It’s apple season! Which means James and Max are both rejoicing because their all-time favourite dessert can now be made in abundance. I’ve got quite a few apple pie and crisp recipes on the blog already (that they love) but I couldn’t get the idea to marry the two out of my head. This tart is easier to make then a pie but fancier then an apple crisp. It is the best of both worlds and James declared it the best apple creation yet. Ding! Ding! We have a winner.
Part of what makes this so delicious is that the crust is literally stuffed with apples. Once you get to the end of an apple pie there’s always that chunk of crust leftover and, if you’re anything like me, you kind of wish there was a little more filling to spoon on top. Here you fold the dough over the filling, which means every bite of crust comes along with a bite of apple. If you can have a stuffed crust pizza why not a stuffed crust pie?
If the most delicious stuffed-crust apple pie isn’t enough to perk your interest how about when you combine it with an apple crisp? In my mind this is the ultimate apple dessert. You must make it ASAP!
Rustic Apple Crumble Tart
Filling
- 6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (a mix of apples is extra yummy)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crumble Topping
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 2.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pastry Dough
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons cold butter, cut up
- 3-6 tablespoons ice cold water
To Finish
- egg wash (1 egg white + 1 teaspoon water, whisked together)
For the Filling: place apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl; toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Crumble Topping: Mix together flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and pecans. Stir in melted butter until even distributed. Set aside.
For the Pastry Dough: Combine flour, sugar and salt. Using your fingers, quickly break up the butter, tossing it in the flour mixture, until the butter is roughly the size of peas. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing together with a fork, until the dough sticks together to form a ball. (The amount of water needed depends on the humidity in your area. Just make sure it sticks together easily without being sticky to the touch.) Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, into a 14 inch circle. Transfer the parchment and dough onto a baking sheet.
Pile apple filling onto the centre of the tart and spread out to within 2 inches of the edge. Fold up the edges to keep the filling snuggly inside. Brush the pastry with egg wash. Sprinkle crumble over the centre of the tart, don’t be afraid to cover part of the pastry.
Bake at 375ºF for 1 hour, or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Makes: 8 servings
