Make a whiskey caramel sauce with Rattlesnake Rosie's Apple Pie corn whiskey, drizzle it on an Apple Almond Caramel Tart, and you've got a memorable treat!
Friends in the right places
Recently my friend Ken Gordon (of Gordon’s DTX fame) handed me a half-full bottle of Rattlesnake Rosie’s Apple Pie Corn Whiskey and asked me to “make something with it.” Thinking hard, I remembered that I had once made a Port Wine Caramel Millionaire’s Shortbread for pairing at a North Shore Whiskey Club scotch tasting, so I decided to replace the port with the whiskey and see what would happen. What came out of that grand experiment was Apple Pie whiskey caramel sauce, and the heavens opened and the angels sang, it was that good!
This spirit is as delicious to cook with as it is to sip!
The next question was what to put the Apple Pie whiskey caramel sauce on…not any ole’ baked good would do. Since I had been thinking about the desserts I was making for Thanksgiving the following week, I had Sally’s Baking Addiction’s Cranberry Almond Apple Pie top of mind. “Aha!” I thought (yup, I actually thought that, though I didn’t say it aloud…that would be weird), “I have puff pastry and a bit of almond paste in my freezer, what about an Apple Almond Caramel Tart?” My plan was a two-step process: first make the caramel sauce, then assemble the tart. And so I began…
[Side note: isn’t this how most great recipe ideas come about, with an inner monologue? No? Maybe it’s just me]
All good things go into making an Apple Almond Caramel Tart
First up, the caramel...
Making whiskey caramel sauce has a slightly different procedure than your basic caramel sauce recipe. You're reducing the spirit (in this case, that Apple Pie Whiskey) to a thick syrup, then adding it to the caramelized sugar in place of some of the cream. You'll find the complete instructions here. Hope over there, then join me back here as we make the tart. It's ok...I'll wait for you.
Look at that yummy whiskey caramel goodness going into a jar!
And now, for the tart…
Back with me? Great! Using that Apple Pie whiskey caramel sauce on this Apple Almond tart really amped up the flavor. Making the tart itself was just a matter of slicing apples (being very careful with that mandolin slicer!), then layering the slices onto almond-paste lined puff pastry. Easy, Peasy!
Using a mandolin makes for thin, even slices, but you have to be VERY careful!
From laying the almond paste, to layering the apples, and then into the oven we go
Apple Almond Tarts drizzled with Apple Pie Whiskey Caramel Sauce...yummmmmm
Apple Almond Tart slices...dessert, anyone?
One taste of the Apple Pie Whiskey Caramel Sauce…wow! Intense apple pie spices, almost like a caramel apple (without the apple itself). Drizzled on the spicy, sweet, flaky tart…yummmm! My friends at Gordon’s Whiskey Wednesday enjoyed the Apple Almond Caramel tart, especially since it paired well with the bourbon we were sampling. Let your creativity reign when given a bottle of whiskey or bourbon...what flavor of Whiskey Caramel Sauce will you make?
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Apple Almond Caramel Tart
Special Equipment
- pizza cutter or sharp knife
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted but still cold
- ½ package Odense Almond Paste
- 1 large Granny Smith apple, cored
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1-2 Tbsp cinnamon sugar, see Note
- Pinch salt
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash
- Apple Pie Whiskey Caramel Sauce, warmed
Procedure
- Preheat oven for 400°F.
- Thinly slice the apple. I used a mandolin slicer to get nice thin cuts...just BE VERY CAREFUL when using a mandolin and always use the food guard. Otherwise you can take off the top of your finger (and I have!)
- Mix the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon sugar, and salt together in a bowl and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Cut puff pastry in half (if you prefer less puff part you could cut in three parts, which is what I did) and place on a non-stick baking sheet.
- Put almond paste pieces on the puff pastry sheet to about 1-inch from the edges. I tried to roll out the almond paste (a fun experience, to be sure) before putting it on the puff pastry…you can spread it as you see fit.
- Arrange apple slices along the puff pastry in a line stacking the apples as you go. Brush edges with egg wash.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove pan from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool. Put tarts on a cutting board and drizzle caramel sauce on top. Slice with a pizza roller, or sharp knife into 1-inch strips.
Let's Talk