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Rustic French Apple Tart

Barbara
An easy to make rustic tart with all the apple cinnamon flavors of autumn.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cool 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 1 tart

Equipment

  • Parchment paper
  • Food processor

Ingredients
  

For the crust:

  • 1½ cup flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1½ sticks very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • ¼ cup very cold water

For the filling:

  • 1¾ lbs Granny Smith apples
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ tsp salt

Assemble and bake tart:

  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 tbsp Demerara sugar

Instructions
 

Make the crust for the tart:

  • Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
  • Add flour, salt, sugar and very cold butter to a food processor. Pulse until butter is incorporated into the flour and resembles small peas.
  • Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture and pulse just until moistened and dough is very crumbly, about 5 seconds.
  • Pour dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
  • Knead the dough with your hands a few times, just until the dough comes together into a cohesive ball and form the dough into a disk. 
  • Add additional flour to your work surface and dust the top of the dough with some flour.
  • Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a circle about 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Turn the dough as you roll it out, add more flour if needed so the dough doesn’t stick.
  • Transfer the dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and place it in the refrigerator.

Make the tart filling:

  • Peel, core and cut apples into ⅛ inch thick slices and place them in a large bowl.
  • Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt. Toss to coat the apple slices.

Assemble the tart:

  • Remove dough from the fridge and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet and onto your worksurface.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll the dough (leave it on the parchment paper) into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Don't worry if the edges are a little ragged.
  • Slide the parchment paper with the dough back on the baking sheet (the pastry will curve up the lip of the pan a little bit).
  • Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour evenly over the pastry, smoothing it out with your fingers.
  • Arrange the apple slices on the dough. Overlap slices in a circle, starting in the center and working your way out to about 3 inches from the edge.
  • Fold the edges of the dough up and over the apples in a free-form fashion. Fold dough towards the center, working all the way around, creating pleats as you go. Patch up any tears by pinching the dough together.
  • Use a pastry brush to brush the pleated dough evenly with beaten egg.
  • Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the Demerara sugar over the top crust and 1 tablespoon over the apple slices.
  • Chill the tart in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Bake the tart:

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Bake chilled tart for 65-75 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crust is a rich golden brown. Center should be bubbly.
  • Cool tart on cookie sheet.

To serve the tart:

  • Use two large spatulas to transfer the tart to a pretty serving platter or large wooden cutting board.
  • Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. Delicious served with either freshly whipped cream or served a la mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
  • Best served the day it's made. Can be stored at room temperature, covered for a few days.
Keyword apple, tart