Free-Form Apple Tart

This luscious tart is perfect for a light dessert or as a brunch pastry.

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Ingredients:

• Pastry
  • 1¼ cup flour
  • 3/4 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter (well chilled, cut into 12 pieces)
  • 3½ Tbsp cold water
  • 1½ tsp lemon juice
• Filling
  • 16 oz Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored
  • 8 oz Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp apple brandy (such as Calvados or Apple Jack) or regular brandy
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

Blend flour, zest, and salt in food processor. Add butter, cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine water and lemon juice. With processor running, pour through feed tube, and process just until dough begins to gather together. Gently shape dough into a ball, and flatten into a disk. Wrap tightly, and refrigerate 30 minutes, or freeze 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425º F. Thinly slice apples, and toss with lemon juice and brandy. Combine sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll out dough to 13-inch round. Transfer to a pizza pan. Place apples on pastry, mounding slightly in the center, and leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle apples with sugar mixture. Dot with 3 tablespoon of butter. Fold a 2-inch pastry border in over apple filling (it will resemble a pizza). Bake tart 15 minutes, reduce temperature to 375º F, and bake until pastry is golden brown and filling bubbles, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly and transfer to a serving plate. Dust edges with powdered sugar. Slice into 8 wedges, and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 servings

Per serving: 284 calories (50% calories from fat); 16g total fat; 10g saturated fat; 43mg cholesterol; 148mg sodium; 33g carbohydrates; 2g protein