Martha Stewart's Pink-Applesauce Tart
Hi, everyone. Welcome to my farm in Katonah, New York. It is apple picking season, and I'm standing right in a part of my fruit orchard. When I planted this orchard about 18 years ago, I decided I would do this portion for the kids, because espalier trees are trained to grow only a certain height and to be very productive for their size.
These trees are loaded with fruit. The apples are not all exactly perfect, but it doesn't matter if you're going to use these for cider. They get washed and they get crushed and they get pressed.
This tree probably is close to 100 years old. The fruits are big. Look how big they are! And so utterly delicious. Look how juicy, perfect for apple pie! And if you're going to make a pie, mix up the apples. Don't use only one kind of apple in a pie; they're all amazing.
Well, I think I have enough apples for a pink applesauce tart. I'll show you how.
You start with a blind bake crust. Now, if you wonder, what is a blind baked crust? It is a crust that is baked in a quiche pan.
So, pink applesauce is the base. It's not very hard. Don't peel your apples, and choose red-skinned apples. We have two pounds of apples here and about a cup-and-a-half of water, and the juice of two lemons. (I made this by mistake when I was trying to figure out how to make pink applesauce.)
It's great if you have one of these reamers, by the way; this is a great tool.
Cook until the apples are very tender.
Put the resulting applesauce right into a saucepan. A quarter of a cup of sugar and just a pinch of salt. And the recipe calls for one tablespoon of calvados (apple brandy). How about two?
And then to prepare the apples, use this very good apple corer. Use a little mandoline. Be careful when you're using one of these. But if you want those gorgeous, thin apple slices, that's how you get them.
Pour this right into the tart shell.
Now, just lay down your very thinly sliced apples in concentric circles on top of the applesauce, and just pop that right into your oven.
And to embellish that just a little bit further, heat approximately a tablespoon or two of red raspberry jelly with a little bit more apple brandy. Use a soft pastry brush and just lightly touch the apples. But look how gorgeous this tart looks.
So, if you're having a great apple harvest in your area, take the family to one of those pick-your-own. It's a lot of fun, and what you bring home can be turned into delicious desserts, cakes, even cider.
Have fun!
For more info:
- "Martha Stewart's Fruit Desserts: 100+ Delicious Ways to Savor the Best of Every Season" (Clarkson Potter), in Hardcover and eBook formats, available via Amazon and Indiebound
- Martha.com
Story produced by Robbyn McFadden. Editor: Joseph Frandino.