Dolce Mele--My Newest Creation

A slice of fresh apple pie is an American favorite, but who has time these days to make the perfect crumbly crust and bake a delicious homemade pie? Rather than taking the time and effort to make a traditional pie, with no guarantee that your pie crust will be as flaky as you desire, try this recipe inspired by Bananas Foster and Apple Pie.

Dolce Mele, meaning “sweet apple” in Italian, is an easy alternative when time does not allow for making a full-blown pie. Requiring less than ten minutes start to finish, it captures the perfect hybrid of hot and cold, crunchy and creamy. It consists of only a handful of ingredients: butter, brown sugar, Amaretto, apples, and cinnamon—and the ice cream scooped on top. The shining star in this dessert is the apples, accented by the sauce The apples retain a slight crunchiness, and the brown sugar and amaretto give the slightly tangy apples a sweet edge. Let the warm apples and sauce melt the ice cream for a soup-like dessert or eat it quickly to preserve the juxtaposition of textures and temperatures.

Dolce Mele

Serving Size: 4
Time: 5 minutes preparation; 5 minutes cooking

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
3 Apples (1 Braeburn, 2 Granny Smith), peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 cup dark or light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 ½ Tablespoons Amaretto
Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the cubed apples to the butter, cooking them just enough so they soften, while retaining a slight crunch.
3. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon. When the mixture starts to simmer at the edges, pour in the Amaretto to create a caramel-like sauce, stirring constantly.
4. Scoop ice cream in bowls, and pour the apple and sauce mixture on top. Serve and enjoy.