It is a bleak wintery day and all I want to do is be wrapped in a warm blanket drinking hot coffee and enjoying this lovely dessert.
Yes, it is only 11:00am but I still want to have some.
I am so excited to try MANY recipes from this book and share how you definitely need to get a copy of it ASAP! The book has 12 chapters on different dishes, from appetizers, drinks, and desserts, to sushi, pizza, and sauces. The book has great pictures to go with many of the recipes, so when I came across the recipe for the Baked Apple Napoleon, I stood in my kitchen staring intently on the picture.
I wanted this as soon as I coould bake it. It also included a recipe for Cashew Cream. Can you say, “Yes, please?” 
Before I left for the holidays I left behind LOTS of apples in the refrigerator. Yes. I still had them and they were still only good for baking. Thanks to Specialty Produce for supplying me with a variety of apples but I used them up ALL for this recipe.
- King David apples
- Grimes apples
- Spitzenberg apples
- Northern Spy apples
- Belle de Boskoop apples
Yes, this a long list of different apples to use, but they HAD to be used. The recipe calls for Granny Smith apples but I am sure the napoleon would have come out a little tarter.
I am glad that I used sweeter apples because this dessert was indeed what I thought it was. Comfort food. Dessert in its finest moment using such simple ingredients. I only made slight variations to reduce the amount of fat this dessert asked. The result was still as tasty. I only imagined the original recipe would have been a little greasier.
Baked Apple Napoleon with Cashew Cream
from The Sublime Restaurant Cookbook
serves 8-10 (using a 9×13 dish)
1/4 cup vegan margarine (reduced from 1/2 cup)
2 pounds of apples, cored, peeled, & sliced (original recipe called for Granny Smith)
1 cup dark rum
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed (use 1 cup w/ Granny Smith)
1 cup currants
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 box (20 sheets) phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 cup vegan margarine, melted (original recipe for 1 cup)
Melt the 1/4 cup of the margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the apples, rum, and sugar and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the apples are tender. Add the currants, stir, and remove from the heat. Stir in cinnamon and let the apples cool to room tempeature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degreesF. Remove the phyllo dough from the box and unroll it. Remove half the sheets and lay them into a flat stack on a cutting board. (Refreeze the unused sheets.) Cut the stack into four 2x12inch blocks. Peel off strips of the phyllo dough from the blocks and place 10 overlapping strips in a 9×13 (original recipe called for a 4x12x5-inch baking dish). Brush the strips with some melted margarine.
Layer one-quarter of the apples over the strips and then layer with another 10 strips of phyllo dough over the apples and brush with more melted margarine. Repeat this process until the apples are in the dish and a final layer of phyllo is on top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes (original recipe called for 12-15 minutes) until top layer of the phyllo dough is golden brown. Serve with a dollop of cashew cream.
Stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, the dessert will last 3 days.
Cashew Cream
yields 3 cups
2 cups raw cashews
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup (my adaption)
Blend ingredients in a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix) and blend until smooth. Store in a tight-sealed container in refrigerator. Will last for 5 days.
