This is not an apple pie as such (the techniques are a lot different though the flavorings are similar). This is a home version of apfelwähe (prounounced APfel-VAY-heh), which is a subset of the larger set of wähen or tarts in general.
("Wähe" is the Swiss name, which is regional: in Germany and Austria, these sometimes go by other names.) Wähen come in both sweet and savory forms -- filled with all kinds of seasonal fruit, as well as with quiche-style fillings -- and bakeries in Switzerland routinely have both kinds ready to go, by the slice, like pizza. (See a typical image here.) A favorite lunch with people in a hurry would be a slice of a cheese- or meat- or vegetable-based wähe and a slice of a fruit one -- plum, apricot, apple, whatever's in season -- with a glass of wine or a soft drink like Rivella.
So, on to the tart proper. (You can see the various stages of the making of the tart in this Flickr photoset.)
For the basic sweet pastry (Süsser Mürbeteig) --
- 6 oz (175g) plain flour (about 1 1/2 US cups)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 oz (75g) butter, well chilled (about 3/4 cup)
- 3 oz (75g) caster sugar (that's fine granulated sugar for US folk: a scant 1/2 cup)
- 1 tsp grated lemon rind
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Sift the flour and sugar together into a large mixing bowl. Coat the butter with flour from the bowl to make it easier to handle, and grate it directly onto the flour, using the coarse blade of a cheese grater. As you grate the butter, mix the flakes together with the flour occasionally, using your fingertips, before grating more.
Add the sugar and lemon rind. Using two round-bladed knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
Mix the egg lightly with a fork and pour over the flour mixture. Using the fork, mix the egg into the flour mixture until well distributed. Then, using your hand, pull the dough gently together into a ball. Knead lightly and briefly on a floured board until the dough forms a cohesive mass. Pat into a flat round and wrap tightly in Saran wrap / plastic wrap / clingflim. Refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
If you're doing this with a food processor: Dump in the flour and salt first: pulse to aerate / sift. Add the sugar and lemon rind: pulse again. Add the butter, in pats / lumps of about a teaspoon each: pulse once or twice to get them covered with flour, then process briefly to the cornmeal texture. Add the egg. Pulse sparingly until the whole business forms a ball. Empty the container out onto a floured surface, knead briefly, pat the dough flat and wrap as above.
You should be warned that even after chilling, this dough is extremely soft and delicate, and can be a pain to handle. You may find yourself forced to knead some extra flour into it to make it robust enough to get it into the tart pan or onto the baking sheet. If you have to do this, work fast, work gently, and don't whack the dough around too much. You don't want to take the risk of developing the gluten and winding up with a tough crust.
Work with the dough right out of the refrigerator if possible: this may make matters slightly easier for you. If you have the kind of tart pan/tin the recipe properly calls for -- 10-12 inches wide, with a one-inch high, fluted rim and a removable bottom -- roll the dough out just thin enough to be about an inch and a half wider than the pan, and either fold it in two for the move into the pan, or drape it over the rolling pin and move it that way. Carefully tuck the dough down so that it is flat both against the pan's bottom and the fluted sides. Press it gently against the fluting: then trim it off flat by rolling the rolling pin over the top edge. Save the trimmings for some smaller piece of pastry work (you might have enough left over to line a cupcake's worth of cupcake pan). Prick the bottom of the crust-to-be with a fork.
If you don't have a tart tin, use a small baking sheet with a rim-- the dimensions should be about 12" by 9". Line this with the pastry and prick the bottom.
Whichever pan/tin you're using, set it aside (preferably in the refrigerator) while you make the filling.
For the filling proper --
- Approximately two pounds of a tart baking apple (Bramley is best: Granny Smith is okay. Try to avoid "eating" apples like the Delicious crowd. Rome is good if you can get it, but always prefer green to red.)
- 3 oz / 75g ground almonds
- Grated rind of 1 lemon, or 1 tsp dried lemon zest
- 3 tsp fine granulated sugar / caster sugar (UK)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 oz butter, cut into flakes (or use a butter curler to produce this much butter in short curls)
For the custard --
- 8 fl oz whipping cream
- 1 tsp cornstarch / cornflour (UK)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 tbs fine granulated sugar / caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F (about ten degrees lower if you have a fan oven).
Sprinkle the bottom of the pastry-lined pan/tin with the ground almonds. Combine the cinnamon, sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl.
Peel, core and quarter the apples. Slice them very thin (you may want to use a mandoline-type vegetable slicer for this), toss them together with the cinnamon-sugar-zest mixture, and then arrange them in concentric circles on top of the ground almonds. Flake the butter on top.
Mix the cornstarch well with about three tablespoonsful of the cream: then add this to the rest of the custard ingredients and mix well. Put the pastry in the oven and bake for fifteen minutes. When this time has elapsed, stir up the custard ingredients well one more time, then pour enough custard into the pastry to fill it to the top. Close the oven and bake for another 30 minutes. (If the pastry was showing too much browning at the 15-minute stage, you might want to decrease the heat just a little.) At the end of the 30 minutes, wiggle the pan a little to make sure that the custard's set. If it is, remove and allow to cool on a rack. If it isn't, give it another five or ten minutes, but no more. The custard usually puffs up while baking: when it collapses after you remove it from the oven, don't worry -- it's supposed to do that.
The apfelwähe can be served hot, warm, or cold. Add whatever sides you prefer with an apple dessert -- pouring cream, more custard, a sharp cheese....
one recipe Wähe Dough, or enough dough to cover you pan
about 800 g fresh Zwetschgen
Ingredients for crust
- 200g flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 75g butter, cubed, cold
- 1dl water
Method
Mix flour and salt in a bowl (and a little sugar if you prefer your dough sweet).
Add the butter and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the water, and only quickly mix it together until the dough is formed. Don’t knead it to keep it nice and soft. Flatten it out a little and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
sprinkle crust with ground almonds
"GUSS" - liquid filling
125 ml milk
125 ml cream
2 eggs
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vanilla paste or extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
60 g ground nuts
Preheat oven to 200° C / 400° F / gas mark 6.
Roll out your dough and line a 28 cm (11 inch) round springform or tart pan. Poke the bottom of the dough all over with a fork then keep the tart shell cool (preferably in the freezer) until you have the filling ready.
Halve and pit your plums.
Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Place your tart pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with the nuts, then arrange the apricots in rows on top. Pour in the liquid.
Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the liquid has set and the fruit juices are bubbling.
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