I'll get you anything

So Labor Day weekend Thatboy and I had a couple rather wild nights. In preparation for our adventures, which are not definitely not bloggable, I got dinner all ready to go while Thatboy was out surfing for the day. One of the things I did was make some individual desserts. Since Labor Day marks the beginning of the autumn season I figured it was about time to start baking with apples. And I wanted something a little different than my usual pies, crisps, galettes, crumbles....so I did what any good cook would do, and googled.

And I turned up recipes for Apple Charlotte. Apple Charlotte is a "golden crusted dessert made by baking a thick apple compote in a mold lined with buttered bread. This dessert was originally created as a way to use leftover or stale bread. Some historians think this sweet dish took its name from Queen Charlotte, known as being a supporter of apple growers."

The recipes all looked easy enough - basically take apple and cook them they way you would for a pie, and then surround them with buttered bread in a charlotte mold. The only problem was I didn't have a charlotte mold. But this wasn't really a problem because I wanted to make mini ones anyway. And so I grabed some of my favorite pyrex bowls and figured they'd do the trick. Seriously - I love pyrex bowls.

Mine was okay, but I .....fell asleep.....before Thatboy got a chance to eat his. In fact, I figured it was late and he'd have his the next day. I was so wrong.

Me: (yawning and stretching as I get up the next morning) Morning.
Thatboy: What was that thing?
Me: I'm sorry, you'll have to be more specific.
Thatboy: That dessert thing you made. What was it?
Me: The one with the apples?
Thatboy: Yeah, that one.
Me: Why that was an apple charlotte.....did you eat yours?
Thatboy: Actually, I'm surprised I didn't wake you up. I ate it in bed. It was so good. I said "mmmmmmm" every time I took a bite. It's the best thing you've ever made.
Me: (raising an eyebrow) Best thing I've ever made? Really? Now I'm a little concerned about your other night time activities after I went to bed.
Thatboy: Yeah, you slept through that too. (JOKING! He didn't say that. He actually said something about how it's his new favorite dessert, blah blah blah....)

So if it went over that well with him, just imagine how your loved will love it. And seriously there's something so deliciously white trashy about a dessert made with butter bread for a crust.

Individual Apple Charlottes

• 2 lbs golden delicious apples
• 5 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 lb white bread, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 400. Peel, quarter and core the apples and cut into thin slices.
2. In large pan over medium low heat melt 1 1/2 Tbsp butter. Add apples, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla. Cook stirring occasionaly until the appleas are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile in a small pan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbsp butter until the solids separate from the fat. Skim the solids off the top and drain the clear butter into a small bowl.
4. Remove the crusts from the bread slices and cut out 2 circles with a cookie cutter.
5. Put circles in bottoms of four bowls.
6. Cut the remaining bread into 2 by 3 inch pieces. Brush both sides of each piece with the butter and line the bowls with these pieces.
7. Divide apples evenly between bread lined bowls and set the bowls on a baking sheet.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool 10-15 minutes, then carefully remove the charlottes from the bowls by inverting them over a plate.
9. Combine remaining sugar and water in a small pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sugar melts, comes to a boil, and turns light brown (about 5 minutes).
   
10. Remove from the heat and stir 15 seconds to cool. Add heavy cream and stir until smooth. Drizzle over charlottes.

Serves 4.
Each serving has:

Calories		676.75
Total Fat		24.4 g
Cholesterol		66.0 mg
Sodium		395.7 mg
Potassium		339.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate		113.9 g
Protein		5.3 g