Apple Episode Part 3: Apple Franken-Tart!

It's probably not entirely evident from my blog just how much I actually bake. At least one thing - and often more than one - comes out of my oven every week.

I don't re-post TNT recipes that I've already blogged - if I did you'd be seeing my brownies and chocolate chip cookies on a monthly basis. And I don't post so-so recipes. Why perpetuate mediocre baking? Lots of things are baked, but only the best recipes get blogged. Oh, and the kitchen disasters, too.

Apple crumb tart

So, it's a bit of a surprize that in 3 weeks I've had three recipes that I thought deserved posting. This week, it's a franken-tart: an apple crumb tart that I made utilizing parts from three different recipes.

First, I made the crust from my summer berry tart, which for some unknown reason I didn't post the recipe for. (It's below). It's a sweet, almost cookie-like crust, and very easy to make - no rolling out! just press it into the pan. 

Crust from berry tart +

Then, I used the filling from my apple pie, which I let cool while I made and rested the dough. One batch of pie filling generously filled a 10 1/2" tart pan.

Filling from Apple Pie +

And finally, I added a crumb topping, but not the one I used for last week's apple crumble. This crumb topping has walnuts in place of the oats. And actually, I think I like it even better than the oat one.  It stayed crispy even after refrigeration.

 

Walnut Crumb Topping = Apple Crumb Franken-Tart!

I loaded it all into my 10 1/2" tart pan and baked for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. The result is a thin and elegant apple crumb pie, which we ate with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream would have been even better.

Franken-tastic!

Here are the recipes for the crumb topping and the tart shell.

Pate Sucree tart crust

1 1/4c flour (5 1/4 oz)
8 tbsp butter (1 stick)
1/4 c sugar (1 3/4oz)
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

Pulse first 4 ingredients in Cuisinart to form a crumbly meal with pea sized lumps of butter. Whisk next three together and then pulse into the butter flour mix. Dough should hold together when squeezed. Turn out into your tart pan and press into all the corners and across the bottom to form the crust.Rest in fridge for 30 min. You can blind bake this crust after pricking it all over for 10-15 min at 375 if you want to fill it with a non-cook filling.

Apple crumb topping (from KAF Baker's Companion)
1/2 c plus 2 tbsp all purpose or pastry flour (2 5/8 oz)
2/3 c sugar (4 3/4 oz)
7 tbsp butter (3 1/2 oz)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 c (4 oz) chopped walnuts

Pulse first four ingredients in a Cuisinart to form a crumbly meal with pea sized lumps of butter.  Add the nuts and pulse a few more times to combine all. Sprinkle over your tart. 

Enjoy!