Apple pie meets salted caramel with no sugar and no grains, my paleo salted caramel apple tartlet features tangy apple slices drizzled with rich, sweet caramel.
If you love apple pie and buttery salted caramel, you'll freak over these LFG salted caramel apple tartlets. My Lectin Free Gourmet treat tastes so decadent you'd think it had sugar. But it doesn't. Apples take a starring role in this dessert with their sweet tart flavor merely harmonized by rich, dark salted caramel drizzle.
If you're struggling with lectin free or paleo pie crust, well, struggle no more. My LFG pâte brisée behaves beautifully, and it's the foundation of this dessert. It's the only lectin free pie crusts that I know of that rolls out, shapes, holds together and bites like a real flaky gluten crust. I bake up the crusts ahead of time and keep them in the freezer so I can just whip up treats like this salted caramel apple tartlet.
It's hard to believe you can make caramel without refined sugar. But you can! Curious? Read on for the recipe.
The Recipe
(Makes 3 tartlets, but you could easily double the recipe to serve 6)
LFG Salted Caramel Apple Tartlet
1 Large Honeycrisp Apple peeled, cored and sliced thin
3 LFG Pâte Brisée Circles*
3 t Swerve Granules
6 t Ground Cinnamon (divided)
1 T Melted Grassfed Cultured Butter
LFG Salted Caramel
2 T Grassfed Cultured Butter
2 T Swerve Granules
1 T Raw Local Honey
1/2 t Pure Vanilla Extract
3 Pinches of Salt
*LFG Pâte Brisée Circles
1 C LFG Flour*
2 T Arrowroot Flour
1 t Xanthan Gum
1/2 t Salt
(For sweet pies, add 1 t Lakanto's Monk Fruit Sweetener)
1/4 C Nutiva Superfood Shortening**
1 Large Egg
2-3 T Water (more if necessary)
*LFG Flour is 2:1:1 cassava, coconut and almond flours
** Nutiva shortening is made from compliant, organic, unrefined red palm and virgin coconut oils, not hydrogenated palm oil. I used it over butter because it gives a softer, more flaky crust.
Instructions:
Step 1: Make the Pâte Brisée Circles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor with a dough blade, put your dry ingredients and pulse until mixed. Add shortening and pulse until you have a chunky meal. Add the egg and pulse until you have crumbs. Turn processor on and slowly add water until a dough ball forms. You may need to add more water. I bake at high altitude. You're looking for a nice dough ball here so work with it until you get it right. If it seems too wet, you can add a little more arrowroot flour. Once you have a nice dough ball, roll it out on the counter over a little arrowroot flour until it's about 1/8 inch thick.
Find a circular plastic lid about 5 inches in diameter, and cut out 6 circles. Bake the crusts for 10 minutes. Set aside. I only use 3 pie crust circles for this recipe. You can double the recipe or freeze 3 crust circles for later like I do. It's nice to have these ready for next time.
Step 2: Assemble the Tartlets
On a parchment line baking sheet, place 3 pie crust circles. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of Swerve and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Build a half sphere shape with your thinly sliced apples on top of each crust. See image. Sprinkle the apple slices with more cinnamon (the remaining 3 teaspoons). Brush the apples with melted butter. Pop them the tartlets in the oven for 20 minutes or until apples are tender.
Step 3: Make the Caramel
While tartlets are baking, place the butter, Swerve, and honey in a small sauce pan. On medium high heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for about 2-3 minutes or until the mixture turns a dark caramel color. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Pour into an oven safe ramekin. Allow to cool. The caramel will thicken. If you overlook it and it hardens before you can use it, just pop in microwave for a few seconds.
Step 4: Drizzle Tarlets with Caramel and Salt
Put the tartlets on dessert plates. Drizzle each with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of caramel. Then sprinkle with course Kosher or sea salt.
Serve with coconut ice cream.
ENJOY!