Rustic Apple Tart

For my birthday, Steph gave me America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy Cookbook.  I figure if anyone can pull off light and healthy while not making it blah and boring, it's ATK.  As I was deciding which desserts to make for Mother's Day, I found a lovely rustic apple tart recipe that I had to try.

Now, I've never really made a pie or tart before.  I suppose I've assisted people but never have from start to finish made my own.  I usually stand by my rule of not making a new recipe for such a special occasion, but this looked so darn unbelievable I had to try it!

I've got to say, it turned out pretty amazing.  I've had my share of failed recipes (need proof? click here, here, and here, just to start), so I think I have earned the right to say something is good when it was good.  And this was good.  Perhaps even great.

The ingredients for the dough are simple:

• 2 T light sour cream
• 2-4 T ice water
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used KAF Unbleached White Whole Wheat)
• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 8 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and chilled

Stir sour cream and 2 T water together and refrigerate until needed. Process (or whisk) flours, sugar, and salt together.  Scatter butter pieces over top and pulse (or use a pastry cutter) until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Continue, adding sour cream mixture until dough comes together.  You can add more ice water here.  Turn dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a nice 6-inch round.  Wrap tightly in wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.  (I made mine a day ahead.)

When ready, roll dough out between two pieces of floured parchment paper into a 12-inch circle.  (You can see from my pics that mine was a very very rough circle.)  Place on cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm.  Take out and remove the top parchment paper.

The filling ingredients also are quite simple:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/8 t cinnamon (I did a bit more)
• 1 lb. Granny Smith apples (about 2 large)
• 1 lb. McIntosh apples (I had to use Fugi for one tart, and Jazz for the other)
• 3 T apple or other jelly

Core and peel apples.  I have one of those corer/slicer things, so I did that first, then peeled them with a paring knife, and cut each slice into three.  They're supposed to be 1/4 inch thick, so don't do it too thin!  Mix cinnamon, sugar, and lemon together, then toss in the apples slices.  Mix well.

Make a "wall" of apples in a circle in the middle of the dough.  You want to leave room outside the apple wall so the juices have somewhere to go.  Build up the middle with apples.  Pull your tart dough up around the apples and fold it over the fruit, pleating every 2 or 3 inches as needed.  I brushed the dough with some of the leftover apple/sugar juice, then sprinkled on a good amount of raw sugar over the whole thing.

Bake until golden, crisp, and tender, which was about 45-50 minutes for me.  (ATK says an hour.)  Brush jelly over the exposed apples to soften them.  Let sit for a few minutes, then use spatula to loosen from parchment and place on rack to cool.  Serve as is or a la mode!