Open-Faced Apple Almond Tart from Yankee Magazine

This recipe comes from the September '09 issue of Yankee Magazine.  It was such a beautiful issue that I've kept it in a pile of special magazines and cookbooks by my bedside.  Featured were orchard-to-table apple recipes from Yankee Food Editor Annie Copps, and this one, especially, caught my eye.  It is an open-faced apple tart (known in gourmet-ese as a galette), and what really piqued my interest is the almond factor, in the form of thinly-sliced almonds and almond paste.  I realize that most people won't want to make their own almond paste since you can buy a tube of it in the baking isle of pretty much any decent grocery store.  However, making it is not rocket science, and you just might want to try it.  This recipe calls for a food processor for making the paste, but a blender works as well.  Yankee Magazine has provided some wonderful night-time reading for me.  Most people read novels before they fall asleep.  I read recipes!


Open-Faced Apple Almond Tart
Recipe credited to Annie Copps, Food Editor, Yankee Magazine

    * 4 apples (your choice), peeled, seeds removed, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
    * 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    * 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    * 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
    * 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    * Flour (for dusting work surface)
    * Joanne's Tart Dough
    * Almond Paste
    * 1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds (optional)
    * 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar, divided
    * 1 large egg white
    * 1 tablespoon water

Heat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, combine apple wedges, lemon juice, brown sugar, almond extract, and cinnamon; toss well to coat.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll Joanne's Tart Dough out into a 16-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick), and place on a baking sheet.

Now roll Almond Paste into a 12-inch round and place it in the center of the dough. (It's okay if it breaks apart; it'll be covered with apples.)

Leaving a 2-inch border of dough, arrange apple wedges in an overlapping spiral from the edges to the center. Sprinkle with sliced almonds (if desired) and approximately 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar. Gently fold a 3-inch section of dough over the edge of the apple wedges; repeat with the remaining dough.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and water. Brush outside edge of dough with egg mixture. Sprinkle edge with remaining sugar. Bake 30 minutes or until dough is well browned. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Joanne's Tart Dough

    * 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
    * 2 teaspoons sugar
    * 1/2 teaspoon table salt
    * 11 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
    * 1 large egg yolk
    * 2 tablespoons whole milk

Annie writes "This is...Joanne Chang's recipe, which originally ran in Fine Cooking magazine. She was happy to share it with us. Come next autumn [this autumn] we'll have a whole collection of her recipes with the release of her first cookbook."

In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add to flour mixture. On low speed, combine butter and flour, just until flour is no longer white and mixture holds together when pressed. If there are lumps of butter larger than a pea, break them up with your fingers.

In a small bowl, mix egg yolk and milk; add to flour mixture and combine on low speed. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Work it with the heel of your hand, pushing and smearing it away from you, then gathering it back together with a bench scraper until the dough comes together. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; then flatten it into a disk and refrigerate for at least a half hour (up to four days, or freeze for months).
Almond Paste

    * 1 cup water
    * 5 ounces granulated white sugar
    * 1/4 cup corn syrup
    * 10 ounces blanched almonds
    * 10 ounces powdered sugar

Make a sugar syrup: Place water, granulated sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan, and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil. Let it cook for a few moments; then let it cool. Place almonds in a food processor and grind to a fine powder. Add powdered sugar. Then with the food processor running, add sugar syrup slowly, until the mixture forms a paste.

photo credit: http://i.timeinc.net/recipes/i/recipes/su/07/09/apple-galette-su-630050-l.jpg