Caramel Apple Tartlets

Three hundred days. I marked it Sunday — alone, in the morning, standing on the porch in the cold with my coffee. Three hundred days. I said it out loud once and then went to feed the horses.

The number matters and doesn't matter. What matters is the daily choice. What matters is that the daily choice has gotten less effortful, not because the underlying thing has gone away, but because the practice of the daily choice has become more automatic. The muscle is stronger from use.

The relationship with Sarah is running into something I'm not sure I know how to navigate. She said Friday evening — we were at her apartment in Billings, having dinner she'd made (pasta, which she's good at in the straightforward way of someone who's fed herself well for a decade) — she said, "I want to know more about the war." Not accusatory. Genuinely. She said, "I treat veterans all day. I understand the clinical picture. I don't know your picture." I said I wasn't sure I was ready to give her my picture. She said, "Okay. Whenever you are." But the way she said it — patient and also a little sad — I could feel the distance between what she needs and what I can give right now. I don't know if the distance is permanent or just current. I don't know how to know that.

I called Gary Saturday. He said, "She's pushing at the wall because she cares. That's not a bad thing." I said, "I know it's not bad. I don't know if I can let her through." He said, "That's honest. Tell her that too." I said, "How many hard conversations are there going to be?" He said, "As many as you have."

Mom made pumpkin pie Tuesday because we had a pumpkin from the garden. I ate a quarter of it standing at the counter. Pumpkin pie in November is one of the better things about November.

Mom’s pumpkin pie was gone by Wednesday — I made sure of that — and I’ve been thinking about that standing-at-the-counter feeling ever since: the cold morning, the quiet house, something warm and good that doesn’t ask anything of you. These caramel apple tartlets are that same thing in a different shape. Fall fruit, a little sweetness, pastry that you can make without thinking too hard — the kind of recipe that fits inside a hard week without making it bigger than it already is.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 package (14.1 oz) refrigerated pie crusts (2 sheets)
3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade), plus more for drizzling
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
1 tablespoon coarse sugar, for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut the crusts. Unroll pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Using a 4-inch round cutter or the rim of a wide glass, cut 4 rounds from each sheet for 8 rounds total. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets.
Make the filling. In a medium bowl, toss apple slices with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour until evenly coated.
Assemble the tartlets. Spoon a small amount of caramel sauce (about 1 teaspoon) onto the center of each pastry round, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Arrange 4–5 apple slices over the caramel, overlapping slightly. Dot with butter pieces. Fold the edges of each round up and over the outer apples, pleating as needed to form a rustic rim.
Brush and sugar. Brush the folded pastry edges with beaten egg. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the edges and apples.
Bake. Bake 22–26 minutes, until crusts are deep golden brown and apples are tender and lightly caramelized at the edges.
Finish and serve. Remove from oven and drizzle each tartlet with additional caramel sauce while still warm. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Caramel Apple Tartlets — November’s Small Mercies