6 people
DESSERT
Ina Garten Back to Basics (p. 191)
All-purpose flour - 2 cups
Apricot jelly - 1⁄2 cup
Sugar - 3⁄4 cups
Granny smith apples - 4
Unsalted butter - 2 sticks
Rum - 2 tbl
Butter - keep cold, dice 1 1/2 sticks into large squares, dice remaining 1/2 stick into small squares
Apples - peel and cut in half through the stem, remove stems and cores and slice to 1/4-inch thick slices
Make the pastry. Place the flour, 1⁄2 tsp salt and 1 tbl of sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or combine by hand. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add 1 1⁄2 sticks of large diced butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour 1⁄2 cup of ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 x 14 inches. Using a ruler and small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place the apples in overlapping slices, diagonally, until the pastry is covered with apple slices. I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful. Sprinkle with 1⁄2 cup of sugar and dot with small dices of cold butter.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry - the apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine. When the tart is done, heat the apricot jelly together with the rum and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatular so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature as squares.