Salted Caramel Apple Tart

10.30.2012

Salted Caramel Apple Tart

I bought a few pounds of Honeycrisps, the official Minnesota state fruit, so I can make a few traditional apple tarts or pies, like I usually do every fall. Man, that sounded very Suzy Homemaker-ish when I say it like that.

This year, I thought I would make apple tarts again but kick it up a notch this time by topping it with salted caramel.

It tastes just like a caramel apples, but without the mess.

Pretty classy, right?

For an 8” tart:

Pastry (from):

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1 large egg

Filling:

3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced as thin as you can (I used 2, but definitely use 3)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 c. granulated sugar

Caramel sauce:

1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. sea salt

Place the butter in your mixer and beat until softened. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg, beating just until incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix just until it forms a ball. Flatten dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate about one hour. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11 - 12” circle. Keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll to work the dough, rolling from the center of the pastry outwards. When the pastry is the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll and then unroll it onto top of tart pan. Lay in pan and then lightly press the pastry into bottom and sides of pan. Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. While the dough is chilling, peel, core, and slice the apples. Mix all of the ingredients for the filling. Preheat the oven to 400F. Lay the apples on the pastry in your desired pattern (and depending on the shape of the pan — I used a rectangular pan). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the apples are tender. Once the tart is done, it’s time to make the caramel sauce! Heat the sugar in a crappy ol’ saucepan on medium-high and continually whisk — the sugar will eventually start to melt. Stop whisking when all of the sugar has melted and check the temperature with a candy thermometer. Once it reaches 350F, add the butter and whisk until it’s melted.

When it has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the cream. When the cream is completely incorporated, add the salt. Let it cool for 15 minutes before drizzling it on the tart.