Rustic Apple Tart

Mix the flour, salt and sugar together in a largebowl. Cut the butter into a small dice and add to thebowl. With a pastry blender or large fork, work the butter into the flour mixture until the butter bits are smaller than tiny peas. Do not pulverize the flour and butter together or the pastry will be less flaky. An alternative method is to grate the cold butter on the largest grid on a box grater before adding it to the flour. The amount of water this crust will take will vary with the humidity.

Begin with a scant half cup, blend, and add additional water by a tablespoon each time until the dough comes together into a ball. (It will be a bit sticky) Dust your hands with flour and gently work the dough together into a smooth ball, trying to handle it as little as possible. Add one tablespoon of flour to a gallon sized zippered plastic bag and shake to coat the inside of the bag. Dump out the excess flour, add the dough to the bag and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Apple Filling
5 to 6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, cored and roughly sliced
1/3 cup granulated or regular light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon (McCormack’s Saigon cinnamon is very good)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Very optional – 1/4 cup dried currants soaked in 1 TB Calvados or other brandy and drained)
2 Tb unsalted butter

Mix the apples, sugars, spices and currants if you are using them and allow to muddle for about 15 minutes. Taste for sugar and add more to your taste, if necessary.

Dust a work surface with flour and place the dough inthe middle. Lightly flour the top of the dough and yourrolling pin and roll out into a circle about 15 or 16 inches across. Invert a large pie pan or platter over the dough and trim the edges to form a circle about 14 inches across. Brush off any excess flour and transfer the dough to a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Turn the apples out onto the pastry disc, leaving a two to three inch border all around. Turn up the outer edge of the pastry to enclose the apples. Dot the top of the apples with bits of butter. Bake at 375 for approximately 45 minutes. If you like a darker crust, increase the temperature to 400 degrees and cook for an additional 12 minutes. Don’t increase the temperature for the additional 12 minutes if your tart is nicely brown.

Serve with a bit of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Makes 6 very handsome servings.


		Rustic Apple Tart
Sue Kleber This tart avoids all those pitfalls. The single crust is crisp and buttery every time and because the juices are open to the heat, they evaporate and give an intense fruit taste without flour or tapioca. This pastry is also a great deal easier to make, easier to serve, and it looks pretty and maximizes the fresh apple goodness. This is a good first baking experience for the beginning cook. Now I know that boys love their pie, and don’t we like to give them what they want, but the standard two-crust pie is problematical. First, the first piece never comes out neat and pretty. Too often the rest of the pie is cooked before the bottom crust is done and it tastes a bit gluey. Knowing how much thickener to add to the fruit is a best guess proposition. Too much thickener and the filling is loses its fresh fruit taste. Too little and the filling is runny.			The Pastry 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 2 TB granulated white sugar 1 stick cold unsalted butter (4 ozs) Approximately 1/2 cup ice water Mix the flour, salt and sugar together in a largebowl. Cut the butter into a small dice and add to thebowl. With a pastry blender or large fork, work the butter into the flour mixture until the butter bits are smaller than tiny peas. Do not pulverize the flour and butter together or the pastry will be less flaky. An alternative method is to grate the cold butter on the largest grid on a box grater before adding it to the flour. The amount of water this crust will take will vary with the humidity. Begin with a scant half cup, blend, and add additional water by a tablespoon each time until the dough comes together into a ball. (It will be a bit sticky) Dust your hands with flour and gently work the dough together into a smooth ball, trying to handle it as little as possible. Add one tablespoon of flour to a gallon sized zippered plastic bag and shake to coat the inside of the bag. Dump out the excess flour, add the dough to the bag and refrigerate for at least an hour. Apple Filling 5 to 6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, cored and roughly sliced 1/3 cup granulated or regular light brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon (McCormack’s Saigon cinnamon is very good) 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp kosher salt Very optional – 1/4 cup dried currants soaked in 1 TB Calvados or other brandy and drained) 2 Tb unsalted butter Mix the apples, sugars, spices and currants if you are using them and allow to muddle for about 15 minutes. Taste for sugar and add more to your taste, if necessary. Dust a work surface with flour and place the dough inthe middle. Lightly flour the top of the dough and yourrolling pin and roll out into a circle about 15 or 16 inches across. Invert a large pie pan or platter over the dough and trim the edges to form a circle about 14 inches across. Brush off any excess flour and transfer the dough to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Turn the apples out onto the pastry disc, leaving a two to three inch border all around. Turn up the outer edge of the pastry to enclose the apples. Dot the top of the apples with bits of butter. Bake at 375 for approximately 45 minutes. If you like a darker crust, increase the temperature to 400 degrees and cook for an additional 12 minutes. Don’t increase the temperature for the additional 12 minutes if your tart is nicely brown. Serve with a bit of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Makes 6 very handsome servings.
	Courtesy of: Real Estate & Living www.somocorealestate.com