Looking to impress your guests with an apple dessert for Rosh Hashanah? You will love Breton Apple Tarte. This tarte is a French classic in which caramelized apples are encased in a flavorful shortbread pastry. Get ready for kudos when you serve this apple dessert delight for Rosh Hashanah.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 sticks butter or margarine
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon amaretto
- 4 egg yolks
- rind of one lemon
- 2 ¾ cups flour
Apple filling
- 3 pounds apples (granny smith or golden delicious), peeled, cored and cut into chunks
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon amaretto
1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water, well beaten for glaze
For the dough
In the medium bowl of an electric mixer, beat the margarine until soft. Add the sugar in a stream, and beat for a few minutes until fluffy. Beat in the amaretto, then the yolks, one at a time, and combine well. Mix in the lemon rind, then add the flour, and beat on low speed until just mixed in. Do not overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the apple filling. You can make this dough several days ahead of time.
Apple Filling
Place the apples into a large non-stick skillet. Add the sugar, margarine, lemon juice, cinnamon and amaretto and cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the apples are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Allow the caramelized apples to cool.
Assembling the tart
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place a 10-inch round of parchment paper on the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan and spray with Pam. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide in half. Press half the dough on the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle on some flour and flour your hands. Spoon the apple filling on the bottom dough and spread it out evenly. Flour the remaining dough and flour your hands so you can press the dough onto a 10-inch cardboard circle or tart pan bottom. Slide the rounded dough on top of the apple filling. Press the dough into place, making sure it meets up with the bottom dough. With a pastry brush, paint the top of the dough with the egg glaze. With the tines of a fork, make a lattice pattern on top of the dough. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the tart is golden brown.
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then unmold and cool completely. This tart is best served on the day it is made.
Adapted from Nick Malgieri
