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An apple rose pie. Peeled apples rolled up to look like roses and baked into a pie.
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Apple Roses Pie

A very pretty and delicious apple tart that looks like a bouquet of roses!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 290kcal
Author John Kanell

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

Pâte Sucrée:

  • 3/4 cup almond meal
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup unsalted butter very cold
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 2 tbsp
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt

For the Filling:

  • 4 tbsp melted unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the apples:

  • 3 large apples
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS

    For the Pâte Sucrée:

    • In a small bowl, whisk the cream and egg yolks together.
    • Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Grate in cold butter. 
    • Drizzle in the cream just until the mixture comes together.
    • On a well-floured surface knead the dough together about 5 times. It will magically transform from a crumbly mess to a workable dough.
    • Form the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic and chill for a few hours or overnight.
    • Place disk into tart tin.
    • Pierce tart shell with a fork several times. Add paper and pie weights. Bake shell for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F.
    • Pull the shell out of the oven and take out the pie weights.
    • Reduce oven to 350 degrees F and bake for another 8 minutes.

    For the Filling:

    • Add 4 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together in a bowl and mix well.
    • Add about 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture to the tart.

    For the Apples:

    • Add the juice of a lemon, 3 tablespoons melted butter and 1/4 cup of sugar to a medium-sized bowl and mix well.
    • Wash the apples, slice pieces away from the core and then slice very, very thinly. Ideally you could see through the slices, you want them to be very flexible and to look like petals when you're finished. Most of the time when this recipe goes wrong it's because people cut thick slices that they couldn't bend, or had to overcook to make flexible.
    • Toss the sliced apples in the prepared bowl and microwave for about a minute to 90 seconds to soften the apples. I would suggest tossing them halfway through and microwaving an additional 30 seconds if some are not softened.
    • Roll the slices into a rose shape. Place on the tart and arrange petals to your preference.
    • Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 5-10 minutes.

    Video

    Notes

    If you want to avoid the mistake I made the first time I made this then bake your tart shell fully so the center has just started to brown then add in JUST enough of the filling to coat the surface of the shell. If you add too much it will make the crust soggy and unstable! The tart doesn't need much of a final bake as the paper thin apple slices have cooked in the microwave. You're basically warming it up and melting the filling a bit.
    Red apples are best for this as the definition from the skin makes the roses look more real. 
    The best and safest way to make this is with a very sharp knife to cut the apple slices. An excellent mandolin might do the trick but it can rip the apple's skin and often yields slices which are too thick.
    Don't overcook the apples, they only need to be softened enough to be rolled.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin C: 3.3mg | Iron: 0.5mg