Recipe: Forbidden Fruit Tarts

Inspired by: The Wild Party

Salted Caramel Bourbon Apple Tarts topped with Vanilla Bourbon Whipped Cream.

God has said: "Don't eat that apple, child, it's bad forbidden fruit. Bad. Forbidden. Fruit. That's right..." 

Ingredients

Part A: Pie Crusts

• 2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

• 1 tablespoon of chilled bourbon

• 5 tablespoons (about) ice water

1. Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sugar and salt in mixing bowl.

2. Add butter. Using a fork mash together until coarse meal forms.

3. Transfer to mixing bowl and use hand or stand mixer on low speed. Continue to mix at low speed as you gradually add in the chilled bourbon and enough ice water to form moist clumps.

4. Gather dough into ball and divide in half. Form dough into 2 balls and flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Part B: Bourbon Salted Caramel

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) fresh unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup fresh heavy cream

• 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 2 to 3 tablespoons of bourbon of choice

1. Cook the sugar and water together over low heat until just dissolved.

2. Add the butter and bring to a slow boil.

3. Continue cooking at a low boil until the mixture turns a deep, golden brown color, almost copper.

4. Once the mixture has turned a copper color, remove it from the heat and immediately but very slowly add the heavy cream. ­Stir slowly as you add the cream. Please be cautious as the mixture will bubble rapidly and it will emit steam.

5. Whisk the final mixture together well over low heat and it will gradually thicken. Sprinkle in the sea salt and continue to stir slowly.

6. Remove from heat then very slowly pour in 2 to 3 tablespoons of bourbon. Very important to remove from heat before adding bourbon, as the mixture will bubble up again.

7. Set the caramel aside while you prepare the Forbidden apple filling.

Part C: Forbidden Apple Filling

• 4 lemons squeezed

• 1/4 cup bourbon of choice

• 5 to 6 medium to large apples, thinly sliced.

1. Juice the lemons into a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the bourbon to the bowl of lemon juice.

3. Core, peel, and thinly slice the whole apples.

4. Dredge all the apple slices in the freshly squeezed lemon juice to prevent browning and to add flavor.

5. Set the prepared apples aside.

Part D: Apple Filling Seasoning

• 1/3 cup raw sugar

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 2 to 3 dashes Angostura bitters

1. In a large measuring cup or small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.

2. Sprinkle this mixture over the dredged apples in the mixing bowl.

3. Use your hands to gently mix and coat the apple slices.

4. Add the Angostura bitters and again use your hands to gently mix the apple slices.

Part E: Assembly

• 1 egg beaten

• Raw sugar for sprinkling on top

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

VERY IMPORTANT: You need aluminum cupcake liners, since we are making mini pies/tarts this will ensure that pie crust will not stick to cupcake pans. Furthermore, juices usually bubble out when baking fruit pies/tarts, so the aluminum liners won't soak through like paper liners. When ready to eat, these liners easily peels off the tarts. 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 to 400 degrees (depending on the hotness of your oven).

2. Beat egg in bowl with fork and set aside.

3. Roll the one of the chilled crust disks onto a floured surface.

4. Using a round 2" cookie-cutter or something comparable, cut out crusts that will line the bottom of cupcake liners in the pans.

5. Roll out the other crust disk onto a floured surface.

6. Use a mandolin or the scalloped edge of a cookie cutter to cut out strips to serve as the lattice-top crust as a lattice, approximately 1­/2 inch in width or as desired.

7. Once all cupcake liners are lined with dough, put extra pans and cut lattice-top pieces in refrigerator to continue chilling while you work on assembling first pan of tarts

Part F: Getting Ready To Bake

Gather your cupcake pan lined with crusts, bourbon salted caramel, and the apple filling/mixture to begin assembly.

1. Begin by putting bourbon salted caramel into pastry bag or ziploc bag and snip a bottom corn with scissors.

2. Start layering 1/3 of the apples in the bottom of the crusts so that there are minimal gaps.

3. Pour 1/3 of the caramel over the apples.

4. Add 1/3 of the apples and caramel for a second layer,

5. Then add a third layer of apples, and then the caramel again. NOTE: Save a portion of the caramel to pour on top once the lattice is assembled.

6. Assemble the lattice crusts and flute the edges of the crusts.

7. Pour more caramel on top once lattice tops are in place.

8. Using a pastry brush, brush the crust with the beaten egg and lightly sprinkle with raw sugar and sea salt.

9. Place the cupcake pans on a larger baking sheet while pies are baking as sometimes the juices bubble and overflow out of the pan.

10. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 325 to 350 and bake for additional 10-15 minutes. You can test the apples for doneness with a long toothpick or small knife. The apples should be just soft. And top of pies should be nice and golden brown.

11. While the pies cool you can prepare the vanilla bourbon whipped cream.

Part G: Vanilla Bourbon Whipped Cream

• 1 liquid cup heavy cream, cold

• 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon of choice (depending upon taste)

1. In large mixing bowl beat heavy cream at high speed slowly adding granulated sugar.

2. Continue beating mixture at high speed until soft peaks form.

3. Lower to medium speed and add the vanilla.

4. Stop mixer, scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula and

5. Fold in bourbon with fork or rubber spatula and refrigerate.

Part H: Serving

1. Prior to serving, add additional bourbon salted caramel sauce to tops of pies/tarts.

2. Using a 1-inch or 1/2-inch cookie scoop top the tarts with chilled vanilla bourbon whipped cream.

3. It's also acceptable to squeeze bourbon salted caramel directly in mouth or use a big spoon to eat vanilla bourbon whipped cream directly out of the bowl.

Enjoy!