Okay, sometimes I'm lazy and just don't want to go to the work of making an apple strudel. Or, I'm short on time and want something fast. Deconstructed Apple Strudel Cobbler is a fancy dessert that you can put together quickly, bake while you have other things in the oven, and enjoy in about 30 minutes, low fuss/low muss. Plus, you get the taste of strudel--crisp, flaky crust, studded with crunchy sugary topping--married with the comfort of apple cobbler--sweet, succulent apples in a smooth dried-cranberry studded sauce. This Deconstructed Apple Strudel Cobbler is wonderful plain, with it's crunchy puffs atop the sweet apples, but, really, you need ice cream with it to send it over the top into dream land. I recommend extra-creamy vanilla, which melts and oozes enticingly into the warm apples. You may need an extra serving.
Deconstructed Apple Strudel Cobbler -- Serves 4+
2/3 of a sheet of puff pastry or two 8 x 4-inch sheets cut in half (four 4 x 4-inch pieces)
2 medium apples, cored, peeled and chopped into smallish bits (about 1/4-inch bits--
yields about 3 cups of apples)
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of allspice
1/8 teaspoon of cloves
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of flour
2-3 tablespoons of dried cranberries
2 tablespoons of raw/turbinado sugar
Coat a 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the puff pastry into four 4 x 4-inch squares. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chopped apples, sugars, lemon juice, spices, salt, flour, and cranberries and stir them well. Microwave the mixture for three minutes on high. Stir the mixture well and microwave it another two or three minutes until thickened. Pour the apple mixture into the prepared baking dish. Place the four puff pastry squares on top of the apple mixture, spacing them out evenly. With your fingers, rub just a bit of water on top of each puff pastry sheet (to cause the sugar to stick). Sprinkle the raw sugar evenly across the tops of the pastry sheets. Bake the deconstructed strudel for about 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is puffed, golden, and the sugar crunchy. Serve the strudel warm with plenty of vanilla ice cream. Oh, okay, you can have whipped cream if you prefer, but, really, ice cream is better!
