apple caramel & parmesan tart + peet's coffee

a few weeks ago, i got a surprise in the mail. you see, it's normal that i get boxes by the door and normally, i know what's inside it but that time, the return address was foodbuzz's. i couldn't remember if i ordered something, but instead of guessing, i grabbed a knife, cut the tape and opened it. this is what i saw...

i was super excited because i love peet's coffee. according to one of my closest friends, kristin, it's real coffee. it just sucks that i couldn't share a pack with her because i just don't have to drop by her gorgeous flower shop.
anyway, i have been meaning to post a recipe that would go really well with both varieties the first week i got the box, but my hectic school schedule hindered me from doing so. the workload is getting crazier by the day and i can't wait for this semester to an end. i really shouldn't have taken two writing intensive classes in one semester. ew, i'm ranting again, i'm so sorry, sometimes it just comes out. i'm not going to bore you with any more of this school ridiculousness and let's talk about food and coffee!
this past week, the temperature went down a little bit and i started feeling the spirit of fall. i couldn't dress up all fall-y yet, but at least i don't have to turn on the a/c in the car when i drop shawn off to work at 5:30 in the morning. it's not particularly hot where i live but, i just hate the heat. sometimes, i wish that there's a way to turn off the sun.
after i felt the need to wear a thin sweater this past weekend, i thought, why not make a sweet treat that would go really well with both medium roast coffees and at the same time welcome the long awaited fall season - weather wise. i have been drinking the both coffee varieties since the day i got it and it really did taste how it was described in the website. cafe solano certainly had fruit and floral notes to it and cafe domingo had a toffee hint to it. my brain then started working.

a treat that mirrors the characteristics of both varieties would truly be a perfect complement for both. i thought, apples are quintessential fall fruits, so why not use it. cinnamon and caramel would go well with apples and they would also have the same flavor profile as the coffee - perfect! i did not want to make apple pie, one, because i did not have the skills to make it, yet and a two, i am scared. yes, pies scare me.
tart was the next idea i had. i have made a few tarts before and i am quite comfortable doing them. i love tarts, they're not overly complicated and there's no fear that the insides will fall apart when you cut a piece off of it. i was so excited to make this recipe because i was finally going to have the chance to put the saigon cinnamon i got at costco to use and eat something else with the coffee other than toast.

after baking the treat, i tried it out and turned out real good. it complemented both coffees quite well. the caramel in the apple went well with the toffee notes of cafe domingo and the apple and cinnamon went very well with the fruity notes of cafe solano. the bitterness of the coffee also balances out the sweetness of the caramel. another good thing about both coffees are they're medium roasts which means they have more caffeine in them than darker roast coffees, so if you need a quick picker upper make sure to get the least roasted coffee (least bitter) you can get and most of the time, it's a medium roast (in the west coast, at least).

coffee lovers, if you want to try the newest additions to the peet's line of delicious coffees, click here to get an online coupon.

apple caramel & parmesan tart

ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
2 apples, cored and thinly sliced + juice of half a lemon to prevent browning (whatever apples you have on hand. i used red delicious.)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup shaved parmesan
2 tbsp melted butter caramel (recipe at the bottom)

instructions:

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. in a large bowl combine sliced apples, brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. cut puff pastry into 8 rectangles and brush with melted butter.
4. top buttered puff pastry with shaved parmesan and apples.
5. bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
6. drizzle with caramel*.

no sugar burning caramel recipe

1 - 14 oz can condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
4 tbsp butter

1. combine all ingredients in a pot over medium high heat.
2. when the sugar dissolves into the mixture, about 3 minutes, let the sauce thicken for another 5 minutes and you're all set. this is not going to be a dark caramel. if you cook it until it changes color, it might be to thick and be too hard to drizzle.

as part of the foodbuzz tastemaker program, I received peet's cafe solano and cafe domingo medium roast coffees.