Rustic French Apple Tart
This recipe is SO easy and is such a crowd pleaser. Before we get to the recipe, a word of advice: you might be tempted to load up the tart with extra apples but, trust me, less is more with this type of dessert. The apples release quite a bit of juice, which can leak from the tart and make a mess of the crust and your oven.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup very cold water
Filling
- 1-3/4 lbs baking apples (3 large)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Assembling and Baking
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
Method
Begin by making the pastry: In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse briefly to combine, then add the pieces of cold butter. Process just until the butter is the size of peas, about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and process just until moistened and very crumbly, about 5 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead a few times, just until it comes together into a cohesive ball. Pat the dough into a disk. Flour your work surface again and dust the dough with flour, as well. Using a rolling pin, roll into a circle 8 to 10 inches in diameter, turning and adding more flour as necessary so the dough doesn’t stick. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the filling (you’ll roll the dough out further on the parchment paper so go ahead and clean your work surface).
To make the filling: Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/8-inch-thick slices (you should have about 4 cups) and place in a large bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt. Toss to combine. Take the dough from the fridge and slide the parchment paper onto the countertop. Roll the dough, directly on the parchment paper, into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. It’s fine if the edges are a little ragged. Place the parchment and dough back on the baking sheet – the pastry should curve up the lip of the pan. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour evenly over the pastry. Arrange the apple slices on top in overlapping concentric circles to within 3 inches of the edge. Don’t worry about making it look perfect! It doesn’t make much difference in the end and you don’t want the dough to get too warm.
Fold the edges of the dough over the apples in a free-form fashion, working your way around and creating pleats as you go. Patch up any tears by pinching a bit of dough from the edge. Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with the beaten egg. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the raw sugar over the top crust and 1 tablespoon over the fruit. Then chill the assembled tart in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden and cooked through. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool. The tart is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers will keep, loosely covered on the countertop, for a few days.
Enjoy!
Alex
Enjoy!
Alex