Equipment: 10 Ceramic baking ramekins or metal molds (3" diameter)
FILLING: Melt butter in 6 quart saucepan over medium-low
heat. Add apples and caramelize, add water, cook,
stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes, or until
apples are completely soft. Remove cover and add sugar,
nutmeg and salt. Increase heat to medium-high and
continue to cook, stirring apples frequently, until
liquid has completely evaporated, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, apple sauce and
vanilla. Set aside to cool while making crust.
The filling can be made one day ahead.
MAKING CRUST AND ASSEMBLY: Position oven rack in lower
third of oven and set @ 425°F/218°C. Grease 8 ceramic
dishes with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle sugar in dish
and tilt to coat bottom and sides. Tap out excess sugar
and set aside.
Using a bread knife, remove crusts from bread. Center
the bottom of mold over one of the bread squares. Cut
around mold to form circle to use as the top. Make a
total of 20 of these round pieces. Ten will be for the
bottom and 10 will be used for the top. Dip each one in
melted butter and place at the bottom of mold.
Cut each of the 15 remaining slices of bread into four
rectangular pieces. Dip one side of each strip in the
melted butter and arrange strips, upright, around the
inside of molds, buttered-sides against mold and
overlapping by about 1/2" to completely line mold. Use 6
rectangles to line the mold.
Spoon the apple filling into bread-lined molds, mounding
it slightly in center.
Take the remaining ten rounds of bread and dip pieces of
bread into the melted butter and place on top of
filling, buttered-sides up. Press down lightly.
Bake for 30 minutes, then cover top loosely with
aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes,
until top is deep golden brown and side slices are
golden brown (slide a thin-bladed knife between bread
and pan to check). Remove from oven, uncover, and let
rest for 15 minutes on wire rack. Run thin-bladed knife
around edges of molds to be able to flip the mold out
onto serving plates.
CONTINUED IN PART TWO
Recipes from the 2009 Inaugural Luncheon Joint Congressional
Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
