Rustic Apple Tart – Recipe!

Apple season is here and there is nothing better than a Rustic Apple Tart to celebrate this delightful fall fruit.

Apples come in hundreds of varieties and when creating an apple dessert you should choose one or some that have a bit of acidity with a firm texture, yet a nice sweetness than lends itself to baking.  Granny Smith or Honey Crisp Apples are two choices I usually use when making a fresh fruit tart.

This tart is rustic and what makes it that way is that no pan is required — only a good sheet pan or cookie sheet, as it’s sometimes called.  The free-form dough is fun to roll out and fill with crisp apples that have been sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.  In this recipe, I added a streusel topping on top before I folded the edges of dough around the apples.  The extra crumb crust makes for delicious eating and a real show stopper on the table.  I like to serve each slice with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped whipped cream.

Ingredients

Crust

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

pinch of salt

10 tablespoons cold butter, diced

2/3 cup ice water

1/4 cup heavy cream

Apple Filling

8 large apples, peeled and cut into large dice

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

juice of 1/2 lemon

Topping

1 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

6 tablespoon cold butter, diced

(Serves 8-10)

To Prepare:

1. To make crust –  add flour, sugar and salt to stand mixer or large bowl.  Add cold butter and mix on low until large coarse crumbs, about 1 minute.  Slowly drizzle in cold water until dough just begins to start to come together.  Dump dough out onto board and press into a disc.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
2. To make filling – place large diced apples in a bowl.  Add sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice.  Toss to coat.
3. To make streusel topping – place flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl, stir to combine.  Add butter and using fingers, press to form clumps.
4. Roll dough out into a 14 inch circle or about 1/4 inch thick.  Place on sheet pan lined with parchment or silpat.
5. Add apples to center of dough, about 3 inches from edge.  Sprinkle streusel on top and fold dough up and around edge of apples.
6. Brush edges of dough with cream and bake in a hot oven for 1 hour.  Remove and let cool at least an hour before serving.  Enjoy!