Every Tuesday is Croatian Tuesday in my house. As I love to cook food from all over the world I sometimes forget to cook food that I grew up eating. So to keep my own traditions going and to make sure my kids are exposed to Croatian food, I decided to cook Croatian at least once a week. (Since starting this we as a family have decided it needs to be at least twice a week, it can be more, but the minimum is twice a week).
On Croatian Tuesday I try to cook something old (something I've made before) as well as something new (something I have never tried before). My something old this week was my families favourite Musaka. My something new was this Apple Slice.
Growing up one of my aunties on her trips to Croatia would always bring my mother back a cookbook. This recipe comes from one of those books, we've had the book for over 30 years now. I have since got it from my mum and have added it to the many cookbooks I've purchased over the years on my travels there.
This Apple Slice is really, really easy to make, it doesn't take long to put together. The dough is easy to work with and the filling is crazy easy to make.
My family loved this. They could not stop eating it. The pastry as it cools, goes crisp and the filling is so generous, there is so much apple. I added cinnamon to the original recipe as I think cinnamon and apple are a match made in heaven, you can leave it out if you want to. (As I'm typing this I just got hit with the smell of a new recipe for Garlic bread I'm working on, it smells amazing). Speaking of smells when this comes out of the oven, the aromas are amazing.
Now, a lot of older Croatian recipes I have use margarine. I assume if you have a problem with margarine you could use butter, I haven't tried it. As I don't use margarine often I don't personally have an issue with it if used sometimes. If I used butter, I would use the spreadable one here.
I don't add sultanas, as I don't like them. But I might add them in future to a third of the slice, as my husband loves them.
So if you want to try something new, this is a great recipe to try.
On Croatian Tuesday I try to cook something old (something I've made before) as well as something new (something I have never tried before). My something old this week was my families favourite Musaka. My something new was this Apple Slice.
Growing up one of my aunties on her trips to Croatia would always bring my mother back a cookbook. This recipe comes from one of those books, we've had the book for over 30 years now. I have since got it from my mum and have added it to the many cookbooks I've purchased over the years on my travels there.
This Apple Slice is really, really easy to make, it doesn't take long to put together. The dough is easy to work with and the filling is crazy easy to make.
My family loved this. They could not stop eating it. The pastry as it cools, goes crisp and the filling is so generous, there is so much apple. I added cinnamon to the original recipe as I think cinnamon and apple are a match made in heaven, you can leave it out if you want to. (As I'm typing this I just got hit with the smell of a new recipe for Garlic bread I'm working on, it smells amazing). Speaking of smells when this comes out of the oven, the aromas are amazing.
Now, a lot of older Croatian recipes I have use margarine. I assume if you have a problem with margarine you could use butter, I haven't tried it. As I don't use margarine often I don't personally have an issue with it if used sometimes. If I used butter, I would use the spreadable one here.
I don't add sultanas, as I don't like them. But I might add them in future to a third of the slice, as my husband loves them.
So if you want to try something new, this is a great recipe to try.
Recipe
Recipe adapted from Ambrozic, Mihelcic and Mudric's cookbook Knjiga Kolaca
Serves 15-20 slices
Dough:
500g plain flour
250g margarine
100g caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons sour cream
Grated zest from 1 lemon
pinch salt
Filling:
1.2kg green apples, peeled, coarsely grated
1 x 10g packet vanilla sugar
120g caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, to taste
a handful of Sultanas, optional
Icing sugar, to serve
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan forced. Grease and line with baking paper a 23cm x 33cm baking tin.
Make the dough. On a work bench place your flour, add on the margarine in chunks. Add the caster sugar, make a well in the centre, add the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, lemon zest and salt. Break up the eggs a bit, then start mixing the dough together, when it is combined, knead for 2-3 minutes to make sure it is mixed well together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough in half. Place one half of the pastry between two large sheets of baking paper. Roll out the pastry into a rectangle shape slightly larger than the size of the base of your baking tin. You can cut and paste this dough, to get the shape you need. I also like to take the baking paper off and place it back on and flip the dough and remove the baking paper and place it back on every now and then. It makes for easier rolling of the dough. The pastry needs to cover the entire base with a little going up the side. Remove the top sheet of baking paper and place the pastry into the greased pie pan, pastry side down. Remove the other sheet of baking paper. Press the pastry into the base and a little up the sides of the baking tin.
Repeat with the second half of the dough. Roll it slightly larger than the size of your baking dish. Set aside until needed.
Coarsely grate the peeled apples just before you need them, discard core. Mix together the vanilla sugar and the caster sugar. Evenly spread out the apples over the pastry base. Sprinkle with the combined sugars. Sprinkle over the ground cinnamon, to taste. Scatter over sultanas, if using.
Now place the second dough carefully over the filling. Using a fork or pointy knife, poke holes in the dough, to allow the steam from the apples to escape.
Bake for around 50 minutes.
Serves 15-20 slices
Dough:
500g plain flour
250g margarine
100g caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons sour cream
Grated zest from 1 lemon
pinch salt
Filling:
1.2kg green apples, peeled, coarsely grated
1 x 10g packet vanilla sugar
120g caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, to taste
a handful of Sultanas, optional
Icing sugar, to serve
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan forced. Grease and line with baking paper a 23cm x 33cm baking tin.
Make the dough. On a work bench place your flour, add on the margarine in chunks. Add the caster sugar, make a well in the centre, add the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, lemon zest and salt. Break up the eggs a bit, then start mixing the dough together, when it is combined, knead for 2-3 minutes to make sure it is mixed well together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough in half. Place one half of the pastry between two large sheets of baking paper. Roll out the pastry into a rectangle shape slightly larger than the size of the base of your baking tin. You can cut and paste this dough, to get the shape you need. I also like to take the baking paper off and place it back on and flip the dough and remove the baking paper and place it back on every now and then. It makes for easier rolling of the dough. The pastry needs to cover the entire base with a little going up the side. Remove the top sheet of baking paper and place the pastry into the greased pie pan, pastry side down. Remove the other sheet of baking paper. Press the pastry into the base and a little up the sides of the baking tin.
Repeat with the second half of the dough. Roll it slightly larger than the size of your baking dish. Set aside until needed.
Coarsely grate the peeled apples just before you need them, discard core. Mix together the vanilla sugar and the caster sugar. Evenly spread out the apples over the pastry base. Sprinkle with the combined sugars. Sprinkle over the ground cinnamon, to taste. Scatter over sultanas, if using.
Now place the second dough carefully over the filling. Using a fork or pointy knife, poke holes in the dough, to allow the steam from the apples to escape.
Bake for around 50 minutes.
Cut into slices while hot, as once it cools the pastry crumbles when you try to cut it.
Dust with icing sugar. Serve warm or room temperature.
Dust with icing sugar. Serve warm or room temperature.
Enjoy!
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Pin it: www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399413060714850012/
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