This option is always a win-win, when guests suddenly rushed in, and there was absolutely nothing to tea. It is for such cases that it is always necessary to keep a pack of ready-made puff yeast-free dough in the refrigerator, then terrific pastries in a minimum time will be ready: the guests are full - satisfied, and the owner - in high esteem.
Charlotte "Guests on the doorstep"
For this dish you need only three components:
- 400 grams of dough;
- three large apples;
- 4 tbsp. tablespoons of sugar.
To prepare an elementary charlotte with apples from puff pastry (ready-to-cook semi-finished product), you need to roll the finished dough into a layer, preferably on parchment paper - then it will be easier to move it to a baking sheet. As the filling, use apples peeled and cut into thin slices. Put them in a layer on 1/2 test, pouring sugar mixed with a small amount of cinnamon (optional), cover with the second half and connect the edges according to the principle of modeling dumplings. Transfer the formed charlotte to a baking sheet, pierce it with a fork in several places and bake in the oven at a temperature of 220 degrees for twenty minutes.
Some tips from top chefs
In order to cook charlotte with apples from puff pastry, especially if it is already ready, you need to know only a couple of nuances that professional confectioners willingly share:
- Before defrosting the dough, it is necessary to free it from the packaging and place it on a table lightly sprinkled with flour so that it does not stick during thawing.
- The flavoring for the filling can be used different: traditional cinnamon, spicy cardamom, spicy cognac or nutmeg in combination with a little vanilla. Also, the taste of apples is perfectly emphasized by ordinary walnuts.
- If you plan to serve charlotte with cream or ice cream, you can safely take sour varieties of apples: a combination of sweet cream and sourness of the filling will create a taste shock and truly heavenly enjoyment of the dish.
An interesting recipe from yeast-free dough
The most affordable option for making charlotte from puff pastry with apples is this:
- 600 grams of frozen ready-made dough;
- four to five green apples;
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon;
- 70 grams of butter;
- 1.5 tbsp. tablespoons of starch;
- 0.5 cups of cane sugar;
- 2 tbsp. spoons of powdered sugar for decoration.
Before cooking, the dough must be thawed by removing it from the packaging. In the process of defrosting, it is important to deploy it into the formation, slightly sprinkling flour on the table. If this is not done, then it can stick together and roll it into an even layer will be problematic.
Cooking toppings
Charlotte with apples from puffless yeast dough can be prepared with caramelized apples, then they will become much softer, and juice will be released much less during baking, which will make the dough more tasty. To do this, cut the apples into slices, after removing the peel and seeds. Melt the butter in a pan with a thick bottom, add sugar, turning it into caramel. When the mass boils well, add the apple slices there and mix gently so that the caramel evenly envelops the pieces. When the apples are softer, add cinnamon and starch. Turn off the stove and allow the filling to cool to room temperature.
Bakery products
Next, divide the puff yeast-free dough for charlotte into two equal parts, each roll out in a thin layer. Lay out the bottom of the mold with one part, leaving a little for the sides, place the cooled filling on it and cover it with a second layer, pinching the edges tightly.
Puncture the top layer of dough in several places so that the charlotte does not deform from the hot air inside the product during baking, slightly sprinkled with cold water and placed in the oven, preheated to a temperature of 190-200 degrees. Bake until cooked for 25-30 minutes, and when it cools down a little, remove from the mold and sprinkle the top with icing sugar.
Another easy option.
A recipe for charlotte with apples from puff pastry can be spicy just because of small changes in the composition of the products that are used in the preparation:
- a pack of frozen dough 600 grams;
- three apples;
- one pear with elastic flesh;
- 1-2 tbsp. tablespoons of good quality cognac;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of ground walnuts or almonds and the same amount of granulated sugar;
- one egg;
- some flour to roll out the dough.
Apples and pears are peeled and peeled, cut into thin slices and sprinkled with brandy evenly. Be sure to mix by hand so as not to damage the pieces, soaking them evenly from all sides. Divide the dough into two equal parts, roll it thinly. Put one part in a mold generously greased with oil, and decorate the second with cuts, using a figured knife or small molds for dough, to cut holes in the dough for the entry of hot air. On the first layer, put fruit slices in cognac, sprinkle with nuts mixed with sugar on top and cover with a second layer of dough. Pinch the edges tightly, grease the top with a beaten egg and place in an oven with a temperature regime of 210 degrees. The cake is baked for about thirty minutes and served warm to the table.
From yeast dough
Charlotte with apples from puff yeast dough is also a very good option, especially if you use apples in combination with lingonberries or cranberries: berries will give the filling a more festive shade and a touch of sourness, which with sweet fruits will make the taste of charlotte unforgettable. To prepare, you will need quite a bit:
- 800 grams of sweet apples;
- 800 grams of finished dough;
- 1.5 cups cranberries or lingonberries (can be frozen);
- 1 cup of sugar;
- 60 grams of butter;
- three tablespoons of potato starch.
How to cook?
Baking charlotte from a ready-made puff pastry with apples starts with the preparation of the filling: remove the apples from the apples, cut into small pieces and combine with the washed cranberries. Mix granulated sugar and starch, and then pour the resulting mixture into fruit and mix well. During the baking process, starch will absorb the allocated juice from the berries, so you can not do without it (it is also not worth replacing flour). Divide the previously thawed dough into two unequal parts and roll it to a thin layer: put a large one on the bottom of a rectangular baking dish, greased with oil, form small sides.
Spread apples and cranberries on top with a uniform layer. On a smaller layer of dough, make small cuts with a knife, stretch it slightly and move it to the filling, pressing firmly on the sides to pinch the edges. Top of charlotte can be sprinkled with sugar, or you can grease with a beaten egg (optional and taste preferences). The oven should be warmed up to 210 degrees and placed in a form with charlotte. After twenty minutes have passed and the baking will begin to brown, reduce the temperature to 180 and continue the heat treatment for the same amount. Then turn off the oven, open the door, but leave the cake inside for another 10-15 minutes. It should cool, slowly saturated with the aromas of the filling.
In a slow cooker
Unusual puff pastry charlotte with apples and nuts can be prepared in a multi-cooker using a very interesting step-by-step recipe:
- Two sweet apples and two medium-ripened bananas, peel and cut into small cubes. You don’t need to use a blender or a meat grinder for grinding, since the mass will turn into a too liquid monotonous puree, and there will be no more pleasant pieces of fruit.
- To fruit slices add 80 grams of walnuts, crushed to small pieces, and a couple of spoons of sugar. If desired, add a little cinnamon for flavor.
- Roll a package of yeast puff pastry for charlotte (400 grams) into a thin layer, which is cut into long strips about seven centimeters wide. Put the filling on each strip and carefully pinch the edges, forming a semblance of sausage or roll.
- Lubricate the bowl of the multicooker generously with butter or lean (odorless) butter and put prepared sausages with filling on the bottom, forming a kind of snail. If it turns out that there are too many blanks, they can be laid out in two "floors", laying the second layer on top of the first. When everything is ready, turn on the “Baking” mode in the multicooker for 35-40 minutes, sprinkle the top of the charlotte abundantly with grated butter (it is convenient to freeze it first), using about 50 grams of the product.
When the timer informs you that the baking is finished, carefully turn the charlotte: to do this, turn the bowl on a plate of a suitable size, and then return the cake to the bowl with the other side up. Turn on the timer for another thirty minutes, sprinkling a little sugar on top of the cake. When heated, it will melt and form a delicious caramel crust. When the charlotte is ready, it should be left in the bowl until it cools completely and only then cut.
How to decorate and what to serve: options with a photo
Charlotte from puff pastry can be served to the table in the standard version - just cut into pieces, or you can do it by the method of the British and French, who have always been famous for the sophistication of taste in this dessert. In this case, the additional product in the charlotte may vary, depending on the type of puff pastry. For example:
- Yeast-free dough is better combined with an addition in the form of an ice cream ball, put on a piece of cooled charlotte with puff pastry, as well as with chocolate icing. Also, baking from just such a dough looks great even just sprinkled with powdered sugar.
- Yeast types of puff pastry charlotte can be served with whipped cream, thick custard or sweet berry syrup.
Also, for each type of dough, a cream of whipped cheese with cottage cheese or mascarpone is perfect. Of course, the calorie content of such an additive will increase significantly, but isn’t life worth rejoicing in such trifles at least sometimes?