When it was time for our annual Friendsgiving celebration with some of our favorite folks this past weekend, Kevin and I found ourselves in charge of a dessert item. I asked Kevin what we should make, and he suggested “an apple something,” which sounded pretty great to me. Plus, he wanted to help me make it — something I was extra excited about, because although we cook together pretty often I’m usually the solo baker in our house.
So Saturday morning, we found ourselves on the hunt for apple-themed dessert recipes online. We landed on an Ina Garten recipe (and in my experience, the Barefoot Contessa doesn’t lead you astray) which seemed simple and delicious, and after a quick trip to the store for a few ingredients, we set to making this rustic apple tart.
The dessert ended up being a hit at Friendsgiving! It wasn’t too sweet, the apples offered a fresh flavor, and the orange zest gave it just enough brightness. Wahoo! Dessert success for the Kellers!
Rustic Apple Tart
Ingredients (for the pastry)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick very cold, unsalted butter, diced
- 2 Tablespoons ice water
Ingredients (for the filling)
- 3 apples (we used 1 1/2 Granny Smith and 1 1/2 Honey Crisp), peeled, cored, and diced into large chunks
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) very cold, unsalted butter, diced
Directions (for crust)
- Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the butter and pulse 12-15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas.
- With the food processor running, add the ice water through the feed tube of the machine.
- Keep pulsing to combine, stopping before the dough becomes a solid mass.
- Remove from food processor onto a floured surface and knead to form into a disk. (Our dough was pretty flaky, so don’t worry if yours is at this point, too!)
- Place in the fridge for at least one hour.
Directions (for filling)
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface, then transfer dough to the prepared baking sheet.
- Toss apple chunks with orange zest, and cover the tart dough with the apple chunks, leaving a two-inch border of crust uncovered.
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
- Pour mixture a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together.
- Distribute evenly on the apples, then gently fold the border of the dough over the apples, pleating it to make a circle.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
- Serve at room temperature (we cut ours into wedges like a pizza).