I made this apple tart this morning and then proceeded to eat half of it for lunch. Oops. So much for trying to stick to a healthy diet. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow right?
I bought this tart tin a few weeks ago on sale at Myer and have been so excited to use it since. I knew I wanted to make something that incorporated brown butter because it seems to be all the rage in the baking world these days. I had to find out what all the fuss was about myself.
This tart was a breeze to make and the brown butter really did make it that much more delicious. It was only subtle but it added another dimension of flavour to this otherwise regular (but still yummy!) tasting apple tart.
Brown Butter Creamy Apple Tart (for 8-inch tart tin)
Sweet Tart Crust Recipe
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
113g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. (You’re looking for some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas.) Stir the egg, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.
Press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart shell. You want to press hard enough that the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that it loses its crumbly texture.
Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer.
Tart Filling Recipe
Apple Filling
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apples (3 large)
Topping
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter
Preheat oven to 200°C.
In a small saucepan, cook 1/4 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and lightly browned. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the egg with wire whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 tablespoons flour and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in cooled butter. Gently stir in apples. Pour into frozen tart shell.
In a medium bowl, stir together all topping ingredients except butter. With a fork, cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apples. Place pie on cookie sheet in oven.
Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C, and cover edge tart with foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 40 to 50 minutes longer or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cool 2 hours.
Enjoy!
