A BOUNTIFUL FRENCH APPLE TART!

I just love apples, don't you? Tart apples, sweet apples, green apples, red apples, big apples, little crab apples and all the in - between apples....I think they make the most gorgeous still lifes, EVER.........

I bought these beauties at our local Farmer's Market this week....all I cared about was that they were crisp and tart, so I don't even know what variety they are! For shame.......

Every Fall, I love to make this gorgeous French Apple Tart. I think I found the recipe online, from maybe The Barefoot Contessa? The source escapes me....but regardless, this dessert is very simple to prepare, and the results are MOST impressive, if I do say so myself! To make your crust, dice up a cold (very important) stick of butter (oh yes, this IS a French pastry, so you'd better believe there's gonna be lots and lots of buttah!), and place in a food processor (sorry, Julia!) with flour, salt and sugar....pulse to combine.........

Add iced water to the dough until a ball comes together. Knead dough on a floured board into a ball ; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (so very important to keep pastry ccccooollllldddd). Roll dough out on a lightly floured board until large enough to place into a tart pan (or, if you don't have a tart pan, you could roll your pastry into a 10 x 14 inch rectangle, and place on a rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or silicone liner).............

Trim edges with a knife or kitchen scissors.............

Refrigerate while preparing apples.

Peel about 4 apples, then cut in half, THROUGH THE STEM.............

I used a knife to carefully remove stem, core and seeds. Then slice apples crosswise into 1 / 4 inch slices...............

Overlapping apples, place in a circular design in your tart crust, starting at the outside rim of the crust..............

Sprinkle with 1 /2 cup sugar (I know this sounds like a lot, but it caramelizes just beautifully in the oven) ; dot with butter..............

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until pastry is browned and apples are starting to brown. When done, heat up some apricot jelly with a little bit of water (I just used the microwave), and brush apples and pastry--this step adds a gorgeous golden color to the apples, plus a shine...........

Allow tart to cool at least an hour--serve room temperature with some vanilla ice cream, if desired. I'd say this came straight from the kitchens of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, wouldn't you?..................

Enjoy! Here's the recipe................

FRENCH APPLE TART

Serves 6

Pastry:

2 cups flour

1 / 2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tblsp. sugar

1 and 1 / 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced

1 / 2 cup iced water

Apples:

4 tart apples (Granny Smith work well)

1 / 2 cup sugar

1 / 2 stick cold unsalted butter, diced small

1 / 2 cup apricot jelly

2 tblsp. water

Place flour, salt and sugar in food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse 10 to 12 times. Pour in iced water until dough starts to come together. Knead on floured board into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner (or, use a round tart pan, as I did, and follow the directions from above). Roll dough to aproximately 10 x 14 inches. Trim edges with a ruler and knife. Place dough on baking sheet and refrigerate while preparing apples. Peel apples and cut in half, through the stem. Remove stems and cores with a knife and melon baller. Slice apples crosswise in 1 / 4 inch slices. Place overlapping slices diagonally down middle of tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of first row until pastry is covered. Sprinkle with 1 / 2 cups sugar and dot with butter. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until pastry is browned and apples start to brown on edges. When done, heat apricot jelly with water and brush apples and pastry with mixture. Allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR......

***The nice roofing guys who are making lots of noise here this morning--so glad our roof will be properly fixed!

***The amazing hike that Big Daddy, Wee Willie and I took yesterday. We actually saw a pair of Bald Eagles soaring over the Moose River! The leaves are just beginning to turn here, and the air felt so cool and crisp.....a perfect morning!

***The trip I'm really looking forward to soon--I'm flying, all by myself, to California to see our daughter for a few days. Hopefully sometime in October--don't worry, you'll come along, too!