Sautéed Cinnamon Apples: an innovative yet familiar winter dessert

It's very common to feel hungrier during winter than other seasons. And each country has its own signature winter dishes.  Apart from pies, tarts and hot chocolate, Rich’s would like to introduce to you a new yet familiar dessert to warm up this season: Sautéed Cinnamon Apples.

Why is it a new yet familiar dessert?

Simply because apples and caramel are a classic combination that hit all the right notes in the Western culinary. For Dao Thien Nam – the innovator of this dish, apple tarts and apple wine play an indispensable role in the cold season. Apple tarts are absolutely irresistible with their crispy crust, juicy and tender apple slices on top—let alone the sweet aroma of caramel cinnamon. Meanwhile, apple wine is just as much of a permanent feature of winter that helps warm up the body. When it's cold outside, nothing beats a hot cup of apple wine with ginger and cinnamon.
That’s why Sautéed cinnamon apples is the perfect choice for this winter. Simple recipe, cheap and easy to make, this dessert was a big hit at Rich's foodservice classes in Hanoi on Dec. 14 and 15.

As usual, after the introduction of the ingredients, Nam started to share with the audience his insight: “In the winter, besides keeping the body warm, these Christmassy desserts offer serious mental benefits and make your life a whole lot lovelier.”

The audience then became less reluctant to approach the kitchen area and closely observed the performance. After boiling Rich’s Versatié, white chocolate and cinnamon together, Thien Nam slowly poured caramel sauce into the mixture and stirred well. The aroma of caramel and chocolate warmed up the whole room.

The apples were also sautéed in a quick and simple manner. The apples were diced and stir-fried with butter, ginger and cinnamon, projecting a fascinating scent. While stir-frying apples, Nam also reminded the audience to keep the heat low and stir constantly in order for the apples to turn out tender and well-seasoned on the outside but still crunchy on the inside. Then, he poured the sautéed apples into a glass.

Because of its bright color, red apples are preferred in Christmas desserts. But Nam chose green apples instead for its slight sourness and crunchiness, which are perfect to balance the flavor of this dish.

Before his final touch, Nam said: “When making the caramel sauce, it’s important to pay attention to the color and the thickness of the caramel. This sauce gives the dish a mildly sweet flavor and a silky brownish yellow color. And for the cinnamon, you can use either cinnamon powder or cinnamon sticks. However, cinnamon sticks are more flavorful than cinnamon powder. And you can use them as decorations for the dessert too.”

A new year has begun with many delicious treats. After parties full of oily dishes, a refreshing desert like Sautéed Cinnamon Apples will satisfy even the pickiest customer.