Rose Apple Tart

This is a recipe that can use a video to help understand how to cut the apple. I know I did not get it right.

My second try. Much better. What did I change? I used a larger tart pan, 26 cm. I used pink lady apples that look nicer. After baking the crust, I mixed 100 g ground almonds with 50 g confectionary sugar and 2 level tea spoons of cinnamon and spread that on the crust before adding the apples. To form the round core of apples, I popped the last slices with some lemon water into the microwave foe 30 seconds. They bent without breaking. It looked very nice and tasted much better than my first try.

STEP 5 - Think about cutting a clock. Looking down at the apple, stem up. You want to slice at 12 o'clock, 4 o'clock, and 8 o'clock.

Check the vid, folks! https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1583926199050702848?s=46&t=wU5wISo1sw4dce_eSX57rg

A note for all other removable-bottom-pan newbies out there: Make sure you put the pan on a cookie sheet so you can get it out of the oven easily. I ended up wearing a scorching hot metal bracelet when the bottom fell out and onto my kitchen floor. Undeterred but annoyed, I tried again using a cookie sheet underneath. Big success! Delicious. Impressive. Easy. My (socially distant and outdoor) guests were quite impressed. This is guest intimidation at its finest.

I'm having trouble understanding how the apples are sliced in Step 5; if anyone can translate, I'd be interested. Barring any insight, I think I will just halve my apples (cutting from the top down through the core), then place the cut sides down, making half moon slices working from the bottom to the top, cutting out any core with a cookie cutter. I think I'll also microwave the slices briefly (30 seconds?) to make them a bit flexible, so they don't break.

So, I think the idea is that you're trying to leave behind a triangular core, with the meat of the apple in 3 relatively large pieces.

There is a video on how to prep this tart on the NYT’s Instagram account.

“Take care to sprinkle the sugar between the apple slices, rather than on top.“ Could someone explain this? How could one not end uo with the sugar on top my just sprinkling. Where else could it go? Or would they really have me assemble the rose and then pull the layers apart and meticulously sprinkle sugar in between the slices?

Much easier than you’d think. But here’s what I did differently. I sliced then macerated the apples in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon. This made them pliable so assembly was easy. I’m planning on serving with vanilla ice cream, though a caramel sauce or custard sauce might be tasty too.

Beautiful and delicious. Next time I would buy apples with a more intense red or pink color. I used an 11-inch tart pan which was perfect. Started by cutting the apples with a knife but they were breaking so I switched to a mandoline. Cut apples in 3 wedges as per recipe, lay flat, cut one end off each wedge to create a half-moon flat side which went through the mandoline. Then it was easy and fun, but it took a while (but there was no peeling!).

Most eaten (and prettiest!) of the 3 I brought to Thanksgiving. Better on the 2nd try by (1) using only 75% of the dough, otherwise too thick for a 9-9.5" to bake enough; (2) greasing only the side piece and not the bottom of the pan, plenty of butter in the dough to not stick, on my first try the bottom was greasy/slippery; (3) slicing the middle pieces paper thin (sharp knife!), they will loop; (4) more than 3 apples needed, around 4-5; and (5) not skimping on that blind bake, bake it! Lovely.

I found it challenging to get the slice for the center of the rose thin enough (my slices kept breaking) until my brilliant husband suggested shaving off a piece with a vegetable peeler - which worked perfectly!

I wanted to try this for my immediate family prior to making it to take to a Thanksgiving dinner. It was a huge hit! Recipe is definitely a keeper. I made it 2x - once exactly as written. The second time I added a cinnamon to the sugar. I’m not sure which I liked better. Both were delish.

Hmmmmm. Easier said than done building that rose.