French Apple Tart

At BeckwithRoad, our Pippin apple tree is bending it's branches, begging us to pick all it's ripened green globes that are tart and perfectly ready for baking. Recently inspired by Ina Garten's French Apple Tart, we set out to make her recipe. What we discovered is that we couldn't improve upon perfection. Ina's recipe is impeccable. You may find her recipe at Ina Garten.com.

French Apple Tart

Ingredients for pastry

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 1/2 sticks cold butter, diced

1/2 cup ice water

~To make pastry~

In the work bowl of a food processor, add the dry ingredients. Now the diced butter. Put on the lid and pulse until the butter in the flour mixture resembles small peas. Turn on the motor and drizzle the ice water into the flour mixture through the feed tube. Stop when it begins to form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form into a ball and flatten. Place dough in the fridge for at least one hour. When ready to assemble tart, turn oven onto 400 degrees.

Tart Filling

4 Granny Smith, Pippin or tart apples

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons cold butter cut into small dice

1/2 cup apricot jelly or jam

2 tablespoons Calvados,rum, brandy or cognac, optional

~To Make Filling~

Items you will need, cutting board, knife, melon baller or metal measuring spoon, cookie sheet, Silpat or parchment paper, mandolin slicer (optional), have some damp paper towels handy.

Peel the apples, keep them covered with damp paper towels to help prevent browning. Slice each apple in half through the stem. With a knife, trim the stems and core. Use a melon baller or 1/2 teaspoon metal measuring spoon to scoop out the seeds for a clean appearance. Slice the apples 1/4 inch thick with a knife or mandolin slicer. Keep each apple together in the order it was sliced. Cover with damp paper towels.

Roll out the pastry on a Silpat or parchment paper. The finished dough should be slightly larger than 10x14 inches. It will be a little thicker than regular pie crust. Lay the apples slices on top of the dough as per example above. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar (yes it's a lot, but necessary~surprisingly the tart is not overly sweet. Dot with 1/2 stick butter-dice. Bake in 400 degrees preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The tart is done when the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples are beginning to brown. See finished tart below.

~Hot from the oven!~

Warm the apricot jam, strain and add in the liquor. (we used Cognac) Brush generously over the surface of the baked tart.

~The only thing missing now is a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream~