Pie and Pastry Bible (75 page)

Make the dough (page 22). Roll, shape, and prebake it (see page 251). Let cool.

POACH THE APPLES

Peel, halve, and core the apples just before you poach them so that they do not darken.

In a nonreactive skillet just large enough to hold the apples in a single layer, combine the water, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla bean, and cinnamon stick and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the apples, rounded sides down, and bring the liquid to a boil. Place a round of parchment on top of the apples. Simmer over low heat, tightly covered, for 6 minutes. Turn the apples and continue simmering for 4 to 6 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in thickest part of an apple enters easily. The apples should still be slightly firm. Remove the pan from the heat and cool, covered only by the parchment. It will take about an hour to cool.

The apples can be used immediately, but they develop more flavor if allowed to sit in the poaching liquid for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days. Transfer the apples and their liquid to a bowl small enough so that the apples are covered by the liquid. Cover it tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.

MAKE THE WALNUT CREAM FILLING

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, place the walnuts, sugar, flour, and cinnamon and process until the walnuts are very fine. Empty the mixture into a bowl and set it aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Beat in about ½ cup of the nut mixture until incorporated. Beat in 1 egg along with another ½ cup of the nut mixture. Then beat in the second egg along with the remaining nut mixture until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Refrigerate until about 10 minutes before assembling the tart.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. at least 15 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the middle level before preheating.

ASSEMBLE THE TART

Drain the apples well on paper towels, rounded sides up, reserving the poaching liquid and vanilla bean. Discard the cinnamon stick. Using a sharp thin knife, slice each apple crosswise into thin slices, without slicing all the way through to the bottom. Press gently on the top of each apple to fan the slices slightly.

Spread the walnut cream evenly in the cooled baked tart shell.

Use a triangular tart cutter or pancake turner to lift each apple and position it on top of the walnut cream.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the walnut cream puffs slightly, surrounding the apples, and turns golden brown. When pressed very lightly with a fingertip, the walnut cream will spring back. Remove the tart to a wire rack to cool.

MAKE THE GLAZE

Measure out ¾ cup of the poaching syrup. Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the syrup.

In a small saucepan, or a 4-cup heatproof liquid measure if using a microwave on high power (about 10 minutes), reduce the liquid to ¼ cup. Cool to room temperature. Add the cassava, arrowroot, or cornstarch to the reduced poaching liquid. Stir until dissolved; then cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thickened and translucent. With arrowroot, this will happen before the liquid comes to a boil; with cassava, the liquid must come to a full boil and simmer for a few seconds; with cornstarch, the liquid must reach a full boil and simmer for about 20 seconds. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the glaze into a small cup. Use a clean artist’s brush or pastry feather to coat the apples well with glaze. Brush the remaining glaze onto the walnut filling.

Unmold the tart (see page 251) and serve. The center will be slightly creamy.

STORE

Room temperature, up to 1 day; refrigerated, up to 3 days; allow the tart to come to room temperature before serving. (The walnut cream can be made ahead and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 1 month.)

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

See also Pear Tart with Almond Cream, (page 260).

The apples are turned halfway through poaching because when the rounded tops are down, less of the sides come into contact with the pan, so they don’t cook as evenly. The apples cool in the syrup top sides up to keep them from flattening. They do not continue to soften during cooling, so they should be cooked just until tender but not undercooked.

PEACHES AND CREAM TART

T
his elegant yet homey tart has long been a favorite and is as good a reason as any I know to look forward to peach season. The filling is full of the fresh flavor of peaches and rich complexity of juicy, creamy, and crispy textures. The cream and egg yolk topping cloaks the peaches with a film of creamy golden brown custard

OVEN TEMPERATURE: 400°F. • BAKING TIME: 35 TO 45 MINUTES SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
*Or one 20-ounce bag individually quick-frozen peach slices, with no added sugar (such as Big Valley); do not defrost. To peel fresh peaches, place them in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water. The peels should slip off easily.
Sweet Nut Cookie Tart Crust, made with almonds, for a 9½-inch tart (page 59), partially prebaked	1 cup	10 ounces	288 grams
peach or apricot preserves	3 tablespoons	2.25 ounces	64 grams
sugar	cup	4.5 ounces	132 grams
ground cinnamon	1½ teaspoons	•	•
1½ pounds firm ripe peaches (4 to 5), peeled, pitted, and sliced*	approx. 3½ cups (sliced)	1¼ pounds 567 grams (sliced)
2 large egg yolks	2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon	1.25 ounces	37 grams
heavy cream	½ liquid cup	4 ounces	116 grams
sour cream	½ cup	4.25 ounces	121 grams
pure vanilla extract	½ teaspoon	•	2 grams

EQUIPMENT

A 9½-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom

Make the dough (page 59). Press it into the pan (be sure that it is at least
inch higher than the sides of the pan) and partially prebake it (see page 252).

Preheat the oven to 400°F. at least 20 minutes before baking the tart. Set an oven rack just below or at the middle of the oven before preheating.

In a small saucepan or in a small heatproof glass measure, if using the microwave, heat the preserves until they are melted and bubbling. Strain them into a small bowl. Brush the preserves onto the bottom and sides of the baked pastry shell.

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon.

Arrange the peaches in overlapping circles in the tart shell, sprinkling the sugar mixture on top of each layer. (Reserve any juice from the peaches.) Protect the pastry edges with a foil ring (see page 19). Bake for 15 minutes. (If using frozen peaches, bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until juices are exuded and the peaches are almost tender when pierced with a skewer.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla, and any reserved peach juice. Pour this mixture on top of the peaches and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes more or until the custard is golden brown.

Unmold the tart (see page 251) and serve warm or at room temperature. (Do not unmold the tart while still hot.)

STORE

Refrigerated, up to 2 days.

UNDERSTANDING

The acid in the peach juices keeps the custard from curdling at the higher than usual baking temperature.

LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES

(
Fresh Orange Tart
)

T
he name for this tart comes from the Prokofiev opera, which I remember going to as a child with my mother. The memory of it came back to me when I discovered that three different varieties of oranges were necessary to create the intense sweet/sour, tangy orange sour ball flavor I was searching for in this tart: Seville, a bitter orange, is ideal for the curd; navel, with its thick skin, provides the best zest for the curd and the firmest, most attractive slices; and Valencia provides the most juice for making the glaze.

The tart consists of a cookie crust filled with a layer of orange curd, topped with a thin layer of sponge cake, and adorned by overlapping thin slices of fresh orange. The sponge cake keeps the orange sections from sliding on the curd and catches all of the delicious juices. Caramelized sugar deglazed with orange liqueur gives a rich burnished red-tinged glaze to the orange slices.