Dutch Apple Tart with Anglaise Sauce

I love apples.  I buy them when they are on sale and like to try lots of different varieties.  My favorites are slightly tart and crisp, which make good pies and tarts.  A variety of apples make the best flavored pie or tart, and it's better if they are firm enough to hold their shape.

This tart is one I have made over and over.  I first saw the recipe in a magazine many years ago, when I was responsible for preparing a formal dinner for 100 people.  I had to have a dessert that was impressive and it needed to be made early in the day and to be able to sit for more than 8 hours until service.  The components of this tart can be prepared in advance and assembly and baking can also be done ahead of time.  The tart's flavors are best when served at room temperature.

Start by assembling and measuring all of the ingredients for the crust.  Now put a layer of aluminum foil under and around your springform pan.  There is a lot of butter in this crust and you don't want it to leak all over your oven floor or it will smoke. 

This is a short crust (which means it is not rolled out); an easy recipe for those with little pie crust experience.  Put the dry ingredients in a bowl; whisk together well.  Add 1/2 of the butter cubes and cut them in with the pastry cutter until the butter is the size of peas. 

Do the same with the other half of the butter.  You should now have small and large chunks of butter.

Notice the two different sizes of the butter chunks in the photo to the right?  This ensures that your crust will be flaky.  Don't over-cut the butter.  Some bakers cut the butter in with their fingers, but body heat softens the butter chunks.  This is NOT GOOD if you want a flaky, tender crust.  

Notice the pastry cutter.  It is not a pastry blender.  They are different.  Blenders have round thin tines, not flat ones like the cutter above.  Blenders mash, rather than cut the butter.  And yes, I can make this crust in my food processor but I like to do it by hand because I have more control over when I stop cutting the butter in.

Have I stressed the cutting enough?  It's important!

With a fork, whisk the wet ingredients together to mix.  Add to the dry mix and toss just until the dough is moistened.  Gather into a disc quickly and put into the prepared springform pan.  Press the dough into the bottom and halfway up the sides.  Can you see the butter chunks in the crust below?  Cover the pan and set it in the fridge to chill.

Prepare your apples by coring, peeling and slicing them.

You can core your apples like either photo.  Just give your apple "feet" so they are more stable.  Now peel and slice them.  Pop them in the pan; put some the same size on top so it looks pretty. 

Mix the topping as you did the crust.  Sprinkle it over the apples. 

 Don't worry if the apples are mounded higher than the crust.  They shrink a lot after baking.

Now pop the pan in the oven.  *Now, this is important...center a sheet pan on the shelf below the tart to catch any leaking butter.  It will smoke!

Bake and cool completely on a rack.

Pop the spring and remove the ring.

VOILA!!!  Dutch Apple Tart.

This is also very good when served with a big scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

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Next post we'll make the Anglaise sauce to accompany the tart.