Among the huge amount of baking, apple pie always occupies a special place, as it is one of the symbols of the hearth, because what can be more comfortable than a cup of fragrant tea with a slice of fruit treats. There are many ways to prepare this dessert, so this charlotte and meringue recipe (in the photo) does not claim to be unique, but at the same time combines everything that is pleasant for taste: soft dough, tender apple slices and a meringue cap that gives pie a special charm. The nice thing is that this option is good for those who do not get the classic biscuit dough, which is often used to make apple charlotte. Here the basis is kefir.
List of Essential Ingredients
This recipe for charlotte with meringue includes traditional products:
- 4-5 apples of the Antonovka or Granny Smith variety;
- six eggs;
- one glass of kefir and flour;
- 1.5 cups of granulated sugar;
- one tbsp. l lemon juice;
- 1 tsp (without slide) soda;
- vanilla on the tip of a knife;
- some butter to lubricate the mold.
Cooking dough
In order to cook charlotte with meringues and apples, the first thing to do is prepare the apples: peel them from the skin and seeds, cut into long thin slices and sprinkle with lemon juice: thanks to this, the fruit pulp will not darken from prolonged exposure to oxygen.
Next, divide two eggs into squirrels and yolks: send the proteins to a cool place so that they cool (it will be easier to beat them), and combine the remaining yolks with four eggs and beat with a glass of sugar in a light foam. You do not need to turn this mass into a base for biscuit, when beaten eggs increase in volume by three times, becoming a thick foam. This is wonderful, but not necessary: for this recipe, charlotte with meringue is just enough for the sugar to melt and form a homogeneous consistency with eggs.
Then add kefir and soda to this mass. It is worth noting that in such a recipe, kefir can be replaced with sour cream or fermented baked milk, if it turned out that it is not available. Stir the mass thoroughly and pour the flour in small portions, after having sifted it with a sieve. Knead the dough, which will resemble a dough for fritters or thick sour cream.
Shaping and baking
Next, the dough for charlotte with meringue needs to be combined with apples, carefully stirring with a spoon so that it evenly envelops all the pieces. Lubricate the baking dish generously with oil, it is recommended to use a demountable one, then the finished pie will be much easier to remove from it without damaging the delicate meringue.
Put the dough in a mold, flatten the top with a spoon and send the charlotte to the oven, heated to 190 degrees. Bake almost until cooked, which usually takes no more than 30 minutes (depending on the thickness of the layer and the power of the oven). Then place whipped squirrels on top of the pie layer, forming small peaks with a spoon, which will give the finished product a festive look. Return the charlotte and meringue to the oven for another 8-10 minutes, increasing the temperature to 200 degrees. After this period, baking is ready. You need to give her time to cool and you can make tea!
How to cook meringue?
To prepare meringues for charlotte, you need to beat the cooled proteins with a small pinch of salt in a thick, multiply-increased mass, pouring granulated sugar (0.5 cups) in the process. It is also advisable to add vanilla for the flavor and make sure that the finished whipped mass keeps its shape perfectly. How to find out if the desired consistency?
Elementary: turn the bowl with meringues upside down - the proteins should remain in place and not lose the peaks formed by the spoon. You can spread the whipped mass onto a charlotte with a spoon, lifting it slightly up (a sharp peak will form - a peak), or you can drop curls or small sockets with the help of a pastry syringe (or bag) and a curly nozzle. When the meringue is browned during heat treatment, it will look delicious.
Some tips for baking successfully
To make charlotte with meringues have a more refined taste, you can add grated zest of one orange to the dough along with apples - you will get an amazing aroma. You can also add cinnamon along with fruit slices - this is a classic combination for baking with apples.
In order for the charlotte to bake well inside, but not have too fried crust, it is important not to make it high: it is better to choose a shape of a larger diameter and make a cake 5-8 cm high than to have a tall half-baked product. Given that in this version of charlotte, the volume is given by meringue peaks, it is better to make the base from the dough no more than four centimeters: the cake is baked twice as fast, which will save time.
Some people, when preparing apple pies, do not peel the fruit peel, motivating it with a lot of vitamins, and even in the process of baking it becomes soft anyway. It is possible, but when the apple slices are not fixed by the peel, they are baked better, forming some kind of confiture piece in the dough, and the peel spoils this impression and sometimes deforms the surface. Therefore, do not be lazy, because peeling apples takes no more than two minutes.