i know this looks like a fall or winter dessert, but after the cold, rainy weekend we just had here, we’re not making any excuses for cooking up tons of apples in brown sugar and cinnamon. besides, sunday was pi day, and the culinary calendar demanded that we make a pie of some kind. the ice cream was just a bonus. now with that out of the way, i’m going to make a bold statement: this apple tart may be the greatest thing i’ve ever baked.
it’s a dessert you’ll dream about, waiting impatiently to bake a new one before devouring it in mere hours. a bite of the tart combined with a spoonful of the ice cream…there were literally no words exchanged while we ate.
there’s not much the girl and i don’t have in the kitchen since we moved in together, but when i received a few gift certificates, i got myself a shiny new tart pan. bon appétit magazine has probably 2 tart recipes per issue, so i didn’t have to look far for inspiration. although the recipe may look a bit daunting, it’s actually pretty simple when you get down to it, which is what makes it so delicious in the first place.
take 2 lbs granny smith apples, cored, peeled and diced…
…and cook down with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. you could stop right here and just eat, but i promise it gets even better.
there is a quick caramel sauce that we almost considered omitting in fear that the tart would be sweet enough without it, but we were so glad we kept it in – not only does it give a great base to which the apples can adhere, it also bubbles over during baking, adding extra (duh) gooey caramelization to the crust.
so once you have your apples piled in the tart, just top with a simple crumb mixture (not pictured here) made of butter, brown sugar and flour (and nuts if you like). you end up with a beautiful golden crispy crust.
and let’s not forget about the ice cream. it only takes a few hours to make, but it’s best if you do it ahead of time and serve it with the tart hot from the oven. if you have guests over, the smell will drive them crazy until it’s time to eat. but just wait until they actually take a bite. i’m not saying this tart will make you some new best friends for life, but it can’t hurt.
