Free Form Apple Or Pear Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse once or twice. Cut 8 tablespoons butter into chunks, and add it and egg yolk to flour mixture. Process until butter and flour are blended, about 10 seconds. Turn mixture into a bowl, and add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition. After adding 3 or 4 tablespoons you should be able to gather mixture into a ball; wrap ball in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or freeze for about 15 minutes).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll or pat dough into a 10-inch circle; it can be quite crude in shape. Place it on a cookie or pizza sheet, preferably nonstick. Arrange fruit slices on top, right out to edges; make the pattern attractive, if you like. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Cut remaining butter into bits, and top fruit with it.
• Bake until crust is nicely browned and fruit is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove, and serve warm or at room temperature, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or ice cream.

Steps:

• 1. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse once or twice. Cut 8 tablespoons butter into chunks, and add it and egg yolk to flour mixture. Process until butter and flour are blended, about 10 seconds. Turn mixture into a bowl, and add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition. After adding 3 or 4 tablespoons you should be able to gather mixture into a ball; wrap ball in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or freeze for about 15 minutes). 2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll or pat dough into a 10-inch circle; it can be quite crude in shape. Place it on a cookie or pizza sheet, preferably nonstick. Arrange fruit slices on top, right out to edges; make the pattern attractive, if you like. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Cut remaining butter into bits, and top fruit with it. 3. Bake until crust is nicely browned and fruit is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove, and serve warm or at room temperature, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or ice cream.

Steps:

• Cut the cold butter and cream cheese into the flour with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (This can also be done in a food processor: pulse the cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal; add the cream cheese and pulse until it's the size of small peas.) When you squeeze a handful of the mixture, it should form a ball. Shape the dough into a round disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Toss the sliced apples and pear with the orange juice. Whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cornstarch. Toss the fruit with the sugar-spice mixture and set aside.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Set out an 8-inch tart pan, or, if you'll be making a free-form tart (galette), lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to form a 10-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the tart pan or baking sheet. Arrange the fruit decoratively in the tart pastry. If you're baking the tart on a baking sheet, leave a 2-inch rim of dough and fold it up over the edge of the fruit (the pastry folds will overlap).
• Bake the tart in the preheated oven until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and brush it with the apricot jam.

Steps:

• For crust:
• Mix flour, sugar, grated lemon peel, salt and ground mace in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix yolk and water in small bowl. Add to processor and mix in using on/off turns until large moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in waxed paper and freeze 10 minutes.
• Butter 9-inch metal pie plate. Roll out dough between sheets of waxed paper to 13-inch round. Peel off top sheet of paper. Invert dough into prepared pan; peel off paper. Fold in edges to form double thickness. Crimp edges decoratively. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For filling:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Finely chop slivered almonds in processor. Spread almonds on bottom of crust. Combine apples and pears in large bowl. Mix sugar, grated lemon peel and ground mace in small bowl. Toss half of sugar mixture with apples and pears. Pile into crust. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture over fruit. Dot with 1 1/2 tablespoons butter.
• Bake until crust is brown and filling bubbles, about 1 hour. Cool on rack.
• For whipped cream:
• Beat cream, sugar and schnapps in large bowl until medium-stiff peaks form. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Serve tart warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.