Full Moon Recipe for July: Apple Ginger Tart

It’s time for another recipe! First, the recipe. Then, me blathering onward about my occasionally questionable culinary capabilities and the memories this particular treat holds for me.

• The Ingredients
  • The Crust:
    • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
    • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/16 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 tablespoon honeyb or golden agave syrup
    • 2/3 cup very cold butter or shortening
  • The Filling:
    • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger OR 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger. NOT BOTH.
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
    • 1/16 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 tablespoons dark honey
    • 4 medium baking apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely grated
    • 1 medium baking apple, cored and sliced into thin rings
    • Optional: more honey or sanding sugar
• The Way of Preparing
  1. Preheat Oven to 375°F/190°C/Gas Mark 5
  2. For the Crust: whisk together the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and flour. Work the butter or shortening into the flour mixture until it’s crumbly. Whisk together the egg and honey; add to the flour-butter mix and mix by hand or wooden spoon just enough for the dough to come together. Roll out to 1-inch thickness, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. The end result is to fill a 9 inch tart pan.
  3. Four of the apples are to be grated. A mix of Pink Lady, Granny Smith, and/or Honeycrip are good. Don’t bake with Red Delicious. It won’t be delicious, it’ll be a grainy mess. Add to the grated apples the ginger and cinnamon and toss to coat. Add the flour and salt, stirring or tossing to coat and then the honey. Stir to combine.
  4. Roll out your dough however you best are able to to at least 12 inches in diameter. I like a pastry mat that shows the dimensions of various circles like the one found here. (Not an affiliate link, I just happen to like this one in particular)
  5. Transfer your rolled out crust to your tart pan and trim. Chill for at least ten minutes before adding your filling.
  6. Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator. Scoop and level your grated apple filling into the shell.
  7. Layer the apple rings over one another in any design that is pleasing to the eye. Brush with a little more honey or dust with some sanding sugar (if desired).
  8. Bake on the lowest rack for 15-20 minutes, then transfer it to the middle rack of the oven for another 5-10 minutes. It varies from oven to oven, unfortunately.
  9. Bake until golden around the edges and the apples atop the tart are beginning to caramelize. Remove from the oven and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
     
• Notes
  • You can also make this an apple and pear tart! Just substitute out one of the grated apples for a pear and a half also grated.

Apples are for love and prosperity in our house! Often part of a cheese board for dinner, we favor Pink Ladies, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Ambrosia apples. I don’t often eat apples whole, I like them as pairings with cheese or some such.

Apples are also fruits of knowledge. I stress-bake a lot and in college, it was all about the stress-baking. I wonder what my coping mechanisms will be when I go back to school?

Anyway, this makes a wonderful cakes and ale. You can also use tartlets or a muffin tin to make mini tarts!