We are apple people at my house. Of course, as with anything, I am picky about apples. No mealy or mushy apples need apply. I want my apples frim, crisp, tangy, and sweet. Granny Smith and Fuji are my two favorites. So, when I have apples around, which I do more often than not, I get creative. Below is the result of my latest apple experiment.
I had the apples, a packet of defrosted phyllo dough, and a well-stocked pantry. It did not take long to figure I wanted something both crispy and soft, light and refreshing yet rich and spicy. Simple was key here because I needed to be able to get it from raw ingredients into finished dessert in less than an hour. From start to finish it took about an hour, so I hit the mark on that. All around, I think I found the balance with my Apple Rolls with Butterscotch Whiskey Sauce.
The sauce, if you were wondering, was born out of my desire for something to pour over the vanilla ice cream, and because I like sweet sauces. There is a chain restaurant by our house that has ok food, but they have this rum butter sauce that they pour over their desserts that makes me happy to have taste buds. I figured I could come up with something just as good, if not better. I did.
Apple Rolls with Butterscotch Whiskey Sauce – Serves 4
1 cup of Fuji apple, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
4 tablespoons butter
6 sheets phyllo dough
Heat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment
Mix the apples, sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, and cardamon well. Set aside.
Lay one sheet of phyllo on your work surface. Brush with melted butter, then lay a second sheet on and butter it. Top it with a sheet of phyllo. Cut this into four squares. Place about two tablespoons of filling on the phyllo square, tuck the sides in gently then roll. Brush butter along the edge of the dough to glue the seam. Brush the outside of the roll with butter.
Repeat this process for the remaining three squares, then layer and roll the remaining three sheets of phyllo.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
While the rolls bake make the sauce.
For the Sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup salted butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon whiskey
Put the brown sugar and butter into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat. Add the cream and whiskey. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool slightly.
To serve, just drizzle with the sauce and, if you like, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
You won’t regret it.
