Because I’ve been on a nostalgic mood lately, I bought an insane amount of Granny Smith apples last week – they were my favorite apples growing up (actually, they’re still are), and would lose only to strawberries in a favorite fruit contest. My dad used to find it quite funny that I loved something that tart as a kid – maybe it was a sign of the sour future to come in terms of flavor preferences, I guess. ;)
Being unable to eat all those apples on my own – believe me, I tried - I decided to bake with some of them. And a delicious croustade was the result – raisins would be a nice substitution for the cranberries if you can’t find them: just pop them in a small bowl with some rum and set aside until they plump up.
Apple cranberry croustade with cornmeal crust
adapted from the always wonderful and delicious Bon Appetit Desserts
Crust:
2/3 cup (94g) all purpose flour
¼ cup (35g) icing sugar
2 ½ tablespoons cornmeal or polenta
pinch of salt
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (70g) unsalted butter, chilled and chopped
1 chilled large egg, lightly whisked with a fork
Filling:
1 ½ tablespoons (21g) unsalted butter
670g (about 3 medium) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, each cut into 12 wedges
3 tablespoons superfine sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup (28g) dried cranberries
whole milk, for brushing
1 tablespoon demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Start by making the crust: place flour, icing sugar, cornmeal and salt in a food processor and blitz to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg gradually and pulse again until moist clumps form – you might not use the entire egg. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Make the filling: melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and sprinkle with the superfine sugar. Cook, turning the apples occasionally, until they’re golden brown, about 12 minutes – mix gently to avoid breaking the apple slices. Sprinkle with the cinnamon, mix in the cranberries and set aside to cool completely.
Assemble the croustade: preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Roll out dough between two large pieces of lightly floured baking paper to form a 30cm (12in) round – if dough gets too soft, place it in the freezer (still between the paper pieces) for 5 minutes. Slide the bottom sheet of baking paper with the dough onto a heavy cookie sheet. Starting at the center of the dough, arrange the apple slices, spreading towards the edges, but leaving 3.5-5cm (1 ½ to 2in) plain border. Using the paper as aid, fold border over filling. Brush the border with the milk and sprinkle crust border and filling with the demerara sugar.
Bake until crust begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven to 190°C/375°F, then continue baking until crust is golden brown and filling is heated through, 20-25 minutes. Cool until warm over a wire rack, then carefully run a thin knife under the tart to loosen it from the paper. Use the bottom of a tart pan (the removable bottom) to transfer the tart to a serving plate.
Serves 6
