October 02, 2019 by Courtney Jolly Bezich in
For about a year or so, I was living back in California and my Uncle’s apartment was my safe haven. I was living in Los Alamitos with some friends and we could barely afford our Orange County rent much less live life in the way we wanted. Somehow, my Uncle’s apartment held promise of everything we were longing for.
We would escape together to his apartment nestled in the canyon side in Laguna above a slew of art studios. Sometimes I would steal away alone, borrowing my roommate’s car and other times we would all go together. His apartment was always filled with the most delicious light, paintings in process and lovely antique furniture and artwork. It was also filled with the most delicious food.
For me cooking is often a chore - a necessity of life rather than anything to be enjoyed. In my Uncle’s home however, cooking was a creative endeavor that required great care as well as great pleasure. This was entirely new for me and I “ate it up” with relish.
My Uncle prepared many dishes during our time together that I will never forget but I believe the one I will carry with me always is the French Apple Tart. This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa and I adore it. It was mind boggling to me that someone would willingly undertake a recipe that required over an hour of preparation. And after enjoying the end result, it was equally mind boggling that something so delicious could come from such simple ingredients.
Although some days it still feels blazing hot here in North Texas, I know Fall weather is around the corner and I find myself turning to recipes like this one that make me think of happy times and crisp weather. I have adapted the original recipe (which you can find here) to use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Flour, let me know your thoughts!
“For the Pastry:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water
For the Apples:
3-4 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, small-diced
1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water
For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. A food processor fitted with the steel blade also works well. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse/mix 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bites the size of peas. Slowly add the ice water and mix 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. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 x 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 ¼-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. Sprinkle with the ½ cup 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 applesandthe 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.”
What recipes do you love to make this time of year? Are there any you turn to that take you back to happy memories?
