Friday, May 14, 2010

Arietta Apple-Apricot Crostata



The absolute best thing about this dessert (aside from the fact that it is simply delicious) is that the finished product looks complicated but in secret is actually quite easy to make. A crostata is an italian fruit tart with a devine butter crust (in this case, vegan butter!) that has the perfect comnination of chewy and crunchy.

Ingredients

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup vegan butter

2 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups flour

pinch of salt

1/2 cup apricot preserves

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degress F.

Grease a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removal bottom. Set aside.
Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine sugar, butter, egg yolks, flour, and salt until a soft and sticky dough forms. Be careful not to overwork the dough in the food processor.
Flour your hands and press the dough down into the bottom of the tart pan. Fan out the apple slices, starting from the outer edges and working your way in towards the center.
Heat the apricot preserves in a small saucepan until they have liquified. Brush over the top of the entire tart.
Bake for 15 at 425 degrees F. Lower heat to 325 degrees F and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Enjoy!

Music suggestions:
  • Malaguena- Ernesto Lecuona
  • Symphony No. 4 in A, Op. 90, "Italian": I. Allegro vivace- Felix Mendelssohn


2 comments:

  1. Hi Natanielle,

    This recipe is another winner! It is really a beauty and I am sure it tastes marvelous. The "fan" of the apples is so perfect, how did you make each slice the same size?

    Take care,

    Beverly

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  2. Hi Beverly!

    Thank you! I cut the apples into fourths with a pretty heavy chopping knife (which I think helped) and took a little extra care in eyeballing the size. But the apple slices actually shrink down to an almost perfectly uniform size when baked so they take care of themselves in a way! The part that takes a bit more work is fanning the slices out. So make sure you have some entertainment to take your mind off of the assembling of the tart... Lawrence Welk is a big help!

    Take care,

    Natanielle

    ReplyDelete