Alsatian Apple Tart

Even after this recipe I still have apples left!! This comes from the Dorie Greenspan book "Baking - From My Home to Yours." It's very good. It has a European flair (at least to me) and it is not too sweet. The custard that is poured over the apples is delicious. This took a little while longer for me to bake than what the recipe states so just watch it carefully for the last 10 minutes or so. It is definitely a dessert that needs to be eaten the same day or at the latest the next day. It's so good so it may not even last till the next day!!!! Here is the recipe for the tart dough and then the filling.....

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon very cold or frozen unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

Put the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in - you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses - about 10 seconds each - until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change - heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and , very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. Butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust has baked. Don't be too heavy handed - press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

To Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. For a partially baked crust, patch the crust if necessary, then transfer the crust to a cooling rack (keep it in its pan).

For the Filling:

1 pound medium size firm sweet apples, such as Golden Delicious (I used Fuji)

1 9-inch tart shell made with the Sweet Tart Dough, partially baked and cooled

3/4 cup heavy cream

6 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

About 1/3 cup apple jelly plus 1 teaspoon water, for glazing or confectioners' sugar for dusting (I used the confectioners' sugar)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet lined with partchment or a silicone mat. Peel the apples, cut them in half from top to bottom and remove the cores. Cut the apple halves lengthwise into thick slices (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick) - I cut mine thinner - and lay them in the tart shell, arranging them in overlapping concentric circles and mounding a few slices in the center. If the apples stick up above the rim of the crust, so much the better. In a 1 quart measuring cup with a spout (for convenience) whisk together the cream, sugar, whole egg, yolk and vanilla and pour mixture over the apples. Bake the tart for 50 to 55 minutes (mine took 60), or until the apples can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife and the custard is set. (If a knife inserted into the custard comes out clean, then it's done.) Transfer the tart to a rack and allow it to cool to just a tad above room temperature or to room temperature. If you want to glaze the tart, bring the jelly and water to a boil. Using a pastry brush and a light touch, cover the top of the tart with the hot jelly. If the apples and custard have separated, use the glaze to fill in the cracks. If you are not glazing the tart, just dust the top generously with confectioners' sugar.