New Apple Dessert in Town

It's that wonderful time of year again - the weather is changing, and apple season is in full swing. That means Apple Fest is right around the corner! This is one of my favorite neighborhood events of the year and this marks the 37th anniversary. If you haven’t been to Lincoln Square the first weekend in October, Lincoln Avenue is shut down from Lawrence to Sunnyside. There are over 100 vendors serving a vast assortment of apple dishes, from cider donuts, Danishes, brats, strudel, pizza, to chicken and waffles with an apple compote. There is even a dog costume contest, live entertainment and family and kids activities; it really is such a great weekend activity that everyone enjoys.    

The Chopping Block has been participating in Apple Fest for as long as I can remember. We are known across the city for our famous apple pie baked in a cast iron skillet. There are eight whole Granny Smith apples that go into every pie which means each slice has one whole apple in it!

Learn all about the history of our pie from our Founder Shelley Young.  This year we are taking pre-sale orders for whole pies that can be picked up on Saturday or Sunday during the fest. If you are a planner like me you can also reserve your apple or pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving now to check one thing off your busy fall to do list.  Let The Chopping Block make your desserts for your holiday needs! 

We are also offering a new hands-on Bake and Take apple pie class where you can learn how to make your very own pie to take home!  In the class, you will learn our perfect pie dough recipe and all the secrets behind our famous pie, and while the pie bakes you will also make apple fritters with an icing drizzle that you can nosh on. After the class, you can go enjoy the fest and return to pick up your finished pie once it's done baking.    

I am super excited to say we have expanded our offerings in our booth this year. As always, we will be selling apple pie slices with whipped cream and Right Bee Cider.  But that’s not all! We will also have fresh pints of apple cider from Ellis Family Farms and an Apple Brandy Mule canned cocktail.

As the new owner of The Chopping Block, I am proud to carry on Shelley’s legacy with serving apple pie to the masses, but this year I thought I would try out a new apple dessert only to be sampled inside the store as a sneak peak to what may come in the future! I am going to share with you this recipe of Crispy Apple Phyllo Custard. This can be made in any kind of baking dish but for recipe testing, I used individual 5” pie tins.  I found that by using an Apple Master instead of hand slicing works much better and I can fit more apples into this dessert!   

Crispy Apple Phyllo Custard 

Serving: 4 individual or 1 pie dish  

Prep time: 20 minutes 

Bake time: 25 minutes 

2 apples, sliced thin 

1 Tablespoon cinnamon 

1 Tablespoon sugar 

2 cups heavy cream 

1 1/2 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 teaspoon cardamom 

1/2 cup melted butter 

1 package of phyllo, thawed 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

2. Toss the sliced apples in with the cinnamon and sugar and set aside. 

3. In a bowl, whisk together the cream, sugar, vanilla, and cardamom for the custard.  

4. Prepare the baking dish by brushing melted butter all over the surface.  

5. Lay a piece of phyllo down and place a few slices of apples down flat on top. 

6. Take another piece of phyllo, folding it up in your hands 1/2” wide back and forth crinkling it up like an accordion. Place that on top of the apples and brush with some butter. 

7. Continue crinkling up the phyllo sheets and layering in apples until the entire surface is covered. Brushing with butter the whole time. I like to make sure that some apples are studded over the top. 

8. Pour the custard over the top letting it soak in. (I did try multiple layering techniques during testing!) 

9. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and crisp. 

This dessert is so crisp, light and just screams fall. It may seem complicated, but you can be as precise with layering or really rustic. It is really easy to put together and there is no wrong way. 

Now I need your help! I am sampling out this new dessert all weekend long inside the store during Apple Fest.  Come in, try it, and let me know what you think.  Should it go in the rotation for our booth next year? You get to help decide!