Grilled Apples in Caramel Sauce Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated August 30, 2018
20101116-grilled-apple-dessert.jpg
Joshua Bousel

The grill can be your best friend during the holidays—with an overloaded oven and range, the additional cooking space outside of the kitchen can be a godsend. When I came across this dessert recipe for grilled apples, I jumped on it, then realized that it actually required the oven, stove top, and grill.

Despite the space-hogging and needing three cooking methods, the recipe was very simple and quick to put together. You just toss grilled apples in an easy caramel sauce, then spoon it over a puff pastry round and top with whipped cream. It's a seasonal and light dessert, and a nice way to cap the marathon Thanksgiving gorge fest.

Recipe Details

Grilled Apples in Caramel Sauce Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 2 hrs
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
  •  
  • For the Sauce
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  •  
  • 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • Coarse sea salt, optional
  • 1/2 cup of whipped cream or creme fraiche
  •  
  • Type of fire: direct
  • Grill heat: medium

Directions

  1. Using 4-inch biscuit cutter, cut 4 rounds from the pastry sheet. Using fork, prick each pastry round about 12 times to prevent dough from rising too much in oven. Following package directions, bake pastry rounds on baking sheet until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

  2. In small saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, heavy cream, and1/4 cup of butter for sauce, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

  3. In a large bowl, toss apple slices with melted butter to coat well.

  4. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place the apple slices on grill and cook over medium heat, with lid closed as much as possible, until well browned and tender, 8 to 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through cooking. Transfer apple slices to bowl. Reheat sauce over low heat, if necessary, and spoon some sauce over apple slices, gently tossing to coat.

  5. To assemble, place each pastry round on a dessert plate. Arrange apple slices on top of the pastry rounds. Spoon remaining sauce over apples, allowing it to run down onto plates. Sprinkle with a little coarse salt, if desired. Finish with dollop of whipped cream or creme fraiche.

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