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Caramelized apple tart with hazelnut praline

Sautéing the apples before cooking this tart yields a denser texture and more intense apple flavor. The addition of hazelnut praline, while gilding the lily, reinforces the “Oregon-ness” of this dessert. For cooking, I use gala apples because they don’t fall apart. The tart shell should be a two-piece “drop-out” pan, but a regular pie pan will work fine. This quantity will easily fill one 9 inch pan.

Filling ingredients:
8 apples, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of cream
2 eggs
salt

Method:
Put a non-stick sauté pan on a hot flame. Add the apples when the pan is HOT, they should hiss. Add the butter and sugar and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring to evenly distribute color. When the apples are golden brown, dump them in a bowl to cool. When the apples are cool, stir in the cream, eggs and a pinch of salt; reserve the filling.

Dough ingredients:
2 cups of flour
2 cups of powdered sugar
2 sticks of cold butter, diced
2 eggs

Method:
Combine the flour and sugar. With your fingers, quickly rub the cold butter into the flour mixture until you have a homogenous ma with some chunks of butter evident, this should happen quickly. Crack the eggs into bowl and whisk them. Pour the eggs into the flour mixture and quickly knead into a cohesive mass. If you need more liquid, use cold water or a touch of cream. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before rolling it out.

Praline ingredients:
1 cup of roasted hazelnuts, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of water

Method:
Combine the sugar and water and heat in a heavy pot. The water will help the sugar melt. The syrup will bubble excitedly until the water evaporates at which point the bubbles will become more lazy. Start watching carefully. When the mixture is brown like cola, pour in the nuts, stir to combine and turn the caramel out onto a greased sheet pan. Either with a spatula or by tilting the pan, spread the praline out. Let it cool and harden. Grind the praline in a food processor and reserve.

To assemble:
On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of a 1/4 inch (You probably only need half of it). Press the dough into a two piece, “drop-out” tart pan (I like to use a rectangular one). With a rolling pin, cut of the excess crust (It can be re-used). Freeze the shell for at least twenty minutes (it is fine overnight). Spoon the filling into the shell and put the tart on the bottom shelf of a 350 degree oven on a sheet pan for 30 minutes. After thirty minutes, remove the tart and sprinkle a thin layer of praline over the top. Return the tart to the oven and cook until the praline melts and the dough is golden brown, 10-20 more minutes. Don’t trust my times, trust your eyes; underdone crust is lame.