Apple Pie Pops by Saura Kline

(This recipe technique appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)

Executive Pastry Chef, Halcyon Hotel
@sweetsaura

My love for pie goes back to when I was a little girl, just hanging out with my Grandmother at her house in Arizona. She made me a homemade peach pie using peaches she grew in her backyard – a flakey, buttery crust that encased the most ripe and delicious peach filling, with just a hint of cinnamon. I was so enamored with this pie that I asked for a pie instead of a birthday cake for several years afterwards. Since then, my love for pie has grown, and I’ve even written two cookbooks celebrating sweet and savory pies, both traditional and non-traditional. As a pastry chef, I’m always trying to elevate a humble dessert, and that is where my pie pop dessert originated. I’ve made several different flavors, but my all-time favorite has been the Apple Pie Pop. It’s a mascarpone mousse pop with a spiced apple insert. It’s dipped in a Valrhona OPALYS White Chocolate coating and a spiced oatmeal crumble. The pop sits on a bed of miso apple butter and is garnished with a quintessential lattice tuile. 

Apple Insert

• 227 g white wine
• 7 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 green apples
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• 28 g unsalted butter
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 2 gelatin sheets, bloomed

1. Heat the white wine with the cloves and cinnamon stick and allow to infuse for 15 minutes.

2. Peel and core the apples [1], then dice them into ¼ʺ (0.6 cm) pieces. Squeeze lemon juice over them and toss to coat [2].

3. Add the butter to a hot pan and toss in the apples. Add the sugar and stir. Caramelize the apples and sugar over high heat [3], then add strained spiced white wine to deglaze [4]. Continue to cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the drained gelatin. Pour the mixture into a half hotel pan lined with plastic wrap and freeze until set [5]. 

Mascarpone Mousse

• 10 gelatin sheets
• 700 g heavy cream, divided
• 630 g mascarpone
• 150 g granulated sugar

1. Bloom the gelatin in ice water, set aside.

2. Heat 200 g of the cream in a small saucepot.

3. Whip the remaining 500 g cream to soft peaks. When the cream is warm, add the drained gelatin and stir until fully dissolved. Pour over the mascarpone [6] and mix until smooth [7]. Fold into whipped cream and transfer to a piping bag.

4. Once the apple gelée is set, cut into rectangles about 1ʺ x 2ʺ (2.54 cm x 5 cm) [8]. In a popsicle mold, pipe a layer of mascarpone mousse, then stick gelée in the center. Add a popsicle stick over the gelée [9] and top the mold off with mascarpone mousse. Use an offset to smooth it out. Freeze 8 hours or overnight. 

Oatmeal Crumble

• 215 g unsalted butter, cold
• 100 g brown sugar
• 75 g rolled oats (not instant)
• 100 g all-purpose flour
• 5 g salt
• 4 g cinnamon
• ½ tsp cardamom
• ½ tsp allspice

Combine all ingredients in a Robot Coupe and pulse until crumbly. Pour onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper [10] and bake at 350˚F (177˚C) for 12 minutes [11]. Set aside to cool down, then store in an airtight container until needed. 

Apple Miso Butter

• 454 g green apples
• 55 g apple cider vinegar
• 113 g water
• 150 g granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• Zest and juice 1 lemon
• 51 g white miso paste

1. Remove stems from apples and core them. Place the cored apples along with the rest of the ingredients in a large saucepot. Heat on high and cook until most of the liquid has cooked down and the apples are cooked through.

2. Transfer to blender and process on high until very smooth [12]. Set aside to cool down and then store in an airtight container until needed.

Lattice Tuile

• 226 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 335 g all-purpose flour
• 15 g granulated sugar
• 3 g salt
• 4-5 Tbs ice water
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbs milk, for egg wash

1. Combine butter, flour, sugar, and salt in a Robot Coupe and pulse 3 or 4 times to begin to cut the butter into the flour. Add 1 Tbs of the water at a time and continue to pulse until flour is hydrated and crumbly.

2. Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Cut off a section of dough and roll to 1/8” (3.17 mm) thickness [13]. Use a lattice cutter to roll over the dough [14], then separate the cuts with your hands [15]. Punch circles out of the lattice [16] and place on a prepared sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Brush the lattice with egg wash and bake at 350˚F (177˚C) for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Set tuiles aside until needed.

White Chocolate Shell

• 600 g Valrhona OPALYS White Chocolate
• 180 g grapeseed oil

1. Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the grapeseed oil until combined [17]. Pour into a quart container and place a digital thermometer inside. The working temperature is between 85-95˚F (29-35˚C).

2. Once the white chocolate is at the correct working temperature, dip the frozen pops in it. Sprinkle over oatmeal crumble [18] and place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Continue to do so with remaining pops.

Plating

1. Spoon some Apple Miso Butter on the bottom of a plate. Top with an Apple Pie Pop, and garnish with the Lattice Tuile.

Photos by Chad Chisholm (foodphotographerchad.com)