november 13, 2015

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and the dreaded pumpkin shortage trumpeted in the news recently has not affected supplies in local grocery stores.Yet. I planned this dessert as an antidote to said shortage, but if you are like me, you enjoy an array of desserts at the holiday table, and having your pumpkin pie in addition to a creamy apple dessert is not considered a conflict of interest.

Virginia apples have been so crisp, so fragrant and so plentiful that I find myself adding them to entrees, sides, condiments and desserts on The Good Eats Company fall menus. This year, a new variety of early Fuji apple, the aptly named September Wonder, lured me away from my usual favorites. Its multicolored beauty and ability to charm in the raw and cooked states, and its bonafide local heritage, made me fall hard.

the delectable September Wonder

Here is a tart that seems complicated in appearance , but it comes together in just a few steps, travels well and is not too terribly sweet for the dessert-aversive. The tartness of the lemon cream offsets the natural apple sweetness. The almond flour crust and streusel are tender and yet satisfyingly chewy with toasted skin-on almonds. Gluten free dessert choices just got better. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and may you enjoy a bounty of desserts.

Almond Apple Tart                                                         

recipe by Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company

makes 8-10 servings

ingredients

2 ¼ pounds apples, peeled and cut in ½ inch dice
6 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided 3T-3T-1/2T
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 cups almond meal (I like Bob’s Red Mill brand)
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
pinch of fine sea salt
two 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup coarsely chopped skin-on almonds

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat, stir in apples and light brown sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until apples are soft and tender, about 10 minutes.
3. It will seem like a lot of apples for one tart, but they cook down nicely.
4. Add almond extract and set aside to cool while you make crust and streusel.
5. In mixing bowl, combine almond meal, powdered sugar and salt with clean hands, then rub in 3 tablespoons butter just until mixture comes together.
6. Set aside ½ cup for streusel.
7. Pat rest onto bottom of greased (cooking spray is fine) 9 inch springform pan.
8. Bake for about 14 minutes or until edges begin to brown; set aside to cool at room temp.
9. In another bowl, add condensed milk and gently whisk in lemon juice, a little at a time, until well combined.
10. To make streusel, add almonds to reserved ½ cup almond meal mixture, and use clean hands to add last of the butter, ½ tablespoon, until all just comes together.
11. To assemble tart,spray sides of pan, add half of lemon cream to cooled tart, then all of the apple mixture, then the remainder of the lemon cream.
12. Top with almond streusel and bake for 30 minutes to set.
13. After cooling to room temperature, chill at least four hours or overnight; remove from pan once chilled.
14. Serve within 1-2 days; the tart will store up to one week, but crust gets softer with time.