Description
A visually stunning layered dessert featuring airy choux pastry, tender spiced apples, creamy vanilla custard, and decadent caramel sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (236ml) water
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 4 medium Granny Smith apples (about 1.5 pounds/680g)
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (67g) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 cups (473ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar, divided
- ¼ cup (32g) cornstarch
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ cup (118ml) heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat.
- Once boiling, remove from heat and add all the flour at once. Stir vigorously until a smooth ball forms. Return to low heat, cooking and stirring constantly for about 2 minutes to dry out the dough.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition until smooth and glossy.
- Spread the dough evenly into two 8×8-inch squares on the prepared baking sheet, about ½-inch thick. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and firm to touch.
- Cool completely on a wire rack, then split each square horizontally into four thin layers.
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add sliced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in cornstarch dissolved in water and cook for another 2 minutes until thickened; cool completely.
- In a medium saucepan, heat milk and half the sugar until steaming. In a separate bowl, whisk remaining sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until pale yellow. Gradually whisk in hot milk, then return to the saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter, cover, and refrigerate until cold.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, spread the sugar evenly and heat over medium heat, swirling until melted and amber, about 8-10 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted, then gradually stir in cream and add salt; cool until thick but pourable.
- Place one pastry layer on a serving plate, brush with caramel sauce, spread one-third of custard, top with one-third of apple filling, and repeat with more layers. Finish with the last pastry layer and drizzle with remaining caramel. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
For best results, prepare a day in advance and avoid adding caramel sauce until just before serving to maintain pastry crispness.
- Prep Time: 120 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 100mg