Memorial Day Desserts
Before we fire up the grill or head to the beach, it is important to remember that Memorial Day is a celebration of all those who gave their lives to preserve the freedoms we have today. Let’s take time to remember this as we we enjoy getting together with friends and family.
Memorial Day is coming and the siren song of the barbecue calls. The steaks, burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork, ribs, are all so good. As are the slaw and potato salad. Yum! But it is the sweet ending that I look forward to and there is no better way to kick off the summer than with the classic summer dessert – ice cream. And if it comes in sundae form, even better.
One dessert I truly love is apple pie. Apple pie is as American as it can get. Apple Pie a la mode could meet the criteria for great Memorial Day Desserts, but it just doesn’t seem summery enough. There is an easy way to fix this! Changing the whole concept of apple pie a la mode into the form of an ice cream sundae injects a whole bunch of summer feeling right into the dessert. It is a bit of a culinary deconstruction that, when rebuilt, takes apple pie a la mode to a new level. Layer by layer the apple pie a la mode is transformed into a tower of apple and ice cream decadence.
Here is how to transform apple pie a la mode into a sundae or, as I call it, Salted Caramel-Apple Knickerbocker Glory! What is a Knickerbocker Glory? A very tall sundae, of course. How do I know this? You might say I wrote the book on them.
The sundae layers for this transformation include classic vanilla ice cream made from a custard base. A tangy apple compote, cooked on the stove (or on the grill), goes nicely with the rich ice cream. With cinnamon and nutmeg flavors plus a shot (or 2) of apple brandy to give it added flavor it really sings apple pie. To bring more apple essence, an apple cream made from apple butter whipping cream is another layer. The sundae would fall flat with caramel – salted caramel to be more precise. The sauce brings all the parts together. And the crust you ask! Some short bread cookies will do just fine! Each layer is piled on top of each other in a tall glass. Don’t for get the long spoons! These sundaes may go down in history as one of the best Memorial Day desserts ever! And if you want, your guests can do all the work. Set the ingredients out like it is a buffet and Memorial Day Dessert just got easy!
Here are the recipes for each layer.
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of water
- 5 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of sea salt
- Place the sugar and water in a medium, heavy-duty pot. Cook the sugar mixture over high heat, shaking the pan every couple of minutes so the sugar cooks evenly. Cook about 7 minutes, until the sugar mixture turns light to medium brown in color.
- Meanwhile, measure the butter, heavy cream, and sea salt.
- When the sugar has darkened from light-brown to a medium-brown color, carefully add the butter, cream, and salt, stirring as the mixture foams (and it will). Remove the pot from the heat as soon as the butter melts, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the caramel to a heatproof container, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan where all the salt will cluster. Let cool.
- Keep the caramel refrigerated. To use, warm the caramel in the microwave about 30 to 60 seconds.
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon minced lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup apple butter
- Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Using a whisk or handheld mixer, beat until soft peaks begin to form (Note: Because of the high quantity of apple butter, this will not beat to firm peaks like whipped cream. The consistency is a more airy cream.)
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of butter
- 2 cups of diced, peeled granny smith apples
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- 2 shots of Applejack or Calvados (optional)
- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
- Add the apples to the pan. Sauté in the butter until the fruit softens, about 5 minutes.
- Add the sugar, spices, and lemon juice, stirring to combine until the fruit is completely cooked.
- Remove the pan from the stove and add the Applejack or Calvados off the heat (Be careful!!). Place the pan back on the stove over medium-high heat and flambé. It’s very important to be as careful as you can so you don’t burn yourself or the fruit.
- Remove the compote from the heat and let cool.
- Optionally, you can put all the ingredients in a foil pouch and place them on the grill to cook as you would for grilled vegetables.
I hope you enjoy!
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!
Keep Eating! Keep Innovating!
What are some of your favorite Memorial Day desserts? Let us know all about it in the comments or on Facebook.
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