Apple Membrillo Tart Recipes

FRENCH APPLE TART

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
• Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

FRESH APPLE TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour but not more than 1 day.
• While the dough is chilling, prepare the apple filling.
• In a medium bowl, toss diced apples with sugar and cinnamon. Mix in walnuts.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 16 3-inch tart pans. Remove tart dough from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out.
• Knead dough briefly on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 16 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6-inch circle, and carefully fit one circle into each tart pan.
• Spoon an equal amount of apple mixture into each tart pan. Fold pastry over filling. Place filled tarts on a baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Melt apricot jam and brush over finished tarts, if desired.

AMY'S FREAKY GOOD APPLE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Dust a clean surface lightly with flour and roll out the round of chilled dough -- giving the dough a quarter turn every few strokes and occasionally lifting it to dust underneath with additional flour -- to a roughly 11-inch circle. Roll the dough over the pin and transfer to the tart pan, pressing the dough into the bottom and up the sides. With your fingers, pinch away the excess dough at the top of the tart pan. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. If you are using a frozen pie shell, skip this step and prepare apples.
• While the dough chills, make the filling. Peel, halve, and core 6 of the apples. With a mandoline, vegetable slicer, or sharp knife, cut the apples into thin 1/4-inch thick slices lengthwise. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the apple slices. Toss to coat in butter, then add the sugar, vanilla, and salt, and continue to cook until the apples are soft and almost falling apart and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool while the dough finishes chilling.
• Meanwhile, peel, halve, and core the remaining 4 apples and, with a mandoline, vegetable slicer, or sharp knife, cut into very thin 1/8-inch thick slices lengthwise. Squeeze the lemon juice over the slices to prevent browning.
• When the dough has finished chilling, remove the pan from the refrigerator and spread the cooled filling over the bottom of the tart. Starting at the outside edge of the tart, make a ring of tightly overlapping 1/8-inch thick apple slices on top of the filling, tucking the last slice under the first when finished to make an unbroken circle. Make a second ring in the same manner, inside and slightly overlapping the first ring. There will be a tiny opening left in the middle: Arrange some apple slices to cover. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and brush all over the top of the apples, being careful not to disturb the rings. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and place on the bottom rack of the oven. Cook until the crust and the tops of the apples are golden, about 50 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Dissolve the salt and sugar in the ice water, then mix in the egg yolk with a fork until well combined. Place the flour in the bowl of a food processor. Sprinkle over the chilled butter cubes and then pulse on and off, until the mixture is coarse with some pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. With the processor running, add the ice water mixture in a slow stream, then pulse on and off until the dough starts to come together.
• Empty the dough onto a lightly floured board and gather into a ball. Break off a small chunk at a time and smear across the board with the heel of your hand, then scrape it up with the dough scraper and set aside. Regather together all the smeared bits and form into a ball. Flatten into a 1/2-inch thick disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

APPLE-MEMBRILLO TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle; fit into a tart pan. Trim edges flush with pan. Prick dough lightly with a fork and freeze until firm, 15 minutes.
• Reserve 1 tablespoon membrillo; mash remainder with 1 teaspoon water until spreadable. Using an offset spatula, spread evenly over dough in pan. Shingle apples over top. Brush with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until pastry is golden and apples are browned and tender, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium, heat reserved membrillo with 1 tablespoon water and remaining 1 tablespoon butter, stirring often, until smooth.
• Remove tart from oven; brush apples with glaze. Return to oven; bake until apples just darken in spots and caramelize, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely before slicing. (Tart can be stored, loosely covered, at room temperature up to 1 day.) Serve with almonds, grapes, and cheese.

APPLE TART

Steps:

• In a 10-in. cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, heat 3/4 cup sugar, stirring constantly until it is liquefied and golden brown. Remove from the heat. , In a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon and remaining sugar. Arrange half the apples in a single layer in skillet. Sprinkle with half the sugar mixture. Arrange half the remaining apples in circular pattern over sugar; sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Place remaining apples over all, keeping the top as level as possible. Dot with butter. , Roll out dough to 11-in. circle; place over apples, pressing gently to completely cover. Do not flute. Bake at 400° until apples are tender and golden brown, about 50 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.

APPLE TART WITH CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 10-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper.
• Combine butter, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Turn out onto a clean work surface and quickly form into a ball. Dust a large piece of plastic wrap with flour and place pastry on top. Cover with a second piece of plastic wrap and roll out between the wrap to fit the 9-inch springform pan.
• Place pastry into the bottom and the sides of the prepared springform and prick numerous times with a fork. Line pastry with parchment paper and a layer of pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the preheated oven until the pastry crust is firm but not hard, about 15 minutes. Let the pastry cool for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper and weights; continue baking until the crust sets, about 5 minutes more.
• Layer thinly sliced apples evenly over the pre-baked pastry crust.
• Whisk creme fraiche, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Pour over apples.
• Bake tart in the preheated oven on top of a baking sheet (in case some filling spills) until tart is set and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. The filling should still be a little wobbly, as it firms up while cooling.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Strain apricot jam through a sieve. Combine apricot jam and water in a saucepan and heat until runny, about 3 minutes. Brush the jam over the top of the tart. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over tart.
• Place tart under the broiler until the top is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.

APPLE TART IN PHYLLO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine apples, dried fruits, pecans, cinnamon, lemon juice, sugar, lemon rind, candied ginger and flour in a bowl and mix well.
• Unwrap phyllo and cover with wax paper and damp towel. Keep covered when not in use to prevent drying out.
• Heat butter and add oil.
• Using some of the butter mixture, lightly grease a baking pan, about 12 inches by 18 inches. (The pan can be as large as the sheets of phyllo, and brands differ in size. If they are too large for the pan, trim them.)
• Arrange 1 sheet of phyllo on bottom of pan and brush lightly with butter mixture. Repeat, buttering between sheets, using 8 sheets in all.
• Spread apple filling evenly over phyllo and top with another sheet, brushing lightly with butter. Repeat, butter each sheet, using 8 sheets in all, brushing the top sheet with butter. Cut phyllo all the way through into 12 rectangles.
• Bake in lower third of the oven for 25 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking 25 minutes longer, until top is brown. Cool. Serve at room temperature.