Apple Tart with Lattice Crust
| Christy Rost
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
- 3 to 4 large baking apples, rinsed, peeled, cored and sliced
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Saigon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg, for egg wash
- 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
- 1 tablespoon clear sparkling sugar or 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 10-inch round tart pan with removable bottom
Place flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until it is pea-size. Add 4 tablespoons of the ice water and process at low speed until the pastry is crumbly. If the mixture appears dry, add additional ice water a little at a time, and process just until the pastry comes together and forms a ball. Remove the pastry, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill at least 30 minutes or until it is cold.
Place sliced apples in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the sugar mixture onto the apples, sprinkle with lemon juice, and stir gently to mix.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a floured pastry cloth or counter, roll the pastry into a 12-inch circle. Fold the pastry in half and transfer it to the tart pan. Unfold the pastry, fit it into the pan, and trim excess pastry by running a rolling pin over the top of the tart pan. Gather the trimmings together into a ball, roll it out, and cut the pastry into ten ¾-inch wide strips using a pastry wheel or knife. Weave the strips over the top of the apples, pressing pastry strips against the edges of the tart pan to secure.
In a small bowl, whip the egg and water together with a fork. Brush the egg wash over the pastry strips and along the edges of the tart and sprinkle them with sparkling sugar. Place the tart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are knife-tender. Remove the tart from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
Yield: 1 10-inch tart