So, this post must have slipped through the cracks! When Blue Moon asked me to create a complete holiday meal, I knew it was going to be a challenge because you can’t have a holiday meal without dessert. As I was receiving the info on what beers would be in the Holiday Variety pack, I was leaning very heavily towards the Spiced Amber Ale to build my dessert offering. Its subtle sweetness and cinnamon undertones would work very well with apples, I thought. So, off to the kitchen I went to create this recipe. I wanted to do something that could be served individually, rather than having to slice and share. I landed on hand held apple pies, using puff pastry as my dough as opposed to a standard pie crust. So the cooking started by slicing apples and sauteing them for about 2 minutes in some butter. Then I added about a bottle and a half of the Spiced Amber Ale along with some sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a little more butter. I let this mixture reduce until the consistency of the liquid could coat the back of a spoon. After tasting it, I set it aside to cool before constructing my apple pies. From there out, it was just a matter of cutting, filling, pressing & sealing, and then into the oven the pies went.
They came out beautifully crisp, sweet and delicious. There was also a very subtle hint of bitterness at the end from the hops which was delightful. For you Blue Moon enthusiasts, you will love this dish!
Preheat oven to 400*
In a medium to large skillet, or shallow saucepan, melt 4 tbsp butter. Add the sliced apples and sauté for 2 min. Add beer, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the pan and let simmer over medium to low heat for 30 minutes, or until liquid has reached the consistency of syrup. Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside to cool.
For the puff pastry dough, follow thawing instructions on package. Once thawed and unrolled, place onto floured surface to avoid sticking. Cut sheets into 4″ square pieces, arranged into a diamond shape. Take 1 large tablespoon of apple mixture and spread onto top half of the diamond. Fold bottom half over (creating a triangle), and seal sides by pinching sides together. You can use water, or egg wash to help seal the triangles in this step. Once sealed, place triangles onto buttered baking sheet, at least _ inch apart. Place baking sheet into 400* oven for 15 min, or until golden brown.
Garnish with powdered sugar. 2 puff pastry sheets yields 8 hand held pies. 2 Apples yields roughly 3-4 cups of filling.
