Warm Apple Tartlets with Red Wine-Caramel Sauce

Place red wine in saucepan, and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, or until reduced by three-quarters. Place sugar in another saucepan, and melt sugar over medium-low heat until golden brown. Add butter and vanilla pulp, and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add apple wedges, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until apples are half-cooked. Remove apples from caramel, and reserve both separately.

To make Pâte Brisée: Mix flour, sugar, salt and butter in bowl, and, using electric mixer on low speed, beat until combined and butter is in pea-sized chunks. Add egg yolk and water all at once, and mix on low speed until dough just begins to come together. Remove dough to lightly floured work surface, and form into ball. Cover dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F.

If bottom of tartlet pan not removable, spray pan with nonstick vegetable spray, and line bottom of each pan with parchment paper circle. Roll dough out 1/8-inch thick, and line pans with dough and 1/2 teaspoon chopped walnuts. Place 4 to 6 apple wedges in each tartlet, and brush with some caramel sauce.

Bake tartlets for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Add remaining caramel sauce to red wine reduction, and whisk until smooth. Fold in remaining walnuts and keep warm. Remove from heat, cool slightly and remove from pans, discarding parchment paper. Place tartlet on plate, spoon red wine caramel sauce around tartlet and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Wine Suggestions

Sweet, full-body, late-harvest Riesling dovetails nicely with the apple, caramel and walnut combination, with older styles of Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese having desirable balance and toned-down acidity to complement this dish. Also, you can try the sweet Hungarian dessert wine Tokaji Aszu.