You Must Fry the Apples in Oil Before You Bake Them.
Apples are great baked, pair well with other flavors, and are pretty versatile. Apple muffins, pies, crumbles and tarts are great gifts, breakfasts or snacks… and who can turn down an apple with cinnamon ? The downside is that when raw apples are added to desserts, it can result in leathery and undercooked fruit that is difficult to cut. But you can fix this by roasting the apples first.
Raw Apple Baking Problem
When raw apple slices are mixed into the dough, the apples release water during baking. This water has nowhere to go but into the surrounding dough, forming a moist pocket of dough, and then it evaporates if it has a chance, creating a moist air pocket. If you’ve ever cut open an apple pie and a piece of fruit fell out, here’s why.
Putting apples on a cake is also not very good. When apples are placed on a cake or pie as an open-faced topping, they become dry and tough. They lose their taste, dry up and at the same time become moist on the dessert underneath.
When raw apples are baked for about 30 minutes at 350°F, their structural integrity remains virtually unchanged. This is one of the reasons many apple pie recipes use a pre-cooked stove top filling instead of a raw apple filling. If you make an apple pie, the sliced apples you decorate it with will dry out on top, get wet on the bottom, and as soon as you try to pierce it with a fork, it will all slide off that slippery place in one unbreakable piece. fruits. You were looking for that perfect piece of some fruit and some pie, but you got a frangipane pie with an apple on the side.
Why You Should Roast Apples Before Baking
You can keep the texture of the firm apple and add tons of flavor by frying the apples in oil before baking them. The oil seals the apple juice so it doesn’t form a skin; pre-boil apples slightly, allowing them to release excess water, and cook in the oven; and it only takes a few extra minutes in the pot or pan. This is comparable to frying vegetables in oil before roasting them in the oven. Once the apples are in the oven, the fat coating provides a more even distribution of heat over the entire surface of the apple, and the apples are fully cooked in the cooking time of the entire dessert, an average of 30 minutes at 350°. F, allowing the eater to easily slice the apple and get the perfect slice in every fork.
Plus, there’s always the simple magic of butter: a coating of this delicious fat complements and enhances the flavor of the apple and the whole dessert. Visually, the apple has also improved. The butter allows the apple’s natural sugars to caramelize, and the butter itself browns and takes on that irresistible nutty flavor it gets from the Maillard reaction . You don’t get that with a dry apple either.
How to roast apples for baking
To sauté apples, cut them according to the shape you would like them to be for your dessert (usually ½-¾ inch slices or pieces). Melt some butter in a skillet large enough for the amount of apples you are using. For one medium-sized apple, about 10 slices, I used a teaspoon of butter and a 10-inch non-stick skillet. Over medium heat, add all the apples and saute for about two to five minutes, stirring constantly and turning the slices (but do not be zealous).
Depending on how you want to develop the flavor, you can turn off the heat after two to three minutes, once the apples have softened a bit and are only translucent on the surface. If you want to keep the firmer texture of the apple, opt for a shorter comb. This gives you the benefits of an accelerated Maillard reaction in the oven while retaining the jaggedness of a firm apple. For deeper flavor and caramelization, continue to fry the apples until the edges on both sides begin to color, about five minutes. Remove the apples from the heat and let them cool for a few minutes before adding sugar or flavorings (in the case of an apple filling) or before using them to decorate a dessert.
Once baked, your apples will have an elegant golden color, even caramelization, and incredible texture. Apples keep their shape, but once you slice them, they are tender, sweet, and creamy. The edges will be filled with the flavors of brown butter and caramelized apple sugar, and the whole dessert will be incredibly delicious. Use the following fried apple recipe as a guideline for larger batches, but I wouldn’t blame you if you were eating them as an appetizer on their own.
How to cook stewed apples in oil
Ingredients:
- 1 apple (cut into 0.5 cm pieces) (I used Gala apples)
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Once the butter has completely melted, add the apple slices. Stir constantly and turn the slices so that the apples are covered with oil for 2-5 minutes to the desired degree of readiness. For lightly browned or small pieces, cook 2 minutes. Cook apples fried in oil for about 5 minutes. Remove from fire. Chill.
Use for apple desserts or bake separately on a sheet of parchment in the oven at 350°F for 25 minutes and eat them as a fresh apple snack.