Though I have been completely remiss in posting for the ENTIRE month of December (I’m so ashamed), I did one to get one last post in before we all bid a fond (or not so fond for some of us) farewell to 2014.

Last month I had the great pleasure of photographing Margaret Baggett, chef and creator the catering company The Chef Next Door.  She also is the creator of the restaurant and speciality shop The Marketplace Cafe.

She baked and cooked many beautiful (and delicious) dishes, but my favorite was the Apple Pie Crostatas.  As tasty as they were stunning.  Below is Margaret’s recipe.

Easy Apple Pie Crostatas

recipe and food styling by Margret Baggett

Pillsbury rolled Pie Dough Sheets (NOT a pie shell)

Gala/Fuji/Honeycrisp Apples, unpeeled

Brown Sugar

Cinnamon

Allspice

Unsalted Butter

Milk

On a clean work surface, roll out the pie dough.

Using a small prep bowl, about 6” diameter, trace around the bowl with a knife to make a perfect circle with the dough. Place the rounds on a baking sheet

(You should get 2 circles from each sheet of pie dough. If you don’t like waste, you can remold the excess pie dough, roll it out, and repeat the tracing procedure to get a third circle.)

Slice the apples thinly.

(If you do not plan to assemble and bake the dish immediately, place the sliced apples in water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent browning.)

Place 10-12 slices of apple in the center of each pie dough round.

Sprinkle the apples liberally with brown sugar, then a dash of Cinnamon and Allspice.

Crimp the edges of the pie dough in pleats around the pile of sugared apples, almost enclosing the entire pile but leaving the top open.

Place a small dot of butter over the exposed apples, then brush the pastry lightly with milk with a pastry brush or using your finger.

Bake the crostatas at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and the apples and brown sugar are caramelized and bubbly.

Enjoy and have a wonderful holiday season!