Apple Tart with Sweet Pie Dough

This sweet pie dough and the adapted apple filling recipe is from the Pies sweet and savory DK book. The crust with the filling is delicious, we enjoyed this apple tart with ice cream.

For the Sweet Pie Dough

1 cup flour

5 tbsp chilled unsalted butter

Substitute 1 tbsp flour with 1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 lightly beaten egg yolk optional to make a richer dough

flour for dusting

Rub all the flour and the chilled and cubed unsalted butter with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Work quickly when handling the dough to keep the gluten in the flour from heating up. Working in a cool room will help. Add in the egg yolk to the flour mixture if you want to make a richer dough.

Add 3 to 4 tbsp of cold water and bring the dough together to form a soft dough. Handle the dough gently and be careful not to overwork the dough. Wrap in a plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

For the filling

4 tbsp butter

1 lb apples peeled, cored and chopped

1/2 cup sugar and 1 tbsp sugar

finely grated zest and juice of 1/2  lemon

2 sweet apples peel, core and thinly slice to arrange on top of the puree optional

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and line the tart pan. Trim around the top of the pan and prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Chill the crust for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F and line the crust with parchment paper and fill with baking beans or pie weights and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return it to the oven for another 5 minutes until the dough is light golden in colour.

Melt the butter in a pan and add the chopped apples, cover and cook in low heat stirring occasionally until it is soft and mushy for about 15 minutes. Add lemon zest and cook till it is thick. Spoon the cooked apples into the crust, sprinkle with 1 tbsp sugar.

If you want arrange the thinly sliced sweet apples on top of the puree and brush with lemon juice and sprinkle with sugar before baking for 30 to 35 minutes until the apple slices have softened and are starting to turn pale golden. Cut into slices and serve.

A little bit about some tools from Trudeau that helped me make this pie easily...

The stainless steel beads are stringed in a chain measuring 6 feet that has an easy grab European grade silicone handle that can withhold up to 428F. I like using this pie weight because it easy to clean up fast after using, and store when I am done as it come with a pouch. 

I enjoy using this colourful 2 1/2" diameter rolling pin that has a 12" non-stick surface with soft grip handles. The combination of being a good size, and having the correct balance of weight is convenient to use everyday for all our baking and kitchen needs. Since the surface of the rolling pin is non-stick we can go easy on the flour when we are using this rolling pin.

I love using the colourful 5 piece measuring spoons and cups, which are a must have tool in the kitchen. I like how easily it can be cleaned. This BPA free, measuring spoons and cups have five years warranty and a removable snap that is convenient when we are measuring.

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