Tour de France '20 - Stage 4: Sisteron to Orciere-Merlete.
As the cyclists rode up and across the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region, along pastures, orchards, and into the mountains, it seemed a nice day as any to make a rustic French green apple tart.
Full disclosure: I know how to cook, but baking is totally not my jam. I can’t roll dough out properly, even if my life depended on it. I like cooking because you can wing it if something isn’t right. Baking is an exact science, and I never was a great rule-follower, so I guess it makes sense as to why I try to avoid it, if I can. So, you’re not going to get a Mangia McCann original recipe here...or probably for any baking recipe on this site, for that matter. But, if you’re bad at baking, like me, fear not. I was able to knock this out with no real issue and since it’s a rustic country tart, the crust doesn’t have to look perfect. That’s the beauty of this dish. Focus on the ingredients. Get fresh apples from your farmer’s market - apple season is exploding right now! Use quality products, like my most favorite vanilla. It turns out the author of the recipe I used, Jennifer Segal (of Once Upon a Chef fame), uses the same vanilla I love, as well as my favorite supermarket fruit preserves. Her recipe blog entry is great because it has lots of pictures so you can monitor your progress. If I can do it, so can you. The result was incredibly delicious...and while we’re still in full-disclosure mode, the two leftover pieces were a great breakfast treat for myself the next morning.
Rustic French Apple Tart
Adapted from Once Upon a Chef, Jennifer Segal
For assembling, you’ll need: parchment paper, 1 tbsp flour, 1 egg, turbinado sugar, and apricot jelly/jam (optional, but it’s tasty and makes for a nice glaze on the apples.)
Pastry
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp granulated sugar
Filling
1 ½ sticks of cold butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
¼ cup ice water
3 large apples
⅓ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, melted
⅛ tsp salt
To make the crust, place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and combine the flour salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel cutter blade and pulse to combine. Then add the cold butter and process for a few seconds until crumbly. Sprinkle the water over the dough and process for 5 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. It’s ok if the dough is still a little loose. Kknead a few times to pull it all together into a ball, then press into a disk. Dust the dough lightly with some flour, as well as the work surface and your roller, and begin to roll out the dough into an 8-10 inch circle. Transfer the dough to the parchment lined baking sheet and put in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Peel, core, and cut the apples into ¼ inch thick pieces and toss into a large bowl with the remaining filling ingredients; stirring to combine. Then remove the dough from the fridge and place the dough still-on-the-parchment, onto a counter and roll out the dough until it’s ⅛ inch thick and roughly a 14” circle. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfectly round, this is rustic! Place the parchment and dough back on the baking sheet. Dump the apples into the center and push out, leaving rough;y 3” distance between the filling and the edge of the dough. If you want, fuss with the apples a bit so they look pretty...fanning them out, etc. Then fold the dough edges inward, pressing the different flaps of dough together to make creases and prevent spillage. Beat the egg in a small bowl and using a pastry brush, moisten the top of the dough with the egg and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of turbinado sugar. Sprinkle another tablespoon of sugar over the filling.
Place it back in the fridge to settle for 20 minutes and preheat the oven to 350. Once the tart has properly chilled, place in the oven to bake for about an hour. Once the crust is browned to your liking, remove the pan from the oven and place on a rack to cool.
Meanwhile, scoop a tablespoon of jam in a bowl and mix with 1 ½ tsp of water and microwave for 20 seconds. Once the tart has cooled brush the jam mixture onto the apples. Slice and serve. Goes well with ice cream, but is fine all on its own.
Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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