Back to My Sweet Self
December 25, 2010 by mimixchan
Kevin discovered a wholesale restaurant supply store around the corner from our house awhile back and told me to check it out when I was preparing to bake a cake this Christmas. For someone with a new found passion for baking, I had a pathetic entourage of bakeware and jumped at the chance to expand my collection (for a fraction of retail cost, at that)!
I found some mini 3″ tart molds with removable bottoms for $1.60 each!!! I bought half a dozen. And yes, after making my first batch of tarts, plan to go back next week and buy the other half dozen plus a large tart mold 😀 I’m obsessive like that. Thanks to my wonderful hubby, who had Christmas Eve off and watched Brady all day, I got to baking again.
After browsing quite a few tart recipes, I decided to go with a non-roll-out-dough shell. I hate making dough… perhaps because it usually requires getting my hands dirty (and I hate getting my hands dirty) and cleaning the mixing bowl afterwards is a pain. Bah!
So here’s my yummy rendition of an apple cinnamon tart. It turned out so well that I was even impressed with myself! 🙂 Next up… Lychee tarts in coconut shells.
Oh my, all that yumminess!
Nicely wrapped for our neighbors. It’s all about the presentation!
A la mode. O.M.G.
Makes 6 3″ tarts
The No-Roll (!) Dough:
2 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup crushed graham crackers
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4 ounces (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch slices
1. Beat the egg yolks with the water in a small bowl.
2. Combine the flour, graham crackers, sugar, salt and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse briefly to mix the ingredients. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse several times until the mixture looks evenly crumbly. Open the lid and dribble the egg yolks and water over the dry ingredients. Pulse the machine several times until the dough looks like wet crumbs, but does not yet clump together.
3. Scoop the dough into 6 fluted tart pans with a removable rim and spread the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pans. Cover the tart with a piece of plastic wrap and use your fingers to press it evenly into the sides of the pan first, and then the bottom. Bake at 375°F for about 8 minutes. Take out of the oven and begin to place the filling (but leave the oven at 375°F).
The Filling:
4-5 large apples (I like granny smiths), about 1 3/4 pounds
1/3 cup plus 3-6 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup milk or cream
3 tablespoons apricot jam
1 tablespoon water
1.Peel and halve the apples and core them. Set 2-3 apples aside for the top of the tart and cut the remaining 2 apples in small (1/4-inch) cubes. Mix the chopped apples with 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon and the vanilla and spread them evenly over the bottom of the tart pan.
2.With the flat side down, cut the remaining apples in thin, half-moon slices. Lay the slices over the top of the tarts in a circular pattern, overlapping them as you place them on the tart.
3.Bake the tarts for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Whisk the egg yolk, milk and remaining 3-6 tablespoons sugar (6 if you’re using granny smiths, 3 if you’re using a sweeter type of apple) together until thoroughly combined. Pour it over the apples and return the tarts to the oven to bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the custard is set and the apples are golden brown. Let the tarts cool for 20 minutes.
4.Mix the apricot jam and water in a microwave safe bowl and heat on full power for 1 minute in the microwave. Strain if necessary and brush the glaze over the cooled tart with a pastry brush.
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