Ready for Dessert (16 page)

Roll out the second dough disk into a 14-inch (36-cm) circle. Moisten the exposed edges of the dough in the pie plate with water, then drape the second dough circle over the top. Working all the way around the pie, tuck the upper dough edges under the lower dough edges and crimp to seal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and milk or cream. Brush the top crust generously with the egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse-crystal or granulated sugar. Pierce the top crust with a paring knife in 6 places.

Bake until the top crust is browned and the filling juices are thick and bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust is browning too quickly, loosely drape a sheet of aluminum foil over the top during baking.

Let the pie cool for about 1 hour before serving.

SERVING:
Don’t expect to cut neat wedges of this pie.
Vanilla Ice Cream
or
whipped cream
are lovely accompaniments.

VARIATION:
If you come across seedless Concord-style grapes at greenmarkets, you can use them, but be sure to halve them anyway, which breaks the skin and helps them soften during baking.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH (23-CM) TART; 12 SERVINGS

I don’t have an Austrian bone in my body, but there was just something about the beloved linzertorte, Austria’s cross between a tart and a cake, that seemed ripe for an all-American adaptation. Traditionally, the crust is made with almonds and the filling is raspberry jam. But mine is made with peanuts and is filled with peanuts’ natural partner: grape jelly. Delicious on its own, linzertorte needs no accompaniment.

1½ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour

1½ cups (225 g) roasted unsalted peanuts

¾ cup (150 g) sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (6 ounces/170 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (1.5-cm) pieces and chilled

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1¼ cups (320 g) Concord grape jelly

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter the bottom of a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan.

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, peanuts, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until the peanuts are coarsely ground, but still slightly chunky. Add the butter pieces and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the egg and egg yolk and process until the dough comes together in a ball.

Transfer two-thirds of the dough to the prepared springform pan. Using your hands, press the dough evenly into the bottom and about 1½ inches (4 cm) up the sides of the pan. (If the dough is very sticky, lightly dampen your hands with water to help prevent the dough from sticking to them.) Spread the grape jelly evenly over the dough.

Lightly flour a work surface. Divide the remaining dough into 4 pieces and use your hands to roll each piece into a rope about 16 inches (40 cm) long. Cut the ropes into lengths to span the surface of the tart and arrange them on the jam filling, spacing them about 1 inch (3 cm) apart. Pinch off the ends of the ropes where they meet the sides of the pan. (Dough scraps can be rerolled into more ropes.) Arrange a second set of ropes on the tart, positioning them diagonally across the first ones, to create a lattice top. (It’s not necessary to be too fussy or exact when forming the lattice; the dough will spread quite a lot during baking and flaws will disappear.)

Bake the linzertorte until the pastry is deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely. Run a knife around the sides of the linzertorte to help loosen it from the pan. Release the sides of the springform pan.

STORAGE:
Linzertorte is actually better the second day and can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week wrapped well in plastic wrap.

VARIATION:
Substitute any kind of jam or jelly that you like. For those avoiding peanuts, almonds and hazelnuts are good substitutes in the crust.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

If you’ve never had whole wheat puff pastry before, you’re in for a treat. While many people love the taste of the buttery layers of traditional puff pastry, adding whole wheat flour gives it a hearty, nutty taste that I find especially appealing when paired with apples. I also reason that the whole wheat balances out what some might consider an injudicious amount of butter in the dough.

This is a quick puff pastry, adapted from a technique I learned from Linda Zagula, that takes a fraction of the time and work required to make the traditional kind. It still takes six turns to roll it out, but you do the first four all at once, then the last two later. And the pastry recipe makes enough for two tarts, so you can wrap the extra piece and stash it away in the freezer, ready for the next tart.

PUFF PASTRY

2 cups (1 pound/450 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (1.5-cm) cubes

2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour

¾ cup (110 g) whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup (180 ml) ice water

FILLING

3 medium apples (1½ pounds/675 g)

1½ tablespoons unsalted or salted butter, melted

2 tablespoons (30 g) granulated or coarse-crystal sugar

SAUCE

2 tablespoons (1 ounce/30 g) salted butter

½ cup (120 g) packed light brown sugar

⅓ cup (80 ml) maple syrup

2 tablespoons (30 ml) water

½ cup (50 g) walnuts, toasted and chopped

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon bourbon, or more to taste

To make the puff pastry, distribute the 2 cups (1 pound/ 450 g) unsalted butter cubes evenly onto a dinner plate or small baking sheet, separating them with your fingers, and freeze until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), mix together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours and the salt. Add the frozen butter pieces and mix on low speed (or with a pastry blender) until the edges of the butter pieces just begin to lose their sharpness, about 1 minute. Add the ice water and mix until the flour absorbs the water; the dough will look very ragged, with large pieces of butter relatively intact.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead with your hands a few times. Using your hands or a rolling pin, shape the dough into a 10 by 15-inch (25 by 38-cm) rectangle. The dough will not be at all smooth at this point, which is normal—and don’t expect a perfect rectangle.

For the first turn, with the long side of the dough rectangle parallel with the counter’s edge, fold the dough into thirds: the right third over the center, then fold the left third over to cover it. Rotate the dough clockwise one quarter turn so that the seam is closest to you. Lightly flour the work surface and again roll out the dough into a 10 by 15-inch (25 by 38-cm) rectangle.

For the second turn, again with the long side of the dough rectangle parallel with the counter’s edge, fold the dough into thirds: the right third over the center, then fold the left third over to cover it. The edges of the dough should be close to being aligned; if they aren’t, unfold the dough and refold it so they’re parallel. Again rotate the dough clockwise one quarter turn so the seam is closest to you. Lightly flour the work surface and roll the dough into a 10 by 15-inch (25 by 38-cm) rectangle.

For the third and fourth turns, fold, rotate, roll out, then again fold the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. For the fifth and sixth turns, roll out, fold, and rotate the dough two more times. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the filling and assemble the tart, cut the chilled dough in half crosswise (you need only one half; see Storage for tips on keeping the remaining half). Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the dough half into a 12 by 15-inch (30 by 38-cm) rectangle. Transfer the dough rectangle to the prepared baking sheet. Brush water around the border, then fold in the edges and crimp by pressing down with a fork to make a decorative edge. Prick the bottom of the dough about 25 times with the fork.

Peel, quarter, and core the apples, and cut them into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices. Arrange the apple slices on the puff pastry in overlapping rows. Brush the apples with the 1½ tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle them, and the crust, with the granulated or coarse-crystal sugar. Bake the tart until the apples are tender and beginning to brown, about 35 minutes.

While the tart bakes, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, bring the 2 tablespoons (1 ounce/30 g) salted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and water to a boil. Boil for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat. Mix in the walnuts, cinnamon, and bourbon. Taste and add more bourbon, if desired.

When the tart is ready, slide it off the parchment paper and onto a wire rack.

Cut the tart into squares and serve warm with generous spoonfuls of the sauce.

STORAGE:
The tart is best the day it’s made. The reserved puff pastry can be frozen for up to 2 months, if well wrapped. Defrost it, still wrapped, in the refrigerator overnight before rolling it out. Or, keep the dough in the refrigerator, but for no more than a day or two—any longer and it starts to discolor.

VARIATION:
Instead of the maple-walnut sauce, try serving the tart with
Cider Sabayon
.

MAKES ONE 10-INCH (25-CM) TART; 8 SERVINGS

I love a good, classic version of tarte Tatin, the famed French caramelized-apple tart, as much as the next guy— probably even more. But adding slices of quince makes this variation extra inviting to me. If you’re unfamiliar with quince, a cousin of the apple, it’s likely because they’re inedible in their raw state, so they tend to get neglected by folks who don’t know about the seductive, beguiling flavor that’s coaxed out of them by cooking.

Like apples, quince are in season in the fall, and they’re easy to find by following your nose; when they’re ripe, their scent is rather intoxicating. I often keep a bowl of them on my dining table to perfume my entire apartment.

TARTE TATIN DOUGH

1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60 g) unsalted butter cut into ½-inch (1.5-cm) pieces and chilled

3 tablespoons (45 ml) ice water

FRUIT

8 medium apples (4 pounds/2 kg)

2 medium quinces (1 pound/450 g)

3 tablespoons (1½ ounces/45 g) unsalted butter

¾ cup (150 g) sugar

To make the dough, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl with a pastry blender), mix together the flour, the 2 teaspoons sugar, and the salt. Add the 4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60 g) chilled butter pieces and keep mixing until the butter pieces are about the size of corn kernels. Add the ice water and mix until the dough comes together. Gather the dough and shape it into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To prepare the fruit and assemble the tart, peel, quarter, and core the apples. Peel, quarter, and core the quinces, then cut them into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices. Melt the 3 tablespoons (1½ ounces/145 g) butter in a 10-inch (25-cm) cast iron skillet. Sprinkle the ¾ cup (150 g) sugar over the bottom of the pan and remove from the heat.

Pack the apples tightly in the pan, standing them on end, with the cored sides facing inward. It may seem like a lot of fruit, but they’ll cook down considerably. Insert the quince slices between the apples.

Place the skillet on the stovetop and cook over medium heat until the juices thicken and become lightly caramelized, about 25 minutes. While they’re cooking, press down on the apples to ease them into the pan and promote caramelization.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough into a 12-inch (30-cm) circle. Drape the dough over the apples in the skillet and tuck the edges down between the sides of the skillet and the apples.

Bake the tart until the pastry has browned, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and invert a serving plate over the skillet. Wearing long oven mitts, grasp both the skillet and the plate and turn them over together, away from you, to unmold the tart. Be careful of any hot juices that may spill out!

SERVING:
Although purists say tarte Tatin is best served on its own, others appreciate a spoonful of crème fraîche or
Vanilla Ice Cream
on top or alongside.

STORAGE:
The dough can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 1 month. Tarte Tatin should be served warm the day it’s made. You can make it an hour or so in advance and leave it on the serving plate, under the overturned skillet, to keep it warm after baking. It can also be rewarmed in a low oven.