Recipe#8352

Title: Caramel Apple Ginger

From: Monroe Pastermack keloid@hooked.net 
 Newsgroups: rec.food.baking 
 Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 12:46:49 -0700 
 Message-ID: <326A81A9.2385@hooked.net> 

1/2 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs
 1/4 cup shortbread cookie crumbs
 2 Tbls chopped toasted walnuts
 1 Tbl sugar
 1-1/2 Tbls melted sweet butter
 1/2 cup sugar
 1/2 cup sweet butter
 1/4 tsp. grated fresh ginger
 1 cup Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and diced 
 1 lb natural cream cheese (no stabilizers)
 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbl. sugar
 1/2 tsp lemon juice 
 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
 pinch salt
 2 large eggs
 3 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
 2 tbls. sweet butter
 1-1/4 cup brown sugar
 2/3 cup light corn syrup
 1/4 cup butter
 1/2 cup whipping cream
 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
 Combine the cookie crumbs, nuts and sugar in a food processor or
 blender.  Process or blend until uniformly fine crumb. Add the
 melted butter and process or mix to moisten the crumbs evenly.
 (The ingredients will not hold together.)
 With your fingertips, distribute the crumbs evenly over the bottom
 of an unbuttered 9" x  3" spring mold pan.  Press down firmly to
 make a compact layer on the bottom only.
 Put the rack in the bottom one-third of the oven. Bake at 350
 degrees for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature or place
 in freezer to chill.
 In a medium pan, melt the 1/2 cup of butter with the 1/2 cup of
 sugar and cook until it becomes a light brown caramel. Add the
 apples and ginger and saute until very tender and golden brown.
 Pour the Caramelized apples over the baked crust and distribute
 evenly. Chill again.
 Butter the sides of the pan carefully using a pastry brush and
 melted butter (Use additional melted butter for this purpose).
 Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until
 smooth. Mix in the lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs,
 one at a time, and mix in well, scraping the bowl well after each
 egg. After adding the eggs, beat as little as possible.
 Turn the mixture into the prepared pan, pouring it over the apples
 and crust. Wrap he bottom of the spring mold pan int a few layers
 of aluminum foil. This will prevent water from entering the pan
 while baking.  Level the batter and place the pan into another pan
 that is larger.  Add 1 inch of hot water and bake in a 350 degree
 oven for 45 minutes or until the cake does one solid jingle when
 bumped. Remove from the water bath and remove the foil wrapping.
 Let the cake stand at room temperature for several hours to become
 completely cool and set. With a sharp knife cut around the sides
 all the way to the bottom to release from the pan. Remove the spring
 form sides and refrigerate overnight.
 In a covered saucepan slowly cook the apple slices with the butter
 until cook, but firm. Cool and set aside.
 Combine the sugar, corn syrup and butter in a saucepan and stir
 over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking until
 the mixture forms a firm ball in cold water (242 degrees F. on a
 candy thermometer).
 Remove from the heat and add the cream and the vanilla. Cool.
 Place apples slices on cake and drizzle caramel over apples.