Thin Apple Tart Food

RUSTIC FRENCH APPLE TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the cold butter and process just until the butter is the size of peas, about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and process just until moistened and very crumbly, about 5 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times, just until it comes together into a cohesive ball. Pat the dough into a disk. Flour your work surface again and dust the dough with flour, as well. Using a rolling pin, roll into a circle 8 to 10 inches in diameter, turning and adding more flour as necessary so the dough doesn't stick. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the filling (you'll roll the dough out further on the parchment paper so go ahead and clean your work surface).
• Make the Filling: Peel, core, and cut the apples into ⅛-inch-thick slices (you should have about 4 cups) and place in a large bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt; toss to combine.
• Take the dough from the fridge and slide the parchment paper onto the countertop. Roll the dough, directly on the parchment paper, into a 14-inch circle about ⅛ inch thick. It's fine if the edges are a little ragged. Place the parchment and dough back on the baking sheet - the pastry should curve up the lip of the pan.
• Assemble the tart: Sprinkle the flour evenly over the pastry. Arrange the apple slices on top in overlapping concentric circles to within 3 inches of the edge. Don't worry about making it look perfect! It doesn't make much difference in the end and you don't want the dough to get too warm. Fold the edges of the dough over the apples in a free-form fashion, working your way around and creating pleats as you go. Patch up any tears by pinching a bit of dough from the edge.
• Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with the beaten egg. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the turbinado sugar over the top crust and 1 tablespoon over the fruit. Chill the assembled tart in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the center position.
• Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden and cooked through. (It's okay if some of the juices leak from the tart onto the pan. The juices will burn on the pan but the tart should be fine -- just scrape any burnt bits away from the tart once it's baked.) Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool.
• While the tart cools, make the optional glaze. In a small bowl, mix the apricot jam with 1½ teaspoons water. Heat in the microwave until bubbling, about 20 seconds. Using a pastry brush, brush the apples with the apricot syrup.
• Use two large spatulas to transfer the tart to a serving plate or cutting board. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. The tart is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers will keep, loosely covered on the countertop, for a few days.
• Note: Be sure to use baking apples that hold their shape when cooked, such as Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Fuji, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious. And use a mix of different varietals for the best flavor.
• Make Ahead: The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. Allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes or until pliable before rolling.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The assembled tart may be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the baking sheet in the freezer until the tart is frozen, then wrap tightly. (Wait until right before baking the tart to brush the beaten egg and sprinkle the sugar onto the crust.) Bake directly from the freezer. (It may take a few extra minutes to bake from frozen.)

FRENCH APPLE TART

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
• Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

THIN AND CRISP APPLE TART

Steps:

• Peel, core and cut apples on a mandoline, so the slices are extremely thin, without being see-through. In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with lemon zest, lemon juice and salt, and set aside. Heat the oven to 400, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Use about 1 tablespoon of butter to grease the parchment. Sprinkle the buttered surface evenly with 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Roll out the puff pastry to about the size of the sheet pan, using a light dusting of flour if the dough is sticky, then place on top of the parchment. Arrange the apple slices on top of the pastry so that they overlap in rows, crowding as much apple in as you can and going all the way to the edges of the pastry.
• Bake for 25 minutes, then cut remaining butter into 8 or so pieces and scatter over the top of the apples. Mix the remaining sugar with cinnamon, if using, and sprinkle evenly all over the top. Return tart to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the apples are tender and just starting to color at their edges and the pastry is brown and cooked through underneath (lift a corner to check). If you want to color the apples more, leave the tart under the broiler for a minute or two. Using the parchment paper to lift the tart out, gently slide it out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. Let it to come down to room temperature before slicing.

ROSE APPLE TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and pulse until incorporated. Pulse in the water, about 2 teaspoons at a time, until the dough starts to hold together. It will appear to be a bit crumbly, but should hold together easily when pressed.
• Lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and pour the dough mixture into it. Press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Use a lightly floured straight-sided measuring cup to help press the dough into the corners of the pan.) Reserve extra dough to repair any cracks after the shell is baked.
• Freeze the formed dough in the pan until completely firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line the tart shell with a piece of aluminum foil, making sure to tuck it into the corners and over the edges. Bake the shell for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough appears dry and lightly golden. If the dough puffs up while baking, gently press it back into the pan with an offset spatula or similar tool. If necessary, repair any cracks with the remaining raw dough. Cool slightly while you prepare the apples.
• Cut the apples from their cores in 3 pieces: Stand the apples up, with the stems facing up, and, using a sharp knife, cut 1 face of the apple, then rotate the apple about 120 degrees, slice again, and finally slice the last piece from the core. You should have a triangle-shaped piece of core left and 3 pieces of apple with flat bottoms.
• Reserve a smaller piece of apple, and carefully slice all the other apples into very thin half-moons, about 1/8-inch thick. (A mandoline makes this move quickly, but, if you are using a knife and working slowly, it's a good idea to squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the sliced apples to prevent browning.) Make sure to keep the slices together as you cut to make the assembly easier.
• Once the apples are sliced, build the tart: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar on the bottom of the blind-baked tart shell. Starting at the outer edge, arrange the apples in tight concentric circles, overlapping each slice about halfway over its neighbor. Take care to stand the apples up vertically, with the cut edges down and the peel edge pointing up. Pack the rows very tightly, stopping periodically to check your work.
• As you move toward the center, the apples will become trickier to bend into place. If you find the slices are breaking, slice the reserved piece of apple even thinner to make it easier to bend. Roll the last few slices into a circle and tuck it in the center.
• Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and a pinch of salt over the apple slices. Take care to sprinkle the sugar between the apple slices, rather than on top. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and bake the tart for 40 to 45 minutes or until the apples begin to brown just slightly on the edges and the crust is a deep golden brown. Check the tart periodically to make sure the shell is not over-browning at the edges. If it is, cover the edges with foil.
• Cool the tart on a rack for about 10 minutes, then prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan, warm the jam and a few drops of water over medium-low heat until it is runny. Use a pastry brush to very gently brush the warm tart with jam. Avoid brushing jam on the crust, but a thin layer all over the apple slices. Serve warm or room temperature.

THIN APPLE TART

Steps:

• To make the tart dough, whisk together the sour cream and egg yolk in a small bowl.
• Put the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter over the top of the flour and pulse 6 to 8 times, until the butter resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sour cream mixture and pulse until the dough just comes together. Scrape the dough onto a flat surface, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the dough is cold, at least 1 hour and up to 2 weeks.
• Spread the sugar over a flat surface. Place the disk of dough on the sugar and turn to coat in the sugar. Roll the dough out to a 14-inch circle that's 1/8 inch thick, flipping the dough once in the sugar during the rolling. Using a 12-inch plate as your guide, cut out the dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• To prepare the apples, combine the apple juice, lemon juice, sugars, and cinnamon in a small saucepan and cook, whisking occasionally, over high heat until slightly thickened and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Cover the glaze and keep warm.
• Slice the apple halves crosswise into paper-thin (about 1/16-inch) slices. Arrange the slices, overlapping them slightly, on the pastry round. Brush the tops of the apples with some of the warm glaze. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the tart until the apples are soft and the pastry is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and immediately brush the tops of the apples with more of the warm apple glaze. Using a large metal spatula, carefully transfer the tart to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
• Ladle some of the cinnamon crème anglaise onto large dinner plates and top with a slice of the apple tart.
• CINNAMON CRÈME ANGLAISE
• Prepare an ice bath by placing a medium bowl inside a larger bowl filled half full with ice water.
• Put the milk, cream, cinnamon, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean and seeds in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat.
• Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean, and return the entire mixture to the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, over medium-low heat until the custard thickens and leaves a path on the back of the spoon when you draw your finger across, about 2 minutes.
• Strain the custard into the bowl set in the ice bath and stir until chilled. Cover and refrigerate until cold, 3 hours or overnight.

THIN FRENCH APPLE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Place dough on a lighlty floured surface; roll into a 12 circle. Place on a 12 inch pizza pan. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 1 T sugar mixture over dough. Arrange apple slices spokelike on top of dough, working from outside edge of dough to the center. Sprinkle apple slices with remaining sugar mixture. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes.
• Combine honey and vanilla in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at High 40 seconds. Brush honey mixture over warm tart.
• Serve warm.

FRENCH APPLE TART

Steps:

• For the pastry, rub the butter into the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl until crumbly. Mix in the egg until it forms a dough, then form into a puck shape. Cover and chill for at least 30 mins. Will keep chilled for two days.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to roughly the thickness of a £1 coin, and use to line a 23cm fluted tart tin, leaving some overhanging. Line with a disc of baking parchment big enough to cover the edges, and fill with some baking beans to weigh it down (use dried rice or lentils if you don't have baking beans). Bake for 15 mins, then remove the parchment and beans and bake for 10-15 mins more until the pastry is biscuity. Trim away any overhanging pastry with a serrated knife. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, set aside four of the apples, then peel, core and roughly chop the rest. Put them in a shallow saucepan with 2 tbsp water, all but 1 tbsp of the sugar and the alcohol, if using. Cover and cook over a low heat for 25-30 mins, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed, until the apples have collapsed into a purée. Taste the mixture and sweeten with more sugar, if needed.
• Turn the oven up to 210C/190C fan/gas 8. Peel, core and halve the reserved apples, then cut into even-sized slices. Spread the apple purée over the base of the tart case, then arrange the apple slices in neat, concentric circles, starting from the outside. Brush the apples with butter, then scatter over the reserved sugar and bake for another 20-25 mins until golden.
• Mix the jam with 1 tbsp hot water from a freshly boiled kettle. When the tart has finished baking, glaze generously with the jam, then leave to cool a little. Serve warm or cold, dusted with icing sugar, if you like.