I am somewhat obsessed with Ted Lasso, so when it came time to give this recipe post a name, I couldn’t help but think of Jamie Tartt’s theme song, which is indebted to Baby Shark. But, I digress. We’re here to talk about apples.
Like Ted Lasso, my mom’s apple tree is having a moment. I think it will last two more weeks. Hundreds upon hundreds of golden delicious hang from branches of a decades-old tree that decorates the corner of her property abutting the entrance to her neighborhood. I have boxes of apples on my kitchen table waiting to be peeled, cored, and sliced for various states of future consumption – whether dried, sauced, or in the case of this recipe, tarted (as in ‘we tarted the heck out of those apples!’). Oh the fruit of fall!
Last year at this time I made the best apple pie I have ever baked. In fact, the pie was so good that I couldn’t bear to give the entire masterpiece away. Despite making it as a thank you gift for a friend, he only recieved half a pie in the end. I am a horrible friend. But he was nonetheless thrilled and to this day tells me it was the best apple pie he has ever eaten. Here’s to Grandma Ople for her geniusness, which found its way to the world wide web via All Recipes. However, not everyone has the time to make a pie, and many of us are intimidated by making pie crust.
That’s why the follwoing Rustic French Apple Tart by Jenn Segal, is a delight to make! You actually pretend like you’re making a pie, but there’s no pie pan involved. Added bonus: Segal goes one step futher to keep the ‘crust’ directions to a minimum. She doesn’t fuss over all the ways in which one can make the best pie crust ever – a topic of great concern that many a food blogger has debated over the last decade. I’ll boil it down for you. Cold butter. Minimal mixing. Just the right amount of water.
You can jump over to Jenn’s blog for the full rundown on making the tart. I’m including the ingredients here so you can make a quick list for the store:
FOR THE CRUST
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup very cold water
FOR THE FILLING
- 1-3/4 lbs baking apples (3 large)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
FOR ASSEMBLING & BAKING
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
- 1 tablespoon apricot jelly or jam, optional for glaze
Now get thee to a kitchen and make this yummy tart because it’s so delicious, gorgeous, crowd pleasing, and fun to eat!
Photo credit: (above) onceuponachef.com
