Apple Lemon Tarte Rustique

Serves 6, created in 2010 at Echo Lake for visiting family and friends.

Ingredients:

• Pâte brisée, ½ recipe – see below.
• 11 – 12 oz. lemon curd
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. cloves
• ¼ tsp. allspice
• 3Tbsp. butter plus 1 tsp. to grease pan
• 4 apples – Braeburn, Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Pippin, or a mix of these

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel and core apples; cut into quarters, then into ¼ in. thick slices. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter and add spices and salt, then sauté slices until they become soft and slightly brown. Stir in lemon curd until well-combined, set aside to cool.
3. Grease rimmed baking sheet with 1 tsp. butter.
4. Roll out pate brisee on floured surface to rough rectagonal shape about the same size as the baking sheet. Transfer to baking sheet.
5. Spread apple-lemon mixture in center of crust, to 1 ½ in. of edges. Fold edges of pastry over filling, press lightly to keep edges in place.

Pâte brisée, from Martha Stewart Living, 2005
Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies.

Pâte brisée is the French version of classic pie or tart pastry. Pressing the dough into a disk rather than shaping it into a ball allows it to chill faster. This will also make the dough easier to roll out, and if you freeze it, it will thaw more quickly.

Ingredients:

• 2  ½ c. (12.5 oz.) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• ¼ to ½ c. ice water

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, and wrap in plastic.

Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.