Rustic Apple Tart

If an unexpected force of nature were to come and I would be stuck inside my house with no way of getting to a nearby grocery store, I'd still find a way to bake. I would just try to make it to my backyard and pick some apples, pears and walnuts from my trees. Well that's what I did with this tart (minus the part of house-arrest due to weather circumstances).

I used my own home-grown apples and the other five ingredients are always at hand. You can make this delicious, dramatic dessert with just six common ingredients. It's actually a cross between a pie and a fruit crisp: the brown-sugar crumb mixture serves as the crust as well as the topping. Few ingredients, easy to assemble, great tasting: rating 5 out of 5.




Rustic Apple Tart: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 3 pounds (about 6) tart apples, such as Granny Smith
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Using an electric mixer or a pastry cutter, cut in butter until the mixture forms pea-size pieces. Press ⅔ of the mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel apples, cut into thin slices, and place in a bowl. Pour off any accumulated liquid. Toss apple slices with remaining teaspoon cinnamon and lemon juice, and put them in the prepared pan, pressing down gently as you pack them in (they will mound above the edge of the pan). Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top.
- Put the pan on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and let the cake cool in the pan to set. Serve at room temperature


My apple tree.