Recipe: Apple Crostata

Makes 8 tarts

INGREDIENTS (FOR THE PASTRY)

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1/2 cup ice water

DIRECTIONS (FOR THE PASTRY)

1. Make the dough for the crust first.
2. Put the butter into a bowl and cut into small pieces.
3. Coat the butter thoroughly with the flour, tossing it together.
4. Using your fingers, smash the butter into flakes, until the butter is in 1/4” sized pieces.
5. Add the water slowly and blend with a fork until the dough barely sticks together.
6. Press into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill in the freezer for an hour or in the refrigerator for several hours.

INGREDIENTS (FOR THE FILLING)

• 4 apples
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• to brush on the pastry:
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS (FOR THE FILLING + MAKING THE TART)

1. Peel the apples, remove the cores and cut them into thin wedges.
2. Toss the apples with the lemon juice.
3. Mix the spices and the sugar together.
4. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the apple wedges.
5. Let the apples sit in the butter on medium heat and then sprinkle the sugar over them.
6. When they begin to brown, stir the apples gently to spread the sugar around.
7. When the apples are tender, about 10 minutes, remove them from the heat.

To make the tarts:

1. Divide the dough into eight pieces.
2. Pat each piece into a round disk.
3. Dust the counter with flour and roll out each disk of dough into a circle about 4” in diameter.
4. Overlap 6-8 apple slices in the center of the dough and then fold the edges up over the filling.
5. Drizzle a spoonful of the apple sauce from the pan over the apples.
6. You should have a round tart with a hole in the middle so that you can see the apples.
7. Mix 1/2 cup of milk with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Brush the pastry with the milk mixture and bake the tarts at 350°F for 15 minutes.