How to make apples in caramel?
Probably, many have seen in American films how heroes at fairs buy bright apples on sticks covered with multi-colored icing. However, few people realize that such yummy is easy to make at home. Caramelized fruits are quite simply prepared, they turn out to be extremely appetizing and filled with useful substances. This dessert will appeal to both adults and children.
Properties and calorie content of the dish
The calorie content of apples in caramel can be different, but the minimum figure is about 110 kilocalories per 100 grams of product. Of course, the more complex the caramel recipe, the higher the calorie content of the whole product. Such a dessert retains all the benefits inherent in this fruit, but it is important to remember that excessive amounts of sugar can be harmful to tooth enamel.
What varieties are best to use?
Apples for this dish should be chosen firm and moderately sour, it is recommended to take the average size. The above requirements are met by varieties such as Granny Smith, Cox and Golden Delicious. Among the garden and the most affordable, the Ranetki variety is suitable.
For dessert, you can choose different types of apples, while soft ones are more suitable for processing whole fruits, and hard apples are more suitable for slices.
General principles of preparation
Homemade caramelized apples require firm, whole and fresh fruits.Of course, spoiled apples with dented sides or holes from insects are not discussed. Do not also pay attention to overripe or overly friable fruits. Caramelized fruits look neat and beautiful if they are small in size. In the case when caramelized apples are chosen in a red hue, then it is better to make the icing transparent. Before preparing a dish, it is important to wash the fruits well, and most importantly, dry them, since the presence of water droplets leads to uneven caramelization.
You can cook caramel fruits in different ways: in a pan, in the oven, on the stove - the technology is, in principle, the same. Baked apples are also good, and caramelizing fruits in a slow cooker is quick and easy. The base for sugar syrup can be both ordinary granulated sugar and ready-made sweets, for example, toffee. Often spices and seasonings, syrups and various types of oil are added to them. At the first stage, caramel is usually boiled, at the second, the fruits are to be caramelized, and at the third, the finished ones are rolled in a variety of toppings. It should be mentioned that the characteristics of caramel largely depend on the correctness of the sugar melting process. Need to do it on the lowest heat and in no case bring to a boil.
Recipes
A rather unusual way of preparing this dish is as follows. You need certain ingredients: ten apples, two glasses of granulated sugar, 100 grams of chocolate and a glass of water.
The fruits should not be too sweet, but with sourness, so that the final dessert does not turn out too sugary.. Chocolate is grated or chopped with a knife into small pieces so that chocolate chips form.Apples are thoroughly washed and freed from the tail. Wooden sticks, usually sold with Chinese dishes, are placed in the resulting recess.
The next step is to prepare the sugar syrup. Sand crystals are poured into a saucepan or ladle and filled with warm water. A small fire is lit, and the container is sent to the stove. For thirty or even forty minutes, the substance will have to be periodically stirred until all the sand has dispersed, and the contents have a golden hue.
It is important not to overcook the caramel and not let it burn. Readiness is determined by a tricky experiment: a few drops are poured onto the surface of a clean plate. If they instantly change the substance to a solid, then the solution is ready for use.
Then you can proceed directly to caramelization. The saucepan is removed from the stove, and the fruits on sticks are dipped in sugar syrup. You need to twist the fruit so as to cover the entire surface as much as possible. Without waiting for solidification, the caramelized fruit is lowered into chocolate chips, after which the fruits can be carefully laid out on a separate dish. It is necessary to keep the gaps between the apples so that they do not touch. The presence of sprinkles is due to the fact that chocolate will prevent the sugar from draining and make the dessert more stable.
It is important to mention that not everyone is comfortable eating whole fruits, so in dessert it is allowed to replace whole fruits with apple slices. In addition, it is a good idea to add coloring - for example, to prepare a popular dessert in red icing. It is allowed to store it for two days in the refrigerator. It is better to lay baking paper under it or wrap the fruits in foil.
Fruit pieces are prepared as follows. First, half a kilogram of selected apples, a glass of sugar, 150 grams of starch, a glass of sesame oil and a glass of ordinary sunflower oil are prepared. It all starts with the processing of fruits: apples are washed, peeled and freed from the central part with seeds. Each apple is cut into four parts, after which each part is divided into slices of the required size. Slices must be rolled in 100 grams of potato starch. At this time, a substance resembling sour cream is mixed from the remaining substance and water at room temperature. Apples fall into it so that they are covered on all sides.
A mug of vegetable oil is poured into a frying device, after which it is heated to a temperature of 170 degrees. The boneless slices are fried for three minutes on each side over medium heat and removed into a clean bowl. In another frying pan, a glass of already sesame oil is heated, and prepared sand is poured into it. Gently stirring the substance, it is necessary to ensure that the granules completely disappear. As soon as the oil turns golden, fried apples are laid out in it. Everything is quickly stirred, and the pieces are removed back to the plate. Ready dessert is advised to sprinkle with fresh sesame oil before use.
Bright "varnished" apples covered with ruby caramel will surely attract both adults and children. The ingredients will require a kilogram of fruit, a glass of water, three glasses of granulated sugar, three-quarters of a glass of corn syrup and a package of dye. The syrup can replace starch dissolved in water. Apples are washed, dried, and pieces of wood are stuck into them.
Caramel is made from sand, syrup and ordinary water. Dye is added to these ingredients immediately. The saucepan is placed on the stove - there she will have to stay until the final dissolution of the sand crystals. The tray is prepared properly - covered with a silicone mat or baking paper, greased with oil. Apples are lowered into the finished caramel so as to completely cover the surface. After that, they go to "rest" on the pallet.
It is possible to cook this dish in a slow cooker - the process will be faster and easier. Of the ingredients, you will need to purchase from two to four apples, 200 milliliters of hot water, two tablespoons of butter, three tablespoons of sugar and fresh mint for decoration. The “Multi-cook” mode is selected, and the temperature should correspond to 160 degrees. Sugar is poured into a container that has not yet been heated, after which it is heated until its state changes from sand to caramel.
Butter is also added there, which must be stirred until completely dissolved. At this time, the apples are washed, peeled, freed from the central part and divided into two halves. Cut down, they are placed in caramel and left under a closed lid for five minutes. After the specified period, they are carefully turned over, after which they are left for another five minutes.
The finished dish is recommended to cool to room temperature.
An interesting solution would be to choose apples baked in the oven. Initially, you will need to prepare four apples and two thirds of a glass of freshly squeezed apple juice, three tablespoons of butter and a glass of granulated sugar.In addition, the cook will need a third of a glass of water, half a glass of milk, and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract. At the first stage, water and sugar are transformed into syrup - they are boiled over low heat for about a quarter of an hour. Upon completion, the pan is removed from the heat, and after a minute its contents are mixed with a spoonful of butter. At the next stage, milk is introduced there, the pan returns to the hob, and its contents are constantly stirred for two minutes. When the mass thickens, it can be removed from the stove and combined with vanilla extract.
The oven heats up to about 170 degrees Celsius. At this time, the fruits are washed and cut into flat plates, from which the fruit can be made. Apple juice is mixed with melted butter, and apples are poured over the resulting mixture. Everything is put into the oven for forty-five minutes, and the juice flowing onto the tray is constantly coming back. The finished apple is laid out in an individual bowl, and approximately a quarter of a cup of syrup is poured into its middle. If desired, everything can be decorated with nuts and dried fruits.
The recipe for apples in soft caramel, which is made from ordinary toffee, looks very interesting. It will take about 400 grams of sweets, two tablespoons of water, a bag of vanillin and twenty grams of oil. The number of apples is determined independently. Oil, vanilla and sweets are placed in a saucepan and filled with water. Everything is put on a small fire and melted until a homogeneous substance is reached. Prepared apples are planted on pieces of wood and dipped in syrup.
Mirror gloss can be achieved if you cook caramelized apples with lemon juice.
In addition to fruits, it will be necessary to prepare 150 grams of granulated sugar, two tablespoons of water and a tablespoon of lemon. All the above ingredients are mixed over low heat until the consistency is homogeneous and the sugar has dispersed. Continue the process until a beautiful shade of amber appears. You can check the readiness of the syrup by scooping a little liquid into a spoon and tipping it into cold water. If she grabs immediately, then the caramel is ready. Apples are dipped into the liquid, after which they are laid out to dry on baking paper.
An exquisite delicacy will be apples cooked in Chinese style. To prepare, you will need one apple, 200 grams of sugar, a teaspoon of sesame seeds, a miniature piece of butter, water, four tablespoons of flour, an egg and a teaspoon of sunflower oil. The oven heats up to 200 degrees Celsius. At this time, water with butter is brought to a boil, supplemented with flour and cools for several minutes. Then one egg is added to the mixture, everything is mixed again - the batter is ready.
The apple is peeled, pitted and cut into small pieces. The pieces are dipped into the batter, qualitatively crumbled and placed on a pre-greased pallet. The dish goes to the oven for twenty-five minutes, then cools down a bit. In parallel, caramel is cooked in a saucepan according to the standard method. You need to add sesame seeds to it. Pieces of apples in batter are dipped in a couple of pieces into caramel, mixed, and then thrown into a container with pre-prepared ice water. The finished fragments will need to be held on a paper towel that absorbs fat.
Helpful Tips
Even if caramel apples are prepared at home for everyday use, it makes sense to think about a beautiful presentation. Reviews say that apples look most spectacular on a flat round dish, painted in one shade. After processing in sugar syrup, ready-made fruits should be dipped either in confectionery sprinkles, or in coconut flakes, or in pieces of finely chopped nuts or even seeds. If you melt a bar of white chocolate in a water bath, then you can pour the dessert with the resulting mixture. You can add everything with some kind of syrup or melted dark chocolate, and also sprinkle with powdered sugar. Fruits look very beautiful when they are painted with glaze of different colors.
Washed apples must be dried before caramelizer is on them. In addition, it is correct when a wooden stick reaches the core of the fruit - this will increase the stability of the entire structure and prevent inconvenience while eating. By the way, ice cream sticks or even well-peeled branches are also suitable for the role of sticks. Short, for example, toothpicks will not work, since the short length does not allow you to securely fix the fetus. Otherwise, it will end up in caramel. In addition, eating fruit on a short piece of wood is simply uncomfortable. Immediately after processing, the apples should be properly left on a sheet of baking paper to eliminate excess liquid.
You can serve caramelized apples with other pastries and drinks: mulled wine, tea, coffee and lemonade. The combination of fruit and ice cream will be very interesting.
Sometimes it happens that after the caramel dries, it turns out that it did not completely cover the fruit. Therefore, after cooling the first layer, it is necessary to repeat the procedure.Too thick sugar syrup is brought to the desired consistency, if you put it on a small fire and stir vigorously. The container in which it is prepared must have thick walls and a bottom. Ready apples do not last long in the refrigerator, but if they are placed in a plastic bag, and then in a tightly closed container, the shelf life will increase to a week. Before serving, after the cold, the fruit will need to be held for an hour at room temperature.
It should also be remembered that there is a special technique for making caramel apples. The device looks like a large saucepan for boiling syrup. If the caramelizer is an advanced model, then there is an additional automatic device that puts the finished fruit on sticks.
Watch a video with step-by-step instructions for preparing such a dessert, see below.