Why Scrapping Apple Pie Was the Best Decision This Year

Terry’s Apple Tart

A few weeks ago, I planned our Thanksgiving menu. Normally, my pastry queen daughter plans our dessert but she is busy working and this year — it was up to me. I told my son I was making our standard pumpkin and apple pies. He quickly objected to the apple pie and asked for a crisp instead. Kid doesn’t love pie crust and I was fine scrapping the apple pie.

Dear daughter thought the humble crisp wasn’t deserving of a place at our family Thanksgiving table. She suggested a fabulous compromise. Serve an apple tart, she said. It will be easy and it was, sort of.

The idea was fine until I realized neither of us had a tried and true recipe. To get me started, though, she sent me some sites that offered other fruit tart recipes. I figured they were all pretty basic and could be converted for my own apple tart.

The night before Thanksgiving, I combined things I liked from three or four recipes and created my own slice of heaven. The aroma wafting through the house was dreamy. The crust was perfect and the bubbly sort of caramelized fruit turned out wildly delicious. Family loved it and some even got third and fourth helpings! Best decision.

It took a second tart to solidify the ingredients I used and write everything down but you can find my recipe below. Please share your thoughts / pics with me after making it.

Terry’s Apple Tart

Ingredients

Tart Crust

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon mild olive oil

4 to 5 tablespoons whole milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

4 small Granny Smith apples — cored, evenly sliced

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoons cinnamon powder

½ teaspoon cardamom powder

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon cloves

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar. Use a pastry cutter to incorporate ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, milk and vanilla extract. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and mix gently with a fork, just enough to dampen but don’t over work the dough.Then, transfer this to an 11-inch tart pan and pat the dough out so it covers the bottom of the pan, pushing it up the sides to meet the edge. (I have made this dough twice and have yet to get it up the sides all the way to the edge of tart pan — that is OK. It gives it a rustic look.) It should be about 1/ 8-inch thick all around; trim and discard excess dough, if you have any.

In a bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, all spices, the butter. Use the pastry cutter (or your hand) to make sure the butter is incorporated into dry ingredients until crumbly, with a mixture that resembles coarse meal.

Arrange the apples either in concentric circles or layer them in alternating lines working from one end to the other over pastry. The apples should be spaced to fit tightly. Have fun with any pattern you like. Sprinkle the butter mixture over top and don’t worry as it bakes down into a sauce. I place the tart pan over a cookie sheet for easier handling before placing it in oven. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until you see shiny, thick bubbling around the fruit; crust should be slightly brown. Cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. You can add whipped cream or ice cream but our family likes it plain.