Sugar Cube (17 page)

• 1
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  cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• ¹
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  teaspoon sea salt
  
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  cup sugar
  
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  cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into
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  -inch cubes
  
• 2 to 3 tablespoons cold heavy cream
  
• 1 egg yolk
  

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  vanilla bean
  
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
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  cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• ¹
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  teaspoon sea salt
  
• 1 lage egg, at room temperature
  
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  cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• 2 heaping tablespoons crème fraîche
  
• 1 pint (about 2 cups) fresh raspberries
  

• TO MAKE THE TART DOUGH
  : In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks pale yellow and sandy.
  
• IN A SMALL BOWL
  , combine the cream and egg yolk. While pulsing, pour the mixture through the feed tube of the food processor. Continue pulsing until the dough forms a ball around the blade.
  
• TURN THE DOUGH OUT
  onto a lightly floured surface and gather it into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk so it’s not too thick and will be easier to roll out, wrap it in plastic, and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
  
• REMOVE THE DOUGH
  from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for a few minutes to soften a bit. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, frequently turning it a quarter turn. (Use a bench scraper to dislodge any areas that stick to the work surface and dust the area lightly with flour.) Roll the dough out until it is
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  ₄
  inch thick and an inch or two longer than the length and width of a 4-by-13-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Carefully transfer the dough to the pan and gently press it into the pan, including the corners. Roll the rolling pin across the top of the tart pan to cut off the excess dough. Check around the top of the pan and make sure the dough is at least flush with the top, or make it a little higher. Prick the bottom of the tart all over and chill in the freezer until firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
  
• TO MAKE THE FILLING:
  Split the piece of vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Add to a small sauté pan along with the pod and the butter. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the butter darkens to a nutty brown and the solids drop to the bottom of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla bean pod. Measure out 3 tablespoons of the browned butter, making sure to get as much of the vanilla bean seeds and browned bits as you can. (You can save any extra butter for another use.)
  
• IN A SMALL MIXING BOWL
  , whisk together the sugar, salt, and egg until combined. Whisk in the flour, then whisk in the browned butter and crème fraîche until combined.
  
• PREHEAT THE OVEN
  to 400°F. Crumple a piece of parchment paper (to increase its flexibility so that it will conform more easily to the shape of the tart shell), then flatten it out and fit it into the chilled shell. Fill with pie weights, dried beans, or rice. Bake until the sides of the shell look set and golden, 10 to 15 minutes, then gently lift the parchment and beans and remove them from the tart. Reduce the heat to 350°F, and continue baking until the bottom is set and lightly golden, 5 to 10 minutes longer. (If the edges start to look too dark, cover them with strips of foil.) Let cool slightly on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before filling.
  
• SPOON THE FILLING
  into the prebaked tart shell, spreading it evenly over the bottom with a small offset spatula. Arrange the berries in an even layer on top. Bake on the center rack until the filling has puffed up around the fruit and is golden brown, about 25 minutes. (Again, if edges are getting too dark, cover with strips of foil.)
  
• LET COOL
  before cutting tart crosswise to serve.
  

•
You can use any leftover scraps of tart dough to make mini jam tartlets. Roll it out and cut it into rounds. Drop a dollop of jam in the center of each round, and fold the dough over to make a turnover. Crimp the edges with a fork, chill until firm, and then bake until golden brown.

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Taste your fruit. If it’s not very sweet, fold in 1 tablespoon melted apricot jam or seedless raspberry jam. Or use superfine sugar, which is absorbed more quickly.

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You can make the filling several days in advance. Let it come to room temperature before you use it, so it will be easier to spread.

I don’t go in for frilly and fancy. I don’t enjoy making seven-component architecturally complex desserts. But rustic sweets with depth of flavor? That’s me in spades. And that’s what these crostatas are all about. They’re pretty but not pretentious, with a big hit of caramel-apple flavor brightened by the simple addition of apricot preserves. In the dough, I use a little leaf lard along with the butter. It makes the dough easy to work with, super-flaky, and adds a hint of savoriness that plays perfectly off the caramelized apples. If you’ve never added lard to your pie crusts before, consider this your call to arms.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• 1 rounded tablespoon granulated sugar
  
• ¹
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  teaspoon sea salt
  
• ¹
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  cup (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, cut into
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  -inch cubes
  
• 2 tablespoons very cold rendered leaf lard, cut into small pieces
  
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  cup ice water
  

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  cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar
  
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  teaspoon sea salt
  
• Juice of
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  lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
  
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  vanilla bean
  
• 3 medium-large granny smith apples (about 1 poud, 9 ounces), peeled, halved, and cored
  
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  cup apricot preserves
  
• Heavy cream for brushing
  
• Superfine or vanilla sugar for sprinkling
  
• Vanilla bean ice cream for serving
  

• TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
  In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse a few times. Add the butter and lard and pulse until pea-size pieces are formed. While pulsing, slowly drizzle the ice water through the feed tube. Continue pulsing until the dough comes together. (The dough will start to ball up. If the dough seems dry, add 1 teaspoon more of cold water at a time, but don’t get the dough too wet.) Turn the dough out onto a clean, dry, lightly floured work surface and gather it into a ball, kneading a few times. Flatten it into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  
• REMOVE THE DOUGH
  from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for a few minutes to soften a bit. With a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 15-inch circle that’s
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  inch thick. Make sure to turn the dough frequently as you roll it to prevent sticking. (Use a bench scraper to dislodge any areas that stick to the work surface and dust the area lightly with flour.) If there is excess flour on your dough when you’re done rolling, be sure to brush it off.
  
• LINE A BAKING SHEET
  with parchment paper or a Silpat. Use a 5-inch-diameter plate or biscuit cutter to cut out six 5-inch rounds and place them on the prepared sheet. (Try to cut them so that you don’t have to reroll scraps to cut out more rounds.) Cover with plastic wrap and chill while you make the caramelized apples.
  
• TO MAKE THE CARAMELIZED APPLES:
  In a 10-inch sauté pan that’s at least 2 inches deep, stir the butter, granulated sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Split the piece of vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Add to the pan along with the pod and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is bubbly and turns a light nut brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the apple halves, cut-side down, and cook for 5 minutes, spooning the caramel over the apples to promote even cooking (lower the heat a bit if the caramel is getting too dark). Turn the apples over and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, spooning more caramel on top. (You want the apples to be cooked but still hold their shape and be slightly firm to the touch.) Remove from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the caramelized apple halves to a clean plate. Let cool. (You can discard the leftover caramel in the pan, or use it to top the crostatas. Just add a little cream and whisk until smooth. Make sure to strain out the apple bits and vanilla bean pod.)
  
• WHEN COOL ENOUGH TO HANDLE
  , cut the apples into
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  -inch-thick slices (four to six slices per half). Do not fan the slices or mix them up; keep them in the half-apple shape. They should be easy to cut yet slightly firm since they are going to bake for another 20 minutes—you don’t want applesauce crostatas!
  
• REMOVE THE CHILLED DOUGH
  from the refrigerator. Drop 1 rounded teaspoon of apri-cot preserves in the center and spread it out a bit, leaving a 1-inch border. Place a caramelized apple half, cut-side down, on top. Fold the edges of the dough up against the apple, pressing the seams together where the dough over-laps. If the dough seems too firm to fold, let it stand at room temperature for a few minutes until slightly softened but no longer than 5 minutes, or it’ll be too soft to work with. Freeze the crostatas until firm, about 30 minutes.
  
• PREHEAT THE OVEN
  to 400°F. Lightly brush the edges of the chilled crostatas with cream and generously sprinkle the dough and fruit with superfine sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet from front to back halfway through.
  
• MELT THE REMAINING APRICOT PRESERVES
  in a small bowl in the microwave for about 25 seconds, or in a small saucepan over low heat. (If it seems really thick, you can thin it out with a teaspoon of water if you want.) Let the crostatas cool slightly before brushing the tops of the apples with the melted preserves for added tartness and a pretty shine. Serve warm with the ice cream.