Recipe: French Apple Tart

French Apple Tart

Adopted from Saveur (recipe by Sara Moulton)

Yield: 11 inch tart pan

Ingredients

1 1/4 c flour, plus more for dusting

12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1/4 t kosher salt

7 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and halved

1/4 c sugar

1/2 c apricot jam

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

Combine flour, 8 Tbsp butter and salt in a food processor and pulse until pea-size crumbles form, about 10 pulses. Drizzle in 3 Tbsp ice-cold water and pulse until dough is moistened, about 3-4 pulses. Transfer dough to a work surface and form into a flat disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Unwrap dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten dough into a 13 inch circle and then transfer to a 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim edges; chill for one hour.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Working with one apple at a time, thinly and evenly slice into sections, keeping slices together. Press sliced apple half gently to fan it out; repeat with remaining apple halves. Place 1 fanned apple apple half on outer edge of the tart dough, pointing inward; repeat with 7 more apple halves. 

Separate remaining apple slices. Starting where the apple halves touch and working your way in, layer apples to create a tight rose pattern. Fill in any gaps with remaining apple. Sprinkle with sugar and then dot with remaining butter. Bake until golden brown, 60-70 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat apricot jam in a small saucepan until warmed and loose; pour through a fine strainer into a small bowl and set aside. Transfer tart to a wire rack; using a pastry brush, brush top of tart with jam. Let cool completely before slicing and serving with whipped cream.