In October, Mama Cream Puff and I bought a bushel of the most beautiful Jonagold apples we’d seen in a long time. Locally grown, their gorgeous colour was enough to tempt us, nevermind how delicious they were!

For the first month or so we ate so many out of hand that I didn’t give much thought to baking with the apples. We’re down to the final apples and while they’re still delicious, they’re not quite as firm and crisp as they were in the fall.

This was a signal to me that it was time to bake with the apples. We’ve enjoyed quite a few of them baked simply with a bit of butter and cinnamon, but last week I had the urge for apple pie and remembered a recipe that I’d bookmared in an old copy of Cook’s Illustrated. It’s from a special issue published in the fall of 2007. The recipe is for Free-Form Apple Tartlets (you can find the recipe on the Cook’s Illustrated site, unfortunately, you have to pay for it).

The crust for the tartlets was made with butter and cream cheese which makes for a tender pastry. But to be honest, while the tartlets were very good when they first came out of the oven, I found that the tartlet dough softened quickly and lost that lovely flakiness that all-butter doughs or butter and shortening doughs are better at maintaining.

The filling, on the other hand, was delicious. The magazine recipe called for Granny Smith apples but I put our Jonagolds to good use instead.

I think it just proves that delicious apples make delicious pie filling. End of story. While I wasn’t thrilled with the end result, the tartlets were still pretty good. Next time, though, I’ll use my usual pie crust dough.

This is my entry for Magazine Mondays and I’m happy to say I have quite a few other bloggers who joined me this week in keeping that magazine pile in order! Here’s who joined me:

Dawn from Doable and Delicious made Sauteed Mushrooms with Lemon Cream from Bon Appétit.

Bonita of Bon Eats made Broccoli Bisque from Food & Drink.

Janie of Panini Girl made a Lemon Crostata from Gourmet.

Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made Beef Stew from Cook’s Illustrated.

Rebecca from A North London Kitchen made Marmalade and Ginger Cream Sandwich Cookies from Sainsbury’s.

Sarah of A Taste of Savoie made Churros and Hot Chocolate from Homes and Gardens.

Jeanna of Whispering Pines Bed & Breakfast made Hearty Chipotle Chicken Soup from Taste of Home and Healthy Cooking.

Poppyseed of Poppyseeds and Tiger Lilies made Porcini and Spinach Risotto from Olive.

Tia from Buttercream Barbie made Zuccini Bread from Canadian Living and Multi-Grain Bread with Sesame, Flax and Poppyseeds from Bon Appétit.

Have a fabulous week, everyone!

Ciao!

Apple Filling for Tartlets or Pie

Note: This makes enough filling for 6 tartlets or one 9-inch pie.

6 Jonagold apples, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch slices.
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pie crust of your choice

Combine the sliced apples, the lemon juice, the sugar and the cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Let sit while you roll out your pie crust. Bake pie (or tartlets) according to crust directions.

Enjoy!