Apples Aplenty

After I made my applesauce, I still had a ton of apples lying around the apartment. The next obvious thing to do with a bunch of fresh apples is to make dessert in my opinion. But with twelve pounds of apples lying around the apartment I didn’t really feel like making a bunch of pies. So I decided to try my hand at a savory apple tart. Which, as it turns out, was a pretty wise choice! 

“Orchard Overload” Apple, Shallot, and Gruyere Tart

- 1 pound tart apples (4-5 decent sized), sliced

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 1 shallot, diced

- 4 oz. (1/2 cup) grated Gruyere

- ½ cup heavy cream

- ½ cup whole milk

- 1 large egg

- 1 large egg yolk

- ½ tablespoon salt 

- 1 frozen piecrust 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and preheat your oven to 375˚F. 

In a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the apple slices and cook over medium heat until the apples begin to brown and caramelize. Don’t overcook them! Let them stay a bit firm otherwise they will turn to mush when you bake the tart.

Set the apples aside and allow them to cool a bit. 

In the same saucepan over medium heat, add the shallots and cook for about 5 minutes until they are lightly browned and tender. If you want more flavor, cook the shallots over low heat for about 15 minutes and caramelize them. When they are done, take them off the heat immediately. 

While the onions are cooking, make the custard. Get out a bowl and combined the heavy cream, whole milk, egg, egg yolk, and salt. Whisk it all together. Now add the grated Gruyere and continue to whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.  

To assemble the tart, take our your frozen pie crust and spread the shallots across the bottom. Then arrange your apple slices on top of the shallots, paying as much or as little, attention to aesthetics as your feel is necessary. The key is to arrange them so that you aren’t getting too much apples in one bite. Once you’ve arranged the apples, pour the custard over them, making sure that it distributes evenly and fills the pie crust to the top. 

Place the baking sheet and tart in the oven for 35-40 minutes and bake until the custard is set. If it’s a little jiggly when you finish that’s okay. It will firm up when it cools. 

I think tarts cut better when they’ve set for a while, so allow the tart to cool completely before serving and eat it at room temperature. Or leave it in the oven slightly longer so that the custard comes out firmer. Just be careful not to burn the crust. 

Enjoy fall!