recipes:dessert:freeform_apple_tart
Notes
Adapted from A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes, by David Tanis by Orangette.
Ingredients
For crust:
- 4 Tbsp. ice water, plus more as needed
- 3⁄4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 3⁄4 tsp. salt
- 9 Tbsp. (4 1⁄2 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
For filling:
- 6 to 7 medium Granny Smith apples (about 2 1⁄2 pounds)
- 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 cup water
Method
To prepare the crust:
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine 4 Tbsp. ice water and the cider vinegar.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to blend. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal; there should be no pieces of butter bigger than a large pea. With the motor running, slowly add the water-vinegar mixture, processing just until moist clumps form. If you pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it in your fist, it should hold together. If the dough seems a bit dry, add more ice water by the teaspoon, pulsing to incorporate. I sometimes find that 1 additional teaspoon is perfect.
- Turn the dough out onto a wooden board or clean countertop, and gather it, massaging and pressing, until it just holds together. Shape it into a ball, and press it into a disk about 1 1⁄2 inches thick. If the disk cracks a bit at the edges, don’t worry; just pinch the cracks together as well as you can.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and then press it a bit more, massaging away any cracks around the edges, allowing the constraint of the plastic wrap to help you form it into a smooth disk.
- Refrigerate the wrapped dough for at least 2 hours. (Dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw it in refrigerator overnight before using.) Before rolling it out, allow the dough to soften slightly at room temperature.
To assemble:
- Set an oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 375°F.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle measuring approximately 11 by 16 inches.
- Transfer the dough to a rimmed baking sheet.
- Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
- Peel the apples, and cut them into quarters.
- Cut out the cores, and toss them into a medium saucepan. To the cores, add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. i
- Simmer until the mixture has reduced to a thick syrup.
- Strain out and discard the solids, and set the syrup aside.
- Meanwhile, cut the apples into thin – roughly ¼-inch-thick – slices. # Arrange the apple slices over the pastry in 5 rows, overlapping them like cards in solitaire.
- Sprinkle sugar generously over the apples.
- If you want to, fold up the edges of the dough a little bit, to form a small rim.
- Bake the tart until the pastry is crisp and golden brown and the apples are beginning to color, about 35 to 45 minutes. [If your apples aren’t getting much color, don’t worry; if the pastry is looking right and the apples are at least tender, you should be fine. My apples stayed pretty pale.]
- Cool on the pan on a rack.
- Just before serving, rewarm the glaze. Slide the tart from the pan onto a cutting board. Brush the apples with the warm glaze. Slice, and serve.
recipes/dessert/freeform_apple_tart.txt · Last modified: 2017/12/19 19:42 by admin