not, give it a few more minutes. 

Sprinkle powdered sugar with a pinch of cinnamon over the top. Serve warm. Great with a scoop of ice cream! 




*if you don't have or like jam, try boerenjongens, or a mixture of walnuts/brown sugar/cinnamon, or almond paste.