Apple Tart, Chez Nous

French Dessert Recipes

Crust: 1 c. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 lb. butter, cold and diced 1 egg yolk 2 Tbsp. ice water Filling: 4 c. apples, sliced thinly 1/2 c. sugar 2 slightly beaten eggs 2 Tbsp. butter, melted 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 c. cream 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Apple pie goes uptown. This makes an elegant presentation for a "company" dinner. One of those corer-peeler-slicers makes for nice even apple slices. Yield: 14 servings You will need: a tart pan A helpful tool: apple corer-peeler-slicer Note: We did this the other day and I forgot to put the sugar in the filling. I thought it was a major stumble, but my sister-in-law had two pieces and asked for the recipe! With cream, it's not exactly "diet" food, but if you're looking for a lower-sugar dessert, use sweet apples and skip the sugar. For crust/shell: Cut butter into salt and flour with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal. (It will look like little balls.) Mix egg yolk with ice water. Add to flour mixture. Combine either by hand or with a mixer until the dough will hold together. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill at least 20 minutes. Once chilled, unwrap and press into tart pan. (No rollling pin required! Cool, huh?) For filling: Arrange apples in shell. (One of those combined apple peeler-corer-slicer is great for this - it gives you very even pretty slices.) Combine remaining ingredients (eggs, butter, lemon juice, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg) and pour over apples. (The lemon juice keeps the apples from discoloring. Substitute milk for cream if you must.) Bake at 375° for 40 minutes. Bake it with a cookie sheet between the tart and the heating element in order to catch any overruns or spills.

Submitted by Gretchen Grant
Contributed on: Wednesday February 23rd, 2005 and modified on Thursday April 29th, 2010