Apple of My Pie

When I lived in Paris, there were four good patisseries just a short walk from my apartment. My first major decision of the day was whether to have a croissant, a pain au chocolat or a brioche. Or I could go beyond these and start my day with something less traditional.

One of my favorites at any time of day was tarte aux pommes normande , or Norman Apple Tart, named for the excellent apples and butter of the northwestern region of Normandy. Apple slices were embedded in a luscious almond cream and baked in a shell of pate sucree , the sweet, buttery French pie pastry.

The tart would be coated with a light, golden layer of apricot glaze, unlike the thick, gooey toppings found on fruit pies at many American bakeries. The result was rich but not heavy, sweet but not cloying. Usually a pear version was available as well, and I never could decide which one I liked better.

Now I live in California, and I’m sad to say that I can’t just walk down my street and buy tarte normande. Fortunately, this classic pastry is easy to prepare at home. This is a simplified version of the recipe I learned in France at La Varenne Cooking School.

The secret of this tart is the almond cream layer. Besides contributing a delicious flavor, it protects the crust from the fruit’s juices. This extra layer makes Norman Apple Tart easier to bake than many other fruit tarts since it does not require pre-baking to prevent a soggy crust.

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The amount of almond cream may seem small, but it puffs as it bakes and surrounds the fruit slices. Be sure to work quickly when rolling out the Sweet Pastry Shell dough, but don’t worry if it tears--it can be easily patched with a small piece of dough. If you are substituting a frozen pie shell, use a 9- or 10-inch shallow pie shell, not one designed for a deep-dish pie.

NORMAN APPLE TART

Almond Cream

Sweet Pastry Shell or 1 (9- or 10-inch) unbaked pie shell

3 medium Golden Delicious apples, peeled, halved and cored

1/3 cup apricot preserves

4 teaspoons rum, kirsch or water

Spread Almond Cream evenly over bottom of Sweet Pastry Shell. Cut apple halves into thin crosswise slices, keeping each half together. Using metal spatula, set apple halves on Almond Cream at equal distances from each other, with slices radiating outward from center like spokes of wheel. Press slightly to flatten slices out.

Place tart on heated baking sheet on lower 1/3 of 425-degree oven. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake until almond cream is set and golden brown, about 30 minutes more. Cool on wire rack.

Heat preserves with rum over low heat, stirring often, until melted. Strain mixture. Brush over top of tart. Serve at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.

Variation:

To make Norman Pear Tart, substitute 3 ripe pears, each about 1/2 pound, for apples. Peel, halve, core and slice as directed.

Almond Cream

2/3 cup blanched almonds, whole or slivered

1/2 cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons rum or kirsch or 1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons flour

Grind almonds in food processor with 2 tablespoons sugar to fine powder. Set mixture aside.

Cream butter in bowl of electric mixer until light. Add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar and beat until mixture is smooth. Gradually beat in egg and egg yolk. Stir in almond mixture, rum and flour.

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Sweet Pastry Shell

1 1/2 cups flour

6 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into bits

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor and process 2 or 3 seconds. Scatter butter pieces over mixture. Pulse on and off until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg and pulse again, scraping down occasionally, until dough forms sticky crumbs that can easily be pressed together. If dough is dry, add 1/2 teaspoon cold water and process again. Transfer dough to work surface.

Blend dough by pushing 1/4 of dough away from you and smearing it with heel of your hand against work surface. Repeat with remaining dough in 3 batches. Shape dough into flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Lightly butter 9- or 10-inch round metal tart pan with removable base. Remove dough from refrigerator and let soften 1 minute. Roll dough out on cold, lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch-thick round. Roll loosely around rolling pin and unroll over pan. Ease dough into pan.

Using thumb, push dough down slightly at top edge of pan so shell is thickest at its top. Roll rolling pin across pan to cut off dough. With finger and thumb, push up top edge of dough so it is 1/4 inch higher than rim of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Makes 1 (9- or 10-inch) round tart shell.