Thursday, May 14, 2015

Baked Apple Roses by Any Other Name Are Something Completely Different

Every once in a while, I post a video solely based on something I saw online, and these baked apple roses are the latest example. I saw a photo of these somewhere on social media, and using that one image as my only guide, I whipped up a batch, which was a tremendous disaster.

I assumed that I could figure these out just by looking at the finished product, but that did not happen. I tried doing them free-form, and they completely unraveled as they cooked. I wish I'd taken some photos, but they basically look like they exploded.

So, I decided to find the source of the photo, and see how these are actually supposed to be done, which led me to the blog, Italian Chips. It’s written by a woman named Ana, who’s a Brazilian living in Italy, so I knew I was in good hands.Thank you, Ana!

Other than a couple ingredients, I pretty much followed her technique exactly, except I didn’t use puff pastry.  As I mentioned in the video, I used a new dough I’ve been working on, which is much faster version of puff pastry, that uses biscuit dough. Stay tuned for that, and in the meantime, really hope you give these gorgeous looking, and very delicious apple roses a try soon. Enjoy!

Microwave Note: if you don't have a microwave, just sauté your apple slices in a little bit of butter over medium heat, for about half a minute per side, or until flexible, but not soft. 

Muffin Pan Note: If you use a metal muffin pan instead of a ramekin, I would reduce the heat to 375F., and cook about 45, or until the pastry is well browned.


For 2 Apple Roses:
1 large red apple
2 pieces rectangular puff pastry, rolled less than 1/8-inch thick, about 3” wide by 12 to 14” long
melted butter as needed
cinnamon sugar as needed (1/4 cup sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon)
powdered sugar, optional
- Bake at 400F. for about 45 minutes, or until the pastry is well browned.
- If using metal muffin pan: Bake at 375F. for about 45, or until the pastry is well browned.

33 comments:

Unknown said...

Very exciting, but if I don't have a microwave, how do I soften the apples? Would soft dried apple work? I'm thinking of making these in a camping situation...

EijaK said...

Dear dear Chef

It would be so lovely if you also would have directions for your interesting recipes.

Ana Maria Vasconcellos said...

Thank you for your lovely comment, chef John ;-).

Nick, I don't believe dried apples would work as they would not be soft when biting the cake. I'd try to soften them just boiling them for some minutes (you will have to check to avoid having them too soft). Hope it helps!

ajbl said...

Hey Chef, these look great ! I was wondering how the baking time/temp would differ though, since I only have muffin tins and no ramekins...

Danbs1217 said...

I'm going to pretend I have no microwave to get more butter into yhese. Thanks, Chef John.

Lisa said...

Hmmm.. how about...
Apple-Cinnaroses?

Awesome recipe! I will make this for a large group of people.

and... by the way...
Totally pinned this!... and not just because of the powdered sugar... ;)

Unknown said...

You've done it again Chef John! I must try this. Can't wait for your biscuit dough recipe as well. I'm druelling right now. And, as always, I will enjoy! Luv ya!

MissMagod said...

Made them last night! They are so beautiful and elegant! I don't like apple pie when the apple is roughly cut and with this technique I didn't get big chunks of it! Love it and definitely making them again!

Pink said...

Chef, I love your videos. This one is really good. I am not able to make a food wish though on that link. Can you post a video on white moist cake - vanilla or pineapple flavored... ?

rodentraiser said...

Scarfing down the last of these as I type this. These turned out really good! I had a few mishaps: I quartered the apple instead of halving it (I knew I'd screw something up so, that's why I got two apples); I layered the apples the wrong way (back to the video), when I corrected that, I couldn't figure out why I had so much dough so I put on another layer of apples (back to the video), took them all off and folded the dough; rolled them up, knew I forgot something (back to the video - yes, I have a recipe box and recipe cards, no, I didn't take notes, yes, I'm lazy), added more sugar and cinnamon and rolled them back up again; threw them in the oven and burnt my finger.

I had to use pie dough I bought at the store because I don't have a rolling pin yet and I've learned the hard way that using a soup can just doesn't do the same job. That came out OK, and the only thing I had a problem with was burning the apple roses a little in the oven. I didn't have any of those little dish thingys, so I put them on foil on a cookie sheet and baked away. I have a small oven and I think it cooks hot, so in the future, I'm turning down the temps. I made three: two fell apart and one stayed together. I'll use more dough to glue them next time.

Yeah, well, anyway, these crunched, and they were so good! And I didn't even have to squint to see they were rose shaped. Sorry to run on like this, but when I cook and get something edible, that's a stupendous thing! Thank you, Chef John!

Tomorrow night, I'm going to try cooking those chicken balls with the ham in them!

Fatine said...

Hello, which dough should I use?

American Woman said...

I used Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry sheets.

WNY Kitchen Garden said...

Good day Chef John - how far ahead of serving should you make the apple roses?

Unknown said...

Hey Chef, I'm allergic to apples. Was wondering if I could use peaches instead?

Unknown said...

I couldn't find the link for the pastry puff recipe. Could I use homemade pie crust?

Unknown said...

these look lovely! Is there such a thing as gluten free puff pastry? either that I can make or purchase? Also, how far ahead can I make these before eating? I would love to do these for Thanksgiving..! How pretty those would look on the table..

Michele Girault said...

Hi,

If you don't have a microwave, then "Blanch" the sliced apples, not for too long otherwise they will turn to mush.

You could also heat 2 tsp of Apricot jam with 2 tsp of water. When the Baked Apple Roses come out of the oven, allow to cool and brush them with the apricot jam.....if you like and sprinkle with the icing sugar (powdered sugar)

Good Luck

momzie said...

I made these and used muffin tins. They were a hit and tasted awesome, love that I controlled the sugar...

Unknown said...

Dear chef John.
I have a question.
So I'm planning on making this for thanks giving. my family leaves dessert for the last meal. And my question is, if I bake them before hand, like a few hours before they are to be eaten. Would they still taste and look good. Or would it be better to just prep everything, and do it when the time comes to eat dessert?

Chef John said...

Yes, you can bake a few hours before dinner, no problem! Enjoy!

Unknown said...

Can I make them tonight, to eat tomorrow at lunch?

Beth Doyle said...

I am new to your blog, and this is the first thing I've made. I made four Apple Roses with one sheet of puff pastry and one very large Honeycrisp apple for our Thanksgiving dessert. They were easy, very affordable, and turned out just as in the video. Next time, and there will be a next time, I'm going to add some chopped pecans. I also think a mix of apple and pear would be delicious. Thanks for a great recipe, and the video really helped.

Unknown said...

Hi - mine looked lovely but didn't cook through - I had raw pastry in the middle, and I cooked them in metal muffin tins for 1 hour...
so how did everyone else avoid raw pastry in the middle?

Unknown said...

I made these tonight, using a different recipe. The prep was a disaster but they came out okay looking but not quite right. I'm so glad I found your video and recipe as your different approach made everything much easier and far better tasting. The finished product is far superior in every aspect. Thank you for helping me get this right. John

Unknown said...

These are AMAZING and I didn't even eat them...BECAUSE MY 15-year-old ATE THEM BOTH! I can't thank you enough for enabling me to get apples into him.

Also, for those who asked about muffin tins: I used muffin tins, did the oven at 375 as he said on the video, and (granted I have a fairly hot oven) they were ready in 30-35 mins.

SO going to make these for Easter.

Thank you Chef John! ...for your inspiring videos and comforting voice.

Unknown said...

Can you make this with the "Apple hand pie" dough recipe? Thanks

Craftress said...

I found someone try to steal this recipe and call it their own. Shameful. They posted it on Glow by Popsugar on facebook.

Unknown said...

Hello.
Are these okay to eat one day later?
I would like to surprise my wife but in order to do that I can only make them one night earlier...

Unknown said...

Well, I made them and they are good to eat 24 hours later, as long as you store them properly so they don't dry out.
Some mistakes I've made (for people who make it the first time):
- I've overcooked apples so they were kinda falling apart :D
- I've used too little pastry - one inch wider would do the trick
- I've put too much apricot jam, which made a bit of a mess

All in all - very delicious, thank you :)

Unknown said...

Dear Chef John, I tried this recipe, and my puff pastry came out soft and chewy in the middle while the sides rose beautifully and were flaky and golden and light. Could this be due to me over-rolling the pastry in the beginning?
I did roll rather hard trying to get them to thin out.

Rod said...

Chef John,
Thanks for the recipe. Sliced my apples too thick, so not sure what the baked product will look like. We’ll see. Should be tasty if not pretty. Followed your recipe otherwise using puff pastry sheets and a large muffin tin. Practice should make one proficient and eventually I expect to have these down. Lovely idea, thanks for sharing your take on this recipe and demonstrating the steps involved.

mcp said...

Could you add like a half a teaspoon of rose water just before you bake them?

ggarris said...

What size ramekin do you use for the apple roses? Thanks, Greg Garris