Harvest Tart

You might remember a few posts back I harvested a ton of grapes off of our vine this year. I gave some to my neighbors but still have quite a bit, so I was happy to see this Harvest Tart from David Lebovitz includes grapes! And let me tell you it’s absolutely delicious with apples, figs and grapes. My grapes were on the small side compared to what you buy in the store, but wow they taste so much better, very sweet and without that bit of tartness you sometimes get with green grapes. I wish I knew what kind I planted so that I could recommend them, but I can’t seem to locate the tag that came with it, which means it was probably on the container itself and after two years is long gone. Oh well. I used my usual pie dough but you can use David’s recipe below if you’d like to try it out. I was kinda sad to see summer end, but the fall is such a wonderful time to bake and make soups and all that good stuff. I’m fully embracing it!

Harvest Tart

For the dough

• 2 3/4 cups (400g) flour

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• pinch of salt

• 9 ounces (250g) unsalted butter, chilled

• 2 large eggs (total)

• 3 tablespoons water

For the filling

• 2 1/4 pounds (1kg) apples, peeled and cored (about 4-5 large apples)

• 12 figs, halved

• 1 small bunch (2 to 4 ounces, 60-120 grams) fresh grapes, stemmed

• 1/3 cup (65g) sugar, plus additional sugar for sprinkling

• a big handful of whole walnuts

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Armagnac (or brandy or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

• 1 cup (250g) crème fraîche

• 1 large egg

1. To make the dough, in a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into cubes and mix together with your hands or using a pastry blender until it’s in small pieces no larger than the size of corn kernels. (I used a pastry cutter, the last couple times I’ve used the food processor I over processed and the butter pieces were too small)

2. Add one egg and the water, and mix until the dough holds together. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it’s about 18-inches (45 cm) round.

Brush off any excess flour and fit into a 9- or 10-inch high-sided round baking  or pie dish. (There’s a lot of liquid in this tart so you will want to use a baking dish, unlike my other galettes)

3. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with a fork, then brush the insides of the dough with the egg. (I skipped this part)

4. Prepare the filling by slicing the apples into eighths. Mix them together with the figs, grapes, 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar, and Armagnac, then transfer the filling into the tart dough. Strew the walnuts over the top of the fruit. (I used hazelnuts which tasted great!)

5. In a small bowl, mix together the crème fraîche with the egg and pour it over the fruit and nuts. Lift the edges of the dough and cover the fruit, then sprinkle a good amount additional sugar over the top of the dough. (Here I did an egg wash over the top of the crust, I think you get a better looking, more golden, crust with egg, beat 1 egg and then brush on top of crust before sprinkling sugar)

6. Put the tart on a baking sheet and bake in a 425Fº (218ºC) oven for 55 minutes to 1 hour, until the top of the dough is browned and the fruit is cooked through, which you can verify by poking the center with a paring knife; when done, it should meet no resistance. (at 55 minutes mine was well done)

7. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool down a bit before serving. (It’s better to serve in a bowl because of the cream base. Store any extra in the refrigerator, then warm before serving)

Adapted from David Lebovitz

Apple Pie

As simple as it can be to make Apple Pie, I still found myself searching for a recipe last week. You might remember I’ve made a French Apple Pie, but it’s actually been a very long time since I’ve made a traditional Apple Pie. So here it is! And the pie crust here is really my favorite, it’s easy to roll out and work with, when baked it keeps it form nicely without falling apart and at the same time doesn’t taste like cardboard. The apples? For this pie I used King David apples that we picked up at an apple festival last month. I’m never sure which apples are which these days with so many varieties, is it good for baking? eating? This was a good choice, they didn’t mush up and had a really nice texture, some bite to it, with a spicy flavor. So thumbs up on the King David Apples. 

We had a lovely Thanksgiving for two this year. I made a turkey roulade - a turkey breast rolled with dried cherry and sausage stuffing. It was the third time I’ve made this and it works out really great for a small feast. It’s deserving of a blog post so I’ll just have to make it again. I’m sure Jeff won’t mind.

Apple Pie

• 6-8 apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
• Lemon juice, 1/2 lemon squeezed
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 clove
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg for egg wash 
• 1 tablespoon or so Muscovado sugar (or large granulated sugar)

Pie Dough

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

To make the dough in a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt until combined, about 5 pulses. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 5-7 pulses (you don’t want to over work the dough too much or it will become tough.) Remove from processor and place dough in large bowl, add 6 tablespoons of the ice water, combine with wood spoon. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it’s crumbly, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide in half (I make one half slightly larger for the bottom crust) and shape each into a disk. Wrap separately with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Filling and Assembly

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

In small bowl combine flour, sugars, salt and spices. In large bowl place sliced apples, squeeze lemon juice, then add flour mixture and toss until well combined. Set aside.

Roll out your bottom crust about 2-3” larger than diameter of pie dish, place in pie dish and trim around the edges. Add the apple mixture. Roll your top crust to fit, cut out any desired designs, place on top of pie, trim any excess and pinch the edges together with thumb and forefinger. Roll out any additional dough and use pie cutter to top with leaf or apple design. Adding a leaf pattern around the edges looks pretty. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush over top of pie, sprinkle some granulated sugar.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until brown. Allow to cool a bit before serving. It will slice better if you refrigerate and then bring to room temp. 

Also, I’m sorry to see these pie cutters are no longer available, I’m sure there are more out there but this was a nice selection of designs.