I’ve been counting down the days until I could share the grand finale in this year’s Thanksgiving lineup: this easier-than-pie warm apple tart (from one of my favorite cookbooks, Everyday is Saturday) has been calling my name, and I’m ready to dig in.
But before we go there, let’s talk about the cookbook, or more specifically, its author, Sarah Copeland. I’d been a fan of Sarah’s work for awhile, but when Everyday is Saturday arrived on my doorstep earlier this year, I found a foodie soulmate. I spent the weekend devouring her laid-back-yet-cool approach to healthy eating, and of course, trying out her no-fail recipes. This is the kind of book where you want to make every.single.thing.
After sliding into her DM’s to fangirl out over everything I’d been making, it turns out that Sarah and I had way more in common than just our taste in food; we share similar goals with work-life balance and many of the same struggles in parenting, and over the months, we’ve become real friends across the miles. So crazy when that happens, but sometimes you just know.
But enough about mine and Sarah’s story (is there a word for the girl version of a bromance? Hmm…) Let’s talk about this tart!
from Sarah:
This tart came to be one Sunday when all I could think about was baking a pie. But there’s never time for baking a pie, even on the weekend, at least not between planting blackberries and visiting with friends and long bouts of begging a toddler to take a nap. But there is time, almost any day, to make this.
The idea (for this tart) came from my friend Aran Goyoaga, of Cannelle et Vanille, who is always arranging fruit in tarts in such elegant ways.
The filling has all the goods of apple pie with a quarter of the work, tucked into a press-in crust so easy my seven-year-old can make it on her own.
This tart is hard to cut warm, but it melts in your mouth (and no one minds a warm crumbled apple tart spooned into a bowl, with ice cream melting on top). Cool, it is equally alluring and easier to serve in perfect slices. The best thing about this tart, though, besides eating it, is knowing how easy it is to make it again.
Scroll on for the recipe, and pickup your copy of Everyday is Saturday right here!
Easier-Than-Pie Warm Apple Tart
Serves 6
An Easier-Than-Pie Warm Apple Tart
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/4 cup (1/2 stick), cut into cubes
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- 4 crisp, tart apples, such as Ginger Gold or Jonathan (about 1 1/2 lbs)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Stir together the melted butter, almond flour, gluten-free flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the vanilla, salt, and pepper (if using) in a bowl to make a sandy paste.
- Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (a 9-inch springform pan will work, if that's all you have). Chill in the freezer while you preheat the oven, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Cut the cheeks of the apples off the core into four pieces (each piece will have one large flat side). Lay them on their flat sides and thinly slice each piece, holding them together in their shape as you go.
- Arrange the slices around the tart in any pattern you desire, fanning the apples just a bit; use them all, even if you have to squeeze some of the slices in. (Don't overthink it; it doesn't have to be perfect!)
- Sprinkle evenly with the remaining sugar and the cinnamon, and dot with the cubed butter.
- Bake until the crust is toasty and golden and the apples are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with the lemon juices and any additional garnishes you desire. Serve with whipped cream.
GET AHEAD
The crust keeps, unbaked and well wrapped, in the freezer for up to 3 weeks. After serving your gorgeous tart, and before you store away your clean tart pan, make and press in another crust. Wrap well in plastic film and freeze to have on hand as a head start for surprise company.
GOOD TO KNOW
I always use firm, tart local apples with beautiful skins for this tart— either red or golden-yellow. You can adjust the amount of lemon you include to how tart your apples are—starting with 1 teaspoon. Don’t use Granny Smith apples for this; the skin is too tough.
GLUTEN FREE, OR NOT
I most often use almond flour and gluten-free flour for this crust, so it’s both tender and nutty, and completely gluten free—a win for parties and mixed crowds. This works beautifully with all-purpose flour, too, if that’s what you have and use at home.
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