Rose Apple Tart
It’s been a while since i have made a blog post but i haven’t stopped baking, i just haven’t baked something i thought was worth blogging about. I know this blog should be more of a documentation of the journey rather than just the highlights, it should contain the successes and the failures along the way. Maybe that’s why i get nervous about challenging bakes, it’s the fear of failure, then again you only learn and grow from our failures. Looks like this post got a little personal but that ‘s what i am feeling at the moment.
I know this has been a trying time for everyone, we are trying to find some sort of normalcy and my way of normal is through baking. I had been look at making this tart for sometime, and a friends birthday fast approaching seemed like the perfect time to attempt it. I had never made a tart before but i figured it would my experience with making the pie crust would make it a little easier. This was the perfect birthday treat, the crust was flaky but held up well to the weight of the apples, and the cinnamon paired with the soft baked apples was a perfect combo.
Rose Apple Tart
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Bake Time: 1:10 Hours
Total Time: 3 Hours
Ingredients
Tart
1½ cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
10 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 egg yolk (save egg whites for egg wash)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp cold water
Apple Filling
3 medium Honeycrisp Apples
1 tsp ground cinnnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp all purpose flour
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
Apricot Glaze
3 tbsp smooth apricot jam
Instructions
Tart Shell
In a food processor, place in the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse a few times until combined. Add the butter, egg yolk, vanilla extract and pulse a few times until the butter pieces are like peas. Slowly add in about 2 tbsp of cold water and pulse until the dough starts to hold together. Add in about 2 more tbsp depending on the dough. The dough will be a bit crumbly, but should hold together easily when pressed.
Lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pour the dough mixture into it. Press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Use a knife to cut the excess dough and keep it to repair any cracks after the shell is baked.
Freeze the formed dough until the dough is completely firm, about 30 minutes. Heat the over to 375 degrees F.
Line the tart shell with aluminum foil, making sure to tuck into the corners and over the edges and weigh it down with baking weights. Bake the shell for 20 minutes.
Combine the eggs whites with a tsp of water, brush the tart shell with egg wash and place it back in the oven for another 3 minutes. Repair any cracks with remaining raw dough if necessary, let the tart shell cool and prepare the apples.
Stand the apples up, with the stems facing up, cut the apples into three triangles, leaving the core.
Carefully slice all the apples about 1/8 inch thick pieces, i used a mandolin to make this process easier.
Squeeze some lemon juice on apples to stop them from browning. Add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg, mix until combined.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp all purpose flour and 1 tbsp sugar on the bottom of the baked tart shell. Starting on the outer edge, arrange the apples in tight concentric circle, overlapping each slice about halfway over next slice. Make sure to stand the apples up, with cut sides down and the peel edge standing up. Pack the rows very tightly.
Be patient and work slowly, as you get close to the center use smaller pieces to make it easier to fit. The create the rose in the center, overlap 3 or 4 small slices, roll the slices to form rose pedals. Put the rose in the center of the tart. I used a toothpick to hold the rose in place for about 5 minutes. Remove toothpick before baking.
Sprinkle the remaining sugar between the apple slices, and scatter the butter on the top of the apples. Bake the tart for 40 - 45 minutes until the apples begin to brown slightly and the crust is golden brown. Check periodically to make sure the shell is not over-browning at the edges, cover the edges with foil if its over-browning.
Cool the tart for about 10 minutes, the prepare the glaze. In a small sauce pan, warm the jam with 1/4 tsp of water over medium-low heat until the jam is running. Using a pastry brush to very gently brush the warm tart with jam, careful to avoid brushing jam on the crust.
Serve warm slice by itself or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
