a thanksgiving dessert recipe

​Can you believe it, Thanksgiving is 26 days away! I’ve been digging through my recipe files to come up with a menu. This year I’ve been blessed with both my son and daughter coming to dinner with their families. We haven’t had a holiday with both children together in a long time.
 
Recently, I found a recipe on The New York Times Cooking webpage for Apple Crumb Crostata. Who can resist a baked good with a crumb topping, I know I can’t. The recipe is by famed pastry chef, Claudia Fleming, formerly of Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan.

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​For this recipe you’ll need all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, unsalted butter, ice cold water, an egg, Granny Smith apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, ground cinnamon, lemon zest and vanilla extract.
 
What is great about this recipe is that you can make the crust ahead and freeze for up to a month. I love Granny Smith apples in pie and crostatas. The tart and sweet combination is very tasty.
 
After reading comments by other cooks, I need to share some tips they offered.

• The crumb mixture makes more than you need for the recipe (1 cup). I cut the recipe in half and still had leftovers.
• Six to eight Granny Smith apples are cut and peeled into 16 slices, to yield six cups. I purchased six apples, four Granny Smith and two Honeycrisp, for a mix of both tart and sweet. I was able to pile the apples high on the crust. Consider the size of the apples when selecting. You may need less apples if you select larger apples.
• After placing the apples in the center of the rolled-out pastry, she begins to pinch and fold the dough. I might consider placing the crumb topping on before folding to keep the topping locked onto the crust.
• Use a rimmed baking sheet. Some of the juices trickled out and dripped on my newly cleaned oven.
• There is a recipe for a Bacon Toffee sauce to drizzle over the finished crostata, but I skipped that as there was enough richness in the recipe.
• I added a tad more ice water (recipe calls for 1/3 cup) to the crust when trying to make the dough come together. I’ll pay closer attention to the mixture and perhaps add a tablespoon at a time.

 
What a delicious dessert. The combination of apples made for an enjoyable flavor, it had the right balance of sweet and tart and got wonderful reviews from my husband, son and daughter-in-law. My 13-month-old grandson couldn’t get the apple pieces in his mouth fast enough.
 
Some other Thanksgiving desserts are autumn loaf,  apple dumplings, apple galette, financiers, pumpkin biscotti and chocolate browning pudding. Additional desserts can be found on my recipe web page. 

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​Apple Crumb Crostata
“Heralding the Holidays with an Apple Crostata” By Claudia Fleming
The New York Times, November 22, 2013
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Yield: 8 to 12 servings
Time: approximately 2 hours, plus at least 1 hour for chilling
 
For the Crust
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
⅓ cup ice cold water, more as needed
1 egg, beaten
Raw sugar, for garnish
 
For the Filling
6 to 8 Granny Smith or other tart apples, peeled and cut into 16 slices each (about 6 cups total)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

​For the Crumble
¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
Bacon toffee, for serving (optional)
 
PREPARATION

1. Make the crust: Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and blend for 5 seconds. Add butter, pulsing, until mixture resembles small peas. Add ice water and continue to pulse until mixture comes together in moist clumps; if mixture is too dry add a bit more water a tablespoon at a time. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or freeze for up to a month.
2. Make the filling: In a large bowl toss together sliced apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, zest and vanilla. Set aside.
3. Make the crumble: In a medium bowl, mix together granulated sugar, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Drizzle in melted butter and, using a fork, stir until mixture is crumbly and all the flour is incorporated; the crumbs should be smaller than 1 inch.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 14-inch circle. Transfer to baking sheet and chill until firm, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove baking sheet from refrigerator and let soften for 1 to 2 minutes. Arrange filling evenly in the center of the dough, leaving a 4-inch border all around; reserve the juices. Brush exposed dough border with beaten egg and fold edge in up over fruit, making pleats every 2 inches. Pour remaining juices over exposed fruit, brush the folded outer edge with beaten egg, and sprinkle with raw sugar. Cover exposed fruit with about 1 cup crumble.
6. Bake crostata until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove and let cool before serving. Serve with bacon toffee sauce, if desired.

 
Bacon Toffee Sauce
 
Yield: About 3 cups*
 
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups heavy cream
1 (1-pound) box dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
5 ounces (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 ounces rendered bacon fat (from about 4 slices thick-cut bacon)
 
PREPARATION

1. In a heavy medium saucepan, combine cream, sugar, vanilla and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, and allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes being careful not to let it get too hot and bubble over.

 

1. Remove from heat and whisk in butter followed by bacon fat; stir until thoroughly combined. Serve sauce warm. Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 10 days.

 
*Two of the comments posted for this recipe noted that the recipe makes quite a lot of sauce. You may want to consider cutting the recipe in half.  

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