French Apple Tart

Submitted by: June Shockley

This tart is a real show stopper worthy of high tea.  I love the simplicity of the crust.  The tart is made in parts and as always read through all of the directions before you start to make it. 

Although it looks complicated, it really is not.  I could also see this as a plum or pear tart.  I think a pear tart with some fresh raspberries sprinkled on top would take the blue ribbon!

French Apple Tart

You will need a 9” tart pan with removable bottom.  This tart has 3 parts: crust, filling, apple top layer

Crust

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

5 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup melted unsalted butter

Directions for crust:

Combine ingredients and form into a ball.  Take 2/3 of crust mixture and pinch off small portions and pat into bottom of tart pan until covered.  Take remaining 1/3 of crust mixture and pinch off small pieces to fit around sides of pan.  Using you fingers flatten out the crust until you have a crust that looks like a rolled-crust, nice and smooth.

Bake at 350 for 30 min., rotate halfway through baking.  Remove from oven.  It should look golden brown.

Top Apple Layer: Do this before making the filling layer as it needs to cool slightly.  You will want to be very neat about cutting the apples since they will become the decorative topping.  Your goal is to get 16 slices per apple.  This is best accomplished by quartering the apple and then cutting each quarter into 4 slices.

Ingredients for top layer:

5 large golden delicious apples peeled and sliced  

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon water

Directions for top layer of apples:

In a large skillet, with a top, melt 1 T. butter on medium heat   To melted butter add the 5 apples which have been peeled and sliced into uniform pieces.  Add 1 T. water, cover pan and cook about 4 minutes.  Your goal is basically to steam the apple slices so they are pliable.  They will be cooked in the oven later.

Empty the apples on to a platter to cool.

Filling Layer:

Ingredients:

5 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced uniformly

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup apricot preserves (NOTE – press the apricot preserves through a strainer until you get approximate 3 tablespoons of puree.  Set the puree aside to use later and add all of the remaining apricot jam solids to the apple mixture)

¼ teaspoon fresh nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

On medium heat place a large skillet with a top and melt 2 tablespoons butter.  To the melted butter add the 5 sliced Golden Delicious apples and the salt.  Cover and let cook about 4 minutes or until they become soft being careful not to brown or burn apples.  Remove cover and start to mash apples for about 5 minutes.  This allows some of the moisture from the apples to evaporate.  Your goal is to make a coarse applesauce.  When apples are mashed mix in nutmeg, cinnamon, and apricot jam.  This is your filling.  Taste it to see if you want more of the spices or jam.  This is the time to make any adjustment you may want to make to the filling.

Construction of Tart:

1. Place cooked filling into baked tart shell.  Spread evenly to edge.
2. Arrange cooked apple sliced on top of tart, pressing them into the filling slightly.  Arrange them by placing the slices all along the outer edge with the thicker edge of the slice toward the outer edge of the pan. Continue all around the pan until the outer edge is full.  Then, begin you second row, with the apple slices layed in brick fashion with no cracks aligned. Continue around and around packing the slices tightly until the top looks almost like an opened rose.  For the very center, take a slice or two of apple and cut it into 4 small square pieces.
3. Bake tart in oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

Finishing:

Remove tart from oven and using a pastry brush coat the apples with your remaining 3 tablespoons of apricot puree.  Be careful not to coat the outer crust or the pan with the puree as it may make the tart stick to the pan and that will make removal difficult.

Place the tart under the broiler for about 2 or 3 minutes, all the while watching it carefully.  You want a nice golden brown with a few darker accents.

Remove and enjoy with a dollop of whipped cream or a small ball of vanilla ice cream.  I think the Queen will be impressed.