Apple, Pear and Cranberry Tart

This easy-to-make upside down tart, or tarte tatin, is the essence of fall with apples, pears and cranberries in a deliciously different pastry crust.

The tart is prepared in an oven-proof skillet with a layer of caramelized brown sugar, butter and spices at the bottom and a delicious oat and butter crust on the top.  After baking, it is flipped upside down onto a plate so the caramel layer coats the filling mixture for a delicious and not too heavy dessert.  Vanilla ice cream would be a great addition!

The recipe says to serve warm but it was just as good after a night in the refrigerator.  We loved it!  The crust was a delightful surprise and I could have eaten the whole thing if my husband hadn't beat me to it.

We had our first freeze this past weekend.  With the temperatures reaching the 70s today through Wednesday we are officially having Indian Summer.

 

Speaking of Indian Summers is anyone else watching the PBS series? I'm enjoying it very much. The cast is wonderful!   

Apple, Pear and Cranberry Tart

Printable Recipe

This easy to make upside-down tart or tarte tatin in French, uses the best that autumn has to offer and the crust is delicious! See My Notes below.

8 servings

Crust

1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons ice water

Filling

2 ripe but firm pears, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large apple, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup fresh cranberries

To make the crust:

Put the flour, oats, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor and process until the oats are finely ground. Add the butter, a piece at a time, and pulse two to three times after each addition, until blended. Add the oil and water and pulse only until the dough starts to come together. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times until it holds together. Pat the dough into a 5-inch disk and wrap in plastic or wax paper.  Refrigerate while the filling is prepared.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

To make the filling:

Toss the pear and apple slices with lemon juice in a large bowl.

Put the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and ginger in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until the butter and sugar are melted and the mixture starts to bubble. Remove from heat. Arrange the pear and apple slices in concentric circles, starting at the center and work outward, overlapping the slices and adding another layer until all the slices are in the pan. Scatter the cranberries over the top.

Return the pan to medium-low heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.  Peek under the fruit or listen for the bubbling if you cannot see it. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, gently tilting the pan occasionally, until the sauce becomes a thicken and caramelly, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Roll the dough between sheets of parchment or wax paper into a 12-inch circle. Peel off the top sheet and invert the dough over the fruit. Peel off the remaining paper. Quickly tuck the edges of the crust down into the sides of the pan. Prick the top with a fork. 

Bake in the preheated oven until the crust just begins to brown around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to release the crust then place a serving plate larger than the pan on top and invert the tart onto the plate. Serve warm.

My notes: I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour for the crust and used a seasoned 8" cast iron skillet for the tart. While there was a little too much dough, the filling ingredients were just about right.  I did need to add another half apple.  Perhaps mine were a little smaller.

Adapted from Eating Well.com

French Apple Tart with Crème Pâtissière

This past weekend I made my first 'fall-ish' dessert. Not that apple pies and tarts can't be made any time of the year but, for some reason, they taste better when the weather starts to cool and apples are at their freshest.  I decided to make an apple tart made with the crème pâtissière that I used in the peach baluchons I made last year in September. 

The creamy vanilla filling was delicious with the apples!  If you look closely, you can see the vanilla cream peaking out on the left side next to the crust :) 

As a shortcut, I used frozen puff pastry for my tart shell but you could make your own favorite pie crust recipe if you prefer. It's fun to use the puff pastry scraps to make cut outs for decorations.  Directions included in the recipe below.  

French Apple Tart with Crème Pâtissière

Printable Recipe

For the Crème pâtissière:

1 cup whole milk
1 vanilla bean (I recommend using a vanilla bean but you could substitute vanilla extract)
¼ cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter

Place milk in medium saucepan over medium heat. Split and scrape the vanilla bean, and add bean to pan along with scrapings. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in separate bowl, beat together sugar, cornstarch and yolks until mixture turns pale yellow. Gradually pour milk into yolk mixture while whisking constantly. Return mixture to medium heat and whisk continually until mixture thickens and just comes to a boil being careful not to let it get too thick. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter. Remove vanilla bean. Pour cream into a bowl, and place plastic wrap directly over the cream. This will prevent a skin from forming while the cream cools. Place in refrigerator to cool.

For the Apple Tart:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (or your favorite pie crust recipe)
3-4 Granny Smith apples, depending how their size
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Using one sheet of puff pastry dough, unthawed, gently roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it will completely fill a tart pan with removable bottom with enough to cover over the sides slightly. Pat to fit and trim off the excess. Prick the bottom of the tart all over with a fork and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and puffed. Set aside to cool. (If you have enough dough left, you can cut decorative shapes and bake them on another small baking sheet for about 5-7 minutes while the shell is baking)

Cut and core the apples. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice them into uniform slices about 1/4 inch thick. Fill the bottom of the tart shell with the cooled Crème pâtissière, spreading to smooth it out evenly. Place them in a mixing bowl and add the sugar and cinnamon and toss. Starting at the outside rim of the baked tart shell, start making a concentric circle with the apple slices, overlapping them slightly. The next row should overlap the first by at least 1/4 inch, keeping in mind that the apples will shrink slightly when they bake. Finish the center by cutting either one large round, thin slice of apple or three smaller ones - enough to fill the center. Brush the top of the apples with the melted butter. Alternatively, you could use apricot jelly or preserves, melted.

Bake the tart in a 375 degree preheated oven for 50 minutes.

Served with sweetened whipping cream (I added a little cinnamon to mine).

Enjoy!

Apple Tarts for My Sweets~

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian friends! 

Even though it's not Thanksgiving here in the U.S., having the whole family for dinner is always a special and wonderful event and yesterday was no exception. Having to leave dessert on the table to walk a fussy baby was all the dessert I needed :) 

Making apple tarts using frozen puff pastry is one of the quickest and easiest desserts to make!

Simply follow the directions on the puff pastry sheet box to thaw. Roll out the thawed puff pastry to fit a tart pan with a removable bottom, press into place and then chill for about 10-15 minutes in the frig. Meanwhile, peel and slice the apples. Having a mandolin to slice the apples also makes quick work of slicing. I like to leave just a little peel on the apples for texture.

If you want, you can use the excess puff pastry to make little cut-outs to decorate the tart.

I arranged the apple slices over the pastry in the tart pans, and sprinkled each tart with about a tablespoon of lemon juice, about 2/3 cup of sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon added. Then, I crumbled about 1 tablespoon of butter of the top and drizzled with approximately 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden and the apples are softened.  That's it!