This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe comes from Baking with Dorie. Szarlotka is a kind of Polish apple pie. This website gives a nice explanation:
It’s based on a buttery shortcrust, filled with spiced shredded apple, optional custard or meringue and topped with crumble or an additional layer of pastry. Baked until golden, it’s served warm or cold with a dash of whipped cream or some vanilla ice cream. No need to wait for a special occasion – szarlotka is an everyday dessert, served at homes and also available at most bakers, confectioners and restaurants.
Dorie’s recipe is a full-sized “pie” serving 8-10, so of course I chose to make half the recipe for 2 x 6-inch pies, using my mini pie tins (<<< affiliate link but I love mine!). Each of these serves 2 (well, 1 if you’re really hungry!) so half the recipe worked really well.
The dough was a little fussy for me – though I had it in the fridge for hours, it was very “wet” to work with and completely fell apart as I peeled it from the parchment paper. I ended up patching together the tart shells and hoped they would hold together. It’s a remarkably sturdy dough, though, and it did – even with a heavy filling! No breakage!
It’s very pretty when it comes out of the oven but it’s even prettier with a dusting of icing sugar:
The filling is apples, brown sugar, a touch of flour, and some lemon juice. This is topped with some frozen pie dough, grated over top for a kind of streusel topping that I LOVED! The apples bake and the juices kind of caramelize in the oven.
Even in a mini pie tin, it bakes up as a tall pie which I love the look of. It also cuts very well (needs to be cool to cut properly, at least with the small version) and mine held together even when cutting tiny pieces (quarters) for the purposes of this photo!
I loved this, even though it was a bit fussy with all the steps. Worth it if you take your time over the course of a day or two, though. The perfect autumn recipe!
Get the recipe for Szarlotka on p 254 of Baking with Dorie.
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Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of “Baking with Dorie” for review purposes. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions are 100% my own.
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Your minis are perfect. You had to wait until cool to cut it, even with the big version.
Perfect write up
These are just beautiful, Mardi. I love the mini versions, and the powdered sugar on top is really pretty, too. I always have trouble with Dorie’s crusts…I thought I was the only one as people always seem to do just fine but I can never get it to work the way she says even though I’m carefully measuring and paying attention to instructions. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. I had to do a bit of piecing myself.
I like your mini version better than the big tall szarlotka. It’s a more successful bake when you see the caramelization of the fillings oozing out. Besides, these are so cute!
I agree that the dough was fussy but it did glue together okay. I love your minified version.
These did cut well and hold their shape! I didn’t feel the dough was too wet but it did collapse and needed some patchwork haha. In the end held up fine though. Your mini ones are cute…I just have too many family members wanting to try the desserts to ever get away with smaller versions haha. My husband and I only ever get one piece of anything I make…sometimes he is like, can I have another piece before you give it all away haha.