Alice Water's
Apple Tart Serves 6
For dough:
- 1 cup unbleached
all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon
sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon
salt
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick)
unsalted butter, just softened, cut in 1/2-inch
- pieces
- 3 1/2 tablespoons chilled
water
For filling:
- 2 pounds apples (Golden
Delicious or another tart, firm variety), peeled,
- cored (save peels and
cores), and sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted
butter, melted
- 5 tablespoons
sugar
For glaze:
1/2 cup
sugar
MIX flour, sugar, and
salt in a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Blend in a mixer until
dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining butter; mix until biggest pieces
look like large peas.
DRIBBLE in water,
stir, then dribble in more, until dough just holds together. Toss with hands,
letting it fall through fingers, until it’s ropy with some dry patches. If dry
patches predominate, add another tablespoon water. Keep tossing until you can
roll dough into a ball. Flatten into a 4-inch-thick disk; refrigerate. After at
least 30 minutes, remove; let soften so it’s malleable but still cold. Smooth
cracks at edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 14-inch circle about
1/8 inch thick. Dust excess flour from both sides with a dry pastry
brush.
PLACE dough in a
lightly greased 9-inch round tart pan, or simply on a parchment-lined baking
sheet if you wish to go free-form, or galette-style with it. Heat oven to 400°F.
(If you have a pizza stone, place it in the center of the
rack.)
OVERLAP apples on
dough in a ring 2 inches from edge if going galette-style, or up to the sides if
using the tart pan. Continue inward until you reach the center. Fold any dough
hanging over pan back onto itself; crimp edges at 1-inch
intervals.
BRUSH melted butter
over apples and onto dough edge. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over dough edge
and the other 3 tablespoons over apples. (note: I found it nearly impossible to
coat it with this much sugar, so I used a little less–more like 3 tablespoons.
It made a lightly sweet tart, which we found perfect.)
BAKE in center of
oven until apples are soft, with browned edges, and crust has caramelized to a
dark golden brown (about 45 minutes), making sure to rotate tart every 15
minutes.
MAKE glaze: Put
reserved peels and cores in a large saucepan, along with sugar. Pour in just
enough water to cover; simmer for 25 minutes. Strain syrup through
cheesecloth.
REMOVE tart from
oven, and slide off parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 15
minutes.
BRUSH glaze over
tart, slice, and serve.
Back to top.
Leek and Swiss Chard Tart
Bon Appetit, October
1999
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of
17.3-ounce package), thawed (I used a
par-baked basic tart dough
instead)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick)
butter
3 large leeks (white and pale green
parts only), coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried
thyme
1/2 bunch Swiss chard, ribs removed,
leaves chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 cups whipping cream (I used
whole milk)
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black
pepper
Pinch of ground
nutmeg
Roll out pastry on floured
work surface to 12-inch square. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim
overhang to 1 inch. Fold under; crimp edges. Cover; chill.
Melt butter in large
nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and thyme. Sprinkle with salt
and pepper. Cover; cook until leeks are very tender but not brown, stirring
often, about 10 minutes. Add chard; saut until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove
from heat; cool.
Position rack in bottom
third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in large
bowl. Mix in cooled leek mixture. Pour filling into crust.
Bake tart 15 minutes. Reduce
heat to 350°F and bake until filling is puffed and just set in center, about 15
minutes longer (this took my oven about 10 minutes longer). Transfer to rack;
cool 10 minutes.
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Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad
A North Haven Gardens favorite!
2-3 fresh ripe tomatoes, sliced approx. 1/4" thick
8-10 fresh large basil leaves
1 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese sliced 1/4" thick
Extra virgin olive oil (I use the light olive oil made for sauces and dressings)
freshly cracked black pepper
Divide ingredients between 4 plates and layer. Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve at room temperature.
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Basil Aioli
4 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed well
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted until golden, cooled, and chopped fine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
