Apple Almond Tart

So everybody is back to school and the year is in full swing.  Nothing says fall and the start of school like apples.  Apples are everything and everywhere.  Living in Michigan, I am lucky enough to have all types of apples available to me.  Personally, my favorite are Golden Delicious to eat out of hand, and to bake with, I love Granny Smith.

 I picked up a quart of Granny Smith apples last week at the farmer’s market, knowing full well what I was going to do with them.  Finding the time?  That is another issue all together.  Well, the planets lined up and the world stopped turning for few moments to allow me to make something that has been on my mind for a long time and use my apples

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Apple Almond Tart.  YUMMMM.  I found the recipe in one of the Martha Stewart “Everyday Food” magazines.  It wasn’t a recipe that was actually apart of the magazine, but a pull out ad, by the makers of Glad.  You know, garbage bags, plastic bags, reusable containers and freezer bags.  What caught my eye was the picture.  It was a full size tart with Granny Smith apples placed on a sweet almond cream.  (Picture my mouth drooling). 

I made the recipe just as is.  Except, I made 12 individual tarts (used my new tart pans) instead of one great big one.  The recipe makes 3 tart dough recipes so two of them can be frozen in the product the ad was advertising.  I used 2 of the 3 of the dough recipes in my little tarts.  You don’t need to double the pastry cream recipe.  I had enough for my tarts as well.

This recipe does have a few steps in it.  If you have a lazy afternoon and want to be alone in the kitchen by yourself, please make this.  It is buttery and warm and delicious.  The apples are tender and the almond matches so well with the crust and the tartness of the apples.  They are visually stunning too!  My picture taking skills don’t give the tarts what they deserve, a pastry case somewhere in France!

Apple Almond Tart

Pastry

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1½ cups cold butter, cut into cubes

10 to 12 tablespoons ice water

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.  With your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until crumbly.
2. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water; stir with fork.
3. Repeat blending with remaining water as needed, just until dough begins to hold together.
4. Shape into 3 disks.  Wrap each disk in plastic wrap.
5. Refrigerate 2 disks for 30 minutes and freeze the third.
6. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
7. Unwrap refrigerated crust and roll into a round bigger than the tart shell pan you are using.
8. Fold and press over hang, freeze 15 minutes.
9. Line tart shells with foil; fill with pie weights.  Bake 15 minutes; remove foil and weights.  ( I use dried beans)
10. Bake until golden.  Cool on rack.
11. Reduce heat to 375 degrees

 

Pastry Filling

1 cups (8oz) almond paste, crumbled

¼ cup butter, softened

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 tart apples, sliced thinly

¼ cup apple jelly, melted

1. In a food processor, pulse the first 5 ingredients until crumbly.
2. Add eggs; process until smooth.
3. Add flour; pulse just until combined.
4. Spread filling in tart shell
5. Arrange apples as neatly as you can.
6. Bake until apples are tender.  (mine took 30 minutes)
7. Brush apples with jelly; cool on rack.