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I
came upon this apple tart recipe by chance. We were living in
Portland Oregon at the time and every week I would faithfully read
the food section in The Oregonian. One week there it was, a lovely
picture of this apple tart with its shortbread crust, cream cheese
filling, slices of cinnamon-sugared apples, and scattering of sliced
almonds. I immediately cut out the recipe and set about making it.
This is so good warm from the oven, when the shortbread is nice and
crisp, the filling is soft and creamy, and the slices of apple are
warm and fragrant. Even today, almost 20 years after finding this
recipe, it is still a family favorite. This apple tart starts with a shortbread crust. There are
many types of pastry crusts but I must say that this shortbread crust is
the easiest one to make.
The ingredients are simply placed in your food
processor and pulsed until clumps start to form. Then all you have to do is press it into a springform pan
and then its on to making the cream cheese filling. Again, the filling is made in the food processor and while it does
have a softer consistency, its flavor will remind you of cheesecake.
Once it is poured over the uncooked shortbread crust, sliced
cinnamon-sugared apples are mounded on top. The finishing touch
is sliced almonds. The tart is baked first in a very hot oven for 10
minutes and then the temperature is reduced. It is done when the crust has
nicely browned, the filling is set, and the apples are tender when pierced
with a sharp knife. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
This tart is excellent warm from the oven, at room temperature, or even
cold.
I like to
use Granny Smith apples for this dessert because of their year round
availability and their tart
flavor and crisp texture. However,
if you are lucky enough to live close to an apple orchard or farmer's
market, be sure to try using other tart crisp apples. Some of
my personal favorites are Mutsu Golden, Rome, Stayman Winesap,
Jonagold or Jonathan. You can also try mixing two or three varieties
of apples for a more complex flavor.
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